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NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 14th March 2020

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sSt Ives 1A1-2 (W)Kiera Goymour
Kate McKenna
Sarah Jenkins
L2sEast Coast 1H1-5 (L)Georgie ManlyStella Windsor Waite
L3sno fixture
L4sEast Coast 2A2-0 (L)Flori Smith
Nathalie Crisp
L5sYarmouth H11-0 (W)Gemma Ballard x2
Hatty Harrison Mobbs
Mimi Rutterford
Lizzy McDonnell x2
Louise Brooks
Anita Mancini
Adelice Stanley x3
Claire Stuart
Mimi Rutterford
Lizzy McDonnell
L6sHerlings A2-2 (D)Mia McGhee
Hattie Stuart
Jo Jennings
L7sPelicans 3H4-0 (W)Lara Nuthall x3
Paige Fisher
Orla Hardiman
L8sPelicans 4A0-1 (W)Imi BurkeMehnaz Shammy
M1sSt Ives 1A3-3 (D)Ollie King x2
Olly Buck
Olly Buck
M2sPelicans 2A5-2 (L)Rupert Snelling x2Joe Flatt
M3sIpswich-East Suffolk 3H7-1 (W)Jon Miles x5
Mitch Smith
Will Kirby
Jon Miles
M4sIpswich Cranes 1A0-4 (W)Owain Hall x2
Robin Clarke
Adrian Kemp
Will Gwyther
M5sIpswich-East Suffolk 5H5-0 (W)David Kidner
Casper Lind
Will Kider x2
Ross Barnshaw
Matt Armstrong
M6sNorth Norfolk 3H0-3 (L)Adam Jones
BD AMagpiesA3-1 (L)
BD B
GD AMagpiesH0-0 (D)Elspeth
Charlotte
GD BYarmouthA5-0 (CL)Dragons conceded

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v St Ives 1s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Kiera Goymour, Kate McKenna
MOM:  Sarah Jenkins

Ladies 1s safely negotiated the A14 roadworks and travelled to St Ives needing a win to ensure safety in Division 1N.  

A large group of  Dragons’ supporters saw the ladies play some excellent hockey from start to finish and the team deservedly came away with the 3 points needed.  Every player worked their socks off, no more so than Sarah Jenkins who was MOM.

A well taken goal by Kiera Goymour from a short corner early on settled the nerves.    Dragons continued to dominate the first half and maybe should have gone into half time more than the 1-nil up.

Early in the second half Kate McKenna had the last touch on a strike from Harriet Green to score the second.   Supporters’ nerves were starting to settle.  However, St Ives came well and truly back into the game and with 10 minutes left they scored a goal from a short corner, making the remainder of the game a very tense affair.   Dragons held their nerve and returned home with the 3 points and a place in Division 1N next season.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v East Coast 1s:  1-5

Goalscorer:  Georgie Manly
MOM:  Stella Windsor Waite

Dragons faced 2nd placed East Coast – welcoming Lily Sore into the squad who was deservedly making her 2nd team debut. 

The early stages of the game saw Dragons in the ascendency, playing some good passing hockey and pushing East Coast back from the start. The home team were rewarded for their efforts with a good goal by Georgie Manly, showing some good individual skills.

Dragons couldn’t hold onto their lead for long as East Coast turned the tables with a couple of goals before halftime. Dragons were still in the game though and talked about continuing to press in the 2nd half, however their plan didn’t work out, with East Coast scoring quickly after the break to deflate the home team further. The visitors were by far the better team in the 2nd half, and took their chances clinically extending their lead to 5-1.

The scoreline not totally reflecting the whole game, but the visitors are deservedly in the hunt for promotion. Dragons PoM vote was close with Stella Windsor Waite taking the honours.

 
 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s – no fixture

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v East Coast 2s:  0-2

MOM:   Nat Crisp, Flori Smith

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Yarmouth:  11-0

Goalscorers:  Hatty Harrison Mobbs, Mimi Rutterford, Gemma Ballard x2, Louise Brooks, Anita Mancini, Lizzy McDonnell x2, Adelice Stanley x3
MOM:   Claire Stuart

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Herlings:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Mia McGhee, Hattie Stuart
MOM: Jo Jennings

Today ladies 6’s played away to Herlings finishing with a 2-2 draw. Their goalie arrived with no kit so we quickly took advantage of this with Mia McGhee scoring a cracking goal! When defending slipped up they managed to sneak a goal back! Second half they came out much more determined, causing us to work hard but Hattie Stuart insisted that she scored and what a goal it was! Short lived by an equaliser!
Great game played by all with awesome teas to enjoy after!  Pat was great support on the sideline, only telling me off once 👍😆 player of the match went to Joanne Jennings with her persistence in left defence!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Pelicans 3s:  4-0

Goalscorer:  Lara Nuthall x3, Paige Fisher
MOM:   Orla Hardiman

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v Pelicans 4s:  1-0

Goalscorer:  Imi Burke
MOM:  Mehnaz Shammy

Fans and followers of the Awesome 8s better sit down to read this one. The 8s scored their first win of the season by beating Pelicans 1-0 at Lynnsport.

Some mistake? Nope. Freaky squeaky win? Not at all. What, against the same team that crushed them 10-0 at the Den? Yep, the very same team and the very same players – though this time Pelis were a player short. 

This was an exciting game, and Dragons believed they had something going for them when they were awarded a penalty corner in the first five minutes and Bridget Le Good struck the ball such a crack that you could have heard it hit the back board at the Den. Although the near umpire thought it was OK, the far umpire considered it had been too high going over the line.  Hey ho. But perhaps the balance was addressed when a Peli smacked a second strike at a penalty and it ricocheted into the top corner and was then disallowed So hey ho again.

The game was bubbling from the very beginning when Jess Lockwood, playing the captain’s part, put on the goalkeeper’s kit for their first time in her life. Karen Davidson had some idea of where it all went, and though there seemed to be some spare parts flopping about (the kit, not Jess) she eventually pronounced herself sweating but safe, and went out to do battle. And how well she did! Watching the ball carefully onto either kickers or pads, she cleared powerfully and safely and that clean sheet was never in doubt. Well done Jess.

Usually such a performance would have been good enough for a POM, but on the basis that you don’t win if you don’t score, the 8s were really going for it and it was the young bloods who were gunning. How different life might have been if Ellie O’Kane, Imi Burke, Kaia Peiris, Alicia Billington. Issy Gale and Mehnaz Shammy had all been around at the same time earlier in the season. These girls don’t all go to the same school, and they are not a ‘friendship group’ but wow are they moulding themselves into a cohesive and interchangeable unit with legs, real legs, the sprinty legs that the 8s have been missing all season.

This unit, which covers positions from bottom of the diamond to high forward, is being developed at training, where all the 8s are concentrating and working hard under the auspices of Sarah and Pete. This week the magic blend included Karen Davidson who played three positions, and Nic Harrison who played two. Their tackling skills and game reading were essential to pull the whole team together as Dragons set up wave after wave of attacks, with the Pelis goalie playing a staunch game to keep them out. 

Perhaps the 8s still lack that cutting edge in front of goal, though Louise Crouch-Read and Kaia in particular took up some excellent high positions. The significant thing was that in this game the 8s created more opportunities in the circle than they have done in all the other matches put together. Eventually the deadlock was broken,  when after a move which must have included the entire team twice, Imi forced the ball home from wide left.

Pelis were confined to individual raids, and Mehnaz, our very own ‘M’ sealed the POM performance by cutting out  the dangerous centre forward and then using some lovely stick skills to distribute the ball left and right. Meanwhile at the back, Jo Lees, Bridget Le Good and Johanne Steward looked very secure, even if Johanne did say Bridget was the highest playing left back she had ever seen. How rude!

Dragons had 13 players in the squad, and once again some carefully-planned subbing by Jess had the team running smoothly – though  it was useful and a pleasure to have Katy Cole and her bump on hand to facilitate the process. 

Awesomes, this lovely game truly pulled together everything you have worked for all season, and the improvements you want do not look beyond your reach. What with some Banging music and a lovely cuddly Bryan2 mascot, this was our day. Same again next week?

 

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East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v St Ives 1:  3-3

Goalscorers:  Olly Buck, Ollie King x2
MOM: Olly Buck

With sporting contests across the globe grinding to a sudden halt, all eyes were on little St Ives, and the gargantuan games on offer there today. The ladies stormed to a roaring win in the game preceding ours – setting a stage and result to live up to. 

Just 12 noble Dragons were available today and we soon put a spirited St Ives to the test. The first half was an end-to-end bout with each side sharing spells of possession and dangerous moments. The Dragons struck first through precise forward play, finished off with a neat pass into the corner of the goal by Ollie King.

The half-time team talk was calm, with Olly Buck then insisting that we all employ bedazzling 3D skills more often in the game – giving his own brief foray as prime example. Bucky is a true master of trickery in the third dimension! 

The second half saw the Dragons more restrained and intent on hitting St Ives on the counter – twice successfully. First an explosive zig-zag interchange up the pitch from Sean Orton to Matt Knights and to Ollie King allowed the great platter of hair his second goal of the game. Soon after, some cool play from Dan Rix at a short corner fed Olly Buck who finished cutely from the angle.

Winning 3-0 into the final 15 minutes, our discipline in controlling the game wavered and St Ives would bring it level by game’s end. 

Plenty to learn from this game and we will [hopefully🤞] round-off the season next week with a performance for the ages against league-leaders Magpies 2s!

 

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Palicans 2s:  2-5

Goalscorer:  Rupert Snelling x2
MOM:  Joe Flatt

Men’s 2s unfortunately lost 5-2 after making the away trip to Kings Lynn. As starts go, it wasn’t the best. We found ourselves 3-0 down in the opening 10 minutes. However, after some strong words, we picked up the quality of our hockey and created some decent chances for the remainder of the half. We contested well, but couldn’t keep out the quality of Pelis short corners as they added to their total after half time. We continued to create chances and scored 2 goals in quick succession. Callings of a comeback were on! Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be and we couldn’t add to our total in the last 15 minutes of the game.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v UES 3s:  7-1

Goalscorers:  Jon Miles x5, Mitch Smith, Will Kirby
MOM:  Jon Miles

Today saw Mens 3s take on IES 3s at home with one team looking to avoid relegation and the other pushing for promotion. Knowing only a win would be an acceptable result in the battle to avoid the bottom three Dragons 3s started with vigour and vitality going 3-0 up quickly.

A half time team talk of “keep doing what you’re doing” saw the home side come out the gates quickly…and concede from a disastrous short corner which should have been an easy save for Captain-not-so-fantasti (Tom McLean). Thankfully we responded and went down the other end to score from a short corner where IES’s keeper decided to do exactly the same manoeuvre of getting swiftly out the way of a ball down the middle of the goal.

At 4-1 up we went for the jugular and a flurry of goals saw the match end 7-1 to the home side. An incredible result and puts the 3s on the cusp of survival.

One game left to pull off the great escape but for now let the beers flow in celebration of a superb win.

 

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Ipswich Cranes 1s:  4-0

Goalscorers:  Owain Hall x2, Robin Clarke, Adrian Kemp
MOM:   Will Gwyther

Dragons start strongly against a spirited Cranes side eager to contest every ball. But pressure told as Owain Hall (aka Dwyne) converted a short corner and Bobby Sheppard squares to Robin Clarke to finish. The second half saw  two short corner conversions through Owain and Adrian Kemp and put the game out of reach. Man of the Match went to Will (Billy) Gwyther for controller the middle.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v  IES 5s:  5-0

Goalscorers:  David Kidner, Casper Lind, Will Kidner, Ross Barnshaw
MOM:  Matt Armstrong

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v North Norfolk 3s:  

MOM:  Adam Jones

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A  v 

Goalscorers: 
MOM: Elspeth and Charlotte

Dev Girls B  v 

Goalscorers: 
MOM:

Dev Boys A v 

Goalscorers: 
MOM:

Dev Boys B v 

Goalscorers:  
MOM: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 7th March 2020

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sCity of Peterborough 2A3-0 (L)Shelly Seaman
L2sno fixture
L3sChristchurch 1A1-2 (W)Harriet Rant
Lillian Sore
Harriet Rant
L4sLoddon H1-0 (W)Niamh SomersGill Walker
L5sHerlings A0-8 (W)Claire Stuart x2
Gemma Ballard x3
Lizzy McDonnell x3
Mimi Rutterford
L6sEast Coast 3H5-2 (W)Adelice Stanley
Freya Dolding
Mia McGhee x2
Mia Norris
Freya Dolding
L7sBreckland H1-2 (L)Lara NuthallBrittany Hopkins
Fern Daly
L8sMagpies 7H0-9 (L)Mehnaz Shammy
M1sHorncastle 1A1-6 (W)Sam Avery
Jack Hallworth x2
Matt Knights
Dan Rix
Sean Orton
Kade Bond
M2sUniversity of East Anglia Men 2A3-1 (L)Joe FlattAlex Brooks
M3sPelicans 2H2-2 (D)Jon MilesMitch Smith
M4sNewmarket 2A1-3 (W)Will Kirby x2
Bobby Stuart Sheppard
Bobby Stuart Sheppard
Will Mares
M5sIpswich Cranes 1H8-2 (W)Robin Clarke x2
Jason Wolfe
Ross Barnshaw
Casper Lind
Will Kidner x3
Matt Armstrong
M6sPelicans 4H0-2 (L)David Pentin
BD ADerehamH1-2 (L)Dylan BondiJames Hollis
Theo Demetriou
Blade Earley
BD BEast CoastA4-1 (L)Tommy CahirTommy Cahir
GD AWattonA5-0 (CL)Dragons conceded
GD BEast CoastH5:0 (CW)East Coast conceded

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Peterborough City 1s:  0-3

MOM:  Shelly Seaman

The Ladies 1s lost 3-0 against City of Peterborough 2s. We didn’t play the hockey we’d been playing for the past few weeks. Although we had a large majority of the play, we didn’t move the ball on quickly enough and there wasn’t any urgency in the second half. It was 2-0 at half time. The first opposition goal came from a short corner, the second from a deflection. The third goal was scored quite early in the second half. We did have many chances to score, notably Shelly Seaman who nearly scored a volley, and Georgia Rant who struck an amazing reverse hit. However, a skilful opposition goalie was on them every single time. Player of the match went to Shelly Seaman for her work rate and shots on goal.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s – no fixture

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Christchurch 1s:  2-1

Goalscorers: Lillian Sore, Harriet Rant
MOM:  Harriet Rant

Ladies 3s win away at Christchurch 2-1. Massive effort to come back from 1-0 down after 5 minutes, Dragons levelled just before the break, with the winner coming half way through the second half. There should have been more, but their keeper was having a very good day.
Goals from Harriet Rant and Lillian Sore. PoTM to Harriet for good interceptions, tackling and a “sick” goal

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Loddon:  1-0

Goalscorer:  Niamh Somers
MOM:   Gill Walker

Ladies 4’s have a good win 1-0 v Loddon. Goal scored by Niamh Somers in a goal line scramble (with a little help from the defence!). POM to  Gill Walker for her pocket dynamo performance in midfield. Well done everyone!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Herlings:  8-0

Goalscorers:  Claire Stuart x2, Gemma Ballard x3, Lizzy McDonnell x3
MOM:   Mimi Rutterford

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v East Coast 3s:  5-2

Goalscorers:  Adelice Stanley, Freya Dolding, Mia McGhee x2, Mia Norris
MOM: Freya Dolding

Ladies 6s beat East Coast 3s 5:2 (talk about yoyo-ing this season…). An enjoyable game, lots of good tackles and passing play, and the sun even came out for a bit. Got some good short corner practise in and scored a couple of goals off them too. Goals from Mia McGhee x2, Mia Norris, Freya Golding and Adelice Stanley. Man of the match to Freya for a fantastic game at top of the diamond. Well done 6s, we needed and deserved that win. Let’s go into the last couple of games confidently 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Breckland:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Lara Nuthall
MOM:   Brittany Hopkins, Fern Daly

Today ladies 7’s played Breckland to lose an unfortunate 2-1. Goal scored by Lara Nuthall.  However, we played very well as a team. We had a fair few injuries but still we persevered. Our joint winners for POM were Fern Daly and Brittany Hopkins

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v Magpies 7s:  0-9

MOM:  Mehnaz Shammy

We welcomed new players to the team Alicia Billington and were delighted to have Lynne Price
(out of retirement!) joining us too. Lynne proved to be worth her weight in gold, playing on right
wing and you could guarantee she was everywhere and anywhere she needed to be, taking hold of the ball and moving up the wing either in person or with an impressive whack, much to the frustrated magpies!

Man of the match went to a very deserved Mhanez Shammy who exhibited some beautiful text
book hockey, showing elegance and skill and out foxing the opposition as she took the ball up the pitch and into the D with at least two attempts on goal. Backing her up was Alicia Billington and Imi Burke, who like M were speedy, skilled and always ready in a free space to receive the ball. It was fabulous to have the three youngsters on the team and they played with a grace and confidence only to be admired.

Special accolade has to go to Emma North in goal, who made multiple saves and some of a jaw
dropping quality which again left Magpies dumbfounded! My personal favourite was one that she caught with her knees!!! I kid you not!!!!!

Jo Lee’s in defence, once again executed one or two of her infamous, stick down blocks right on
the goal line! Jess Lockwood in Left defence was kept on her AstroTurf tip toes as she relentlessly blocked and tackled and moved the ball deftly out wide and ditto can be said for our captain Johanne Steward. Bridget Le Good remained strong and defiant and refused to relinquish the ball in some feisty tackles which more often than not left her victorious!
Karen Davidson and Nic Harrison were their usual reliable selves. Nic fast and determined and
Karen, strong and persistent. Sadie Jacobs and Louise Crouch-Reed were up front and towards the end of the second half the ball was very much in our half meaning the forwards were given the opportunity to take the ball into the D and make some shots on target.

Lois Metcalfe was manning the bench and assured subbing ran smoothly, as well as offering a
much needed calm and brief repose from a fast paced match.

 
 

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East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Horncastle 1s:  6-1

Goalscorers:  Sam Avery, Jack Hallworth x2, Matt Knights, Dan Rix, Sean Orton
MOM: Kade Bond

Cars packed for the epic journey to Horncastle – stopping for much needed breakfast provisions at Ronald’s patisserie  – we arrived following a scenic route and with Sam’s flailing lumber bus bouncing its way along.

The first half was a controlled affair. Sam Avery – harnessing the deep anger held for his car’s flaccid suspension – bullied his way out wide and past the Horncastle defence to ping the ball past a despairing keeper!

The second-half featured a dominant Dragons subjugation of Horncastle’s [extremely] long-ball tactic (they had a trebuchet at centre-back!)  Matt Knights struck first, deftly deflecting an upright reverse into a falling keeper who palmed the effort into the corner of the net.

Solid defensive performances alongside patient and inventive build-up play – with a commanding, assured and controlled midfield anchoring performance from Kade Bond – afforded the Dragons a control of the game.

Next to score was Dan Rix who’s reverse strike was carefully pushed into the net by a Horncastle defender. Jack Hallworth then notched his [now routine] deflected push from a short corner, under the keeper’s hand and over the line!

I (Sean Orton) was next on the scoreline. After being fairly ridiculed for not shooting earlier in the game, I received the ball at the edge of the D from assist-king Ollie King, took the ball past and through the legs of a defender and flicked the ball past the keeper into the net.

Hallworth then added his second with Rixy performing his classic pirouette spin for the ball to deflect into the path of the scorer who’s clip-shot rifled into the backboards.

A win to be proud of…certainly worth the epic journey across the Fens, and back in time, to Horncastle.

We celebrate and wait to see if Sam makes it back in his low-rider.

A special mention to Ali  Smyth who came on today and was solid. We now reminisce of better times…a flashback card below of his former glory…

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v UEA 2s:  1-3

Goalscorer:  Joe Flatt
MOM:  Alex Brooks

Men’s 2 unfortunately lost 3-1 in an even game which saw Dragons on the wrong side of the result. We dominated the first half, breaking through with an early goal from Joe Flatt in the first 5 minutes. However, our momentum was halted due to a stoppage for 5 minutes when one of the umpires fell over. UEA then took their opportunity to level the scores shortly after, as we finished the half 1-1. We continued to play decent hockey but a long ball from UEA and fortunate finish saw us go 2-1 down. We continued to press and create chances going close on numerous occasions but we were caught on the break once again and conceded our 3rd goal.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Pelicans 2:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Jon Miles x2
MOM:  Mitch Smith

Men’s 3s hosted Pelicans this afternoon at a slightly chilly and overcast Den. The visitors scored from 2 short corners to take them into the break 2-0 up. A slight dressing down and motivational speech from Jon Goodson and 9 year old son revitalised the side and sent us into the second half ready to put up a fight. A solid second half performance saw a great come back and well earned point from two Jon Miles short corner flicks. MOM Mitch Smith for a solid midfield performance and DOD for James Goodson sporting his wife’s jeans during teas.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Newmarket 2s:  3-1

Goalscorers:  Will Kirby x2, Bobby Stuart Sheppard
MOM:   Will Mares and Bobby Stuart Sheppard

Solid start from Dragons saw Will Kirby sneak the ball in under the keeper. Newmarket fought back though a good deflected cross but Dragon countered with a Kirby short corner. Half time ahead and Dragons looked to extend the lead early in the second half with plenty off chances. Newmarket suffered a couple of injuries which didn’t help but a fine finish from Bobby Sheppard put the game out of sight for Newmarket. The last ten minutes where more open but it closed out 3-1.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v  Ispwich Cranes 1s:  8-2

Goalscorers:  Robin Clarke x2, Jason Wolfe, Ross Barnshaw, Casper Lind, Will Kidner x3
MOM:  Matt Armstrong

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Pelicans 4s:  0-2

MOM:  David Pentin

Good contest by both teams nil nil at half time. Two well taken goals by the visitors one from a short corner and a second a reverse stick shot at the top of the circle. 

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A  v 

Goalscorers: 
MOM:

Dev Girls B  v 

Goalscorers: 
MOM:

Dev Boys A v 

Goalscorers: 
MOM:

Dev Boys B v East Coast:   1-4

Goalscorers:  Tommy Cahir
MOM: Tommy Cahir

This was firmly a game of 2 halves. After an initial bright start from the Dragons boys East Coast took control of the first quarter with a very direct and determined style of hockey. This continued into the second quarter, however as we moved towards the end of first half it was clear the team were starting to get a foot hold in the game. 2-0 down at half time was a fair reflection of the game. The second half however was completely different. The Dragons team were able to get control of the mid field and started to dominate more. An excellent strike from Tommy Cahir was no more than the dragons deserved. The final quarter saw the Dragons team dominate the game with huge pressure on the East Coast defence. A freak goal at the end (the ball hit the post and bounced back to an attacker) meant the final score was not a fair reflection of the game.

The team never gave up and continued to push to the end. Great to see 3 of the Under 12 Team putting strong performances in for the team including man of the match Tommy Cahir.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 29th February 2020

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sSudbury 1H0-3 (L)Holly Setchell
L2sHarleston Magpies 3A3-0 (L)Stella Windsor Waite
L3sIpswich 2H1-3 (L)Lucy BuxtonLucy Buxton
L4sN City 3A3-0 (L)Mia Somers
L5sMagpies 6H2-5 (L)Anita Mancini
Gemma Ballard
Georgia Butterworth
L6sCarrow A13-1 (L)Claire StuartEmma North
L7sLoddon 2A0-2 (W)Sophie James
Claire Fairhurst
Sophie James
L8sCarrow 2H0-2 (L)Mehnaz Shammy
M1sNorwich City 2H3-1 (W)Jack Hallworth x2
Matt Knights
Jack Hallworth
M2sNorwich City 4H8-1 (W)Rupert Snelling x3
Joe Flatt x3
Isaac Diver Hall
Matt Hull
Matt Hull
M3sNewmarket 1A6-0 (L)Phil Good
M4sNorwich Exiles 1H3-4 (L)Will Kirby x2
Bobby Stuart-Sheppard
Will Ives
M5sHarleston Magpies 5A3-2 (L)Will Kidner
Jamie Allsop
Jason Wolfe
M6sRest Day-
BD ANorwich CityH10-0 (W)Aryton Rant
Dylan Bondi x4
Will Sexton x5
Theo Demetiou
Will Sexton
BD BWattonA1-6 (W)Hector McNeill x2
Louis Bolton Smith x2
Fin Dearmer
George Wilson
James Hollis
George Wilson
GD AMagpies H1-3 (L)Rosie SmithJosie Kell
GD BN City A8-0 (L)India Bunn

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Sudbury 1s:  0-3

MOM:  Holly Setchell

The Ladies 1s lost 3-0 against high flying  (unbeaten) Sudbury 1s. Sudbury pressed very high and were quick to close down, however we managed this the majority of the time. It was 2-0 at the end of the first half. The first opposition goal was a straight strike to the left post from a short corner. The second, also from a short corner, was lifted and dropped to hit the back board. Unfortunately, a Dragons’ goal was disallowed, however we fought on but sadly couldn’t find the net. The third opposition goal was scored within the last 5 minutes of the match after a scramble in the D. Goalie, Gina Hunt, saved the first shot, Sophie Thomas saved the second, however we couldn’t save the following rebound. Player of the match went to Holly Setchell for her strong and aggressive tackles, especially against a skilful Sudbury striker.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Magpies 3s:  0-3

MOM:  Stella Windsor Waite

Wet and windy weather and a strong looking Magpies 3rd team met Dragons at Weybread. Having a late drop out in the morning Dragons 2’s were down to a bare 12 players. 

The first half was a very close affair, with both teams having good opportunities, Shelly Seaman and Georgia Rant coming close for the visitors, but thwarted by Magpies strong GK. Sadly for Dragons a couple of lapses before half time saw the strong Magpies forward, firing home two strikes.

The 2nd half was less even, with Magpies forcing Dragons back for long spells of the game. Dragons were a bit sloppy in their play and just not able to get themselves going, with too many stray passes or running into open sticks. Another goal came for Magpies during this spell of pressure.

A disappointing 2nd half performance by Dragons, meaning they left with nothing. Player of the Match was Stella Windsor-Waite.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Ipswich 2s:  1-3

Goalscorer:  Lucy Buxton
MOM:  Lucy Buxton

Ladies 3s lost 1-3 at home to Ipswich. We got over our slow-start curse with a lovely, well worked goal in the first 3 minutes. Assist from Lillian Sore with the final work around the goalie from Lucy Buxton.

