Results

WOMENS 1ST XI - 01/02/2020 VS UPMINSTER 1 (A) 
 
TEAM: Womens 1st XI 
DATE: 01/02/2020 
FIXTURE: Womens 1st XI VS 01/02/2020 
HEADLINE: I blame it on the red shirts...  
LEAGUE: EAST PREMIER DIVISION 
VENUE: Away 
RESULT: Loss, 2-4 
 
REPORT: 
With a slow pitch, strong winds and low sun to battle against, City unfortunately conceded a very early goal caught unprepared having not yet shaken the long journey off.  
Upminster scored their second goal on the break, getting in between the city lines, with City getting caught out, by their physical playing style.  
Krystal wore a miss hit Upminster 16 on the wrist early in the game, but this did little to dull her goal scoring talent. 
Sophie Showcased her tidy stick skills and fantastic work rate running back to win the ball. She also showed fantastic discipline to ride out a punch in the nose and some more than questionable decisions against her. 
Kate slotted into the side well, weathering a storm of shoulders and elbows and making some lovely runs with the ball. 
Fong collecting a new hole in her shin from shutting down a short corner drag flick routine, and made her customary strong runs out of defence. 
Micayla showed strength from the back, making fantastically strong long balls, clearing our defensive lines and finding gaps where there appeared to be none. 
City’s first goal came from open play, the ball was hit in to the D from the top edge by Jo, to Krystal on the post who turned and made space reverse sweeping the ball round the Upminster GK. 
At half time City were 2-1 down. After this we adapted the formation from three forwards to two, with a central diamond. 
City's first attacking short corner of the game, a straight left to Oli was unfortunately picked out by a waiting Upminster defender. Who's flat sticks proved to be an ongoing challenge.  
Stacey showed great intensity working back and putting in many tackles. We also saw a masterclass in the "C drag" to fool the Upminster defence when attacking with the ball.  
Oli demonstrated consistently high work rate up the pitch making runs and coming back to defend the line ball well also, some particularly skillful work finding Upminster feet and winning free hits. 
A series of quickly taken free hits around the D incurring a string of fouls from Upminster lead the umpires to upgrade to a short corner. At City’s 2nd short corner, the ball came to Jo at the top, was slipped right to Krystal who fired the ball home from a shallow angle and clattering the backboard.  
Rae showed her usual composure on the ball in midfield attacking the D strongly on he right. 
Hannah worked hard to get us out of the tight Upminster press from left half utilising her close control skills. 
Ellie hustled around putting Upminster under pressure through the middle of the pitch breaking down play with swift stick skills. 
Upminter's final goal came from an intercepted 16 , their striker was composed in a 1v1 with Mik and found the goal to make it 4-2. 
Harriet's customary strong tackles were much needed, and her tight turns with the ball helped her work her way out of pressure. 
Mikayla fresh from her return to gymnastics showed us her Hinch inspired moves in goal and Suze kept the quick free hits coming and made many a handy tackle. 
City threw everything high pushing until the end with Upminster having to defend hard to keep back the many phases of City’s attack. A disappointing end result but a fantastic team effort. Player of the match, Jo Staines. 
 

WOMENS 3RD XI - 01/02/2020 VS LODDON 1 (A) 
 
TEAM: Womens 3rd XI 
DATE: 01/02/2020 
FIXTURE: Womens 3rd XI VS 01/02/2020 
HEADLINE: Tough away fixture  
LEAGUE: NORFOLK PREMIER DIVISION 
LEAGUE SPONSORS: EMPRESA LIMITED 
VENUE: Hobart High School (away) 
RESULT: 1-0 (loss) 
 
REPORT: 
City 3s travelled to Loddon for a hard and fast-paced game. The hosts dominated early on, but player of the match City goalkeeper Serena Scott kept them at bay.  
 
There were some well-worked passes through the middle from City’s Kim Lusher and Emma Richardson, who distributed the ball to the wings, but the visitors couldn’t finish it off.  
 
The high-energy play continued with a good second half start from City, and some lovely balls down the wings from Jenny Brine, and drives up front from Emily Leeming.  
 
Eventually the deadlock ended with a short corner conversion for Loddon.  
 
Play from the likes of Karren Dagless at the back and Karen Hobden on the wing kept City in the game, but it’s wasn’t their day and the score remained 1-0 to the hosts.  
 
Despite not bringing home three points, City remain second in the league. 

WOMENS 4TH XI - 01/02/2020 VS DISS 1 (A) 
 
TEAM: Womens 4th XI 
DATE: 01/02/2020 
FIXTURE: Womens 4th XI VS 01/02/2020 
HEADLINE: City begin to fight back 
LEAGUE: NORFOLK PREMIER DIVISION 
LEAGUE SPONSORS: EMPRESA LIMITED 
VENUE: away 
RESULT: 2-2 
 
REPORT: 
 
An extraordinary game for NCHC Women’s 4s with an early goal from Georgie playing right wing putting us ahead only for her then to receive a head injury from a lifted ball by a Diss defender in the ‘D’.  
 