The opposition’s first goal came from a short corner, with the others coming in the second half when our concentration slipped. Another result which didn’t fully reflect how we played. Lucy was also our player of the match – welcome back!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Norwich City 3s:  0-3

MOM:   Mia Somers

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Magpies 6s:  2-5

Goalscorers:  Gemma Ballard, Anita Mancini
MOM:  Georgia Butterworth

Dragons 5s lost against Magpies 6s. We took a bit of time to get going and despite having no subs we settled in the second half to win that part 2-1. Goals coming from Anita and Gem. Magpies were strong and took advantage of some fast breaks. Their keeper also had a very good game! POM to Georgia Butterworth for some great work playing out of position in left midfield! Well done.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Carrow:  1-13

Goalscorer:  Claire Stuart
MOM:  Emma North

Another tough game today for the Ladies 6s away against Carrow. They were good. There is no other way to say it. But we kept going and actually had a very enjoyable game despite what the score ended up being. The second half was much stronger (those extra 4 minutes at half time waiting for the hail storm to pass really did the trick), and we even scored a goal!!! It was an absolute beauty from Claire Stuart ! Anyway, if you need to know, they beat us 13:1 in the end. But hey it’s not the worst we have seen this season and we all had lots of fun in the sun. Man of the match goes to Emma North for some wonderful saves, including a penalty flick. Onwards to next week now, team. 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Loddon 2s:  2-0

Goalscorers:   Claire Fairhurst, Sophie James
MOM:  Sophie James

Ladies 7’s won a well fought game against Loddon 2’s securing a 2-0 finish. Strong play from all players despite the cold, wind and rain. First goal scored by Sophie James from a well executed short corner. Second goal scored by Claire Fairhurst after great link up play from Maisie Dearmer and Lara Nuthall. Mom Sophie James. Thank you to Des and Rob Wagstaff for the sideline support. Go dragons!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v Carrow 2s:  0-2

MOM:  Mehnaz Shammy

The 8s played arguably their best hockey of the season, and with all respect to their opponents there was an element of luck about both the goals.  The first was scored with scarcely a minute on the clock when a speculative ball into the circle bobbled around hitting various sticks before rolling slowly over the line.. The second, midway through the second half, was a clean shot struck from a cross – which a Dragon’s defender had well covered before she unluckily fell on the slick surface.

So having reported on the goals, time to concentrate on a very solid performance by the Dragons. They lost 4-0 to Carrow earlier in the season, and this performance represented a step up by every department. The 8s traditionally play and build from the back, and Esther Jacobs in goal turned defence into attack with some positive wide clearances.  The defenders improved their marking and tackling, and with Jo Lees, Bridget Le Good,  Johanne Steward and Jess Lockwood rotating, it was good to see them combining the ability to hit the dimples off the ball with some finer touch play. There were even times under pressure when good communication  enabled one defender  to rob a forward in the circle, and another to complete the clearance. This was progress! Hester McLean showed her versatility by putting in a stint in defence and also in a more attacking role, switching with Johanne also moved smoothly from defence into attack.

Carrow tended to have the better of the end to end exchanges, because as a team they used stronger passes and gathered them safely. But Dragons were fighting back, and push passes and sweeps from Bridget, Jo and Jess were finding the new 8s experimental midfield. Nic Harrison and Sadie Jacobs both carried the ball well, and they were joined by two newcomers to the team who made a big impact. Mehnaz Shammy, who regularly runs rings round teammates in training, was for the first time able to play competitively and was player of the match for ball carrying and tackling skills. She combined well with Imi Burke and Kaia Peiris. Karen Davidson turned in another good performance at top of the diamond and created openings to left and right for Johanne Steward and Louise Crouch-Read up front.

If the 8s can keep this midfield together, there is every chance that they will learn to press and create more opportunities. Carrow asserted themselves in and around the defensive circle, and Dragons need to learn to hold their own space and get shots away. Its a difficult skill to practice safely in training, but the cutting edge is one of the last pieces of game play the 8s need to master if they are to get a win before the end of the season.

The 8s declared themselves very happy with their game against tough opposition, and players worked hard for each other. More plans to do even better in training and in the next match! Go Awesome 8s.

 
 

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East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Norwich City 2s:  3-1

Goalscorers:  Jack Hallworth x2, Matt Knights
MOM:  Jack Hallworth

The well rested Dragons, dispelling dark memories of defeat a fortnight ago, regrouped for this week’s encounter with Norwich City. City would come into this game confident, with one of our regrettable performances this season coming on their turf several months ago.

Only one outcome today would do…the sweet taste of GLORIOUS RETRIBUTION!

Pounded by the wind, rain, and hail, the game was underway with each team pushing for the opener. The Dragons, however, soon took control of proceedings with Matt Knights finishing crisply from the penalty spot. City came back at us hard, and while we controlled much of the play in the first half, our defence was breached for a moment, which saw City equalise.

At the half-time break the sun broke through the thick clouds and spurred us on into a comfortable second half display. Not forced into a high gear of play, we moved forward and Jack Hallworth struck from a deflected short corner and shortly after, whilst being tumbled in the D, he rifled a reverse strike into the top of the net … bullet! 

The whole team had a very solid game, and while not our most fluid and expansive display of hockey today, there is a confidence to push on to the end of the season in good form and finish strong! 

Special mention to LJ Dangerous who celebrated his 30th anniversary of birth yesterday and crowned the momentous day with two…yes two…strikes at goal today! 

We now begin packing our bags and preparing provisions for the epic trek to Horncastle next week…

 

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Norwich City 4s:  8-1

Goalscorers:   Joe Flatt x3, Rupert Snelling x3, Matt Hull, Isaac Diver Hall 
MOM:  Matt Hull

Men’s 2s won 8-1 with their second win in succession with an excellent performance against Norwich City 4s.  We started off well, picking up a well worked goal in the opening minutes of the first half. After having much of the possession, we were hit by a quick City move that levelled the scores. However, we bounced back in quick fashion with another goal before half time and closed the half 2-1 up. In the second half, we continued strongly before putting a 3rd and then 4th past City. They couldn’t cope with the pressure put on by ourselves, conceding another 4 in quick succession in the last 10 minutes of the game.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Newmarket 1s:  0-6

MOM: Phil Good

A day to forget for the Men’s 3s as a tough day away at Newmarket proved their biggest loss of the season so far.

A woeful start saw dragons go 3-0 quickly before solidifying for the last 5 minutes. The hairdryer was out at halftime which saw the away side perform much better for most of the second half however the few errors were pounced upon by Newmarket seeing the score finish 6-0. A deserved win for the home side but score line is flattering. MoM for recently selected Norfolk Masters wonderkid Phil Good, whilst DoD goes to Ed Smith for an unusually sloppy day out.

3 big games left for survival, we go again against Peli 2s next week.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Norwich Exiles 1:  2-4

Goalscorers:  Will Kirby x2, Bobby Stuart Sheppard
MOM:   Will Ives

Good challenging game saw Exiles take the lead but Dragons fought back to head into the half time break 2-1 up. The second half saw the game get competitive with Dragons creating chances but not being as clinical in front of goal. In the end Exiles fought back to take the lead and Dragons pressed til the end. Well played all. Goals 2x Will Kirby…and one that was millimetres away and the other from Bobby Sheppard. Man of the match to Will Ives for being everywhere in defence.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Magpies 6s:  2-3

Goalscorers:  Will Kidner, Jamie Allsop
MOM:  Jason Wolfe

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v no fixture

 

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A  v Magpies:  1-3

Goalscorer:  Rosie Smith
MOM:  Josie Kell

Dev Girls B  v Norwich City:  0-8

MOM:  India Bunn

Dev Boys A v Norwich City:  10-0

Goalscorers:  Aryton Rant, Dylan Bondi x4, Will Sexton x5
MOM:  Theo Demetiou, Will Sexton

It was a sunny but very cold and windy game.
The two teams set out determined but the play stayed firmly in City’s half for the first 2 quarters. The score at half time was 5-0 to dragons.
City came out fighting after half time and pushed in to Dragons half but were not able to get on the score sheet.
Dragons dominated once more and Scored a further 3 goals in the 3rd quarter.
The final score was 10-0 to Dragons despite City’s final flourish in the closing minutes with Dragons keeper being called into action to make a save.
Well done all on a great game.

Dev Boys B v Watton:  6-1

Goalscorers:  Hector McNeill x2, Louis Bolton Smith x2, Fin Dearmer, George Wilson
MOM:   James Hollis, George Wilson

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 22nd February 2020

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sWisbech 1sA1-1 (D)Harriet GreenCarmel Windsor Waite
L4sSlip Date
L5sSlip Date
L6sSlip Date
L7sSlip Date
M2sBury St Edmunds 2sA2-3 (W)Joe Flatt
James Cross
Ollie King
Alex Brooks
M4sBury St Edmunds 4sA3-3 (D)Alberto Embarba
Adrian Kemp
Will Kirby
Alberto Embarba
BD AMagpiesH7-0 (W)Ed Cross
Raul Wigglesworth x2
Will Sexton
George Wilson x2
Finn Dearmer
Conor Kerrigan
BD BSlip Date
GD ASlip Date
GD BSlip Date

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Wisbeach:   1-1

Goalscorer:  Harriet Green
MOM: Carmel Windsor Waite

Ladies 1s draw 1-1 on the road to Wisbech. Some great build up play , but just lacking a little something in the attacking D.  

 
Ladies 2s-8s Slip Week

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East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Bury St Edmunds 2s:  3-2

Goalscorers:  Joe Flatt, James Cross, Ollie King
MOM:  Alex Brooks

Men’s 2s won 3-2 in an excellent performance that saw us bring back a crucial 3 points from Bury. The first half consisted of some great all round hockey which lead to us going 1-0 up through a well worked goal. Our good structure meant Bury were unable to break us down and we finished the half 1-0 up. At start of the second half, our lead doubled thanks to a drag flick short corner. However, Bury continued to press and we conceded shortly after. In the later stages of the second half we put away our 3rd goal, hitting Bury with a good counter attacking move. A tense last 10 minutes saw us concede again to bring the score to 3-2. Although thanks to some great defending we saw out the game for a well earned 3 points.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Bury St Edmunds 4s: 3-3

Goalscorers:  Alberto Embarba, Adrian Kemp, Will Kirby
MOM:  Alberto Embarba

Men’s 4s have a good game with Bury. Bury well organised attack went 2 up but got pegged back with Alberto converting a short corner break down. After half time Dragons pulled another back via a p flick from Will Kirby. Excitement continued with a short corner for Bury after a few saves from Jamie. Dragons pulled it back with a great move from Isaac crossing for Adi Kemp to roll back the years. Bury closed out time with a short corner but will Ives closed out the threat. Great competitive game and good teas.

 

Dev Boys A v Magpies:  7-0

Goalscorers: Ed Cross, Raul Wigglesworth x2, Will Sexton, George Wilson x2, Finn Dearmer
MOM:  Conor Kerrigan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 15th February 2020

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sNorth Norfolk 1A2-1 (L)Holly SetchellAlex Daplyn
L2sNorwich City 2H1-1 (D)Grace KidnerKristina Smyth
Karen O'Neill Simpson
L3sUniversity of East Anglia Women 1A7-0 (L)
L4sSlip Date
L5sSlip Date
L6sSlip Date
L7sSlip Date
L8sSlip Date
M1sLong Sutton 1A2-0 (L)
M2sBury St Edmunds 2AP:P
M3sNorwich City 3H1-0 (W)Jon MilesTom McLean
M4sBury St Edmunds 4AP:P
M5sSudbury 3H3-4 (L)Will Gwyther
Jamie Allsop
Casper Lind
Ed Cross
M6sNorwich City 7H0-1 (L)Will Sexton
BD ASlip Date
BD BSlip Date
GD ASlip Date
GD BEast CoastH6-1 (W)

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v North Norfolk 1s:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Holly Setchell
MOM: Alex Daplyn

The Ladies 1s lost 2-1 against North Norfolk 1s. A very unlucky and frustrating score line as we played extremely well. We were patient on the ball, waiting for a suitable pass to open up, there were good transfers around the back and movement off the ball was fantastic. The Dragons goal came from Holly Setchell after a scramble during a short corner. A lot of chances but sadly just couldn’t make much of the short corners that we had. The opposition scored their first goal from a short corner, and the second was an unlucky own goal. But we had great support, happy to say that there was no heckling from the sideline by Mr Barrow, and Storm Dennis didn’t push us off the ball! Player of the match went to Alex Daplyn for her amazing runs, composure on the ball and tenacious work rate.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Norwich City 2s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Grace Kidner
MOM:  Kristina Smyth, Karen O’Neill Simpson

Whilst Storm Dennis threatened, conditions for the early local derby were actually quite pleasant so the game got away as scheduled! Dragons had slightly depleted numbers, whilst City arrived with a full squad of 15.

Early encounters were extremely one-sided with City forcing a number of early short corners and forcing Dragons to defend for their lives, GK Kristina Smyth and Karen O’Neill Simpson throwing themselves at everything whilst Ally Windsor Waite took one effort off the line. Eventually however City’s pressure counted with the ball forced home after a bit of a scramble in the D.

This served as a bit of a wake up call for Dragons, who started to get themselves back into the game, beginning to close the ball down and finding each other better with their passes. Sophie Farrow was having a fine game in midfield, whilst both Lucy Buxton and Piper Hempsall were also battling hard and winning possession back for the home team. 

Midway through the half, another commanding run from the ever dangerous Grace Kidner saw a free hit awarded. Once again Grace saw the opportunity to pick up the ball quickly and drive into the D, once there her shot at goal was deflected off a City stick, flying up over the keeper and into the net.

From here on, the game remained pretty even. Both teams had their chances and had good spells of play, but there was some strong defending meaning the final score remained 1-1. Given their depleted numbers, Dragons were relatively happy to take the point. 

Some excellent performances for the Dragons, notably Stella Windsor-Waite in a new position which she is starting to make her own, Grace Kidner, who improves week on week with the strength of her tackling and all round play, and Sophie Farrow, stepping up for the 3’s and battling really hard for the team. To a player however, Dragons showed excellent spirit and workrate. Thank you to both umpires for a well umpired game.

PoM was split between Karen O’Neill Simpson and Kristina Smyth. 

 
 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v UEA 1s:  0-7

MOM: 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s – slip week

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s – slip week

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s – slip week

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s – slip week

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  – slip week

 

 
 

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East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Long Sutton:  0-2

MOM: 

With storm Dennis the Destroyer on the horizon – causing many a strange happening to occur across the land – in a deep forgotten corner of Lincolnshire cutting crosswinds saw the Dragons’ flight falter.

The sporting bout began crazed and confused, with slow play and our opposition maximising the long ball to wise effect – knowing that to play a ground-pass in the thick yellow wasteland was futile.

End to end, we soon ‘scored’ through Dan Rix but alas was disallowed, just not be 😕 minutes later Long Sutton bundled the ball in! After a reflective half-time we pushed ahead and had much of the ball with Rixy, Pedro Goss, and I (Sean Orton) having decent chances to level proceedings. Long Sutton applied their game-plan very well and Olly Buck saved us on the line with Pete Dickerson pulling off some spell-binding saves. They scored a rasping short corner in the dying minutes to all but end the game.

A frustrating day for the Dragons.

This season’s shock giant killing result – understandably boisterously celebrated by Long Sutton, and one that will surely be celebrated in the barns of deep Lincolnshire for many moons to come!

We dust ourselves down and empty all pockets and orifices of sand, and go again in a fortnight!

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Bury St Edmunds 2s:  P:P

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Norwich City 3s:  1-0

Goalscorer:  Jon Miles
MOM:  Tom McLean

Dragons Men’s 3s secured a huge win in their fight to stay up today during storm Dennis. A home game against relegation rivals Norwich City 3s in a windy affair saw the home team come out 1-0 victors thanks to a stunner from Jon Miles.

After a reasonably well imposed (if with grumbles) Friday night of sobriety the home side defended excellently and made the best of the few chances they had. Special mention should go to the back 4 of Jim Goodson, Ed Smith, Stu Kelly and Harry Brown who played 70 minutes of excellent defensive hockey but ultimately MoM goes to captain fantastic T Mac for the game of his season keeping the clean sheet including a few stunning short corner and double saves (not to toot my own horn too much). Outfield highlight of the game goes to Rob Goodson’s last ditch sliding tackle in the D. DoD to John Ives for breaking the curfew and spending a bit too much time searching for gold in his nose 

A massive 3 points today and a nice relaxing slip weekend to enjoy next!

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Bury St Edmunds 4s:  P:P

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v  Sudbury 3s:  2-4

Goalscorer:  Will Gwyther, Jamie Allsop, Casper Lind
MOM:  Ed Cross

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norwich City 7s:  0-7

MOM:  Will Sexton

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A  no fixture

Dev Girls B  v East Coast:  6-1

Goalscorers:  Katie Hume x1; Megan Davis x1;  Poppy Francis x4 
MOM:  Poppy Francis

Dev Boys A v 

Goalscorers: 
MOM:

Dev Boys B v 

Goalscorers: 
MOM:

 

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 1st February 2020

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sSt Neots 1A3-2 (L)Sarah Jenkins
Holly Setchell
Sophie Thomas
L2sBroadland 1H1-2 (L)Georgie ManlyGrace Kidner
L3sEast Coast 1A7-1 (L)Lily Sore Lilli Ballard
L4sUEA 2A1-1 (D)Nat CrispKatherine Hardwick
L5sBeccles H8-0 (W)Hatty Harrison Mobbs
Gemma Ballard x4
Mimi Rutterford
Anita Mancini x2
Mae Clarke
L6sN City 5A0-10 (L)Lizzie Costello
L7sN Norfolk H0-0 (D)Rosie Tarleton
L8sWatton 3A6-0 (L)Issy Gale
M1sHarleston Magpies 3A1-2 (W)Dan Rix x2Dan Rix
M2sIpswich-East Suffolk 3A2-1 (L)Rupert Snelling Jason Wolfe
M3sIpswich-East Suffolk 2H1-0 (W)Jon MilesEd Smith
M4sIpswich-East Suffolk 5A0-10 (W)Greg Reynolds
Adrian Kemp x3
Tommy Gale x3
Will Kirby x3
Tommy Gale
Garnett Jones
Will Kirby
M5sEast Coast 2H3-1 (W)Will Kidner x2
Tom Helfer
Tom Helfer
M6sNorth Norfolk 2H0-5 (L)Adam Jones
BD ADerehamA2-1 (W)Vithu Baskaran
Will Sexton
Will Sexton
BD BEast CoastH3-0 (W)Louis Bolton Smith x2
Aryton Rant
Joshua Thisam
Aryton Rant
GD ADereham H5-0 (W) Dereham conceded
GD BYarmouth H0-1 (L)

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v St Neots:  3-2

Goalscorers:  Sarah Jenkins, Holly Setchell
MOM:  Sophie Thomas

The Ladies 1s lost 3-2 to St Neots 1s. We held most of possession during the first half, and our high press worked well, however we could not make anything from the breaks that we had. There were lots of short corners from both sides, but all of ours were unsuccessful. During the second half we dropped the tempo and were unable to keep hold of the ball. Our first goal was scored by Sarah Jenkins from a wonderful penalty flick. Our second was scored by Holly Setchell from open play. Two opposition goals were from short corners and one from open play.
Player of the match went to Sophie Thomas for her solid runs up the pitch and being the play maker throughout the game.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Broadland 1s:  1-2

Goalscorers:  Georgie Manly
MOM:  Grace Kidner

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v East Coast 1s:  1-7

Goalscorers: Lily Sore
MOM:  Lilli Ballard

Ladies 3s went to sunny but windy Lowestoft to play clinical and quick East Coast. First half dragons went 5-0 down after a quick series of impressive goals. But the 3s really rallied at half time with a lot more possession and great teamwork resulting in a lovely reverse stick goal from Lily Sore after a well worked long corner from Fiona Fletcher and assist from Catherine Matthews. Second half score 2-1 to East Coast (you can do the maths). POM Lilli Ballard for great attack on the wing and a superb goal line save!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v UEA 2s:  1-1

Goalscorers:  Nat Crisp
MOM:   Katherine Hardwick

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Beccles:  8-0

Goalscorers:  Hatty Harrison Mobbs, Gemma Ballard x4, Mimi Rutterford, Anita Mancini x2
MOM:   Mae Clarke

A strong start with lots of linking play and well organised passing. Midfield were strong with excellent distribution from Louise Brooks. Forwards used the space well to create lots of opportunities goals soon came with  Gemma Ballard getting 4, Hatty Harrison-Mobs getting 1, Mimi Rutherford getting 1 and Anita Mancini grabbing 2. Mae Clarke got a well deserved PoM. Goals from a variety of open play and short corners. Beccles continued to battle to the last whistle, meaning no one could rest. Lara King and Jo Jennnings kept up the pace in midfield and the defensive line pushed and channelled through out. A good game of passing hockey.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Norwich City 5s:  0-10

MOM:  Lizzie Costello

Ladies 6s went out to Taverham for some fitness and fun in the sun. Emphasis here on the fitness, the result is not worth talking about really (for anyone that really needs to know it was 0:10 – it is what it is…). Lots of fantastic individual performances but not quite linking up as a team just yet – lots to work on. MoM goes to Lizzie for a brilliant final appearance for us before she leaves us for the wondrous world of London.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v North Norfolk:  0-0

MOM:   Rosie Tarleton

The 7s played out a hard-fought goalless draw on a breezy and bright afternoon. After the disappointment of last Saturday, the whole team put in an absolute shift in a really enjoyable game!

POM deservedly goes to Rosie Tarleton for an absolute stormer at LB

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v Watton 3s:  0-6

MOM:  Issy Gale

Ladies 8’s were away playing Watton 3’s and despite a loss of 6-0 it was a fabulous match to be a part of and we ALL played our ‘green dragon’ socks off!

POM went to Issy Gale who was a deserved choice and played solidly throughout.

We were delighted to welcome Lois Metcalfe back into the fold as our Goalie.

She made some truly awesome saves!  And proved to have a strong, powerful kick when clearing the ball which any Premiership footballer would be proud of!!!!

Lois’ kick proved invaluable as it carried such pace that 9 times out of 10 it was picked up on the wing by Issy or Nic Harrison who both sped off down the pitch.

Dragons were awarded at least three short corners where we came so close to scoring.

Sadie Jacobs having said at the start she had not played a match in a while, (I can only wonder if the reason being is she has been at a 24 hour Hockey Boot Camp!!) She played some fabulous hockey displaying skill, confidence and ‘dogged determination’ which we embrace in the 8’s.  Sadie made excellent use of the width and was often seen picking up one of Bridget Le Good’s numerous and legendary cracking hard hits and speeding down the wing. Bridget was another player who seemed to be everywhere at once much to the vexed opposition!

Louise Crouch-Reed and Hettie McClean were great upfront as forwards, finding space and receiving the ball up high and taking it into the D.

Karen Davidson was her usual awesome self and never seems to be afraid of making some bold tackles with confidence and strength.

Back in defence, Jess Lockwood, Jo Lee’s and myself fought hard to mark players and NOT the ball and Lois was fabulous at letting us know who was unmarked. Jo Lee’s made an awesome save on the post which made an impressive cracking noise as it deflected off her stick!!!

Our Captain Johanne Steward could be seen playing upfront and in defence and was another player who made one or two brave tackles in defence and clearing the ball wide.

Team spirit and camaraderie shone brighter than the February sunshine and the strong gusts of wind which swept relentlessly over the pitch stood no chance of blowing away our ‘dogged determination’.

We remain Strong and we remain the Awesome 8’s!

 
 

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East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Magpies 3s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Dan Rix x2
MOM: Dan Rix

First Half

  •  The game began with end to end play
  •  Some early chances for Dragons
  •  Special mention to Ali Smyth’s improved manager’s attire
  •  It was too easy to pass it to our own players…
  •  Pedro Goss was a workhorse throughout the game
  •  They scored a decent goal
  •  Owen Tennant engaged sprinting – a rare and thunderous lumberous quelling of their forward
  • We piled on pressure and a slick breakaway saw us score at half time…weeeeell almost, as the half time whistle was blown less than 2 seconds before we had the ball in the net (Cries of “Why!” could be heard echoing through the Harleston countryside )

Second half

  •  Pete Dickerson pulled off some great saves
  •  Jim Barker the enforcer commanded the anchor of our midfield, with a very tidy mid-air pick too
  •  Rixy (Dan Rix) scored following some quick-thinking forward combination play
  •  I set up Jim to take his glory but it wasn’t to be
  •  Roman Cassidy had a great chance (swiiiiiiing…and a miss)
  •  Bucky (Olly Buck) saved us on the line with a smart clearance
  •  A solid debut from Kade Bond
  •  a real battle of a game ensued as the points hung in the balance
  •  In the last minutes of the game Rixy (putting aside some earlier chances) fired in a rocket from a short corner for the winner!

A real grind of a win but three points none the less…Rixy this week basks in the smooth buttery coconut glow of his man of the match upgrade!

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v IES 3s:  1-2

Goalscorers:  Rupert Snelling
MOM:  Jason Wolfe

Men’s 2s narrowly lost 2-1 in a competitive game. We started the first half by playing some good flowing hockey all over the pitch, which saw us go 1-0 up through a drag flick from Rupert Snelling.  However, we couldn’t keep out 2 of IES’s short corners and finished the game 2-1 down.

MoM – Jason for a top performance playing at right back.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v IES 2s:   1-0

Goalscorers:  Jon Miles
MOM:  Ed Smith

Fantastic 1-0 win for NDHC Men’s 3s against IES 2s. Jon Miles with the goal from a short corner drag flick. MoM to Ed Smith for a great defensive performance (he even voted for himself cheeky).  Big 3 points, onto North Norfolk next week!

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v IES 5s:  10-0

Goalscorers:  Greg Reynolds, Adrian Kemp x3,  Tommy Gale x3, Will Kirby x3
MOM:   Tommy Gale, Garnett Jones, Will Kirby

And it’s 3 hat tricks in 3 weeks for Will Kirby.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v  East Coast 2s:  3-1

Goalscorer:  Will Kidner x2, Tom Helfer
MOM:  Tom Helfer

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v North Norfolk 2s:  0-5

MOM:  Adam Jones

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A  v Dereham:  Dereham conceded

Goalscorers: 
MOM:

Dev Girls B  v Yarmouth:  0-1

Goalscorers: 
MOM:

Dev Boys A v 

Goalscorers: 
MOM:

Dev Boys B v East Coast:   3-0

Goalscorers: 
MOM:

 

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 25th January 2020

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sIpswich-East Suffolk 1H0-3 (L)Holly Setchell
L2sNorwich Dragons 3A0-3 (W)Georgia Rant
Shelly Seaman
Lucy Buxton
Grace Kidner
L3sNorwich Dragons 2H0-3 (L)Harriet Rant
L4sPelicans 2H4-3 (W)Lisa Harwood
Niamh Somers
Amy Forse x2
Gill Walker
L5sWatton 2A4-0 (L)Louise Brooks
L6sBeccles H3-4 (L)Adelice Stanley x2
Mia McGhee
Mae Clarke
L7sUEA 3H1-4 (L)Brittany HopkinsMaisie Dearmer
L8sUEA 4H0-4 (L)Rosie Tarleton
M1sKettering 1H0-2 (L)
M2sNorwich Dragons 3H2-2 (D)Joe Flatt
Eddie Gould
M3sNorwich Dragons 2A2-2 (D)Charlie Creasy
Jon Miles
Stuart Kelly
M4sNorwich Dragons 5H1-4 (W)Will Kirby x3
Bobby Sheppard
Robin Clarke
M5sNorwich Dragons 4A1-4 (L)Will KidnerMatt Armstrong
M6sno fixture
BD ATBC
BD BDereham H0-6 (L)Theo Demetriou
GD APelicans A5-0 (L)Dragons conceded
GD BEast Coast A2-7 (W)Imogen Dolding x4
India Bunn
Katie Hume
Rosie Smith
Charlotte Douglas

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v IES:  0-3

Ladies 1s lost 3-0 to IES 1s. A long high intensity game against a very good team. The first half was very slow.  Our decisions were not accurate and we needed to pick up the pace, which was seen at times in the second half, where we were more aggressive and moved the ball quicker. There were many defending short corners, most of which were successfully defended against. We are ready to take what we have learnt from this match into training and work on what needs to be improved. Player of the match went to Holly Setchell for her consistent hard tackles, and her aggressive attacking play.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Norwich Dragons 3s:  3-0

Goalscorers:  Georgia Rant, Shelly Seaman, Lucy Buxton
MOM:  Grace Kidner

Dragons 2’s with several people unavailable for different reasons welcomed Harriet Green, Lucy Buxton, Sophie Farrow and Piper Hempsall into their team. They were also pleased to see Georgia Rant finally arrive just before the start of the game via Taverham, even though her sister Harriet Rant, who was playing for the 3’s, manged to get to the correct pitch on time!!