Diss equalised through a well executed short corner in the first half. NCHC also managed to secure several short corners, but were unable to convert them. 
 
In the 2nd half, Diss made an opportunity through the middle of the pitch to score a second goal through successful one-two play. 
 
City suffered a disallowed goal from a ball being deflected off the keeper’s pads for the shot on goal; which was allowed by one umpire and then disallowed by the other leading to confusion (over whether the ball hit a foot) and frustration.  
 
NCHC carried on and through a keeper deflection being fed back in by Caroline Illing to Carolyn Lumley scoring from Top ‘D’ to equalise. 
 
The game management seemed to bring out a large amount of confusion and frustration, Unfortunately resulting in cardings due to a lack of clarity over player actions and umpire decisions.  
 
NCHC walked away with a draw; but the hockey Gods did not favour us today!  
A very well deserved POTM to Carolyn for great determination in the D and a great straight strike . 
 

WOMENS 6TH XI - 01/02/2020 VS DEREHAM 4 (H) 
 
TEAM: Womens 6th XI 
DATE: 01/02/2020 
FIXTURE: Womens 6th XI VS 01/02/2020 
HEADLINE: Tough match v unbeaten Dereham 
LEAGUE: NORFOLK LEAGUE DIVISION 2 
LEAGUE SPONSORS: EMPRESA LIMITED 
VENUE: TRF 
RESULT: 0-4 
 
REPORT: 
City hosted top of the league Dereham at home for an early game fielding a squad of 16 who were out on the pitch warming up early and keen to take on the challenge. Despite their enthusiasm for a win, City found the unbeaten opposition challenging from the start. The home team succumbed to a slick Dereham who were clearly used to operating as a well-organised unit. Player of the match with 13 votes was goalie Joanne di Corpo.  

WOMENS 7TH XI - 01/02/2020 VS DEREHAM 5 (A) 
 
TEAM: Womens 7th XI 
DATE: 01/02/2020 
FIXTURE: Womens 7th XI VS 01/02/2020 
HEADLINE: A much needed win for City's Womens 7's 
LEAGUE: NORFOLK LEAGUE DIVISION 3 
LEAGUE SPONSORS: EMPRESA LIMITED 
VENUE: 
RESULT: 
 
REPORT: 
Due to illness & non-availability, the 7's fielded their mature team( apologies to those under 40!) against a youthful Dereham side. Helped along by Clare , Caitlin & Winnie from the 6's, they needed a win to break their losing streak. 
 
The first half saw City dominate play with the ball mainly in City's possession & half. There were a few failed attempts to convert the ball in the D despite some great passes through midfield by Chloe,Caitlin & Winnie . Winnie made some fabulous runs through Dereham's defence with such speed even the teenagers couldn't keep up by we failed to secure a goal. There were also some great runs up the wings by Nicky & Winnie as City switched the ball from side to side ( just like in training Nick !!) 
Finally the pressure paid off with a fabulous strike in the D from Helen L & we were 1:0 up. Spirits were high & our second goal came from Emily after a knock in from Helen L. 2:0 to us going into half-time.  
 
The half-time speech was mainly to try & calm us down & we all promised to try & get back & fill-in some of the holes in defence that Helen M ( GK) could see. 
 
We started off fairly well in the second half but our older legs were tiring. Dereham seemed to have short corner after short corner but failed to convert. This spurred them on & they applied plenty of pressure on our defence but Clare,Jan,Sam & Danielle held tight with some fabulous defending. 
Some scrappy play by them in their D nearly led to a goal but Helen M in goal was a superstar & kicked the ball out.Eventually as we tired they did mange to pull one back after some more scrappy play in the D. Determined not to throw away our lead we all tried to defend with only Birdy & Nicky hanging forward for the lose ball in case we manged to get it up to them. This nearly paid off on several occasions with Birdy & Nicky both having near misses. 
 
However the final score stood at 2:1 YAY !! 
 
Well deserved POTM to Helen L who had to ask to come off just before half-time ( unheard of before ) but she had worked like a Trojan for those 2 goals & needed a breather!! 
Closely followed second place POTM Helen M in goal ( who is proving quite the GK) & Winnie for her unbound less energy 
 
Bring on next week ....... 