Inter-club games are never easy but this was a good game played in the right spirit. The first goal came from a strong shot from Hannah Hardy which was well blocked by the 3’s. However Lucy Buxton who was in a great position was first to the ball and fired it into the goal from a narrow angle. This gave Dragons 2’s the lead and they went into half time 1-0 up.

In the second half Dragon 2’s started to apply a bit more pressure. The second goal was again assisted by Hannah Hardy who saw Shelly Seaman in a great space and slipped the ball to her. Shelly Seaman took her chance and from a acute angle fired it towards the goal, giving the keeper little chance, to make it 2-0. The third and final goal came from a lovely ball across the pitch from Grace Kidner to Harriet Green. Harriet Green then fired the ball into the D and found Georgia Rant on the P spot who deflected it skilfully into the goal to make it 3-0 to Dragon 2’s.

Player of the match for Dragons 2’s went to Grace Kidner who played LB for the first time and had a great game. Donkey of the Day went to Georgia Rant for thinking Dragons 2’s would be playing Dragons 3’s at Taverham. Emoji

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Norwich Dragons 2s:  0-3

MOM:  Harriet Rant

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Pelicans 2s:  4-3

Goalscorers:  Lisa Harwood, Niamh Somers, Amy Forse x2
MOM:   Gill Walker

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Watton 2s:  0-4

MOM:  Louise Brooks

Dragons 5s played Watton 2s away and lost 4-0. First half we had two unlucky goals scored against us, and one good goal. Dragons had some excellent chances but just missed the target. Second half Dragons found their form and were much better, but still failed to score and Watton scored on a break to end the match 4-0. Watton played well, we had some good chances. Looking forward to the next match… 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Beccles 3-4

Goalscorers:  Adelice Stanley x2, Mia McGhee
MOM:  Mae Clarke

It was a level game between the two teams, we went out strong and Mia McGhee got in there early to bring us 1:0 up. Unfortunately a couple of decent short corners and some nice runs down the middle by them made the score look slightly less attractive towards the half time whistle. A slighly scrappy goal by myself (Adelice Stanley)  brought us back into the game and we went into the break 2:4 down. The second half saw a much stronger Dragons team, we had some lovely passing play, particularly in mid and used the final minute to score another even scrappier goal (me again). But alas it was not quite enough in the end. Man of the match was very spread but Mae stole it in the end for a fantastic game at top of the diamond. Onwards and upwards as always 6s!!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v UEA 3s:  104

Goalscorer:   Brittany Hopkins
MOM:  Maisie Dearmer

Ladies 7s had a strong start against UEA 3s, Dragons scoring first with straight strike at a short corner from me. UEA responded almost immediately, converting a penalty flick after a stunning goal line save by my thigh (sorry Nola 🥴). UEA then put the match to bed with a further 3 goals, leaving us with a final score of 1-4.

MoM to Maisie Dearmer for some beautiful runs down the right despite being definitely quite ill…with Lucy Courtier a close second!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v UEA 4s:  0-4

MOM:  Rosie Tarleton

This was a really gutsy performance by the 8s. We are now well into the second half of the season and the 8s are giving it everything they’ve got in order to improve their standard of hockey – without losing the great team spirit and friendship that has hallmarked their performances.

So with high availability for once, the captains went for the bold step of selecting just 13 players in order to help with making the best use of the subs. In the past, using more players has not actually strengthened the team or enabled the less-experienced players to understand their positional roles. There is also a new focus on attending training, which has been so beneficial since Christmas. On Wednesday the players were trying new skills and discussing solutions to hockey problems. Before the match, the team planned how they would put training into action. 

In the early stages, the plan worked. Kristina Smyth always puts up an outstanding performance  when she plays in goal for the 8s, and part of the benefit of using her experience is the way in which she guides the defenders in front of her. Emma Young is improving every week with her clearances and marking. Jess Lockwood and Jo Lees are always solid and in the first half Rosie Tarleton and Karen Davidson shared the holding role, and linked well with mids.

A brave but perhaps misdirected attempted to stop a high ball opened the scoring for the Us, but after that the defenders learned to focus on making the tackles and letting Kristina stop the shots. The students were fast in the outfield and clever about passing the ball in the circle. This tested the ability of the defenders to keep on their marks, and led to a certain amount of scrambling and a lot of penalty corners.  Well done to Jess, Emma, Jo, Rosie and Nic Harrison for holding firm – and to Karen  for knowing when she had to come back to defend. During the frantic spell, Kristina saved a penalty flick.

Ellie O’Kane was back after a few weeks absence, and began to make an impression in midfield. She showed a willingness to run the length of the pitch with any opponent on a raid, and her jab tackling improved throughout the game. Kaia Peris has also not played many games, but showed some very nice touches – and some even nicer determination when tackling. Louise Crouch-Read is another player making an increasingly positive contribution.

Possibly the skill difference between UEA and the 8s was the visitors’ ability to be first to the ball and to show greater speed and stamina as the match progressed. This made life very hard for the forwards, mainly Johanne Steward and Ceris Burgues who had to create their own opportunities. Ceris formed useful partnerships with Ellie and Kaia. This was her last match for Dragons, and we hope it was memorable for many positive reasons.

Towards the end of the second half, Dragons defence faded in stamina but not in spirit. Some players are still recovering from virus and injuries, and this was a step up on last week’s performance. Dropping Bridget Le Good back to bottom of the diamond gave Dragons a bit more welly in getting the ball out of defence, and also released Rosie to play a more creative role. For her tenacious tackling in defence, accurate passing and determined running in attack, Rosie was voted player of the match.

Once again, there is a lot the 8s can take from this match. Their heads never dropped, they worked hard at moving the ball around, and they encouraged each other. Typically, even other members of the squad turned up to support. Come on 8s!

 
 
 

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East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Kettering 1s:  0-2

MOM: 

 

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s:  2-2

Goalscorers:   Joe Flatt, Eddie Gould
MOM:  

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Jon Miles, Charlie Creasy
MOM: Stuart Kelly

David and goliath. The tortoise and the hare. Norwich City vs. Man City. These are all stories of incredible underdog performances and today witnessed a new tale for the history books. Listen closely fellow readers as I recount the story of the men’s 2s vs. 3s.

Picture the scene, a brisk Saturday afternoon fourteen men, nay, heroes gathered together at the Den to face off in the ever epic NDHC derby between the 2s and 3s. These heroes knew they faced an uphill battle against the odds, outnumbered and out gunned but were they scared NO! There were butterflies in the stomach and nervous toilet trips of course, but not for one minute did the plucky 3s feel unready for this mammoth task. And so, after the long wait, the game finally begun with the blow of the whistle and you could feel the pantheon watching from above for what promised to be a fantastic, feisty and frantic game of hockey.

The first half saw some excellent interplay between Kit Scott, AJ Edwards and Jon Miles upfront with numerous chances just missing wide of the target or flying past the back post untouched with the 2s sitting deep and inviting pressure, pressure we gave. After 15 of so minutes disaster struck. A quick free hit saw a ball enter the D where a 2s striker turned and found the bottom corner with a good reverse stick finish. The 3s responded with more liquid hockey and some beautiful passing plays but were thwarted by the 2s keeper. All over the pitch we saw stick tackles and desperate challenges and the 2s struggled to keep up the pace and beauty of the 3s play, a sign the away side took of respect but none the less disruptive to our Barcelona-esque tactics. Despite all of this pressure the underdogs saw themselves down 2-0 just before the half when a crash ball found its way to Eddie Gould who fabulously (and fortuitously) deflected the ball into the top corner.

You would think at half time our plucky protagonists would be dismayed, 2-0 down but once again my dear reader you would be wrong. With all the chances and beautiful play we knew more chances would come our way and if we kept playing how we were then the goals would come. Captain fantastic gave a rousing team talk (think “Once more into the breach, dear friends…”, “We shall fight them on the beaches…” etc) and distributed the liquorice all sorts (a debatable choice this week) before once again sending his band of merry men out to undertake the impossible.

The second half saw a change in fortune for our fellows with the ticky tacky hockey leading to Charlie Creasey slotting a beautiful finish into the bottom corner to bring the 3s back into the game. Seeing the opponents on the ropes saw our underdogs change tactics (The “going for it” method) throwing caution to the wind and going for the jugular. A scrap in the opposition D saw a goal line clearance using an illegal body part leading to a penalty flick being given and the ice man himself, Jon Miles, stepped up to guide the ball into the corner, the stands erupting in celebration, the fans going wild and we even heard a small squeak of joy from the often-taciturn Stu Kelly. The final 5 minutes saw the biggest backs against the wall defensive performance ever witnessed with every single member of the 3s putting everything on the line to ensure the precious point was kept including a gift from the gods as an uncleared save from keeper extraordinaire Tom McLean saw Eddie Gould hit the post with the follow up.

After what seemed an age the umpires blew for full time and the comeback was complete, they’d done it! A 2-2 draw, feeling like a victory and I believe everyone player on the pitch will agree the most enjoyable derby game in a long long time. A few special mentions are needed with an unnervingly good performance from Stu Kelly earning the MoM award and DoD going to John Ives for falling off his chair whilst reaching for a slice of pizza, I won’t mention his height but it probably played a part.

Shout out to the 2s for being a fantastic opposition and giving us a game that will be fondly remembered for both teams I hope, a really really enjoyable derby (even ignoring the score).

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s:  4-1

Goalscorers:  Will Kirby x3,  Bobby Sheppard
MOM:   Robin Clarke

The game started pretty even as both sides found openings. Eventually Dragons 4ths found Kirby in space on the left post who’s shot was deflected in off the keeper. With a goal up the game remained open with both sides pressing well. Another was added by Kirby before half time to ensure Dragons 4ths felt a bit more comfortable.The second half opened up but the end result was put beyond doubt by Kirby completing his second hattrick in two games. Kirby then set up Bobby Sheppard for the 4th. Dragons 5ths didn’t stop at any point though and finally got one past Chris Millar with Will Kidner slotting home. Good game had by all and thanks to Pat and Sharpie for umpiring. Men’s 4ths man of the match to the engine room performance from Robin Clarke.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s:  1-4

Goalscorer:  Will Kidner
MOM:  Matt Armstrong

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v no fixture

 

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A  

Dev Girls B  v East Coast:  7-2

Goalscorers:
MOM:  

Dev Boys A v 

Dev Boys B v Dereham:  0-6

MOM:   Theo Demetriou

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 18th January 2020

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sWisbech Town 1AP-P
L2sChristchurch 1H3-0 (W)Hannah Ellis
Maddy Reynolds
Georgie Manly
Shelly Seaman
L3sHarleston Magpies 3A6-0 (L)Piper Hempsall
L4sDissA0-5 (W)Amy Forse x2
Nicola Cage Brimelow x2
Niamh Somers
Mia Somers
L5sEast Coast 3H4-0 (W)Katie Lister
Gemma Ballard
Lara King x2
Lara King
L6sWatton 2A5-1 (L)Mimi RutterfordMimi Rutterford
L7sBroadland 3H1-4 (L)Lara NuthallHattie Stuart
L8sMagpies 8A17-0 (L)Lucy Courtier
M1sUniversity of East Anglia Men 1A1-1 (D)Jack HallworthPeter Dickerson
M2sNewmarket 1A4-0 (L)Dim Ives
M3sUniversity of East Anglia Men 2H0-2 (L)Rob Goodson
M4sHarleston Magpies 5A0-4 (W)Will Kirby x3
Jamie Allspop
Alberto Embarba
Will Kirby
M5sNewmarket 2H5-2 (W)Will Kidner x2
Josh Bingham
Tom Helfer
Ross Barnshaw
Will Kidner
M6sUniversity of East Anglia Men 4H0-1 (L)Adam Jones
BD ADereham H2-0 (W)Ayrton Rant
Will Sexton
Will Sexton
Rahul Kaushal
BD BEast Coast A2-3 (L)Louis Bolton SmithTommy Cahir
James Hollis
GD AEast Coast H
GD BWatton A

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Wisbech 1s:   P-P

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Christchurch 1s:  3-0

Goalscorers:  Hannah Ellis, Maddy Reynolds, Georgie Manly
MOM:  Shelly Seaman

The game started a bit slowly with Norwich Dragons giving the ball away too easily and putting themselves under unnecessary pressure. Dragons still had plenty of chances but were struggling to take advantage of them. Finally about halfway through the first half the ball fell to Maddy Reynolds who quickly took advantage of this and calmly slammed the ball into the goal to make it 1-0 to Dragons.

At half time Dragons coach Pete Thomas made it clear that we needed to step it up and play better hockey, something none of us could argue with! 

With his words ringing in our ears Dragons started to play much better hockey and take control of the game. Under pressure Christchurch started to give away short corners, but the Christchurch keeper made some excellent saves keeping the score at 1-0. Finally though the pressure paid off. The ball was put out at speed by Hannah Ellis, smartly stopped by Karen O’Neill-Simpson and struck hard by Gail Thomas, again the keeper made a great save. However the ball was then jumped on by Hannah Ellis and a Christchurch defender and a battle of strength began cms from the goal line which Hannah Ellis won to make it 2-0. Dragons were now playing much better hockey and put the game to bed with a lovely run from Grace Kidner who passed the ball at speed to Georgie Manly who slotted it home to make it 3-0. As usual the votes for player of the match were really spread with Shelly Seaman just pipping Mia Bartram and Grace Kidner to it.

Not Dragons best game ever but they were pleased to take 3 point, to score 3 goals and to keep a clean sheet.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Magpies 3s:  0-6

MOM:  Piper Hempsall

Ladies 3s suffered a 6-0 defeat against a very skillful, quick and well drilled Magpies squad. Some great moments of play from us with everyone on the pitch giving 100% effort but it unfortunately wasn’t enough. Special mention to Mia Somers for some awesome saves and great talking from the back line. POM goes to Piper Hempsall for relentless play down the wings – On to the next!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Diss:  5-0

Goalscorers:  Amy Forse x2, Nicola Cage Brimelow x2, Niamh Somers
MOM:   Mia Somers

Ladies 4’s won 5-0 against Diss. Slow start into the game with the first goal coming about 15 mins into the game from Amy Forse, Nicola Cage Brimelow x2, Niamh Somers and then Amy with a second goal. We kept up the momentum throughout the game and kept fighting. Some great hockey girls!!! Pom Niamh Somers!!! 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v East Coast 3s:  4-0

Goalscorers:  Katie Lister, Gemma Ballard, Lara King x2
MOM:  Lara King 

Ladies 5s win 4-0 against East Coast. We were a little slow to get started but had a few shots on goal which we were unable to convert. Our first goal came from a top of the D hit from Lara King. The opposition then levelled the score from a lovely short corner. We then decided we would go up a gear & goal number 2 came from a short corner received at the top & slipped to Katie Lister on the left who got the ball in the back of the net. Third goal again from Lara at the top of the D. Goal number 4 was a lovely run down the right from Katie to Mary Bowles into Liz McDonnell & then tapped in by Gemma Ballard at the left post. Well played everyone. Thank you Anita Mancini and Will Kirby for your sideline guidance & management. MOM Lara.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Watton 2s:  5-1

Goalscorer:  Mimi Rutterford
MOM:  Mimi Rutterford

Despite mostly dominating the first half, and still holding well in the second, Ladies 6s went down to Watton 2s a slightly painful 5 – 1 (painful to our pride and injuries sustained)
The solitary goal was scored by Mimi Rutterford, who also won player of the match (most deservedly). This one goal was a cracker, lifted slightly past a defender and the goalie, into the net. The crowds (all five dragons supporters) went wild. Hope renewed, but soon dashed.The details escape me, but Watton scored three in rather quick succession.
Despite the lack lustre outcome, there was some right good hockey played.
Yet again, the rally cry of the sixes is heard “onwards and upwards!”
Injuries sustained in order of severity: Emma Dyer maybe broke a finger, I took a minor blow to the head, and Georgia Heaton was icing her leg but I’m not sure why.
Massive thanks to Pat for yelling at us from the side lines.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Broadland 3s:  1-4

Goalscorer:   Lara Nuthall
MOM:  Hattie Stuart

Ladies 7s lost 4:1 to Broadland 3. Goal by Lara Nuthall. POM Hattie Stuart. We battled hard with only 10 players and Broadland certainly didn’t have an easy time. Heads up ladies!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v Magpies 8s:  0-17

MOM:  Lucy Courtier

Ladies 8’s took on Magpies 8’s away in Harleston and despite a cricket score style result! (not in our favour sadly) I might add! We played some amazing hockey, showing grit and determination and never more so than in the second half.We lost 17-0 but did not go down without fighting back. The team spirit was flying higher than any magpie could ever possibly wish to reach and as our captain Jess Lockwood said there were times in the match that any spectator walking passed and watching for five minutes would no doubt be surprised at the score!POM went to Lucy Courtier who was joining us from Dev’s in her debut appearance for the 8’s and we were very happy to have her onboard. She played some excellent hockey with the ‘dogged determination’ we all embrace as a team.Lucy picked the ball up on the right wing and glided effortlessly up the pitch, she was an awesome player to watch and a very welcome addition.Lucy and Bridget Le Good soon picked up an excellent rapport and between them devised a plan which had Bridget keeping the ball and then passing out wide back to Lucy who having found space picked it up and sped off! Nola Mitchell was a absolute legend as Goalie and made numerous, incredible saves and without her competence, bravery and again ‘dogged determination!’ the score would have been considerably enhanced for Magpies. She never gave up and was a pleasure to have on the pitch with us.Karen Davidson was top of the diamond and played brilliantly showing her speed, skill, and yes! you guessed it ‘dogged determination’! which she carried every minute of the match and most importantly she never gives up!Jess in defence made some spectacular tackles allowing Nola a brief reprieve as did Jo Lee’s.Hettie McClean dropped back to Defence in the second half and was soon making some bold tackles which was fantastic.Louise Crouch-Reed picked up some great balls playing as left forward as did Johanne Steward in Center Forward. Nic Harrison was her usual fast and reliable self as Left Mid. We also used the width of the pitch brilliantly, just as we had practiced on Wednesday night training and it worked an absolute treat!!! 

The coaches would have been proud!!!!

We remain Strong and most importantly We remain The Awesome 8’s!!!!! 

 
 

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East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v UEA 1s:  1-1

Goalscorer:   Jack Hallworth
MOM:  Peter Dickerson

The sun shone in the biting cold at UEA as the students attempted to extend their recent impressive league form – today scuppered by an energetic and resolute Dragons display.

Lively from the start, UEA took the lead through a low-driven short corner. Not to be down for long, some explosive link-up play down the left wing between Pedro Goss and Sean Orton saw Jack Hallworth finish exquisitely!

UEA pushed into the game with many, many short corners however could not finish, and  Dan Rix spurning a good chance just wide.

Honours even – thanks mainly to the monstrously elegant display by captain Pete Dickerson in goal – he takes home the coconut gel 

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Newmarket 1s:  0-4

MOM:  Dim Ives

Mens 2s lose 4-0 to a strong Newmarket side. Some good play and chances to score, but beaten by a better side on the day. Man of the match goes to Dim Ives for keeping the score lower than the home fixture with some fantastic low saves (although kicking the ball directly in to my privates was less fantastic..). DoD to Isaac for keeping us waiting at Goals for 30 minutes while actually being in a car already half way to the pitch.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v UEA 2s:  0-2

MOM: Rob Goodson

A tough game against what seemed like a squad of 20 UEA 2s players ended in a 0-2 defeat for the Men’s 3s. With most of the game being played in midfield the dilapidated home team put up a great fight but two not-so-clever moments leave the 3s thinking what could have been.

Many positives to take from the game including a great debut for Tommy Gale in tough conditions and another stellar performance for Rob Goodson garnering MoM! DoD goes to Will Main who seem to spend half the game on his arse. Suggestions for correcting the range from new footwear to getting personal running lessons from Will “the gazelle” Kirby.

With many players returning for next week’s epic against NDHC 2s we aim to return to winning ways.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Magpies 5s:  4-0

Goalscorers:  Will Kirby x3, Jamie Allsop
MOM:  Will Kirby, Alberto Embarba

A tight first half drew saves from both keepers as the game ebbed and flowed. Dragons managed to break the deadlock first with a Will Kirby strike but Harleston didn’t back down. Using their subs well Dragons finally found more chances and Kirby added another two good finishes. With the game open Dragons ran harder in the last quarter and Jamie Allsop added a good 4th before the end. A good game and competitive til the end.

Man of Match was tied between the goal machine Kirby and the midfield general Alberto Embarba.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Newmarket 2s:  5-2

Goalscorers:  Josh Bingham, Tom Helfer, Will Kidner x2, Ross Barnshaw
MOM:  Will Kidner

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v UEA 4s:  0-1

MOM:  Adam Jones

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A  

Dev Girls B 

Dev Boys A v Dereham:  2-0

Goalscorers:  Aryton Rant, Will Sexton
MOM:  Will Sexton, Rahul Kaushal

The match started fairly even between both teams. Us and the opposition had some great chances but didn’t quite manage to put anything in the goal. Some good passes were made but what we lacked was enough urgency to get the ball and the game seemed a bit relaxed in the first quarter.

Going into the second quarter, it was clear that our team had warmed up and we were willing to fight for the ball a lot more. Chance upon chance came up but we still struggled to score a goal. About halfway through the second quarter, Vithu Baskaran did an excellent pass to Monty Patel who then drove up the left wing and managed to put in a great cross which was quickly followed up by Ayrton Rant slotting the ball bottom corner which gave us our first goal.

This goal gave Dragons something to fight for and, shortly into the third quarter, Monty got the ball on the left wing once again and swept the ball across the goal, which was when Will Sexton made a run from right midfield and put the ball passed the keeper and gave us another goal.

The final quarter was when Dereham started to fight back harder, and they made some great passes and opportunities were coming up everywhere for them. One of there players made a run down the centre of the pitch, he then cut left and had a great shot on goal. Thankfully, Rahul Kaushal was there to make an incredible stop on the line which he then cleared quickly.
The whistle then blew, signalling the end of the match and a great 2-0 win for us.

POM joint between Rahul Kaushal and Will Sexton 
 

Dev Boys B v East Coast:  2-3

Goalscorers: Louis Bolton Smith x2
MOM:   Tommy Cahir, James Hollis

After a late start to the game, we all were passing the ball wide and we had a few chances. We had a short corner in the middle of the first quarter, but it was well defended by East Coast. Nearing the end of the first quarter East Coast made a breakthrough and passed through our defence and scored. Going into the second quarter, Tommy Cahir is off with the ball racing down the wing and passes it to Louis Boulton-Smith, he controls it and puts it bottom left corner. East Coast have a couple of shots on goal, but they go wide. Then Archie Griegg has the ball on the right wing and passes it through to Louis Boulton-Smith, who pushes it past the keeper, its 2-1 at half time. In the third quarter we have a short corner, but it’s well defended by EC. Getting near to the end of the third quarter EC coast get a goal just past the reach of Patrick O’Rourke in goal.  Then it came to the last quarter, we had to get a goal to win. We were all passing it well, both teams had some good chances. James Hollis did some great defending at the back, controlling the back 3. Then just when we coming to the end, there’s a stumble at the back it looked like it hit an EC players foot but the umpire carried on and it went left bottom corner. It was the end of the game, both teams played well, and we all worked and played amazing. Final score was 3-2, to East Coast. POM James Hollis and Tommy Cahir.

 

Final result – 3-2 to East Coast.

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 11th January 2020

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sColchester 1H4-1 (W)Holly Setchell x2
Harriet Green
Kate McKenna
Sophie Thomas
L2sIpswich 2A3-1 (L)Grace KidnerJillian Christie
Stella Windsor Waite
L3sNorwich City 2H1-5 (L)Lilli BallardBeth Prakash
L4sReephamH4-3 (W)Amy Forse
Lisa Harwood
Nicola Cage-Brimelow
Katherine Hardwick
L5sCarrow A4-0 (L)Lara King
Lizzie Costello
L6sMagpies 5H1-12 (L)Emma North
L7sThetford H2-1 (W)Claire Fairhurst
Lara Nuthall
Paige Fisher
L8sSlip Date
M1sCity of Peterborough 3H2-2 (D)Dan Rix
Jack Hallworth
Jim Barker
M2sNorwich City 3H3-1 (W)Chris Simmonds
Rupert Snelling
Isaac Diver Hall
Mark Walmsley
M3sNorwich City 4A1-5 (W)Crossley Eccles
John Ives
Jon Miles
Kit Scott x2
Kit Scott
M4sSudbury 3H2-0 (W)Tommy Gale
Will Kirby
Greg Reynolds
M5sNorwich Exiles 1A3-2 (L)Tom Helfer
Dan Murphy
Tom Bailey
M6sNorwich City 6A0-2 (L)
BD AEast Coast A6-0 (W)Oli Rudling x2
Rahul Kaushal
Monty Patel
Ayrton Rant
Dylan Bondi
BD BMagpies H1-5 (L)Theo DemetriouTheo Demetriou
Hector McNeill
James Hollis
GD ATBC
GD BPelicans H2-1 (W)Imogen DoldingImogen Dolding

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Colchester 1s:  4-1 

Goalscorers:  Holly Setchell x2, Harriet Green, Kate McKenna
MOM:  Sophie Thomas

Ladies 1s beat Colchester 1s 4-1. A good first game after Christmas, preparing the team to step up the tempo. There were brilliant transfers round the back, effective use of triangles and game management was good. The first 10 minutes was a bit slow, however after we picked up the pace and went out and smashed it! The first goal was scored by Holly Setchell after a fantastically worked short corner. After stretching Colchester and hitting them on the break, the second goal came from a wonderful reverse flick into the corner by Harriet Green after a hit in from Sophie Barrow. The third goal came from Holly Setchell again after multiple deflections, and the fourth goal was from Kate McKenna after an assist from Alex Daplyn. The opposition goal was a straight strike into the left corner of the goal from a short corner. Overall, a very good cohesive performance where everyone worked as a unit. Player of the match went to Sophie Thomas for her composure on the ball, amazing defensive work and fighting spirit.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Ipswich 2s:  1-3

Goalscorer:  Grace Kidner
MOM:  Jillian Christie, Stella Windsor Waite

The game started at a fast pace with Norwich Dragons 2’s determined to close their opponents down and not give them time on the ball. There was a lot of good play from both teams but Norwich Dragons 2’s work rate was giving them the edge and they started to control play. Hannah Hardy, Gail Thomas, Grace Kidner and Sophie Farrow were wining the battle in midfield and providing some great balls forward. Any Ipswich attacks were cut out by Hannah Ellis and Shelly Seaman who were protecting the middle well. Ally Windsor-Waite and Georgia Rant were working hard up front and Norwich Dragons 2’s were unlucky to go into halftime at 0-0.

As expected Ipswich started the second half all guns blazing. On numerous occasions Karen O’Neill-Simpson, Esme Potter and Stella Windsor-Waite found themselves outnumbered as Ipswich drove forward on mass. Even with some good defending and some great saves from Jillian Christie, Norwich Dragons 2’s unfortunately found themselves 3-0 down within 15 minutes of the re-start. However Norwich Dragons 2’s didn’t give up and started to work their way back into the game, earning themselves a short corner. The ball was put out by Hannah Ellis and well stopped by Esme Potter. Gail Thomas then slipped it to Ally Windsor-Waite, who found Grace Kidner, who calmly slotted the ball into the goal, exactly as we had practiced in trainiing!!! Norwich Dragons 2’s continued to pressure the Ipswich goal, back on top of the game, but unfortunately ran out of time as the final whistle went.

A great team effort from Norwich Dragons 2’s who have made great progress since September and are excited for the rest of the season. There were several players who got votes for Player of the match but it was shared between Jillian Christie and Stella Windsor-Waite. 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Norwich City 2s:  1-5

Goalscorer:  Lilli Ballard
MOM:  Beth Prakash

Ladies 3’s took on the tough Norwich city 2’s today. A slow start saw us 2-0 down, but a great goal from a short from Lilli Ballard got us one back. Half time ended at 3-1 and despite much better play in the second half we were unable to better the score. The game unfortunately ended 5-1 but there were signs of great play which will hopefully lead to a better score next week 👍🏼😊 pom to Beth Prakash!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Reepham:  4-3

Goalscorers:  Amy Forse, Nathalie Crisp, Lisa Harwood, Nicola Cage-Brimelow
MOM:   Katherine Hardwick

Smashing game in the sunshine for Ladies 4s vs Reepham.  A battle from start to finish. New formation working well with lots of opportunities to score – resulting in a 4-3 win. Goals from Nic Cage, Nathalie Crisp, Lisa Harwood and Amy Forse .  2 goals from shorts (thanks for the help and advice Pete Thomas). POM to Katherine Hardwick for some sound attacking defence. 6 points from 2 games makes a great start to 2020!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Carrow:  0-4

MOM:  Lara King, Lizzie Costello

We started off the game with good play from both teams. We each had opportunities and from a 16 they unfortunately smacked it past our defence, there was good play in the D resulting in a goal and 2 goals were from well-drilled short corners.  Well played everyone

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Magpies 5s:  1-12

Goalscorer:  Adelice Stanley
MOM:  Emma North

Ladies 6s took on top of the league Magpies 5s. We always knew it was going to be a tough game and we went out there with a smile and buckets of enthusiasm. We fought hard and kept the score low for a significant part of the first half, even scoring a goal (yes everybody, we scored a goal against magpies 5s!!!). Unfortunately as time went on the Magpies got stronger and eventually went on to win quite clearly…final score 1:12…oh well!
Man of the match goes to Emma North for a cracking game in goal. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Freya!!!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Thetford:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Claire Fairhurst, Lara Nuthall
MOM:  Paige Fisher

Well done to the 7’s who played Thetford today with a winning score of 2-1. It was a strong game on both sides with Dragons making a great comeback from an 11 nil loss at the start of the season. Well done to Claire and Lara for scoring the goals and congratulations to Paige getting WOM. Thank you to Des and the umpires for a great match and start to the season.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s – no fixture

 
 

—————————————————————————————————————————-

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v City of Peterborough 3s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Dan Rix, Jack Hallworth
MOM:  Jim Barker

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Norwich City 3s:  3-1

Goalscorers:  Chris Simmonds, Rupert Snelling, Isaac Diver-Hall
MOM:  Mark Walmsley

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Norwich City 4s:  5-1

Goalscorers:  Crossley Eccles, John Ives, Jon Miles, Kit Scott x2
MOM: Kit Scott

Mens 3s started their match away against NCHC 4s slowly (I blame too much Christmas spirit(s)) and went 1-0 down after 5 minutes but fought back and immediately responded with a beautiful back post finish from Crossley Eccles to even the scores. Then followed two wonderful goals from Kit Scott making an excellent debut and John Ives with his 4th of the season making it 1-4 at the half.

Second half saw dragons defending about a million (no exaggeration) short corners including a few spectacular diving stick saves from Captain Fantastic (Tom McLean) before John Miles put the game to bed with some sort of goal I didn’t see because it was far too windy to view the other end of the pitch. A fantastic start to 2020 and long may it continue… 

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Sudbury 3s:  2-0

Goalscorers:  Tommy Gale, Will Kirby
MOM:  Greg Reynolds

Both teams missed chances to score in the first half with a few more eluding Dragons. In the second half Dragons got the goal they needed at the end of a good move with Tommy Gale rolling the ball home. The game opened up and Dragons got a second from a strong shot by Will Kirby.  Sudbury kept fighting to the end but Dragons held them. Well done all with man of the match going to Greg Reynolds.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Norwich Exiles 1s:  2-3

Goalscorers:  Tom Helfer, Dan Murphy
MOM:  Tom Bailey

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norwick City 6s:  0-2

MOM:

 

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A  – no fixture

Dev Girls B v Pelicans:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Imogen Dolding x2
MOM:  Imogen Dolding

Dev Boys A v East Coast:  6-0

Goalscorers:  Oli Rudling x2, Rahul Kaushal, Monty Patel, Ayrton Rant, Dylan Bondi

Dev Boys B v Magpies:  1-5

Goalscorer: Theo Demetriou
MOM:   Theo Demetriou, Hector McNeill, James Hollis

 

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 4th January 2020

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sNorwich Dragons Ladies 2sH
L2sNorwich Dragons Ladies 1sA
L4sEvergreens A4-0 (W)Catherine Matthews x2
Lillian Sore x2
Emma Merryweather
L5sMagpies 5H2-2 (D)Gemma Ballard x2Jillian Christie
L6sDereham 3A0-7 (L)Lizzie Costello
L7sSlip Date
L8sSlip Date
M2sIES2A4-0 (L)
M4sNorwich Dragons Men's 5sH
M5sNorwich Dragons Men's 4sA
BD BMagpiesA2-1 (L)Vithu BaskaranGeorge Wilson
GD ASlip Date
GD BSlip Date

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s – no fixture

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s – no fixture

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s – no fixture

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Evergreens:   4-0

Goalscorers:  Catherine Matthews x2, Lillian Sore x2,
MOM:   Emma Merryweather

Ladies 4’s start the year off with a 4-0 win against Evergreens. 2-0 at half time with the opening goal from Catherine Matthews and the second from Lillian Sore.   We kept fighting in the second half knowing they could win the game back but we put in another two goals, first of the second half from Lillian Sore and the last goal from Catherine.  We had a green card against us and some challenging play but we kept up the high intensity and bagged ourselves yet another win! Pom Emma Merryweather for some excellent play!!!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Magpies 5s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Gemma Ballard x2
MOM:  Jillian Christie

First game back after all the Christmas and new year excesses! The 5s rolled down to the pitch and into a much needed warm up led by our ‘warm up Queen’ Lou!  We knew the game would be one of our toughest games against top of the table and unbeaten Magpies 5s, meaning we were very much the underdogs! We didn’t start well conceding a goal in the first 5 mins. It was a bit of a shock to the system! Think we had forgotten how to play hockey. None the less we stayed strong and started to find our rhythm. Play started to link well and our first goal game after a great passing move down the right between Lara King, Claire Stuart, Lizzie McDonnell and Gemma Ballard. Gem narrowly missed a second goal a few moments later. We continued to match Magpies who had a lot of chances but our keeper Jillian Christie was AMAZING! Lizzie has a goal disallowed too. The first half finished 1-1. Magpies started strong in the second half getting a second goal from a short corner move with just 10 mins to go. Hannah Edwards also made a great goal line clearance to keep us in the game. We pushed on with Anita Mancini winning a short corner. Lizzie’s straight strike led to us equalising through Gem!! We were very happy.  Final score 2-2. Great game by all. MOM to Jillian  for keeping us in the match. Lara (Carol) in second place! Looking forward to the Carrow game where we will all be feeling fitter and stronger!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Evergreens:  

Goalscorers:  
MOM:  Lizzie Costello

The 6s continue to yo-yo between winning and losing, going down 7-0 to Dereham 3s.  Again, we hadn’t played as a team before, and Dereham wouldn’t let us settle, tackling as soon as we won the ball.
Still, the match tea was good.
POM goes to Lizzie Costello for her wonderful defending. Special mention to our goalie, Emma North,  who saved a hell of a lot more than went by her.

Chin up for next week ladies, a yo-yo must come back up!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s –  no fixture

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s – no fixture

 
 

 

—————————————————————————————————————————-

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s –  no fixture

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v IES 2s:  0-4

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s  – no fixture

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s – no fixture

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s – no fixture

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s – no fixture

 

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A  – no fixture

Dev Girls B – no fixture

Dev Boys A – no fixture

Dev Boys B v Magpies:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Vithu Baskaran
MOM:   George Wilson

On Saturday the boys dev B team suffered a close 2-1 loss to magpies.  They scored first from a short corner.  Vithu Baskaran equalised for us with a great strike.  Magpies then scored the winner when their winger was left unmarked during a rare Magpie attack.  Dragons had majority of the ball and played some good hockey but two excellent saves from the Magpies keeper prevented us equalising. After that, despite lots of effort, we failed to successfully work around the Magpies adult who defended resolutely. George Wilson was player of the match.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 14th December 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sCambridge City 3sA3-3 (D)Sarah Jenkins x2
Liv Leary
Sarah Jenkins
L4sNorwich City 4sH0-1 (L)Katherine Hardwick
L5sSlip Date
L6sMagpies 6sA1-5 (W)Adelice Stanley x3
Gemma Ballard x2
Hatty Harrison-Mobbs
L7sNorwich City 6s friendlyA1-2 (W)Brittany Hopkins
Paige Fisher
Mia Norris
L8sNorwich City 7sA1-0 (L)Issy Gale
M5sPelicans 3sH0-3 (L)
M6sDereham 4sH3-0 (W)Mike Banham x2
Rich Draeger
BD AMagpies H1-1 (D)Vithu BaskaranVarun Naik
BD BTBC
GD AN City A6-1 (L)
GD Bblank

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Cambridge City 3s:  3-3

Goalscorers:    Sarah Jenkins x2, Liv Leary
MOM:   Sarah Jenkins

The Ladies 1s drew 3-3 with Cambridge City 3s.  Blood, sweat and tears as the team fought throughout the whole game – a determination that we haven’t seen in previous weeks.  Dragons scored the first goal from a brilliantly worked short corner. A one, two, to be smashed in by Sarah Jenkins. At half time it was 1-1; the opposition scored from a short corner just before the whistle went for the break. In the second half, we went 2-1 up after another fantastic short corner and another strike from Sarah Jenkins to be deflected off a defender’s stick. The third goal came from a lovely drive to the base line by Lucy Morton who played it in to Liv Leary to hit in. Another two goals were scored by the opposition, the 2nd from open play on the break, and the 3rd from another short corner. A great game where all 50/50 balls were ours and, solid but dynamic defending. Great work from everyone. Player of the match went to Sarah Jenkins for her amazing goals and work upfront – well deserved.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s – no fixture

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s – no fixture

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Norwich City 4s:  0-1

MOM:  Katherine Hardwick

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s – no fixture

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Magpies 6s:  5-1

Goalscorers:  Adelice Stanley x3, Gemma Ballard x2
MOM:  Hatty Harrison-Mobbs

Ladies 6s go out strong and positive on a cold and breezy morning in the fields of Harleston to take on the Magpies 6s. We started on a high with 3 goals in quick succession by Adelice Stanley, which surprised both them and us if we are quite honest. Things calmed down a bit and the Magpies stole one back before half time. A rainy but sweets-filled half time talk later and we were back on form, for Gemma Ballard to score another two in the second half. Lots of fantastic play all round, with Hatty Harrison Mobbs stealing that MoM in the end. Final score 5:1, a great result to go into the (short) break with. Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Norwich City 6s:  2-1 
FRIENDLY

Goalscorers:  Brittany Hopkins, Paige Fisher
MOM:  Mia Norris

Ladies 7s beat City 6s 2:1 in a friendly. Great game with dragons dominating. Cracking goals by Paige Fisher and Brittany Hopkins. Paige then received a ball to the wrist putting an end to her game. POM Mia Norris in her first adult game. Special mention to Ella Peart too as it was also her first adult match came 2nd in POM votes. 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Norwich City 7s:  0-1

Ladies 8’s took on City 7’s away at Taverham and despite a great match with some fantastic goal opportunities we lost 1-0.

POM was deservedly awarded to Izzy Gale although there were plenty of others who could have taken away the title!

We welcomed Nola Mitchell to our team and she proved to be a strong asset as our goalie making some fantastic saves with lightning responses and confidence against a strategic opposition of Forwards when they got the ball in the D.

We were also delighted to have Rosie Tarleton with us and between her and Issy Gale they tirelessly took the ball up the pitch with the aid of Sophie James in midfield and in the first half we very much dominated the game with a Very near goal from Issy which packed some pace. 

Two short corners in the first half sadly did not end to our advantage but we kept up the fight.

A goal to the opposition shortly before halftime did not dampen the Awesome 8’s spirits, needless to say!!!!

Emily Matthews proved a force to be reckoned with for our oppositions as a defender getting to the ball first and sending it back in the direction it came from, to the obvious annoyance of City players!!

Johanne Steward was our team captain and as always kept us strong and focused. It was a great match and hugely enjoyable for us all showing some amazing hockey skills honed from our Wednesday night sessions. 

Well done to everyone who played.

—————————————————————————————————————————-

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s –  no fixture

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s – no fixture

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s  – no fixture

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s – no fixture

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Pelicans :  0-4

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v  Dereham :  3-0

Goalscorer:  Mike Banham x2, Rich Draeger

Men’s 6th team win 3-0 against Dereham 4ths.   2 short corner strikes from Mike Banham in his first full match for Dragons of the season and a goal from Rich Draeger.   Some great passing hockey from the team created several more opportunities with the Dereham keeper making some great saves to keep the score down.   The defence prevented Dereham from having any shots on target and only one short corner conceded and cleared away.   The 6ths finish first half of the season with three league wins and confidence for the second half of the season.

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A  v Norwich City:  1-6

Goalscorer:  
MOM:

Dev Girls B – no fixture

Dev Boys A v Magpies:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Vithu Baskaran
MOM:  Varun Naik

Dev Boys B – no fixture

 

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 7th December 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sBury St Edmunds 1H0-3 (L)Sarah Jenkins
Carmel Windsor Waite
L2sUniversity of East Anglia Women 1H1-7 (L)Nat BealShelly Seaman
L3sYarmouth 1A3-0 (L)Kristina Smyth
Catherine Matthews
L4sMagpies 4H1-4 (L)Amy ForseAmy Forse
Jen Buskell
Sarah Wagstaff
L5sDragons 6A0-10 (W)Hatty Harrison-Mobbs
Anita Mancini x2
Gemma Ballard x4
Lizzy McDonnell x3
Gemma Ballard
L6sDragons 5H0-10 (L)Karen Davidson
L7sSlip Date
L8sSlip Date
M1sDereham 2A2-2 (D)Jack Hallworth
Dan Rix
Peter Dickerson
M2sNorth Norfolk 1A5-0 (L)
M3sBury St Edmunds 2H0-0 (D)Rob Goodson
M4sBury St Edmunds 5A2-1 (L)Jason WolfeGreg Reynolds
M5sBury St Edmunds 4H0-1 (L)David Kidner
M6sNorfolk Nomads 1H0-4 (L)
BD AN City A1-4 (W)Monty Patel
Rahul Kaushal
Hector McNeil
Tom Clifton
Hector McNeil
Tom Clifton
BD BWattton H7-0 (W)Zac McEwan
Louis Bolton Smith x2
Monty Patel
Theo Demetriou x2
Ayrton Rant
Theo Demetriou
GD AWatton H5-0 (W)Mia Rutterford x2
Lucy Courtier
Ivy Hodds
Hannah Shepperson
GD BDereham A1-3 (W)Libby Ong
India Bunn
Caitlyn Hernon
Libby Ong

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Bury St Edmunds 1s:  0-3

MOM:  Carmel Windsor Waite, Sarah Jenkins

After a week off due to last week’s weather cancellations Ladies 1s played Bury St Edmunds 1s at home. Dragons lacked some intensity in the 1st half and Bury were able to capitalise on a couple of our mistakes. A rousing half time talk from our captain gave us more fire in the 2nd half but sadly not enough to turn the game around, ending 3-0 to Bury. PoM joint between the dynamic defensive duo of Sarah Jenkins and Carmel Windsor Waite.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v UEA 1s:  1-7

Goalscorer:  Nat Beal
MOM:  Shelly Seaman

With availability issues across the Ladies Club, Dragons fielded a squad of 12 against much healthier looking numbers for UEA!

The game started evenly, with both teams having spells of possession but lacking composure in the final ball. Dragons were first to break the deadlock, a fine run down the right by Georgie Manly saw the ball crossed into the D, Gail Thomas has a good strike saved but Nat Beal was there to finish off on the rebound.

Dragons almost had a 2nd through an excellent Hannah Ellis strike from the top of the D, but unfortunately it glanced off a Dragons foot on the way to goal, meaning the strike was disallowed.

Dragons were holding the game although UEA were starting to get more into it – they earned a penalty flick, which Dragons keeper Jillian Christie saved smartly to her right. An injury to influential defender Esme Potter saw Dragons lose their shape a little, as they struggled to adjust just before half time. In this spell UEA capitalised scoring 2 quick goals to turn the tie going into the break.

2nd half the game changed completely with UEA dominating the attacking play and scoring some excellent goals. The speed and fluency of their play combined with their all round ball pace meant Dragons were somewhat outplayed in this half. 5 goals for UEA saw the game finishing with a convincing victory for a team who on the day, played some very strong hockey.

Dragons need to take this on the chin, rebuild and come back stronger in the new year. Some good displays notably from Georgie Manly and Shelly Seaman with Shelly taking PoM.

 
 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Yarmouth 1s:  0-3

MOM:  Kristina Smyth, Catherine Matthews

3’s lose 3-0 to a tough Yarmouth team. 2 goals half way through the first half  meant Dragons needed to really rally at half time.  We started strongly in the second half and had some great play with numerous opportunities and more of the possession but a few harsh injuries and an unstoppable short corner hit from Yarmouth sealed their lead. Score doesn’t reflect the hard work and great team play of the 3’s.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Magpies 4s:  1-4

Goalscorer:  Amy Forse
MOM:  Jen Buskell, Sarah Wagstaff, Amy Forse

Ladies 4’s lost 4-1 to a good Harleston side. Goal scored by  Amy Forse. Our good play was good enough but there wasn’t enough of it. Thanks to coach Lynn Price! POM three ways Amy Forse, Jen Buskell and Sarah Wagstaff but in typical 4’s fashion the votes were spread across 7 players.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s:  10-0

Goalscorers:  Gemma Ballard x4, Lizzy McDonnell x3, Anita Mancini x2, Hatty Harrison Mobbs
MOM: Gemma Ballard

Dragons 5s vs Dragons 6s – always a difficult game to play. Both teams came out fighting.  End to end play, Gina Hunt was fantastic keeping a clean sheet for us. However by half time the 5s were up 5-0.  The 6s came out strongly at the beginning of the second half, but when the 5s managed to get another goal they then dominated the last few minutes. Great play by both teams, lots of short corners on both side and near misses.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s:  0-10

MOM:  Karen Davidson

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s – no fixture

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v – no fixture

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East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Dereham 2s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Jack Hallworth, Dan Rix
MOM: Peter Dickerson

A patchy grey afternoon in Norfolk’s forgotten wilderness witnessed a frustrating, confusing, and battling performance.

It was one of those games…couldn’t get our game firing on all cylinders and tackling a persistent long-ball game against us …we stuck at it with effort, guile, and vigour.

First half – happened.

Second half – Conceding the first goal to a penalty-flick we rallied and Jack Hallworth rifled a beautifully orchestrated short-corner drag-flick routine into the roof of the net.
After controlling some impressive phases of play we found ourselves behind once again to a good Dereham short-corner routine. It was tense. The massing local crowds were biting their clenched fists in anticipation of a fairytale win, and believed this day to be the fateful giant-killing moment…all before Dan Rix, the dream breaker, pounced in the very final second to torpedo a leveller from the angle into top bins!

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v North Norfolk 1s:  0-5

 

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Bury St Edmunds 2s:  0-0

MOM:  Rob Goodson

This morning Men’s 3s faced a much changed and strong Bury 2s who were coming off some big wins. Dragons got off to a strong start with Jon Miles narrowly missing a beautiful drag flick just past the post. It was a fairly even and open first half but ended goalless.

Second half saw a change with Bury being well on top but Dragons held strong for 35 minutes to come away with a much deserved and welcome point.
Onto the Christmas meal!

Man of the match goes to Rob Goodson for some fantastic midfield play and being pivotal for the clean sheet.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Bury St Edmunds 5s:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Jason Wolfe
MOM:  Greg Reynolds

Men’s 4s lost 2-1 away to Bury St Edmunds 5s.  Dragons were strong throughout and constantly on the attack. Everyone played well in all parts of the pitch except for in front of goal. Everyone had their fair share of fluffed shots so blame was shared equally between the lads.

Our only goal came from Jason Wolfe, who took advantage of a perfectly stopped ball on a short to give dragons hope in the second half.

MOTM was awarded to Greg Reynolds in order to ‘mix things up’ from the usual MOTM picks. Shoutouts to Tommy Gales, Bobby Shepard and Arj P for their usual performances. Alberto’s defensive debut was deemed a moderate success by the lads.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Bury St Edmunds 4s:  0-1

MOM:  David Kidner

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v  Norfolk Nomads 1s:  0-4

 

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A  v Watton:  5-0

Goalscorers:  Mia Rutterford x2, Lucy Courtier, Ivy Hodds, Hannah Shepperson
MOM:

Dev Girls B v Dereham:  3-1

Goalscorers:  Libby Ong, India Bunn, Caitlyn Hernon
MOM:  Libby Ong

 

Dev Boys A v Norwich City:  4-1

Goalscorers:  Monty Patel, Rahul Kaushal, Hector McNeil, Tom Clifton
MOM:  Hector McNeil, Tom Clifton

The Dragons had a fantastic start to the game with the first goal coming within two minutes of the starting whistle.  Moments earlier the team had stood with only ten men but not only did Hector McNeill arrive with seconds to spare he scored with lightening speed.

Norwich City were not phased by this coming back strong and moments later we saw their equaliser.

Both teams fought on for the rest of this quarter but with the Dragons stronger up front.

The second quarter was a battle between both sides. From a short corner hit by Will Sexton, the ball was deflected by one of their defenders, past the keeper, and hit the backboard. But for some unknown reason the goal was disallowed.

This made us more determined and we went on to score once again. (scored by Monty Patel)

By the third quarter we were dominant but only leading 2-1. The team talk brought confidence resulting in the Dragons third goal moments after the play began. (scored by Rahul Kaushal)  City had their fair amount of chances but our defence was very solid.

The weather was bitterly cold as we hit the fourth quarter but both teams fought on. The forwards had a decent press again with many attempts at goal with Tom Clifton scoring the final of this four goal win. The opposition were still trying to get goals but the defence made sure they wouldn’t let that happen.

 Player of the match shared between Hector and Tom Clifton

 

Dev Boys B v Watton:  7-0

Goalscorers:  Zac McEwan, Louis Bolton Smith x2, Monty Patel, Theo Demetriou x2, Ayrton Rant
MOM:  Theo Demetriou

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 30th November 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sCambridge City 3AP-P
L2sWatton 1H3-4 (W)Maddy Reynolds x2
Nat Beal x2
Maddy Reynolds
L3sBroadland 1A1-3 (W)Jenna Mills x2
Beth Prakash
Jenna Mills
L4sN City 4HP-P
L5sDereham 3H2-0 (W)Claire Stuart
Lizzy McDonnell
Louise Brooks
L6sMagpies 6AP-P
L7sDereham 4A2-1 (L)Lucy CourtierEmma North
L8sDereham 5A5-2 (L)Bridget Le Good
Hattie Stuart
M1sHarleston Magpies 2A4-1 (L)Matt KnightsPedro Goss
M2sIpswich-East Suffolk 2AP-P
M3sIpswich 2H3-2 (W)Jon Miles x2
AJ Edwards
Charlie Creasy
M4sEast Coast 2A1-4 (W)Greg Reynolds
Tommy Gale
Bobby Sheppard
Rich Phillis
Tommy Gale
M5sPelicans 3HP-P
M6sDereham 4HP-P
BD AWatton HP-P
BD BN City A2-1 (L)Vithu BaskaranTom Clifton
GD ADragons BA2-0 (W)Josie Kell
Yona McDonnell
Yona McDonnell
GD BDragons AH2-0 (L)

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Cambridge City 3s:  P-P

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Watton 1s:  4-3

Goalscorers:  Maddy Reynolds x2, Nat Beal x2
MOM:  Maddy Reynolds

 

With early games succumbing to the frost, the lunchtime slots gave time for the sun to clear the pitch. The Ladies 2’s had faced late call offs and were grateful to Maddy Reynolds (returning from injury) and Natalie Beal for helping the team. Once again Amy Forse stepped into Goal for the team and Georgie Manly deservedly got her 2nd Team debut. Dragons knew they were in for a tough game against the free-scoring league leaders who had achieved 9 wins out of 9 games to date.

The home team started on the front foot, with everyone working hard, closing down the visitors early with some strong tackling all across the pitch. Natalie Beal and Maddy Reynolds were combining well together, and a constant threat in behind the Watton defence. The first goal came from Dragons’ 1st short corner of the game following a 1v1 on the GK which saw Maddy Reynolds upended. A clinical routine with a strong put out, perfectly stopped by Esme Potter and dragged with precision into the corner by Maddy Reynolds. Dragons continued to pile on the pressure, whilst also knowing they needed to be tight defensively. A 2nd goal followed fairly quickly, following some good play down the right from Georgia Rant and Georgie Manly, the ball was fired goalwards, and came back off the post – the first to react was the ever alert Maddy Reynolds, who tucked the ball past the keeper, for hers and the teams 2nd goal.