MENS 1ST XI - 01/02/2020 VS IPSWICH 1 (H) 
 
TEAM: Mens 1st XI 
DATE: 01/02/2020 
FIXTURE: Mens 1st XI VS 01/02/2020 
HEADLINE: It's All In The(ir) Name... 
LEAGUE: EAST PREMIER DIVISION A 
VENUE: Taverham Recreational Facility 
RESULT: 7-3 Win 
 
REPORT: Norwich City continued their rich vein of scoring form against their second Suffolk rival in 2 weeks, as they came away victors in a thrilling 7-3 match against Ipswich Seven Hockey Club. City set the early pace as they put pressure on the visitors right from the off, with their first real sight of goal coming from a short corner inside the first 5 minutes. Thomas Cooke's low flick proved too much for the Ipswich keeper who could only deflect the ball past the covering defender. As the half went on Ipswich begin to create their own attacking opportunities and had levelled the score within the first quarter of the games, a quickly taken freehit getting the slightest of touches inside the circle and whilst City's 'keeper Alastair Cooke took all the sting out of the shot, he was unable to deny another ipswich forward who converted from a matter of inches. Ipswich then took the lead as City were unable to clear their defensives lines and got drawn to the ball as the visitors drove round the right hand side of the circle, leaving a man unmarked at the back post to convert an easy chance. City's ambition for another victory never faltered and they were back ahead before the break, equalising through a Felix Broadway flick following a spectacular ball from Thomas Cooke to find Louis Preston in the circle who then found Pete Morgan to set up Broadway for an impressive finish into the side netting. The go ahead go was scored by Stuart Wardle, returning from a week away the previous game, who converted a well executed short corner routine with a neat deflection through the 'keeper's legs. Halftime and advantage Norwich City. 
 
After the break Ipswich came out the stronger of the 2 teams and put City under pressure in the early stages of the second half, and managed to pull themselves back onto level terms with a scrappy goal finished from close range after a combination of City defenders and goalkeeper kept out the first 2 attempts. Unfortunately for Ipswich this was to be their last real involvement in the second half, not troubling Alastair Cooke again for the remainder of the game. Not to be disheartened by the set back City got back into their stride and within 10 minutes they had gone back in front, Wardle involved again as he smartly turned one defender on the edge of the circle with the next defender only able to halt his progress illegally and the umpired awarded a penalty stroke. Man of the Match Chris Wardale stepped off the bench to coolly convert the penalty, before returning to his seat before the restart. City's fifth came after Preston intercepted a long ball forward from Ipswich, and then passed inside to Morgan who found Wardale leading wide inside the Ipswich circle. After taking a touch to set himself, Wardale rifled a ball at the target with the despairing visitor's goalkeeper only able to deflect the ball down into the turf and onto the backboard. The hosts further extended their lead when Pete Morgan's searching pass was deflected up and over the Ipswich keeper, and skipper Preston beat Harry Cresswell off the ball to get the decisive touch before the ball crossed the line. Victory (and a Hattrick for the man of the match) was sealed with little over 5 minutes to go with Wardale converting another short corner, with Cooke snr. drawing the outrunning defenders and laying off a near perfect ball to allow Wardale to finish first time into a relatively unguarded goal.  
 
A great result for Norwich which sees the hosts leapfrog their visiting rivals into the top half of the table. 

MENS 2ND XI - 01/02/2020 VS LONG SUTTON 1 (A) 
 
TEAM: Mens 2nd XI 
DATE: 01/02/2020 
FIXTURE: Mens 2nd XI VS 01/02/2020 
HEADLINE: Fantastic away performance with a bare 11! 
LEAGUE: EAST DIVISION 2 NORTH 
VENUE: Long Sutton Beach! 
RESULT: 6-1 Win 
 
REPORT: 
With high unavailability this week, City travelled to basement boys Long Sutton with a bare 11 but still confident of a good result following a very disapointing and undeserved defeat in the previous week against Pelicans.  
 
City started well and created early chances with the Sutton keeper making some good early saves. The pace of Chaney-Baxter and Gill caused problems early on and both went close to opening the scoring, before some determined play by Jonty Black set up Chaney Baxter for the first goal. Hindle then set up Pallistar for an excellent vollied finish for 2-0. Sutton were limited going forward but their star player then went on a mazey run and released a shot to hot to handle for keeper Millett. However just before the break a great run and ball from Fred Anthony was deflected home by skipper Ling to make it 3-1 at half time.  
 
After the break City knew the first 5 minutes were crucial as Sutton would push hard however the defence of Crichton, Bailey, Fox and Anthony held firm and limited Sutton to very few chances. With Sutton pushing they left themselves exposed at the back with the pace of Chaney-Baxter and Gill, with the latter finishing of a great individual run to make it 4-1. He then completed a very quick fire hattrick which included a very clear candidate for goal of the season with a fine reverse stick volley! At 6-1 City were cruising and after a disallowed penalty corner goal and missed penalty flick (Hindle!) could of made it more! FULL TIME 6-1 
 
A really good performance showing that subs are clearly not needed! 