Watton were always a threat with their firm hits into the D, but defensively Esme Potter was strong in the tackle, Karen O’Neill Simpson was brave blocking everything and Alex Daplyn having an excellent game at left defence, always in the right place to clear the danger. Watton, however earned a couple of short corners, one of which they scored from to make the score 2-1.

Dragons didn’t let their heads drop and the whole team, playing with much more belief continued to attack. The centre of the pitch was being dominated by Shelly Seaman and Hannah Ellis, protecting the defence, but also pushing forward at every opportunity. In addition, Gail Thomas was holding the middle well, and releasing the wingers at every opportunity with some fine balls out wide. The 3rd goal came again following good work down the right by Sophie Farrow and Georgia Rant, who firmly pushed the ball across the D, picked up on the far side by Hannah Hardy, who found Georgie Manly in a good position at the top of the D, Georgie showed good skill to beat a defender and get the ball to Hannah Ellis, whose shot was blocked only to fall to Natalie Beal for a reverse stick strike at goal, beating the keeper. 

Dragons had dominated the half, and earned themselves a short corner right at the end of the half; the team calmly discussed a plan. This time the execution was less clinical, however a fine strike by Gail Thomas, was neatly deflected in at the far post by Natalie Beal, to put the icing on the cake, and give Dragons a 4-1 lead at half time.

The 2nd half was always gone to see the league leaders come out strongly, which they did, scoring their 2nd relatively quickly to make it 4-2. Dragons had their chances but to be fair to Watton, they pushed the home team back and really went for the win. Dragons were reduced to 12 through injury, with Hardy comically managing to twist her ankle by standing on her own stick! Dragons midfield were working so hard as a unit, with some great tackling all the way across the pitch. Esme Potter was tackling strongly and releasing the pressure with her great aerials down the pitch. Shelly Seaman and Hannah Ellis were showing discipline protecting the back line and releasing the attacking Mids. Alex Daplyn was popping up everywhere to make important clearances. Watton earned a number of short corners, which Karen O’Neill Simpson and team were bravely breaking down, and GK Amy Forse was in dominant form, making some really important saves to keep Dragons ahead.

With 15 minutes to go, Watton made a short corner count and make the score 4-3, which lead to a tricky last quarter of the match. Watton tried everything, with players running at the home team defence, but to a player, Dragons defended for their lives! The whole team gave all they had and on the break still threatened, one particular chance saw Natalie Beal find an excellent position, and fire a perfect pass to release Maddy Reynolds, who had a one on one with the Keeper, but despite some great skill, couldn’t quite force the ball home.

Never-the-less the home team held firm and the final whistle went, securing a great 3pts for Dragons. Some of the best hockey they have played this season, with fluidity in attack, the mids moving the ball on early and the defensive unit working extremely hard and being strong together. PoM could have gone to anyone, as the whole team played so well, but Maddy Reynolds took the honours. This performance gives the team lots of encouragement and so much to build on going into the 2nd half of the season.

 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Broadland 1s:  3-1

Goalscorers:  Beth Prakash, Jenna Mills x2
MOM:  Jenna Mills

Ladies 3s get their first win of the season away to Broadland 1s!  HT 0-0 but some excellent play and Dragons came out fighting for the second half. A cracking effort from Lilli Ballard was saved but the rebound was put away by Jenna Mills shortly before a short corner strike from Beth Prakash rattled the goal as it hit the back board for a 2-0 lead. Broadland pushed and pushed and eventually got one back but then Jenna pulled off an absolute screamer into the top corner from a narrow angle making it 3-1 FT. A great game for the whole team, with Jenna also winning the POM title.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Norwich City 4s:  P-P

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Dereham 3s:  2-0

Goalscorers:  Claire Stuart, Lizzy McDonnell
MOM: Louise Brooks

The pitch defrosted just in time for the Ladies 5s push back vs Dereham 3s. The struggle was real with Dereham going out hard and fast from the start. Their youthful team looked dangerous on the break, but the 5s stayed strong with our first goal coming from some quick passing around the D and a tap into the left corner by Claire Stuart. The defence of Lou Davies, Georgia Butterworth and Emily Grint worked so hard to keep the Dereham attack at bay with Esther  Jacobs making some great saves – even getting the ball stuck under her shin pads. Emily made a save on the line.  Louise Brooks put an absolute SHIFT in, reliable as ever in defensive midfield! (Think the valuable experience she gained as a forward in the over 45s game paid off!!) Our solid midfield of Anita Mancini, Emma Merryweather, Nat Crisp and Floss Andrews made intelligent passes between the defence and the attack and helped to keep the pressure on the Dereham defence. The second half was just as tough with a second goal coming from a short corner to Anita at the top, slipped right to Liz McDonnell who pushed it into the goal! Jane Wells had a lot of shots on goal which were saved by the Dereham keeper. The dying seconds saw an amazing passing move down the left resulting a great effort by Claire, missing the goal by millimetres!! Another great team performance against a strong Dereham side! POM going to Louise Brooks. Well done all. FIVES!!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Magpies 6s:  P-P

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Dereham 4s:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Lucy Courtier
MOM:  Emma North

Ignoring the fact the opposition scored in the first few minutes, there was some excellent play from across the team, especially the defence who stood firm, sharpened their elbows and tried to give as good as they got against a very robust team. Dragons got their reward in the second half after some excellent play lead to debutant Lucy Courtier scoring her first senior goal! The team continued to fight till the end but unfortunately Dereham snuck in a very good goal. Special mention to the defence and Emma North who was our player of the match! Final score 2-1 to Dereham.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Dereham 5s:  2-5

Goalscorers:  Bridget Le Good, Hattie Stuart
MOM:  

The 8s went down to lowly-placed Dereham, but in this match they achieved far more as a team than they have done in recent games. Dragons did not let their heads drop, and in the second half their determination and ‘sticking to the knitting’ (continuing to put into practise all the work they have been doing in training) actually saw them ‘draw’ 2-2.

An unfortunate recurrence of an injury meant that they were without Nic Harrison, who has been playing so well in recent weeks. But, coming back after a long injury was Hattie Stuart who had to play a restrained game but still added some much needed pace into the team. As her confidence grew, Hattie began to turn on the stick skills and in one glorious move in the second half ran half the length of the pitch, beating three players  before placing the ball past the goalkeeper.

This gave the 8s a terrific boost. The midfield of Hattie, Emily Matthews and Sadie Jacobs redoubled their efforts and did some nice linking with the forwards who consisted at various times of Emma Young, Johanne Steward, Louise Crouch-Read and Hester McLean. These very same players also did stints in defence. The 8s may not as yet be getting the results on the pitch, but every one of them will do her very best in whatever position she is asked to play. This is particularly creditable to the less experienced, and this versatility is one of the plus points of the team, and why the team spirit is so good.

The defensive unit was mainly Jess Lockwood, Jo Lees in the middle and Karen Davidson on the right with Bridget Le Good as bottom of the diamond. In the first half they tended to give the nippy Dereham forwards too much respect, hanging back because they could be shredded by slick through passes. This gave Emma Northie North a lot to do, but as always she kicked and cleared far more than went in.

A bit of a talking too (nicely) by coach Pat Cline at half time saw Dragons up their efforts. The defence were tackled more confidently and were clearing to the mids. 

Bridget Le Good continued to smack the ball the length of the pitch, and gradually the forwards are developing the skill of collecting these balls.  After one of these forays, Dragons won their second penalty corner. Up stepped Johanne to take a sweet injection straight onto Bridget’s stick. One little push into the circle and the ball was hit straight into the corner of the goal. Another move straight out of the practice book. Much who-hoo-hooing. No more goals for Dereham.

The team didn’t vote for a POM because they had to race back to the City for Quiz Night. Nothing beats a pack of Dragons going for a curry!

 

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East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Magpies 2s:  1-4

Goalscorers:  Matt Knights
MOM: Pedro Goss

 

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v  IES 2s:  P-P

 

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Ipswich 2s:  3-2

Goalscorers:  AJ Edwards, Jon Miles x2
MOM:  Charlie Creasy

You’ve heard it here first folks. Nobody beats the Men’s 3s 8 games in a row! It was a cold and sunny afternoon that saw the home side take on Ipswich 2s at 1pm. With a strong side dragons weathered a high press and strong start from the visitors before Charlie Creasey drove down the right wing to drop it back for Jon Miles to finish well on his return. The visitors scored a thundering strike from a short corner just before the break to leave the score 1-1 at the half.

Second half the dragons weathered a storm where they did well to only concede one more, this from another short corner after 15 minutes of intense pressure. Dragons then won a short which Jon Miles duly dispatched in wonderful fashion then deciding to fall over during his celebration. It was the time for the home time to pile on the pressure and the winner came through AJ Edwards keeping his cool and firing a vicious reverse hit through the keepers legs. The last 5 minutes was a defensive masterclass even with Harry Brown, at the end of an awesome performance, truly cementing his place in the 3s by getting a green card after disgustingly hitting the ball away (after the quietest whistle ever).

The taste of victory is sweet for this recently starved team and whilst every player deserved MoM it goes to Charlie Creasey who’s performance was truly exemplary. DoD goes to Harry for his truly dirty play…

What a win!

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v East Coast 2s:  4-1

Goalscorers:  Greg Reynolds, Tommy Gale, Bobby Sheppard, Rich Phillis
MOM:  Tommy Gale

On a bright day Dragons used their bench wisely and went ahead via a clever short corner conversion from Rich ‘poacher’ Phillis.  Lowestoft didn’t back down and it took good play for Bobby Stuart-Sheppard to double the half time score. Lowestoft came back with vigour and made a short corner scramble count. This meant the game opened up and in the end Dragons made their subs count with Greg Reynolds (aka don’t call me Greg) and man of the match Tommy Gale both slotting seemlessly in to take the game away from a battling Lowestoft.

Good teas and a warm room after much appreciated.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Pelicans 3s:  P-P

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v  Dereham 4s:  P-P

 

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A v Dev Girls B:  2-0

Dev Boys A v  Watton    : P-P

Dev Boys B v Norwich City:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Vithu Baskaran
MOM:  Tom Clifton

1ST QUARTER

The First quarter was a real rollercoaster of 15 minutes, with attacking displays coming from both sides, but mostly from our opponents who played some great hockey up front, but ultimately failed to penetrate our solid defence, whom had been well prepped for the game. When we did attack though we looked very strong, with our wide midfielders generating a couple of good attacks, but getting unlucky after our attacks were broken down. Ultimately though, our opponents were dominant in this quarter and had many good chances and once the quarter ended we had a lot to praise and reflect on.

2ND QUARTER

After the break, we came out playing even better than before and started to limit the number of their attacks whilst increasing our own, including a good shot saved by the keeper. However though, Norwich City increased the pressure on all our players but mostly our defence. Who were playing exceptionally well to keep up with the high press of Norwich, many great tackles and interceptions by our defence kept our clean sheet intact. But, a few minutes before half time, a splitting ball by Norwich, cut open our defence and their striker slotted in a shot to make it 1-0. This gave us an extra boost for the rest of the quarter but we couldn’t find a way through before the half-time whistle blew.

3RD QUARTER

After an extensive team talk at half-time, we set out to dominate possession in the second half which we did for the whole of this quarter. We started attacking a lot more now and we had many good drives up the field. but many were smothered by Norwich’s’ ’Smother the attack from the core’ tactics which meant our attacks didn’t pose much threat to the Opposing keeper, until we really got going with a great team move being saved by the keeper with Vithu Baskaran then chipping in a rebound to make it  1-1. This gave us a spring in our step and more attacks rained in on Norwich, but we couldn’t really get fluidity in the final third like before. We then saw a turnover in play and a rapid-fire attack from our opponents lead to a Norwich short corner. Our defence rushed out to counter or block the shot, but Norwich managed to slot the ball in to the goal to make it 2-1 just before the break.

4TH QUARTER

After the final stoppage, we set out with an attacking outlook more than anything else this quarter. Our defence kept us in the game on a pitch that was beginning to freeze, slips were beginning to become common for us in attack and defence but we kept strong despite the freezing conditions, a few last gasp attacks gave us some light but Norwich had kept their solid foundations at the back, making getting in on goal hard. Norwich kept on shutting us out until the final whistle blew. Despite a loss on paper, the boys were unfortunate to come away with a loss and not picking up any points. Against one of the strongest teams in the region, a great performance was had all round from the boys.

Man of the Match was Tom Clifton for an excellent display in defence

Adam

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 23rd November 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sSt Ives 1H3-1 (W)Lucy Morton
Kiera Goymour
Harriet Green
Carmel Windsor-Waite
L2sEast Coast 1A4-0 (L)Stella Windsor-Waite
Elsa Scott
L3sno fixture
L4sEast Coast 2H3-2 (W)Lillian Sore
Georgie Manly
Fiona Fletcher
Nat Crisp
L5sYarmouth A0-12 (W)Gemma Ballard x6
Lizzy McDonnell
Emma Merryweather
Anita Mancini
Jane Wells
Claire Stuart
Jane Wells
L6sHerlings H3-3 (D)Mia McGhee x2
Adelice Stanley
Orla Hardiman
L7sPelicans 3A2-0 (L)Emily Matthews
Sophie James
L8sPelicans 4H0-10 (L)Freya Dolding
M1sSt Ives 1H5-3 (W)Sean Orton
Olly King x2
Olly Buck
Roman Cassidy
Sam Avery
M2sPelicans 2H4-4 (D)Joe Flatt x2
Mark Walmsley
Cley Hamilton
Rupert Snelling
M3sIpswich-East Suffolk 3A3-0 (L)Charlie Creasy
M4sIpswich Cranes 1H7-1 (W)Robin Clarke x2
Matt Hull x2
Will Ives
Arj Puvanachandra
Bobby Sheppard
Robin Clarke
M5sIpswich-East Suffolk 5A1-4 (W)Jason Wolfe x2
Tom Bailey x2
Tom Bailey
M6sNorth Norfolk 3A2-1 (L)Josh CormackFreddie Royall
BD ADragons B A0-7 (W)Will Secton x3
Paul Wigglesorth x2
Freddie Upe
Hector McNeil
BD BDragons AH0-7 (L)James Hollis
GD AMagpies A4-0 (L)Nola Mitchell
GD BN City H0-8 (L)Perdie

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v St Ives:  3-1

Goalscorers:   Lucy Morton, Kiera Goymour, Harriet Green
MOM:   Carmel Windsor Waite

The L1s secured a 3-1 win against St Ives. Fantastic game with so much movement from everyone. The two wing defenders pushed high up the pitch to put further pressure on the opposition.
After starting the game down a player with just 12 the team stepped up to the challenge, however sadly Sam Franklin got injured and we were down to 11.
The transfer was used well, and everyone worked as a unit, offering the pass 24/7.
The first goal was scored by Lucy Morton – assisted by Katie Taubman – who was on the post to hit in. The second goal was scored by Kiera Goymour from a broken down short corner – quite messy but a brilliant goal. The third goal was scored by Harriet Green from a 1,2 at the top of the D and a rogue ball to hit in. The opposition goal was scored from a short corner off the post player.
Player of the match went to Carmel Windsor Waite for making incredible runs up the pitch, getting into the D and working the ball around the defence. Well deserved.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v East Coast 1s:  0-4

MOM:  Elsa Scott, Stella Windsor Waite

The team arrived bright and early, looking forward to this fixture against 2nd in the League. Sophie Farrow was deservedly given her 2nd Team debut and Amy Forse stepped into the breach once again to help the team in goal.

Early play was pretty even with Dragons slightly on the ascendancy, with some great hassling by the forward line of Georgia Rant, Ally Windsor-Waite and Sophie Farrow putting the East Coast defence under pressure. Unfortunately Dragons couldn’t take advantage of this possession, and unfortunately they weren’t able to work the East Coast GK enough. East Coast came more into the game with some smart hockey and scored two goals in quick succession – slightly against the run of play. This forced Dragons too deep for the remainder of the half and they had to withstand a lot of pressure.

Second half saw a similar pattern – the Dragons defensive line of Karen O’Neill Simpson, Stella Windsor-Waite, Esme Potter and Amy Forse were working hard as a unit – ably supported by Shelly Seaman and Hannah Ellis, but East Coast were growing in confidence and played some smart hockey, letting the ball do the work, playing neat triangles and being more clinical in front of goal.

Dragons earned a few short corners of their own following some good play in the wide attacking midfield positions from Elsa Scott, Gail Thomas and Alex Daplyn, but unfortunately they couldn’t convert the chances created. The final score ended 4-0 to the team 2nd in the league.

Stella Windsor-Waite and Elsa Scott were voted joint players of the match.

 
 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s – no fixture 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v East Coast 2s:  3-2

Goalscorers:  Lillian Sore, Georgia Manly, Fiona Fletcher
MOM:  Nat Crisp

Ladies 4’s win 3-2 against east coast, finishing the first half at 1-0 with Fiona Fletcher getting the first goal. The rain decided to join us towards the end of the first half, obscuring everyone’s vision just slightly. We started the second half strongly knowing that the opposition were going to want to grab a goal back,  which they did . But in true dragon fashion we went back in front with a second goal from Georgia Manly with the help of a defender putting the ball into the back of the goal for her! East coast continued to fight back and bagged themselves a second goal which put the game head to head at 2-2 with about 5 minutes left to play. It was a very equal game with no team having the majority of possession. And in the last few minutes of the game Lillian Sore scored the winning goal – on her birthday – and we managed to hold on until the end of the match making it another win for us! 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Yarmouth:  12-0

Goalscorers:  Gemma Ballard x6, Lizzy McDonnell x2, Jane Wells, Claire Stuart,
Emma Merryweather, Anita Mancini
MOM: Jane Wells

Ladies 5’s won 12-0 against Yarmouth.  In the first half we scored 4 goals, struggling to finish many short corners. Yarmouth played well with only 10 players in the first half. We came into the 2nd half strongly, with great passing between everyone. MOM went to Jane Wells, well played everyone.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Herlings:  3-3

Goalscorers: Adelice Stanley, Mia McGhee x2
MOM:  Orla Hardiman

Dragons Ladies 6s held onto (and fought b***** hard for) a 3:3 draw against Herlings. We scored one then they scored one then we scored one then they scored one then they scored one then we had a break then we scored one. All clear? Lots of fantastic play all round and a thriller of 4 tense short corners in the last 20 seconds of play (who knew that was possible…).  Player of the match went to Orla for an excellent game in left mid. A well deserved point and a highly enjoyable game 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Pelicans 3s:  0-2

MOM:  Emily Matthews, Sophie James

It was a very close game with some great saves from Emma North. The Pelicans were very fast paced and began to dominate towards the end of the second half.

There were lots of falls and tumbles with the Dragons but with no subs we all ploughed on, well done to everyone.

Players of the match were Emily Matthews and Sophie James

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Pelicans 4s:  0-10

MOM:  Freya Dolding

Dragons Ladies 8’s lost 10-0 to Pelicans. It was a tough game and the first half was absolutely fantastic with Freya making her debut performance in style.

Huge thanks to Karen Davidson for putting a brilliant effort in goal and there were some truly excellent moments out on pitch.

Great support from the whole team as usual and some good points to develop on for future wins.

 

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East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v St Ives 1s:  5-3

Goalscorers:  Ollie King x2, Sean Orton, Roman Cassidy, Lewis Wilkins
MOM: Sam Avery

With a chill in the air and fresh lashings of wind, the atmosphere was set for St Ives’ signature brand of long-ball hockey…and set to witness a battling Dragon’s victory!

Exploding out of the gate, we dominated the opening passages of play, only to be betrayed by a short corner St Ives goal – I think Pete will warm up before the game next week! With some nice work from Jack Hallworth to reach their D, Sean Orton swept in our reply, curling into the bottom corner. But again, our over exuberance witnessed a St Ives breakaway win a short corner that was finished to make it 1-2!

Our response saw a Lewis Wilkins dangerous cross deflect  off their keeper into the net with the last touch from Ollie King.

It was our turn for a defensive muddle when their third deflected off Peter Dickerson into our net…but a Dragon would rise…Olly Buck set up a wonderful move seeing Ollie King pop in his second of the game!  Olly Buck then pounced again in the second half to bring us in front! Solid defending, and a consistently monstrous Sam Avery performance saw the St Ives’ attack quelled in the second half. In the dying embers of the game Sean Orton found Pedro Goss sauntering onto the back-post from a short, whose saved strike allowed Roman Cassidy to  finish to nicely round off the game.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v  Pelicans 2s:  4-4

Goalscorers:  Joe Flatt x2, Mark Walmsley, Cley Hamilton
MOM:  Rupert Snelling

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v IES 3s:  0-3

MOM:  Charlie Creasy

An early away game in Ipswich for the 3s against IES 3s saw the biggest loss (although a very even game) of the season at 3-0 against a very strong side with about a million subs. 3s debuts to Greg Reynolds and Charlie Creasy who excelled up front on the counter. Although the defence played well all 3 goals game from very good and well designed short corners. The away side came close with a few good attacks through the rapid Jamie Allsop.

Man of the Match goes to debutant Charlie Creasy for an excellent performance up front fitting in to the team with ease.

Dragon of the Day goes to Will Kirby for turning up late, having the worlds longest toilet break and also forgetting his socks and shorts and forgetting how to finish.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Ipswich Crane 1s:  7-1

Goalscorers:  Will Ives, Robin Clarke x2, Arj Puvanachandra, Bobby Sheppard, Matt Hull x2
MOM:  Robin Clarke

Men’s 4ths took on a plucky Ipswich Cranes coming out 7-1 winners.

Dragons used their youth and subs well to head into an early lead but Cranes limited the half time score to 3. More attacking play and a constant set of rolling subs saw the second half open up and more goals flowed. Cranes did pull one back but Dragons had too much for them. Well played all.

Goals came as follows with Robin Clarke taking Man of Match. Apparently Will Ives goal was the pick of a talented bunch.

1-0 Robin Clarke
2-0 Bobby Sheppard
3-0 Robin Clarke
———- half time
4-0 Matt Hull
5-0 Will Ives
6-0 Arj Puvanachandra
6-1
7-1 Matt Hull

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v IES 5s:  4-1

Goalscorers:  Jason Wolfe x2, Tom Bailey
MOM:  Tom Bailey

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v  North Norfolk 3s:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Josh Cormack
MOM:  Freddie Royall

Mens 6th lost 2-1 to North Norfolk 3. A match where we probably deserved a share of the points and maybe some of the decisions didn’t quite go our way.  A good performance by a team where experience and youthful skill and energy combined well.

Man of the Match:Freddie Royall.  Who had a great match on the right wing and hit a stunning shot that required a fantastic save from the keeper to prevent from arrowing into the net.

 

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A v Magpies:  0-4

MOM:  Nola Mitchell

Dev Girls B v Norwich City 0-8

MOM:  Perdie

Dev Boys A v Dev Boys B:  7-0

Goalscorers:  Will Sexton x3, Paul Wigglesworth x2, Fredd Jupe, Hector McNeil

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 16th November 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sCity of Peterborough 2H2-1 (W)Kate McKenna
Sam Franklin
Polly Watson
L2sno fixture
L3sChristchurch 1H0-0 (D)Elsa Scott
Beth Prakash
Catherine Matthews
Piper Hempsall
Georgie Manly
L4sLoddon A5-3 (L)Hannah Edwards
Aditi Naik
Niamh Somers
Mia Somers
L5sHerlings H3-0 (W)Liz McDonnell x2
Gemma Ballard
Emma Merryweather
Mae Clark
L6sEast Coast 3A3-4 (W)Hatty Harrison-Mobbs
Mia McGhee
Claire Stuart
Lara Nuthall
Georgia Heaton
L7sBreckland A0-3 (Breckland conceded)
L8sMagpies 7A8-0 (L)Esther Jacobs
M1sHorncastle 1H8-0 (W)Mark Beckett-Flatman
Roman Cassidy x2
Dan Rix x2
Matt Knights
Sean Orton
Cley Hamilton
Dan Rix
M2sUniversity of East Anglia Men 2H1-4 (L)
M3sPelicans 2A3-2 (L)Matt Hull x2James Goodson
M4sNewmarket 2H3-0 (W)Bobby Sheppard
Tommy Gale
Dan Murphy
Arj Puvanachandra
M5sIpswich Cranes 1A4-3 (L)Ross Barnshaw
Jason Wolfe
Andrew Cross
Alex Wolfe
M6sPelicans 4A4-0 (L)Josh Cormack
BD A
BD BDereham A3-1 (L)Rahul KaushalRahul Kaushal
GD AYarmouth H7-0 (W)Mia Rutterford x4
Mia Norris x2
Indian Bunn
GD BMagpies A0-0 (D)

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Peterborough 2s:  2-1

Goalscorers:   Kate McKenna, Sam Franklin
MOM:   Polly Watson

The Ladies 1s secured 3 points winning 2-1 against City of Peterborough 2s after a few weeks of disappointing results. The game began as a relatively evenly matched affair, with chances from both sides coming before the break. However, the score-line remained at 0-0 at half time. The dragons went a goal down mid-way through the second half, as Peterborough executed a slick short corner routine, deflecting the ball high into the goal from the left post. The score-line was shortly brought back level after a short corner for the dragons saw Kate McKenna slot the ball over the line. With only a few minutes to go, the hosts began to pressure the ball higher up the pitch. This led to a mistake from the opposition defence and a loose ball sent towards the top of the circle was picked up by Sam Franklin, who took the opportunity to put the Dragons ahead by slapping the ball past the goalkeeper into the bottom right corner. With some smart possession hockey in the final few minutes, Dragons held onto the lead to secure the 3 points. A solid performance from the team, and a great 1stXI debut from Alex Daplyn. 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s – No fixture

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v  Christchurch 1s:  0-0

MOM: Elsa Scott, Beth Prakash, Catherine Matthews, Piper Hempsall, Georgie Manly

Ladies 3s double their season’s points with a 0-0 draw against Christchurch 1s

After a rousing team talk from substitute captain Beth Prakash and a sermon on the Wolfie Ways from Caroline Wolfe, Dragons had a solid warm up and a cracking game, we just couldn’t convert! POM votes showed what a good match the 3s had, split between half the team and resulted in a 5-way tie.

Thanks to Caroline Wolfe for managing (aka shouting at us!) and the ladies 2s that used their no game weekend to come and support.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Loddon:  3-5

Goalscorers:  Hannah Edwards, Aditi Naik, Niamh Somers
MOM:  Mia Somers

Ladies 4’s lost 5-3 in a tough match against Loddon. Some lovely play and amazing team spirit but luck was not running our way today.

In typical 4’s fashion a spread of votes but the amazing Mia Somers was player of the match!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Herlings:  3-0

Goalscorer:  Gemma Ballard , Liz McDonnell x2
MOM: Emma Merryweather, Mae Clark

Dragons Ladies 5s played a hard fought game against Herlings.

We dominated the first half with all three goals being scored by play from the right. First goal was a deflected goal crossed from Lizzie McDonnell and tapped in by the Herling’s defence. 2nd goal was crossed from Lizzie to Gemma Ballard with a classic tap in. 3rd goal was the result of a cross from Jane Wells and tap in from Lizzie.

2nd half saw Herlings coming out stronger with some strong hits out and important interceptions. Dragons Defenders: Lou Davis, Georgia Butterworth and Emily Grint absorbed the pressure and Gina Hunt put in some good saves to keep us in the game. Lou even made a save on the line! Midfielders Emma Merryweather, Nat Crisp, Lara King and Mae Clark worked hard to break up the play. Emma fell over in the middle of the pitch (really no idea how!). Final Score 3-0 Win. POM – joint between Emma and Mae! Well done all. Go 5s!!!!!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v East Coast 3s:  4-3

Goalscorer: Hatty Harrison-Mobbs, Mia McGhee, Claire Stuart, Lara Nuthall
MOM:  Georgia Heaton

Dragons came out cocky, and let two goals by in the first ten minutes. Suitably humbled, we pulled our socks up, picked our sticks up, and remembered how to play hockey. Hatty Harrison-Mobbs put away a messy goal, via the keepers shin pads, but the crowd roared it’s appreciation (well, the sub and someone’s boyfriend). Within the next few minutes Mia McGhee scored a cracker.

Half time came and we congratulated ourselves on equalising, but suggested more goals would be optimal. Having eaten too many sweets, we went back on the pitch on a sugar high.
Newcomer Georgia Heaton, who had a fantastic game, crossed the ball forcefully through the D, where Claire Stuart niftily popped it in – who breathed a sigh of relief as we were now in the lead, and despite turning 40 recently, she hasn’t lost her edge.  Our fourth goal was courtesy of Lara Nuthall, assisted by Fern Daly.


We had several scuffles on our defensive goal line, with Esther Jacobs playing marvelously. Fern frequently picked up the ball on the edge of D and moved out further up the pitch.

Unfortunately the opposition scored a third goal, whilst Briony Johnstone had gone off the pitch coughing a lung up, which nobody noticed, so we were a man down when that went in.

It was a harder match than we anticipated, but the East Coast ladies were friendly and fun to play against. Cracking match tea as well.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Breckland:  Breckland conceded

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Magpies 7s:  0-8

MOM:  Esther Jacobs

Dragons put up a very spirited defence away against Magpies 7s, who are currently romping away with Division 3. The Magpies, playing a settled blend of experience and youth, have won all their matches and have had only one goal scored against them so far – and they have now scored 50. The 8s never seriously looked like making a dent on this record, although there were a few forays in the second half which were nearly the stuff of which dreams are made!

The captains decided to set out a defensive formation as this was the 8s best chance of making an impression. To an extent, they achieved their goal because they held Magpies to just about their ‘average’ goal feast.

Where Dragons are improving is in their determination to be first to the ball and get their tackles in, and to get the ball out wide when under pressure. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two sides is that Magpies demonstrated how to find team mates all over the pitch with firmly struck passes that were brought immediately under control, where Dragons know they still have a lot of work to do in this area. 

Magpies scored 5 in the first half, but Dragons played a lot better in the second. There was some stand out performances, particularly from Esther Jacobs in goal who must have saved two dozen shots. Her POM recognition was not just for her blocking but also for her strong kicks out wide, particularly impressive when she could stand up tall and impose her presence on the marauding forwards.

Dragons mids caught the eye. Sarah Lucas played mostly at the top of the diamond and was electric throughout the game, particularly good at tackling back. Nic Harrison gets better every game, and drove forward at every opportunity but also played a steady wide role when defending.

All the Dragons team played some good hockey at times. As individuals they again demonstrated their willingness to work for each other. This was a game that everyone enjoyed, even though it was something of a lesson in how to play the game from a very sporting team. The 8s might well expect that they can carry forward the lessons learned to next week’s game when they play against a team who might be more at their level. Perhaps!

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East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Horncastle 1s:  8-0

Goalscorers:  Mark Beckett-Flatman, Roman Cassidy x2, Dan Rix, x2, Matt Knights, Sean Orton, Cley Hamilton
MOM: Dan Rix

A fast start by Dragons saw a silky passing move finished by this week’s hattrick-chasing-and-failing Rixy (Dan Rix). Then, fuelled by fresh analysis of last week’s game via NorwichCity Tv, Mark Beckett-Flatman pounced to score a saucy reverse. With Horncastle’s goal aching for more, airshot-Knightsy (Matt Knights) and Roman Cassidy stepped up with a goal each to round off the half. Oh yeah, and Rixy pulled an absolute wonder goal out of his proverbial backside – an absolute blinder, no man on the pitch looked as surprised as the scorer as it kissed the top corner! 

The second 2,100 seconds witnessed more solid defending and impressive forward play. Roman saw the Horncastle defence part like the red seas, before he sent a cheeky undercut into the roof of the net…a decent debut. Sean Orton remembered that hitting the ball at goal is a genuine option, so enacted this to rifle one in from a short corner . Pete Dickerson pulled off a devilish double save, and Cley Hamilton then got in on the act with a clinical eighth just to make sure of the 3 points! 

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v  UEA 2s:  1-4

Goalscorers:  
MOM: 

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Pelicans 2s:  2-3

Goalscores:  Matt Hull x2
MOM:  James Goodson

A tough away game for Men’s 3s away at Pelican 2s who have had some huge home wins recently. A series of short corners ended in a goal for the home side before  Dragons hit back with Matt Hull scoring . A wicked reverse hit into the top corner saw dragons go into half time 2-1 down with all to play for. Dragons then equalised after the half through Matt Hull again via a  own goal! Pelis then took the lead through another reverse through the keepers feet (which he’ll never hear the end of) before the visiting side then weathered a storm forcing captain fantastic (Tom McLean) to make a series of excellent saves but not enough to save him from DoD for being a human sieve. Despite a few half chances  the game ended in a midfield battle and finished 3-2 to Pelis. Another close score and lots of positives to take from the game, on to IES 3s next week. 

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Newmarket 2s:  3-0

Goalscorers:  Bobby Sheppard, Tommy Gale, Dan Murphy
MOM:  Arj Puvanachandra

Dragons started with enthusiasm, and the tireless running of the midfield and forwards meant Newmarket had to work hard to keep the game level. But eventual pressure meant Dragons found themselves 2 up at half time and more chances beckoned. The second half opened up and good goal keeping from Newmarket kept the score the same. Dragons substitutes then told towards the end of the game and a third was added. Goals from Bobby Sheppard (cool slide under the keeper) , Tommy Gale (great composure) and Dan Murphy (classic tomahawk). Man of the match to Arj Puvanachandra closely followed by Tommy and Bobby. Cheers to Ali and Dim for the umpiring and Newmarket for a good game.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Ipswich Crane 1s:  3-4

Goalscorers:  Ross Barnshaw, Jason Wolfe, Andrew Cross
MOM:  Alex Wolfe

Dragons fell behind early but managed to quickly get back into the game & ultimately lead 2-1 at Half time.
Goals from Ross Barnshaw & Jason Wolfe.
A crazy 15 minutes at the start of the 2nd half saw Cranes pull 4-2 ahead.
Andrew Cross pulled one back but despite lots of pressure, the equaliser eluded the team.

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v  Pelicans 4s:  0-4

MOM:  Josh Cormack

Bottom of the table sides are often difficult to beat on their home pitch. Pelicans scored 2 goals in each half but first half M6’s had enough chances to turn level. Trying to push the game later, the M6’s gave away too much ball especially getting too close to defenders & being picked off. Plenty to work with before visiting Cromer. MOM – Josh Cormack for a tireless display

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A v Yarmouth: 7-0

Goalscorers:  Mia Rutterford x3, Mia Norris x2, Indian Bunn x1
MOM:  Mia Rutterford

Dev Girls B v Magpies:  0-0

MOM:  

Dev Boys A – no fixture

Dev Boys B v Dereham:  1-3

Goalscorer:  Rahul Kaushal
MOM:  Rahul Kaushal

It was a fairly even game with Dragons B team starting well early on, but Dereham upped their game in the second quarter and got two goals. In the fourth quarter Rahul Kaushal scored but Dereham topped that with another goal which made the game 3-1. Well done to man of the match Rahul.

 A big thanks to Steve Linford and Andy Kelsall for their encouragement and support.’

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 9th November 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sSudbury 1A7-0 (L)Polly Watson
Carmel Windsor Waite
L2sHarleston Magpies 3H2-1 (W)Gail Thomas
Mia Bartram
Mia Bartram
L3sIpswich 2A3-0 (L)Sophie Farrow
L4sN City 3H1-5 (L)Lisa HarwoodMia Somers
L5sMagpies 6A0-1 (W)Gemma BallardEmma Merryweather
L6sCarrow H1-6 (L)Jade BlanchflowerBrittany Hopkins
Jade Blanchflower
Maddie Gibbs
L7sLoddon 2H2-0 (W)Claire Fairhurst
Orla Hardiman
Paige Fisher
L8sCarrow 2A4-0 (L)Ellie O'Kane
Karen Davidson
M1sNorwich City 2A4-0 (L)Pedro Goss
M2sNorwich City 4A6-2 (L)Alex Sharpe
Eddie Gould
Eddie Gould
M3sNewmarket 1H1-3 (L)John IvesJohn Ives
M4sNorwich Exiles 1A3-2 (L)Neil Shorten
Bobby Sheppard
Dim Ives
M5sHarleston Magpies 5H4-0 (W)Dave King
Pete Latoy
Tom Bailey
Charlie Creasy
Shiv Kapur
M6sRest Day-
BD ADereham A1-4 (W)Rahul Kashul
Will Sexton x3
Rahul Kaushal
BD BEast Coast H1-0 (L)Monty Patel
GD ADereham A0-8 (W)Freya D x2
India Bunn
Mia Norris
Mia Rutterford
Freya D
GD BYarmouth A0-0 (D)Sophie Rice

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Sudbury:  0-7

MOM:  Carmel Windsor Waite, Polly Watson

The Ladies 1st team lost 7-0 to Sudbury 1s.  A match of two halves, with a high intensity first half finishing 1-0 down after a flukey opposition goal from a reverse stick deflection. Fantastic movement off the ball using everything that was worked on in training.

The second half lost a lot of momentum after Sophie Barrow was given a green card. Two further goals were conceded with 10 players.  Frustratingly a further four goals were scored by Sudbury, however there were improvements towards the end of the match. Players of the match went to Carmel Windsor Waite for making some brilliant passes and strong defending, and Polly Watson for an overall fantastic game and distributing the ball brilliantly from the middle.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Norwich City 2s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Gail Thomas, Mia Bartram
MOM: Mia Bartram

This week Dragons Ladies 2’s welcomed Harleston Magpies 3’s to the den ready for a tough encounter as both teams were in a similar position on the league table. The game started at a high pace with both teams displaying good skilful hockey all over the field. During the first half Dragons created more attacking opportunities and short corners, but Magpies managed to take the lead a couple of minutes before the half time whistle.

Dragons remained positive and confident they could still win the game at half time and believed if they stuck to their game plan and fought hard for each other some points could be taken. The second half was played in a similar style to the first half with constructive attacking play from both teams. Dragons managed to equalise half way through the second half from Gail Thomas with a clean strike on goal at a short corner.

Dragons now believed they could take all three points and continued to battle hard all the over the pitch and were soon rewarded with a second goal from open play scored by Mia Bartram. Magpies continued to put pressure on the Dragons defence but were unable to find an equaliser. A great team performance to build on in the coming few weeks and the player of the match was awarded to Mia Bartram.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v  Ipswich 2s:  0-3

MOM: Sophie Farrow

Dragons 3’s had an unfortunate result against Ipswich losing 3-0.
Their goals were from well rehearsed short corners and a straight strike.
3’s played hard with some great defensive work and we go again taking lessons learnt with us.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Norwich City 3s:  1-5

Goalscorers:  Lisa Harwood
MOM:  Mia Somers

After a buoyant game the previous week the 4s were keen for a repeat performance.  The Norwich City 3s were near the top of the table and we expected a tough game.  In the first 10 minutes the Dragons battled hard and had a couple of chances on goal, passing out and round the opposition.  Then we just became a bit sloppy, hanging on the ball and City were quick to capitalise making breaks into our D.  At half time we were 2-0 nil down, with words of wisdom from our sideline posse we managed to pull back a goal with a ball slipped into the D from Amy Forse and stuck into the right corner from Lisa Harwood.  Final score was 5-1.  Player of the match was Mia Somers for fighting off many attacks.  DOD goes to Amy Forse for not being able to count to 11 and subbing herself on and off and on! 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Norwich City 5s:  Magpies 6s:  1-0

Goalscorer:  Gemma Ballard 
MOM: Emma Merryweather

Ladies 5s started their hockey Saturday with a minute’s silence with Magpies 6s. The game was a well fought battle with decent Dragon’ possession. Magpies 6s were a well drilled young team who were quick to fight back but Dragons held their own and a beautiful cross from Jane Wells to Gemma Ballard on the corner (signature move!) gave Dragons the lead which we held on to for a 1-0 win. Player of Match Emma for her hard work in mid.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Carrow:  1-6

Goalscorer: Jade Blanchflower
MOM:  Jade Blanchflower, Maddie Gibbs, Brittany Hopkins

Ladies’ 6s took on second in the league Carrow 1s in a dark, damp game. After a ropey start including not having a full team on the pitch and a bit of confusion about what was and wasn’t a match ball we got going and gave it our all.

A solid performance in the first half against a technically strong and tactical team saw the half time score at 0:2. After a motivational team talk at half time (thanks Anita Mancini), Dragons came out roaring and went on to score a beautiful goal from a short corner, a straight hit from myself which Jade Blanchflower swiftly tapped into the back of the net. Our confidence boosted we became more attacking as the game went on, which however left some gaps in the defence, which Carrow took advantage of. Final score was 1:6, however, overall a smashing performance and one to be proud of! 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Loddon 2s:  2-0

Goalscorer:  Claire Fairhurst, Orla Hardiman
MOM:  Paige Fisher

Dragons 7s played their best hockey yet this season winning against Loddon 2s. Scoring quickly in the first half and then following up with a second left Dragons to win 2-0.  Goals from Claire Fairhurst and Orla Harriman. All round excellent hockey, good use of Triangles (thanks Des). Man of the match well deserved by Paige who worked hard and placed the ball really well in midfield. First clean sheet and win of the season

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Carrow 2s:  0-4

MOM:  Ellie O’Kane, Karen Davidson

Ladies 8’s took on Carrow ladies 2’s on Saturday under a cold but brilliant blue sky, the sun shone and Langley school provided an idyllic backdrop on such a beautiful Autumn day.

Johanne Steward was captaining the team and one of her first words of advice to us all was to lose our base-layers! 

This was understandably met with a gasp and the obligatory “but it’s freeeeeezing!”

But not for the first time and definitely not the last Johanne was right! We only had eleven players and not a sub in sight, we were therefore on the move constantly and any chill was quickly forgotten. 

We played valiantly for the first 30 minutes and there was little difference in the standard of hockey between the two teams which was impressive considering this same Carrow team beat top of the table Watton 6-0 last weekend.

But then a  goal for Carrow brought the standard up a level! But as true Dragons, and not just any Dragons, but Awesome 8’s Dragons, we kept up the fight!

Esther Jacobs made some fantastic saves in goal and ‘unlucky’ (but only for a second) Johanne Steward playing in defence put her stick down to stop a goal which annoyingly flicked offf the wrong way and an own goal went in Carrow’s favour. But it needs to be said that Captain Johanne made up for it in spades in a similar situation in the second half and stopped the ball on the line with such strength, grit and determination, there was no way the same mistake was happening twice.

Johanne also played some great hockey in defence and stopped a lot of balls making into the oppositions D which were more often than not  picked up by Nic Harrison in midfield who could be seen running through Carrow players fast and skilfully on the wing. Nic is always noticeably enthusiastic and always gives it her ‘all’.

Karen Davidson played in defence and proved her weight in gold as she blocked numerous balls  and sent the ball out wide. Jo Lees was also kept busy, and at times seemed to appear from nowhere with her legendary clearance shots which saved the day on many occasions. 

Bridget Le Good was bottom of the diamond and the opposition soon scattered when she played one of her remarkable and accurate and EXTREMELY hard hits which flew out wide and up towards the Center line where Sadie Jacobs as left forward was ready with stick down to receive the ball. 

Louise Crouch was Center forward and was only to happy to drop back and help out in defence and quickly  learned to find a space and intercept the ball much to the annoyance of our opposition.

Shaniece Clayton was top of the diamond and as always played a high level of hockey, executing some beautiful stick skills and text book block tackles. 

We loved having Ellie O’Kane join us and she was an amazing mid fielder who moved like lightning, picking up balls and driving them forward with skill and confidence.

Emma Young was playing right forward and although we did get the ball into the D and we had a short corner in the first half, Carrow proved just a bit quick in their defence and we weren’t able to execute any accurate shots on goal although we gave it everything.

We were down to ten players in the second half due to injury, but we carried on with pace and determination and did not allow them to take advantage of this.The whole team gave it a 100% until the final whistle blew. 

The final score was 4-0 to Carrow Ladies 2’s.

We may not have won but the camaraderie and team spirit was totally awesome and I for one have never been prouder to wear the Dragon shirt alongside my team mates. Well played everyone!!

 

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Norwich City 2s:  0-4

MOM: Pedro Goss

A bad day at the office for Men’s 1s, starting slowly at Norwich City 2 and never recovering from their 3 goal headstart.

A much improved second half couldn’t find the goal to bring about the comeback, and City added a 4th from a corner.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v  Norwich City 4s:  6-2

Goalscorers:  Alex Sharpe, Eddie Gould
MOM: Eddie Gould

Men’s 2nd team made the long journey to bottom of the league Norwich City 4s.

On the back of some strong form a win was inevitable.

Despite being away from home our travelling squad was strong and we even had substitutes.  There was a Dragons’ debut goal for Alex Sharpe – back-foot squeeze,  and one from Ed Gould – top of circle rocket through the keeper’s legs.

With all that being said, we lost 6-2 and shall never speak of it again.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Newmarket 1s:  1-3

Goalscorer:  John Ives
MOM:  John Ives

Mens 3s had an early game against top of the league Newmarket 1s. With a few key players missing to injury or child birth including Mitch Smith with “ouchy ribs” and Joel Dennis falling to pieces it was always going to be a tough ask but Dragons got off to a flying start. “Experienced” forward Jon Ives scored half way through the first half to put the home side 1-0 up after weathering a serious storm in which keeper and captain fantastic Tom McLean made a number of impressive stops (if I may say so myself). The away side then scored from a good short corner routine near the end of the first half to take it to 1-1.

The second half saw the away side take the lead with another short corner and as with the game against North Norfolk it was all Dragons in the last 10 minutes seeking an equaliser (including one disallowed) but ultimately the away side scored another short to take it a final score of 1-3.

Another flattering score line for a very equal game restricting the visitors to short corners only and only conceding 3/10+ should be applauded.

MoM to Jon Ives for continuing his scoring streak 

Lots of positives to take against a very good side. Onto Pelicans next week!

 

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Norwich Exiles 1s:  2-3

Goalscorers:  Bobby Sheppard, Neil Shorten
MOM:  Dim Ives

Exiles started strongly as you would expect from a top of the table team. But a short corner strike from Neil Shorten saw Dragons take the lead.  Exiles rallied though and pulled one back before half time despite good saves from Dim Ives. The second half opened up and Exiles pulled 2 goals ahead via a great strike and a penalty stroke. Dragons didn’t give up and another goal from Bobby Sheppard meant the final 10 minutes of the game was in the balance. Exiles managed the game well at the end and Dragons couldn’t convert their chances. Well played all and great to see familiar faces #hockeyfamily MOM to Dim the cat Ives.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Magpies 5s:  4-0

Goalscorers:  Charlie Creasy, Dave King, Pete Latoy, Tom Bailey
MOM:  Shiv Kapur

Dragons 5s record their first win of the season with a brilliant team display. Four goal from four players (Peter Latoy, Charlie Creasy, Tom Bailey and Dave King)

Harleston started the game brightly but were unable to break down the defence.  Dragons broke forward from a long pass by Jason Wolfe resulting in a scramble in the box from which Dragons won a short corner. Peter Latoy was able to score with the ball thundering into the bottom left corner.  3 minutes later Dragons made it 2-0 with a goal by Charlie Creasy.

After the second goal Dragons looked in full control, the defence, which was excellent today, managed to push forward stopping Magpies’ midfield dead on many occasions, and allowing our defence especially Shiv Kapur to offer many a chance to score.

Goal 3 was set up by a great run by Shiv from which Tom Bailey was able to make it 3 nil shortly before half time.

During the second half Dragons got even tighter at the back and midfield, and so Magpies’ only shot of the half came from a short corner. With 5 minutes to go Dragons then won a short corner from which, our one of our main creators, Dave King,  was able to score.

As a note of how good the team played there were six names on the MOM sheet.

I’d also like to congratulate our young midfielders and strikers who pulled off some stunning passes.  This was by far our best game this season, and was well cheered on by a sizeable crowd.

 

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v  No fixture

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A v Dereham: 8-0

Goalscorers:  Freya D x2, India B, Mia N, Mia R
MOM:  Freya D

Dev Girls B v Yarmouth:  0-0

MOM:  Sophie Rice

Dev Girls B played a fantastic match away at a, for once sunny and pleasant, Yarmouth. With a good number of u12s stepping up, the girls fought hard against players in some cases nearly twice their height and considerably older than themselves. Everyone in the team showed some great passing skills, fearless tackling and super runs for each other. It was a thrilling game to watch, coach and manage, with some heart stopping moments at either end. A super 0-0 result for the team (though is it ok that I’m a little disappointed for the girls that they didn’t get a win, which would have been thoroughly deserved from the effort and work they put in?!) A deserved POM for Sophie Rice who made some great runs down the right from midfield to set up several chances at goals. Well played everyone & thank you to Amy Forse & Bridget Le Good for their help & being playing adults.

Dev Boys A v Dereham:  4-1

Goalscorers:  Rahul Kaushal, Will Sexton x3
MOM:  Rahul Kaushal

Dev Boys B v East Coast:  0-1

MOM:  Monty Patel

Dragons Dev Boys hosted East Coast Dev Boys at the Dragons den on Saturday the 9th November for a League match. The weather conditions where good and Dragons fielded an 11 boy team plus 1 adult player. East coast fielded a full squad of mixed age boys plus two adult players.

The first half was an even contest ending 0-0. Key learning points were for the back 3 to pivot and to avoid passes on the stick side of the opposition. The second half was equally close however East coast scored a goal in the 3rd quarter.  In the final quarter Dragons where able to push forward and a last minute short corner for Dragons could not be converted in to a goal.

A good effort from all players and lots to take away for the next match. The POM was Monty Patel.

Thank you to Natalie for organising and managing on the day. 

James Hollis

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 2nd November 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sNorth Norfolk 1H1-2 (L)Katie TaubmanSophie Thomas
Holly Setchell
L2sNorwich City 2A2-0 (L)Esme Potter
L3sUniversity of East Anglia Women 1H0-3 (L)Kristina Smyth
Beth Prakash
L4sBroadland 2 A0-3 (W)Emily Smith x3Lillian Sore
L5sN City 5H5-1 (W)Jane Wells
Anita Mancini
Gemma Ballard x2
Claire Stuart
Kate Atkins
L6sYarmouth 2A0-4 (W)Hatty Harrison-Mobbs x2
Stevie Spencer
Mia McGhee
Hatty Harrison-Mobbs
L7sN City 6H1-1 (D)Claire FairhurstClaire Fairhurst
Brittany Hopkins
L8sN City 7AP-P
M1sLong Sutton 1H4-1 (W)Jack Hallworth x2
Cley Hamilton
Olly Buck
Peter Dickerson
M2sBury St Edmunds 2H2-1 (W)Rupert Snelling
Eddie Gould
Patrick Gordon
M3sNorwich City 3A2-1 (L)John IvesJamie McKinnon
John Ives
M4sBury St Edmunds 4H3-1 (W)Phil York Smith
Jason Wolfe
Bobby Sheppard
Bobby Sheppard
M5sSudbury 3A3-2 (L)Charlie Creasy x2Charlie Creasy
M6sNorwich City 7A6-0 (L)David Pentin
BD AEast Coaast HP-P
BD BMagpies AP-P
GD APelicans H7-0 (W)Freya D
Josie K x2
Mia Norris x2
India Bunn x2
Nell Morrey
Mia Norris
GD BEast Coast H

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v North Norfolk:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Katie Taubman
MOM:  Sophie Thomas, Holly Setchell

The Ladies 1st team lost 2-1 to North Norfolk 1s today after a tough match. A disappointing game with a lot to learn but amazing fighting spirit from all players. The first North Norfolk goal was scored in the first half from a ball that was hit over the top of the goalie’s head. The second half saw a levelling goal scored by Katie Taubman; a straight strike from a short corner. However, frustratingly North Norfolk scored the winning goal from a break. Players of the match went to Holly Setchell and Sophie Thomas for their solid attacking and defensive play.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Norwich City 2s:  0-2

MOM: Esme Potter

With the wind subsiding and the sun shining, the respective Norwich 2nd teams played in what was was the best conditions of the day. Dragons were once again grateful to Amy Forse for helping the team out in goal.

The visitors started the brighter of the teams, attacking the City goal through good work by the attacking mids of Gail Thomas, Alex Daplyn, Elsa Scott and Grace Kidner. Ally Windsor Waite and Georgia Rant were working hard upfront however clear cut chances were few and far between.

The Dragons defence were working hard to protect the goal with Esme Potter and Stella Windsor Waite looking really strong on the wings and helping launch the attacks. The spine of the team was well marshalled by Karen O’Neill Simpson, Shelly Seaman and Hannah Ellis and it was all square at half time.

The 2nd half was much of the same with neither GK overly troubled, however Dragons lost their shape a little and allowed themselves to drop a bit deep, inviting City pressure which ultimately lead to a City goal.

With 10mins to go Capt O’Neill Simpson changed the formation in order to try and get the equaliser. Dragons had a bit more pressure but alas couldn’t make any clear cut chances and City scored a 2nd on the break to seal the points.

An improved performance from Dragons with plenty to encourage the team who are still building. Esme Potter was player of the match, run closely by Stella Windsor Waite, both of whom are improving week on week, showing the confidence, composure and tenacity needed in this league.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v  UEA 3s:  0-3

MOM: Kristina Smyth, Beth Prakash

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Broadland 2s:  3-0

Goalscorers:  Emily Smith x3
MOM:  Lillian Sore

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1

Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Norwich City 5s:  5-1

Goalscorers:  Gemma Ballard x2, Anita Mancini, Jane Wells, Claire Stuart
MOM:  Kate Atkins

Despite the very wet and blustery weather conditions, Dragons 5s were ready to go out and be ‘RELENTLESS’. With the direction from Captain Gemma Ballard to ensure we were first to the ball, to use the width and make early passes, we started strongly and dominated the first half. 