MENS 3RD XI - 01/02/2020 VS PELICANS 2 (H) 
 
TEAM: Mens 3rd XI 
DATE: 01/02/2020 
FIXTURE: Mens 3rd XI VS 01/02/2020 
HEADLINE: Total commitment vanquishes local rivals 
LEAGUE: EAST DIVISION 3 NORTH EAST 
VENUE: TRF 
RESULT:NCHC 3s 2 - 1 Pelicans 2s 
 
REPORT:  
It was a sunny, but blustery, February afternoon and the Men's 3s were looking forward to a chance to improve the result from the reverse fixture. They were against it from the start and were forced to begin the game with only 10 players, however after 5 minutes Chris Key was on hand to bolster the defense. 
 
Trying a new formation, City actually found themselves with the upper hand and had a run of short corners that were coped with well by Peli's keeper. It wasn't long before City took the lead, with a well struck ball from Adie Land being deflected by Lloyd Sayer into the path of Simon Black who volleyed the ball into the net (yes, you read that correctly). Peli's didn't let this dishearten them though and soon found themselves level at 1-1 after a strong by-line run by one of their players, save by Luke Elwes and follow up by one of their forwards. The first half ended 1-1 and there was everything to fight for in the second half. 
 
The second half was similar to the first, but with City's tiring legs Peli's were seeing more chances fall their way. However, excellent saves by Luke Elwes kept them at bay and it was City who managed to find the advantage. A side-line ball was quickly passed to Paul Roy, who fired it into the D. Adie Land was on hand to deflect the ball past the keeper and into the corner of the goal. The final 10 minutes were a little ropey for City but with fine defending across the back line City held on to the final whistle and win 2-1. 
 
MOM - Lloyd Sayer, with honourable mentions for Adam Sayer and Reuben Cooke for solid performances.  

MENS 4TH XI - 01/02/2020 VS BURY ST EDMUNDS 2 (A) 
 
TEAM: Mens 4th XI 
DATE: 01/02/2020 
FIXTURE: Mens 4th XI VS 01/02/2020 
HEADLINE: The Search for Points Continues 
LEAGUE: EAST DIVISION 3 NORTH EAST 
VENUE: Culford School 
RESULT:  
NCHC 4s 1 - 7 Bury St Edmunds 2s 
REPORT: 
A nine-man City travelled to Bury lacking players but not lacking spirit. The first half started well with Jagdev Saran making a goal line clearance. Half time came with City behind 2-0, feeling confident that the scoreline could be kept low.  
In the second half Bury managed to transfer the ball well and capitalise on their chances.  
Norwich pulled one back through Matthew Brine putting the ball in the net after a sublime ball from Krishna Patel.  
Taking the positives from the game NCHC hope to pick up the points next week away against Pelicans 2s.  
Man of the Match - Luke Elwes  

COLTS XI - 02/02/2020 VS CAMBRIDGE CITY U16 (A) 
 
TEAM: Colts XI 
DATE: 02/02/2020 
FIXTURE: Colts XI VS 02/02/2020 
HEADLINE: Harsh score line for City endeavour 
EHA U16 Tier 1 Cup 
VENUE: Cambridge University  
RESULT: NCHC 2 - 6 Cambridge City 
 
REPORT: 
OK so a score of 6-2 does not look or sound great but it really doesn’t tell the story of a very even game. (I know teams that have lost day this but honestly it is true!) 
 
Norwich started slowly and found themselves 2-0 down largely down to mistakes than amazing okay by our hosts. This soon became 3-0 although Norwich were beginning to play much better hockey. Rafe Lochore reduced the arrears and Norwich were unlucky not to makes the scores level with Rafe, Freddie Paterson, Jack Whitlam and Ethan Rushton all going close. As is the way with such games Cambridge scored just before half time to make score at the break a rather flattering 4-1.  
 
After a rousing and truthful half time team talk from Jim “Mr Motivator” Pallister Borwich really took the game by the scruff of the neck with Jonty Black, Harry Mackenzie and Joseph Roy becoming more influential. Shot after shot after short corner just would not go in. Finally Rafe scores his second to provide some hope of a comeback. With Norwich pressing they were indebted to Archie Ward making some fantastic tackles and one awesome goal line clearance by Harry (I forgot my socks) Mackenzie.  
 
With Sam Hyatt adopting a particularly attacking and roaming defensive role Norwich continued to press but to no avail. As if to rub salt into their wounds Joe Roy’s ‘goal’ was chalked off as the umpire had literally blown for a short corner as he struck the ball.  
 
Thank you for your great team spirit and our amazing band of travelling supporters.