The first goal came after some good play between our awesome and unrelenting midfield line, which led to Anita Mancini picking up the ball in the D, working her usual magic and calmly slotting it past the keeper; 1-0. 

Dragons continued to pressure City with some great movement and play down the right between Emma Merryweather and Jane Wells. Two more goals were scored in quick succession: both from firm right crosses from Jane followed by first time touches by Claire Stuart and then Gem to put the ball against the backboard …. textbook and 3-0 up! 

Dragons had a lot of short corners during the first half and the 4th goal was scored as a result of a well worked move from Gemma’s injection to Anita; who slipped the ball left to Jane,  who hit a strong first time strike into the bottom left hand corner of the net. 4-0. 

The 5th goal was scored by Gem at the end of the second half again from build up play between Emma to Jane who crossed the goal to Gemma to tap in. 5-0. 

The second half saw continued pressure from the Dragons, with the midfielders of Mel Widdows, ‘Haley’ (Katie Hale) and Emma working tirelessly and chasing down every ball. With our strong defence behind them, they were able to play high and keep the pressure on the City defensive line. 

However City were certainly seeing more of the ball after their half time talk. With some strong hits out of their defensive third, their nippy wingers were able to break through the Dragon’s midfield. Nevertheless, the Dragon’s fearsome defensive line of Kate Atkins, Lou Davis, Nat Crisp and Brooksy (Louise Brooks) worked hard to absorb any pressure with some very strong tackles getting the ball back out wide to the Dragon’s midfield. 

City kept the pressure up but our stand in Goalie Emily Grint (who we are VERY grateful to!!) did her job and kept her calm to kick away any shots on goal. 

We were nearly through the game with a clean sheet, but one last push from City led to a short corner. This was well taken with a good first shot on goal, that was initially blocked by Brooksy. City’s persistence meant that the ball was scrambled into the Dragon’s goal at the left post. 5-1. 

Overall a really great game and a huge team effort. City are always a difficult side to play. The 5s worked hard for each other and we were relentless; as was the wind and the rain! 

Player of the match to Kate Atkins for some excellent interceptions at crucial moments and fab distribution of the ball out to the midfielders. 

Finally, you’ll all be pleased to know that Nat’s freshly manicured nails remained intact. RESULT!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Yarmouth 2s:  4-0

Goalscorers:  Stevie Spencer, Hatty Harrison-Mobbs x2, Mia McGhee
MOM:  Hatty Harrison-Mobbs

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Norwich City 6s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Claire Fairhurst
MOM:  Brittany Hopkins

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Norwich City 7s:  Postponed

 

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Long Sutton 1s:  4-1

Goalscorers:   Olly Buck, Jack Hallworth x2, Cley Hamilton
MOM: Peter Dickerson

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v  Bury St Edmunds 2s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Eddie Gould, Rupert Snelling
MOM: Patrick Gordon

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Norwich City 3s:  2-1

Goalscorer:  John Ives
MOM: Jamie McKinnon, John Ives

 

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Bury St Edmunds 4s:  3-1

Goalscorers:  Bobby Sheppard, Jason Wolfe, Phil York-Smith
MOM:  Bobby Sheppard

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Sudbury 3s:  2-3

Goalscorers:  Charlie Creasy x2
MOM:  Charlie Creasy

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v  Norwich City 7s:  0-6

MOM:   David Pentin

Development Leagues

Dev Boys A and B – both postponed

 

Dev G A v Pelicans:  7-0

Goalscorers:  Freya D, Josie Kx2, Mia N x2, India B x2
MOM:  Nell Morreg, Mia N

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 26th October 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sCambridge University 2A1-1 (D)Lucy MortonSophie Barrow
L2sYarmouth 1H1-0 (W)Hannah HardyKristina Smyth
Grace Kidner
L3sWatton 1A14-0 (L)Esther Jacobs
L4sUEA 2H1-4 (L)Niamh SomersEmily Smith
L5sBeccles A0-3 (WC)Beccles Conceded
L6sN City 5H0-4 (L)Emma Dyer
Stevie Spencer
Emma North
Mia McGhee
L7sSlip Date
L8sSlip Date
M1sPelicans 1A5-2 (L)Mark Beckett- Flatman
Matt Knights
Mark Beckett-Flatman
M2sIpswich 2A5-4 (W)Joe Flatt x3
Isaac Diver Hall
Angus Blazer
Isaac Diver Hall
M3sNorth Norfolk 1H2-4 (L)Jon Miles x2Stu Kelly
Phil Good
M4sPelicans 3A2-1 (L)Bobby SheppardKit Scott
M5sBury St Edmunds 5H1-1 (D)Ali SmythTom Bailey
M6sNorfolk Nomads 2H4-0 (W)Mike Banham x2
Dan Orsborne
Casper Lind
Andy Hollis
BD ASlip Date
BD BSlip Date
GD ASlip Date
GD BSlip Date

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Cambridge Uni 2s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Lucy Morton
MOM:  Sophie Barrow

The Ladies 1st team drew 1-1 against Cambridge Uni 2s today. It was very evenly sided with a lot of ‘ping-pong’ action in the middle of the pitch for most of the game. It was 0-0 at half time, however Cambs scored from a penalty flick in the second half. After a strong fight back, Dragons scored when Lucy Morton tapped in from a well worked short corner.  Player of the match went to Sophie Barrow for her goal-line saves and runs up the pitch.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Yarmouth 1s:  1-0

Goalscorer:  Hannah Hardy
MOM: Grace Kidner

With half term holidays causing havoc with availability and a last minute drop out, Dragons were extremely grateful to Elsa Scott, Harriett Marlee and Harriett Rant who all stepped up to play for the 2’s and performed extremely well on their 2nd team debuts. It was great to see the Rant sisters take to the pitch for the first time together in the 2’s. Dragons also warmly welcomed Grace Kidner to the team for her debut for the Club.

The game started with a concerted spell of Dragons pressure, with the central midfield duo of Han Ellis and Grace Kidner breaking down Yarmouth’s crash balls down the centre of the pitch and quickly turning defence into attack. Gail Thomas on the left and Elsa Scott on the right were providing great midfield support and feeding the willing forward runners, however Dragons couldn’t quite work the Yarmouth GK as much as they should have.

Finally a dangerous attack into the D saw Georgia Rant use her skills alongside Harriet Marlee, the Yarmouth defence struggled to clear the ball and a shot at goal was stopped near the line by a defenders leg. The umpires deliberated before a short corner was awarded. The resulting short corner was despatched inside the near post by Hannah Hardy.

Whilst Dragons were largely on top, they still weren’t quite playing their fluent hockey and Yarmouth had breaks of their own, earning a number of short corners particularly in the first half. Kristina Smyth in goal made some fine saves against the direct strikes from Yarmouth. The defensive line of Stella Windsor Waite, Alex Daplyn and Karen O’Neill Simpson worked really hard to break down play and ensure a clean sheet at half time.

The second half saw more of the same with Dragons working hard to gain possession, but just not finding the effective final ball to cause the Yarmouth GK any real problems, however there was lots of good work particularly through joint PoM Grace Kidner. Kristina Smyth was the other joint PoM with some important saves again from short corners and one particular one on one effort with Yarmouth centre forward, where Smyth and Alex Daplyn combined really well to clear the danger and kept the clean sheet intact.

So 3 points to Dragons, it wasn’t pretty but they all count!

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v  Watton 1s:  0-14

MOM: Esther Jacobs

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v UEA 2s:  1-4

Goalscorer:  Niamh Somers
MOM:  Emily Smith

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Beccles:   Beccles conceded

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Norwich City 5s:  0-4

MOM:  Emma Dyer, Stevie Spencer, Emma North, Mia McGhee

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v no league game

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v no league game

 
 

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Pelicans 1s:  2-5

Goalscorers:   Mark Beckett-Flatman, Matt Knights
MOM: Mark Beckett-Flatman

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Ipswich 2s:  5-4

Goalscorers:  Joe Flatt x3, Isaac Diver Hall, Angus Blazer
MOM: Isaac Diver Hall

Mens 2s travelled to 2nd placed Ipswich 2s this morning, showing our true dedication to the club by missing the England game!

A poor start and saw us go 2-0 down within 15 minutes. However, some excellent play and brilliant teamwork saw us draw level just before half time.

A busy second half saw us at 4-4 with around 5 minutes left on the clock before we finally (for the first time in the game) took the lead at 5-4.

A short corner was given to the opposition seconds before the final whistle and powerful drag flick to the top right corner forced a spectacular diving save from our wonderful keeper to see us hold on for the win.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v North Norfolk 1s:  2-4

Goalscorers:  Jon Miles x2
MOM: Stu Kelly, Phil Good

After watching the England rugby team demolish the All Blacks NDHC Mens 3s went into their game with high-flying North Norfolk 1s with spirits high even with the weather doing its best to dampen that elation. Unfortunately it seemed all minds were still on the rugby as Dragons went 0-1 down in the first minute, simply not having switched on and NN 1s taking full advantage finishing at the back post. Soon after the visiting team went 0-2 up after a deflected shot, high in the sky, was volleyed down into the goal, slowly the home side worked their way back into the game coming to close to scoring but at half-time the score was still 0-2. NDHC 3s weathered another storm after starting slowly in the 2nd half again but were dragged back into the game by prolific striker Jon Miles, scoring a beautiful drag flick high into the corner. With 10 minutes to go and still 1-2 down Dragons threw caution to the wind taking off multiple defensive players and playing four upfront to push for an equaliser. They came close before suffering a dagger blow conceding from a short corner. With a never-give-up attitude the team brought it back to 2-3 after a nice move ending in Jon Miles finishing yet again (taking his tally into the double figures for the season!). With everyone attacking the visiting side broke on the counter and scored their final goal on the bow of the whistle leading to a very flattering score of 2-4 to North Norfolk 1s. Many positives to take from the game including some gorgeous attacking, solid defence against a very good side and an unbeatable attitude. MoM was shared between Phil Good and Stu Kelly for superb defensive work and some great runs down the right from Phil!

 
 

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Pelicans 3s:  1-2

Goalscorers:  Bobby Sheppard
MOM:  Kit Scott

Dragons 4s suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday, against direct rivals Pelicans 3, who swapped positions in the league table, pushing Dragons down to the third position on a goal difference basis only.  As soon as they left Norwich the rain started, and it never stopped, neither during the long trip to Kings Lynn, nor during the game, not even on the way back to Norwich.

As soon as the game started Dragons knew it would be a tough one. Pelicans were strong and very well organised, with quite a few well-known faces that had been seen before playing in higher leagues. Soon after the push back captain Alberto Embarba made good progress in the run fur goof of the day, by brilliantly intercepting a ball in the midfield, making no apparent effort to use the lawful side of his stick, the same stick that was later seen flying backwards off Alberto’s slippery hands after a hit. As time went by Pelicans were dominating more and more and managed to lock Dragons in their half of the pitch. But Dragons proved to be really strong in defence and stopped every single attack from Pelis. With some 10 minutes still to go, Bobby Sheppard got the reward to his efforts when he scored a great goal that brought Dragons some fresh air. But a few minutes later Pelicans got the equalizer, setting a 1-1 score at half time.

The second half started in a slightly different fashion, with Dragons gaining momentum and pushing Pelicans defence more and more often. The combinations between Kit Scott, Bobby Sheppard, Gregg Reynolds and Robin Clarke were very prolific, but still a second goal couldn’t be achieved. Keeper Peter Dickerson, with his magnificent saves, managed to keep Dragons’ aspirations alive for most of the game, but Pelicans got their second goal in the end. Nevertheless, Dragons never gave up and kept fighting fiercely in the ruthless rain until the final whistle.

Everyone played really well but Neil Shorten, Bobby Sheppard and Kit Scott were shortlisted in a very tight MOM draw, with Kit Scott getting the award in the end for his brilliant contribution to the game.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s vBury St Edmunds 5s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Ali Smyth
MOM:  Tom Bailey

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v  Norfolk Nomads 2s:  4-0

Goalscorers:  Mike Banham x2, Dan Orsborne, Casper Lind
MOM:   Andy Hollis

Development Leagues

Slip Week

Friendly Mixed Ability Dev Boys v Norwich City Dev 3-12

On a very rainy Saturday afternoon Norwich Dragons played Norwich City at Taverham High School.  Dragons did well to clear the ball wide and made some good runs but City were strong on the attack. Dragons lost 12-3 but despite played well. Dylan Bondi scored first for dragons with a reverse stick near the top of the D into the right side netting. This was followed by Ayrton Rant running down the right side of the pitch and sending it just in between the post and the goal keeper. Zak McEwan made it three by receiving it from across the box and tapping into the goal. Ultimately this was not enough and City scored again and again. POM Aytron and Dylan

By Elliot.

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 19th October 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sSt Neots 1H2-2 (D)Lauren Lawrie
Haz Green
Liv Leary
L2sBroadland 1A2-0 (L)Alex Daplyn
L3sEast Coast 1H1-6 (L)Lilli BallardSophie Farrow
L4sPelicans 2A1-4 (W)Lillian Sore x2
Lisa Harwood
Amy Forse
Emily Smith
L5sWatton 2H1-0 (W)Gemma BallardAnita Mancini
L6sBeccles A0-1 (W)Lara KingHoney Wells
Hatty Harrison-Mobbs
L7sNorwich Dragons 8Friendly
L8sNorwich Dragons 7Friendly
M1sHarleston Magpies 3H4-0 (W)Jack Hallworth x2
Sean Orton
Ollie King
Jim Barker
M2sIpswich-East Suffolk 3H5-3 (W)Jack McIntyre
Rich Moulson
Joe Flatt
Rupert Snelling x2
Joe Flatt
M3sIpswich-East Suffolk 2A4-2 (L)Mitch Smith
John Ives
Harry Brown
M4sIpswich-East Suffolk 5H5-1 (W)Tommy Gale
Adrian Kemp
Jon Miles x3
Bobby Sheppard
M5sEast Coast 2A4-0 (L)Alex Wolfe
M6sNorth Norfolk 2A7-1 (L)Richard DraegerStephen Holland
BD ANorwich City DevFriendly
BD B
GD ADev Girls B1-2 (L)
GD BDev Girls A1-2 (W)

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v St Neots 1s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Lauren Lawrie, Haz Green
MOM:  Liv Leary

Dragons Ladies 1s played St Neots at home and came away with a 2-2 draw. 

Dragons went ahead in the first half with Polly Watson finding space through the middle to play a lovely ball to Lucy Morton on the edge of the D, who touched it into Lauren Lawrie for a well composed finish.

St Neots lead the scoring in the second half with a strike off a short corner at a difficult height into bottom right corner. Though Dragons soon scored from a short corner of their own, with a slip right to Katie McKenna for a beautiful shot across goal, hitting the far post where Harriet Green was already waiting to tap the ball into the goal from the rebound. With less than 10 minutes to go Dragons were playing for time to hold onto their lead but were punished when they played a loose pass into the middle of the pitch allowing St Neots to break through the middle and bring the score level before the final whistle.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Broadland 1s:  0-2

MOM: Alex Daplyn

Dragons started the game brightly with a prolonged early spell of pressure. Maddy Reynolds looked bright on her return to the team, however after less than 5mins was forced off with a back injury to take no further part in the game. Then just minutes later, GK Emma Cleland stretched to for a ball, and in doing so, potentially tore her hamstring. Whilst sitting in the dugout she was then taken ill, needing to be taken to the Clubhouse and play no further part in the game – get well soon Emma.

So Dragons saw themselves down to a bare 11 with no GK, a goal down and 65 minutes remaining. The team battled hard however with the defence and mids working hard to keep the ball out of the D. Unfortunately despite some decent build up play, Dragons didn’t quite do enough in the final 25 and the home team went into the break 1-0 up.

The second half saw a similar pattern and despite lots of good build up play by Dragons, the goals wouldn’t come. Broadland were awarded short corner after short corner and eventually they made one count against the team playing with no GK! Dragons continued to attack and could have scored but poor finishing combined with good GK’ing meant the score remained 2-0.

A strong effort from a depleted Dragons team. Best wishes to Emma and Maddy for speedy recoveries. PoM went to Alex Daplyn for some strong work down the left.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v  East Coast 1s:  1-6

Goalscorer:    Lilli Ballard
MOM: Sophie Farrow

Dragons started with determination for the first 15 mins of the game and we were playing with confidence. But East Coast started to find their feet with clinical playing hockey they ruled the rest of the first half.  Two goals were scored, one  from a short corner for East Coast.

Dragons battled hard and achieved 3 short corners of their own but the opposition’s back line was so confident we couldn’t get a goal past them.

Eventually our hard work paid off as the game started from Spike (Angela Murgatroyd) at the back switching to Beth Prakash who passed through to the midfields of Catherine Matthews, Sophie Farrow, and Harriet Rant and eventually onto Vicki Earley who set up Lilli Ballard who scored our goal.

We were now in hope of increasing our goals, with Nic Cage-Brimelow battling and working hard and Jess Haw running the line forcing Abi Flatt to sprint fast up front we weren’t able to score any more goals.

Grace Brown and Emma Bambridge did a superb job in defence but we just couldn’t keep out the clinical work of our opposition.

Jillian Christie had a storming game – in more ways than one!

At the end of the day we played against an excellent well controlled team but we kept our heads up and didn’t give up, lots to learn!

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Pelicans 2:  4-1

Goalscorers:  Lillian Sore, Lisa Harwood, Amy Forse
MOM:  Emily Smith

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Watton 2s:  1-0

Goalscorer:  Gemma Ballard
MOM: Anita Mancini

On a crisp but unexpectedly sunny and dry morning, Ladies Dragons 5s took on the mighty Watton.  After an enthusiastic warm up routine by Kate Atkins (in Lou’s absence) and a motivational pep talk by skipper Gemma Ballard the game began. Both teams began at a pace with both teams’ mids and forwards pressing hard. Watton had some good early breaks but the Dragons defence of Emily Grint, Kate and Nat Crisp held firm. Dragons worked the Watton defence hard with short corner after short corner with just that first goal alluding them. Fortunately for Dragons it seemed that Watton forwards may also be suffering the same frustration on the final strike.  Opportunities were missed by both sides with Claire Stuart, Jane Wells and Lizzie McDonnell coming close to breaking the deadlock.  Watton pressed hard and had an opportunity to go 1 up from a 1 on 1 against the Dragons goalie, but there was no way any ball was going to get past the immeasurably experienced Kristina Smyth in the Dragons goal who comfortably cleared the ball wide. After breathing a sigh of relief, the Dragons mids pressed forward and from a beautifully delivered ball from the right by Jane to Brooksy (Louise Brooks) who then perfectly floated the ball past two Watton defenders on to the stick of young Gemma  (back on form after time away through injury) who aced the ball into the back of the net- hurrah! The deadlock was broken after 22mins and Dragons were in the lead. Dragons lifted by this started to press the Watton defence with the formidable mids of Brooksy, Mel Widdows,  Emma Merryweather, Floss Andrews and Anita Manchini distributing the ball well to the forward line but they just couldn’t pierce through the Watton defence . First half ended 1:0 and time for a quick review.

Second half began at a pace – so much so it had to be restarted as the Watton forwards began the pushback before the whistle had started. Restart. Again there was good to end to end pressure down the left and right wings by both teams with some lovely creative play especially across the back (Nat, Kate and Emily) and up the wing. Pressure by Dragons on the short corners saw some excellent strikes at goal from Jane and Gemma with the goalie thwarting their best efforts. Floss came close with a reverse hit from a rebound, Lizzie had opportunities to widen the gap between the sides but just couldn’t find the backboard. It seemed as if the Watton defence had built a blue wall between the goal posts with even defenders on the ground scrambling the balls away . Short corner hit from the left (Mel and Emma) from the right (Lizzie and Jane) and centre (Neet and Lizzie)…Dragons just could not find the net- guess we need to practise A LOT more 😊 Hopefully we can borrow Emily’s mums recording . All credit to the Watton Mids and Defence from holding off the continued pressure from Dragons throughout the second half …A much better second half girls, some nice creative play, clever use of triangles and relentless barrage of shots in the D. Well done to all. Bod of the match Neet M

Special thank you to Amy F for first half scribing and subbing (hope the bench wasn’t too wet) and Emily’s mum for pizza delivery.

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v  Beccles:  1-0

Goalscorer:  Lara King
MOM:  Hatty Harrison-Mobbs, Honey Wells

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v no league game

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v no league game

 
 

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Magpies 3s:  4-0

Goalscorers:   Sean Orton, Ollie King, Jack Hallworth x2
MOM: Jim Barker

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v IES 3s:  5-3

Goalscorers:  Rupert Snelling x2, Jack McIntyre, Joe Flatt, Rich Moulson
MOM: Joe Flatt

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v IES 2s:  2-4

Goalscorers:  John Ives, Mitch Smith
MOM: Harry Brown

On a beautiful sunny autumn Saturday the NDHC Men’s 3s, in their black away kit, headed down to Ipswich to face IES 2s. The home team had a clear advantage from the start being used to playing on the trampoline-like blue pitch and after 10 minutes took the lead through a penalty-flick.  Dragon’s missed some key chances during the rest of the half but kept the home team at bay to go into halftime 1-0 down. The second half started brightly with Mitch Smith scoring quickly from a penalty corner before the home team responded in the same manner. Dragons looked to be getting back into the game before another penalty-flick was awarded to IES which was converted. After that all the play belonged to IES with captain/keeper Tom McLean having to make some smart saves to keep the score respectable including a stunning stick save. Finally IES scored their fourth before the experienced Jon Ives capitalised on some lax defending to score a great consolation goal. On reflection an excellent match by both sides. Man of the match went to Harry Brown for his excellent work on the right hand side, offensively and defensively. 

 

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v IES 5s:  5-1

Goalscorers:  Jon Miles x3, Tommy Gale, Adrian Kemp
MOM:  Bobby Sheppard

Dragons met at the Den with plenty of time before their 2.30pm push back. Unlike in previous games, there were only 12 of them this time, mainly due to schools’ half term. With the previous game running late and a very vivid memory of what happened in the past, Dragons decided to go for a team run-around outside the pitches. As expected, as soon as both teams put their feet on the pitch the umpires requested a quick start, but that didn’t catch Dragons with their pants down this time.

Dragons started well in the first half, keeping control of the ball and creating multiple chances but the scoreboard remained untouched for a very long time. Their attacks kept gaining momentum but Ipswich-East Suffolk’s defence, also with some help from the goal posts, managed to hold Dragons for most of the first half. Finally, with some ten minutes still to go before the break, Dragons found their path to goal when Tommy Gale, after challenging a few opponents, managed to send a great pass from the right side towards the top-right side of the D, where Alberto Embarba was waiting to slap in a ball that was brilliantly deflected by Adrian Kemp around the penalty spot. And not long after that, a very similar second goal came with Greg Reynolds long shot being just tapped by Jon Miles to slot it in between the keeper’s legs. That brought us to a 2-0 score at half time.

Ipswich-East Suffolk boys reacted well after the break and managed to shorten distances with an early goal, coming from a striker who managed to break the defence lines and have an unexpected reverse hit on target which ended up finding its way to the net. With 2-1 on the scoreboard the game seemed to have changed direction for a little while, but soon it was redirected by Jon Miles scoring for the second time, with a strong square hit from the right side, next to the end line. But Jon wasn’t happy with just two goals, he wanted to get a hat-trick before going on his paternity leave. And he got it, from a short corner this time, with a brilliantly executed drag flick to the top side of the net. It was just 7 minutes after the break and Dragons had granted themselves a comfortable advantage. But Ipswich-East Suffolk boys were determined to fight and got a few chances, with keeper Jamie McKinnon having to pull some of his best saves to keep the score. A few minutes before the end of the game, Tommy Gale got a well-deserved reward to his fantastic contribution to the game with a fantastic late goal that set a final 5-1 score.

Another great win for Dragons, which will keep them on the second position of the league table for another week, with equal points as the first team. Man of the match went to Bobby Sheppard this time, for his magnificent contribution throughout game, proving his great value not only as a goal scorer but also as a generous passer. But he wasn’t alone in the contest. Will Mares was also in the draw after completing a really good game. Of course, Jon Miles also had a say here with his hat-trick. And, as usual, Greg Reynolds and Tommy Gale were both well worth their weight in gold.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v East Coast 2s:  0-4

MOM:  Alex Wolfe

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v  North Norfolk 2s:  1-7

Goalscorer:  Richard Draeger
MOM:   Stephen Holland

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A v Dev Girls B:  1-2

Goalscorers:
MOM:  

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 12th October 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sIpswich-East Suffolk 1A0-4 (L)Katie Taubman
L2sNorwich Dragons 3H6-1 (W)Shelly Seaman
Gail Thomas
Georgia Rant
Ally Windsor Waite
Stella Windsor Waite
L3sNorwich Dragons 2A6-1 (L)Jess HawHarriet Marlee
L4sDissH0-1 (L)Flori Smith
L5sEast Coast 3A0-7 (W)Claire Stuart
Emma Merryweather
Lizzy McDonnell x2
Jane Wells
Gemma Ballard x2
Jane Wells
L6sWatton 2H2-1 (W)Mia McGhee
Adelice Stanley
Hannah Woods
L7sN Norfolk 2A7-0 (L)Jess Young
L8sWatton 3H1-8 (L)Shaniece ClaxtonShaniece Claxton
M1sKettering 1A2-3 (W)Sean Orton
Ollie King
Matt Knights
Peter Dickerson
M2sNorwich Dragons 3A1-2 (W)Eddie Gould
Rupert Snelling
Jamie McKinnon
M3sNorwich Dragons 2H1-2 (L)Josh RollasonEd Smith
M4sNorwich Dragons 5A3-4 (W)Joe Flatt
Paul Keating
Greg Reynolds x2
Joe Flatt
M5sNorwich Dragons 4H3-4 (L)Tom Bailey x2
Josh Bingham
David Kidner
M6sWatton 2H5-0 (W)Casper Lind x4
Ross Bradshaw
Casper Lind
BD AMagpies A0-7 (W)Will Sexton x3
Hector McNeill x2
Dylan Bondi x2
BD B
GD AEast Coast A0-7 (W)Lucy Courtier x2
Hannah Shepperson x2
Josie Kell x2
Ellie Wagstaff
Josie Kell
Yona McDonald
GD BWatton H0-2 (L)Libby Ong

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v IES 1s:  0-4

MOM:  Katie Taubman

The Ladies 1st team lost 4-0 to IES 1s today. It was a hard game against a well drilled side, however all short corners were successfully defended against.
It was 3-0 at half time with one goal scored after a ridiculous deflection. In the second half, Katie Taubman made a great shot on goal but unfortunately couldn’t make anything from it.
Player of the match went to Katie Taubman for having incredible determination and going for every short corner.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s:  6-1

Goalscorers:   Shelly Seaman, Gail Thomas, Georgia Rant x3, Ally Windsor Waite  
MOM: Stella Windsor Waite

A grey derby day at the Den saw the Ladies 2’s take on the 3’s in their League encounter. With GK Jillian Christie helping the Club out this week by kindly switching teams, Emma Cleland returned to the Ladies 2’s.

The opening 15 mins was very open and even, with both sides having good attacks and both Keepers being called into action. The 2’s took early advantage with Georgia Rant getting her first smart finish of the afternoon, before the 3’s equalised with a well taken effort from Jess Haw.

The 2’s continued to press however and more goals came. Shelly Seaman scored a great goal at the far post, whilst Georgia Rant showed calmness in the D slotting 2 more away by half time completing a very well taken hat trick!

Whilst the 2’s has been clinical in the D, they still lacked a little in strength and determination to be first to the ball across the pitch, and this is an area they need to improve on.

The 2nd half saw a similar pattern, good spells of play by both teams, but the 2’s made the most of their chances. Gail Thomas scored a 5th with a smart short corner strike and Ally Windsor Waite fired home following some good build up play by Sam Franklin on the right.

PoM was Stella Windsor Waite showing tenacity and bite in a strong defensive display in her more familiar position of left defender. 

A game played in good Club spirit and well umpired by both umpires – thanks to all who played and supported both teams. 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s:  1-6

Goalscorer:    Jess haw
MOM: Harriet Marlee

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Diss:  0-1

MOM:  Flori Smith

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v East Coast 3s:  7-0

Goalscorers:  Claire Stuart, Emma Merryweather, Lizzy McDonnell x2, Jane Wells, Gemma Ballard x2
MOM:  Jane Wells

Ladies 5’s travelled to a slightly damp Lowestoft to take on a newly formed East Coast 3’s. The game started with Jane channelling the best of the personal trainers to prepare us for the game ahead “you know, that one. It’s stretching there I think!”

The game started with Dragons taking a few minutes to settle before setting out strong in search of goals. Jane was first on the board with a goal which set the game in motion. A few short corners led to Gemma making a return to the game after injury, only to be sent up to the half way line after a difficulty with the short corner routine.  2 goals from Gemma balanced out the misdemeanour!

Midfield were strong together and kept hold of the ball, slipping it through to the forwards in the D to capitalise on chances. East Coast’s Goal keeper who had stepped into the role for this game played well deflecting many a shot from the Dragons attacking play.

Lizzie in a dazzling display reminiscent of strictly come dancing kept the ball away from her feet and completed a 360 degree turn to score another goal, taking her total to 2! Further goals from Claire and Emma after good passing and attacking play saw Dragons tally reach 7.

Defence had little to do thanks to the strong attack but were challenged on some good breaks from East Coast who made the most of opportunities given to them. Emily defended the Dragons half well when her fellow defensive players went for a run which saw Nat run from left to right across the pitch and up into the top right hand corner with Jo not far behind her and Brooksie in the D. Kate made the most of the opportunity to stretch her legs and run the ball up the right wing.

Dragons good luck charm Gillian who had come to support us in goal had to be alert in case Emily needed support when all around her had pushed up into the attacking half. A great sense of teamwork shown throughout with egos left at the door to capitalise on goal scoring opportunities.

Game finished with teas where half the team were very eager and were worried, they were in the wrong place when the other half of the team and the opposition took a while to arrive! Hot food much needed after a drizzly game. Final score of 7-0 to dragons. Special thanks go to Gillian for coming to support us in Goal and Will for supporting with team management on the sideline.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v  Watton 2s:  2-1  

Goalscorers:  Mia McGhee, Adelice Stanley
MOM:  Hannah Woods

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v North Norfolk 2s:  0-7

MOM:  Jess Young

The score was 7-0 to North Norfolk ! The Dragons were not the champions but we kept on fighting until the end. The game started with Dragons having first push back. Formation was good at the start especially Ceris Burgues who remained in good space throughout the game. North Norfolk were very strong players and were good at switching the ball over. Everyone played well ,  especially the defence who repeatedly put in their tackles – Jessica young winning player of the match. I feel there was no bad mistakes, but some may feel they made a few, we had our share of sand kicked in our faces due to a sandy pitch, but we came through. The second half was pretty much the same and everyone kept up their energy levels. 

In the future we need to make sure we spread out and use the space. By doing this we will be able to switch it across and get round players instead of sending the ball through. We as a team need to strengthen are basic skills such as putting a name on the ball and looking up before passing. Once we have mastered this skill we will then be able to play a more skilled game. 

Overall well played  Dragons !!!! 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Watton 3s:  1-8

Goalscorer:  Shaniece Claxton
MOM:  Shaniece Claxton

The 8s are probably right to feel a little frustrated at the way in which they allowed this game to slide away from them into a significant loss, particularly when they gave as good as they got at the start of each half. Watton edged it in the skills department, with their free-running forwards moving the ball around and getting into the circle too often too easily. The character of the 8s will be tested as they work out how to pull their game together to get more consistency. 

 
The brightest moment of the game was undoubtedly POM Shaniece Claxton’s goal. She had impressed with some good runs down the right wing, cutting in and also going outside to link up with Johanne Steward, Emma Young and Sadie Jacobs. But her best move was to get into space near a post and slam the ball home early in the second half to lift the Dragons’ spirits.
 
Early in the game, both sides disappointed with their tendency to kick the ball.  Watton got over it, but Dragons continued – it was a combination of poor footwork and increasing tiredness – and it cost Dragons dearly in the amount of territory they gave away. The defence, which began with Jo Lees in the centre, Jess Lockwood on the left and Karen Davidson on the right (in front of Esther Jacobs in goal) looked strong to begin with, but as Watton began to move the ball around inside the circle Dragons tended to back off  and leave Watton with some soft chances. Bridget Le Good was at the bottom of the diamond, and while she could take the credit for frequently getting the mids away with some strong passes, she has to work at timing her tackles. In the excitement of the match, she tended to rush at forwards outside the D and then leave the other defenders exposed. 
 
In the second half, Esther was back to her blocking and kicking best, and where four more goals came from was really something of a surprise.
 
To the credit of the 8s, they showed their willingness to be flexible and Johanne Steward came back and did an excellent stint in defence while late on Karen Davidson, who was carrying an injury, moved up to high forward and did a good job at picking up long passes and then holding the ball up.
Some nice combinations are starting to form, and Jess is forming a good partnership with Nic Harrison at left mid. These two tirelessly tackled and harried the nippy forwards, and Nic is to be congratulated for the use of her newly acquired skill – the jab tackle! Two of the less experienced team members, Louise Crouch-Read and debutante Kaia Peiris, shared the very responsible role at the top of the diamond and deserve a lot of credit for the way they executed the defensive side of their role – and the distribution will come.  What a pleasure it was to have Lizzie Costello at right mid. Her speed and ball control was an example to the team, and she collected every one of the long passes Bridget aimed at her, and created some lovely attacking moves.
 
Tactically, because the 8s were unable to get their midfields linking with their forwards consistently, Johanne, Shaniece, Sadie and Emma Young did not have much to go on. But they almost certainly worked more balls into the circle than in previous matches this season. Accurate weighted passes of all types to the forwards has to be high on the training list. The players showed an improvement in being ‘first to the ball’ in this match, and once again enthusiastically supported and encouraged each other. They know there is still a long way to go on improving stamina, and the captains are doing their best to protect the players with long-term injuries. But just at the moment anyone who rocks up for the 8s, trains hard, then rolls on and and rips into the match is very, very welcome!  
 
 

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Kettering 1s:  3-2

Goalscorer:   Sean Orton, Ollie King, Matt Knights
MOM: Peter Dickerson

Norwich Dragons made the long away trip to Kettering this weekend looking to extend their perfect run to four wins from four and remain top of the table. Dragons started slowly surrendering the bulk of possession to the home side but still managing to carve out the better chances early on. This soon paid dividends as a third short corner in a few minutes lead to tactical re shuffle at the top of the D and seen Matt Knights deflect in from close range to take the lead 1:0.

Again Kettering found themselves with the lion’s share of possession and after an explosive tactical change in their press caught the Dragons defender Owen Tennant napping and his wayward pass was played long for the Kettering striker to round the keeper and tie the game at 1:1. Norwich Dragons showed why they have been perfect so far this season and continued to press whatever possession they had into goal scoring opportunities and when the Kettering keeper got down to make a smart save from the first strike Sean Orton stepped up to smash home the rebound for his first of the season and restoring Norwich Dragons lead going into half time 2:1 up.

Norwich Dragons came out stronger in the second half and had several short corners repelled by the Kettering defence before Ollie King had a goal ruled out by the umpires. Kettering applied pressure of their own and after a smart save from a short corner by keeper Peter Dickerson was cleared some lacklustre defending saw Kettering instantly regain possession and get away another shot which the keeper saved only to see the rebound poked home by the Kettering striker 2:2.

The game really opened up from here as both teams exchanged threatening attacks in the search of the winning goal. The Dragons keeper Peter Dickerson found himself called upon again as a sly Kettering striker found himself clean through 1 on 1 only to be denied by the out rushing keeper and covering. Dragons returned the favour and Matt Knights came close to adding to his tally with a drag flick from a short corner that rattled the cross bar. Dragons pressure eventually paid off and they managed to sneak a late winner through forward Ollie King with roughly 5 minutes to go. Kettering in turn through the kitchen sink at dragons trying to claw back the one goal deficit but were denied by a resolute dragons defence. In the final moment Kettering had their last attack from a short corner which a slick passing routine seen their forward find himself free from 2 yards out only to be denied by a reflex diving save from the goalkeeper.

Dragons held on to win 3-2 with man of the match going to Peter Dickerson. That makes it the perfect start to the season for Dragons and sees them sitting joint top of the league with 4 wins from 4.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s:  2-1

Goalscores:  Ed Gould, Rupert Snelling
MOM: Jamie McKinnon

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s:  1-2

Goalscoresr:  Josh Rollason 
MOM: Ed Smith

Last game of the day saw a clash of the titans. The highflying Mens 3s taking on pointless Mens 2s in a fixture that should, and eventually did, only have one outcome. A quick start by the 2s saw the 3s go 0-1 down after a minute from an Eddie Gould back-post tap in. Things evened out after that and the 3s clawed their way back in before half time with a great attack by AJ Edwards leading to a tidy finish by Josh Rollason. The second half saw a similar start as to the first with the 3s caught sleeping and Rupert Snelling finishing smartly after a goal mouth scramble. After that it was all 3s, forcing the 2s keeper into making some fantastic saves including one with his helmet. Unfortunately despite some slick play the 3s could just not find a way back in. Final score 3s: 1-2 :2s. MoM to Ed for a fantastic performance all over the pitch. Next up is a tough game away at IES 2s.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s:  4-3

Goalscorers:  Greg Reynolds x2, Joe Flatt, Paul Keating 
MOM:  Joe Flatt

Saturday marked a great competitive day amongst Dragons’ teams at the Den, with brilliant hockey being displayed from all sides. Dragons 4s were facing what was soon described as the strongest fifth team ever seen before, and as a result, the 4s got off to a not-so-good start, which is unfortunately becoming a bad habit. Not so long after the push back 5s were awarded a short corner which was brilliantly converted by Josh Bingham with one of his strongest hits on the goal board. Josh (AKA the Ballbreaker) had another attempt from a short corner shortly after, but this time his shot hit the bullseye of keeper Dave King’s soft areas instead of in the net. The 4s’ efforts to level the game were relentlessly stopped by a defence masterly commanded by an incredibly solid David Kidner, who proved to be Peter Davison’s perfect counterpart. What’s more, the 5s managed to score again before the break after a great team effort converted by Tom Bailey. 2-0 down at half time and the feeling that things could still get worse.

With a serious chat during the break the 4s tried to recompose the picture by addressing the main issues spotted during the first half. And they reacted well. With just 5 minutes of the second half gone, Arj Puvanachandra brilliantly set Joe Flatt to score the first goal for Dragons 4s, bringing them back into the game. They kept pushing, and not long after the first goal Greg Reynolds got the equalizer. But 5s were still fighting well and went ahead again with another great goal from Tom Bailey, but their joy didn’t last long since 4s managed to level it up again, with a controversial goal by Paul Keating, since nobody seems to remember that one… later it was agreed that it would be considered as a great goal though . But 5s never gave up and kept attacking, with Charlie Creasy and Kit Scott creating multiple chances. Just a few minutes before the final whistle Greg Reynolds saved the day when he got his second goal, setting a final 3-4 score for Dragons 4s.

Man of the match went to Joe Flatt for his great contribution to such an important victory, which leaves Dragons 4s in second place in the league table, with same points as the first team.

Congratulations to Dragons 5s, who played really well and could easily have won the game.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s:  3-4

Goalscorer:  Tom Bailey x2, Josh Bingham
MOM:  David Kidner

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v  Watton 2s:  5-0

Goalscorers:  Casper Lind x4, Ross Bradshaw
MOM:   Casper Lind  

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A v East Coast:  7-0

Goalscorers: Lucy Courtier x2, Hannah Shepperson x2, Josie Kell x2, Ellie Wagstaff
MOM:   Josie Kell, Yona McDonald

Dev Girls B v Watton:  0-2

MOM:  Libby Ong

Dev Boys A v  Magpies:  7-0

Goalscorers:  Will Sexton x3, Hector McNeill x2, Dylan Bondi x2
MOM:  

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 5th October 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sWisbech Town 1H4-2 (W)Mia Bartram x2
Lauren Lawrie
Sarah Jenkins
Mia Bartram
L2sChristchurch 1A1-3 (W)Alex Daplyn x2
Hannah Hardy
Alex Daplyn
L3sHarleston Magpies 3H2-4 (L)Maddy Reynolds
Harriet Rant
Piper Hempsall
L4sReephamA3-4 (W)Georgie Manly x3
Amy Forse
Georgie Manly
L5sCarrow H0-0 (D)Emily Grint
L6sMagpies 5A8-0 (L)Esther Jacobs
L7sUEA 3A3-1 (L)Lara NuthallLara Nuthall
L8sUEA 4A6-0 (L)Emily Matthews
M1sUniversity of East Anglia Men 1H3-1 (W)Mark Flatman
Dan Rix x2
Peter Dickerson
M2sNewmarket 1H0-5 (L)Alex Sharpe
M3sUniversity of East Anglia Men 2A0-1 (W)Jon MilesJamie Mckinnon
M4sHarleston Magpies 5H3-3 (D)Harry Brown
Greg Reynolds
Arj Puvanachandra
Arj Puvanachandra
M5sNewmarket 2A4-2 (L)Charlie Creasy
Andrew Cross
Charlie Creasy
M6sUniversity of East Anglia Men 4A2-0 (L)
BD AN City H3-3 (D)Will Sexton x2
Vithu Baskaran
Will Sexton
BD BWatton A0-0 (D)Freddie Jupe
GD A
GD BPelicans A

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Wisbech Town 1s:

Goalscorers:   Mia Bartram x2 , Lauren Lawrie, Sarah Jenkins
MOM:  Mia Bartram

This match against Wisbech Town 1s was a great build on last week, taking into account what was worked on in training. A 4-2 win saw goals from Mia Bartram x2, Lauren Lawrie after working the ball around the D, and Sarah Jenkins after a fantastic short corner with a deflection off the opposing player. There were fantastic runs up the pitch, notable work by Holly Setchell, and a high work rate was kept throughout the game. Two goals were conceded in the second half, the last scored on the break. Player of the match went to Mia Bartram for an incredible game and working hard to the end.  

 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Christchurch 1s: 

Goalscorers:    Alex Daplyn x2 ,  Hannah Hardy  
MOM: Alex Daplyn

An early start for Dragons saw them head down the A140 for an away trip with Christchurch. Changes saw Kate McKenna and Sam Franklin return to the team, plus a deserved debut in the 2’s for Alex Daplyn.

Dragons had a good warm up and started the game well, with a long period of pressure following some good work down the right by Sam Franklin and Ally Windsor Waite who combined well. Having earned a couple of short corners, Dragons eventually scored with their 3rd, following a neat pass from Gail Thomas to Hannah Hardy who found the corner. Unfortunately the team then switched off a little, allowing Christchurch to attack and earn a couple of short corners of their own, with the 2nd, a neat routine saw a strike from the left deflected neatly past the Dragons Keeper.

Despite plenty of possession, Christchurch defended deep and in numbers and the visitors found it difficult to break them down. Christchurch had good spells too and Shelly Seaman, Karen O’Neill Simpson and Stella Windsor Waite needed to be alert to the threat, whilst Jillian Christie in Goal pulled off some important saves.

At halftime Captain O’Neill Simpson asked for the team to look to play with a bit more composure, move the ball on a bit quicker and believe the goals would come. The team heeded her words, good work down the right from Georgia Rant saw the ball forced across the D where debutant Alex Daplyn found herself in a great position to fire home into the roof of the net. Dragons 3rd quickly followed, again from the right of the pitch saw Georgia Rant showing good skills to find Hannah Hardy who fired the ball across the D, where Alex Daplyn had once again found space at the back post, to claim her second of the day.

More good Dragons build up play continued; Hannah Ellis was strong in the middle alongside Gail Thomas, both feeding great balls into the ever willing forward runners, Lilli Ballard worked hard, alongside Kate McKenna and Ally Windsor Waite, but the 4th goal just eluded Dragons, with the Christchurch Keeper making some strong saves.

An improved performance and plenty to build on for the 2’s. Player of the Match deservedly went to Alex Daplyn on her 2nd Team debut.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Magpies 3s:  

Goalscorers:    Maddy Reynolds,   Harriet Rant  
MOM: Piper Hempsall

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Reepham:

Goalscorers:  Georgie Manly x3,  Amy Forse  
MOM:  Georgie Manly

Dragons got off to an attacking start, with some good movement and quick passing. The game was end to end and some good defence was utilised as was the strong attack. They were unlucky to concede a well taken penalty flick after sustaining a quick attack making the score 1-0 to Reepham. Dragons went into the attack once again and after some quick passing,using the space wide, Amy Forsedrove into the d and offloaded to Georgie Manly who scored a great goal , making it 1-1 at half time. After the break Reepham came back out with great intent scoring another goal to make it 2-1. Dragons weren’t to be fazed and after using the space out wide and Amy passing to Georgie who scored again the score was 2-2. After more attacking Dragons won a short corner which Georgie managed to convert giving dragons a 3-2 lead. Reepham scored after a prolonged period of attack equalizing the score once again 3-3. Dragons kept attacking hard, giving everything in the final three minutes. Amy made a blistering run and managed to get another goal with only a minute left on the clock sealing the 4-3 win for Dragons. A very good game against a very strong team. 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1

Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Carrow:

MOM:   Emily Grint

This was always going to be a tough game, Carrow are a strong and well organised team who have developed a style of play that works well for them and often wrong foots the opposition. However, Norwich Dragons, having played them last season, soon got the measure of them and set about taking advantage of youthful midfield in the form of Mary Bowles and Emma Merryweather who worked well to move the ball along the wings and towards the D.
Carrow tried to dominate the middle ground during the first 15 minutes, but the skilful Anita
Mancini and tenacious Louise Brooks, stopped most attacking play before it reached the defensive end of the pitch. Nat Crisp and Jo Jennings both worked hard to move the ball up towards the Carrow goal and successfully played the ball into the D and the waiting stick of Claire Stewart, who came close on a couple of occasions, but a very agile keeper stopped everything coming her way. The best chances in the first half came from a one-on-one with the keeper for Emma Merryweather and a lovely short corner strike from Jane Wells, again, strong keeping and a determined Carrow defensive line stopped all chances. Even two short corners on the half time whistle couldn’t get passed them!

A good half time talk from captain Gemma Ballard, reminded the team to keep its shape and make more of the wings, communication was key and so was easy passes and keeping possession.

The second half saw Dragons taking more chances with Louise Davis and Kate Atkins both taking chances to move out of the defensive quarter to overload the attacking play and this allowed multiple attacks on goal, with Floss Andrews having a couple of lovely runs into the D from the right. However the D was nearly always packed with Carrow defenders, who did a great job of stopping everything coming their way. Carrow had several chances in the second half, with some nice paired runs and passes to high forwards hanging around the D, but Dragon’s defence was equally up to the Job with Emily Grint (POM) making some lovely stops and channeling most attacks out wide. Mia Sommers was always in control of the D and took an attacking stance against the Carrow forwards. With the score resolutely staying a 0:0 both teams ramped up their efforts in the final 5 minutes with Carrow getting a short corner, which was expertly stopped by Emily Grint and Jo Jennings. This was quickly broken down and turned into a Dragon’s attack with Claire Stewart having one last shot on goal. The final score of 0:0 was a fair result for what was a pretty end to end game.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v  Magpies 5s:  

Goalscorers:  
MOM:  Esther Jacobs

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v UEA 3s: 

Goalscorer:  Lara Nuthall
MOM:  Lara Nuthall

Ladies 7s played out their heart and soul against UEA 3s, however we simply out ran by a team of young nippy students with many more subs. Although the scoreline at 3-1  to UEA was the same as against Broadband the game was not as there was improvement throughout. 

Pulling ahead in the 1st half Dragons looked promising with Ceris Burgues working hard at top of the diamond to distribute the ball and from training remembering to push it.  The forwards starting to work well together, Claire Fairhurst taking some stealth positions and working the ball round followed by a shot in front of goal from Lois Metcalfe, however not quite finished on the post (I must learn to find those corners :-)) 

Paige Fisher focused and placed an intelligent slip of the ball to Lara Nutall (Man of the Match)  who with a tiniest of touches guided the ball into the goal. This made us jump around. Unfortunately UEA 3s fought back hard and pushing up the pitch led to a series (I lost track) of short corners and eventfully a save on the line (albeit with a foot) led Emma North to the high pressure situation of a flick. The flick was well executed and landed UEA in a 1-1 draw just going into half time. 

 

In the 2nd half,  we were under continued pressure and almost constant short corners. Maisie Dearmer worked hard to distribute the ball into Dragons possession but it was relentless.   Emma Dyer proving stoic in the middle worked hard along with Jessie Young and Ella Hanly improving the defensive work from the previous week. Despite this they were under almost constant pressure with too many short corners to count. Briony Johnstone worked hard to push up with some well considered runs and at times there were signs of opportunity. 

We have to admit we  tired, with the defence under significant pressure. Help had arrived int he form of Sarah Lucas with her boundless energy . Claire Fairhurst and Lara Nutall moved into midfield this gave some rest for some tired legs, however UEA simply didn’t tire whilst Dragons wanted to in the words of James sit down. 

Scoring two more well executed goals they proved themselves the winner working an excellent passing game that the 7s plan to learn from. Keep focus, keep going and let the ball do the work!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v UEA 4s:

MOM:  Emily Matthews

After last week’s fine point-scoring display, the 8s were brought down to earth by a fast-moving UEA team who bagged 5 goals before half time.

Dragons faced a number of challenges, with illness and injury leaving them short of players. When Jo Lees had to go off early with the recurrence of a hip injury, the 8s had no subs whilst it felt like the students had an endless supply of fast, fresh legs. If Dragons had any spare legs, they should have been kicking themselves for failing to take advantage of an empty pitch on which to get to know their new players and get a slick warm up routine going. As it was, they started slow and soft, creating a number of opportunities for the opposition when they gently pushed clearances into the path of onrushing forwards.
 
But enough of the ‘minuses’. Onto the ‘pluses’, of which there were plenty. Dragons had to build from the back, and their re-shaped defence began to create an understanding. Emma Northie North was kicking more strongly and stopped some fierce shots. In front of her, Jess Lockwood moved to centre back and exerted calm control. Debutante Emily Matthews proved her flexibility in a number of positions, and earned POM for a very confident display of tackling and clearing. Debutante and ‘Get Back Into’ player Hester McLean also put in a determined display, whilst Louise Crouch-Read, playing her second game, was lively and fearless running forward or tracking back.
 
Bridget Le Good could be relied on to clear the ball the length of the pitch, but her passes would be more useful if she could direct them onto the sticks of the forwards. The link play between the mids and forwards did not get going in the first half, although Katy Cole chased down every ball in the centre and her distribution looked as though it is going to be an asset as the season progresses. Nic Harrison is another great tackler and chaser who was seldom passed, while Sadie Jacobs picked up some good balls on the other side of midfield.
 
Dragons got the ball up to the forwards several times in the second half, but some solid marking by the UEA defence made it difficult for Johanne Steward, Emma Young and Louise to pick up the long balls.
 
It was in the second half, when Nic and Sadie switched sides and Jess, Emily and Hester/Louise all showed their determination in clearing wide, that the Dragons put in a much improved performance. UEA only added one goal to their tally, a well-taken short corner. The 8s began to move the ball around more accurately. The mids were coming back to tackle, and if the whole team can improve their fitness they should be able to set up more attacking moves with the press..
““““““““““““`Every player in the 8s kept playing hard to the end, and felt no need to be discouraged when captains Jess and Johanne could clearly explain  how the side can improve, working with coach Pat Cline. The 8s know that positivity and determination will carry them a long way. If they can build skills and work on their team understanding then the results will come.

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v UEA 1s: 

Goalscorer:   Mark Flatman,  Dan Rix x2  
MOM: Peter Dickerson

Another fine performance saw Dragons take all three points from a fast end to end encounter. Mark Beckett-Flatman put Dragons in front and despite pressure from UEA throughout the game Dan Rix scored a brace to see the home side home comfortably.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Newmarket 1s: 

Goalscores:  James Cross, Eddie Gould
MOM: James Cross

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v UEA 2s:

Goalscoresr:  Jon Miles 
MOM: Jamie Mckinnon

A tight encounter against a fit UEA side saw Dragons control their D well and Jon Miles’ goal ended up being the difference between the two sides.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Magpies 5s: 

Goalscorers:  Harry Brown , Greg Reynolds ,  Arj Puvanachandra  
MOM:  Arj Puvanachandra

Harleston started brightly and pinched two goals before Dragons got going. But Harry Brown pulled one back and the momentum swung to an energetic Dragons side. Soon it was 2-2 after a fine team goal resulting in Greg Reynolds putting Dragons back in the game. Dragons then went ahead with Arj  Puvanachandra finishing calmly in front the keeper but it wasn’t to be as Magpies hit back with 10 minutes remaining. Despite the pressure Magpies held out for the draw playing well in the final stages.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Newmarket 2s:

Goalscorer:  Josh Bingham Andrew Cross
MOM:  Charlie Creasy

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v  UEA 4s: 

MOM:   Tom Helfer   

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A no game

Goalscorers: 
MOM:  

Dev Girls B v Pelicans 

Dev Boys A v  Norwich City:  3-3

Goalscorers:  Will Sexton x2 ,  Vithu Baskaran  
MOM:  Will Sexton

As the score would suggest the match was very even and both teams had the advantage at different points in the game. After the first quarter city were 0 – 1 up but after the second quarter 

Dragons had matched the score and as the half time whistle was blow it was 1 – 1. Into the third quarter City took a lead and made it 1 – 3 by the end of the quarter. From then on Dragons brought it back too the 3 – 3 draw which was well deserved after a great team play in the last few minutes. 

Also because of a lack of players on City’s side they played with 2 Adults who definitely played a big part in the city defence.

Dev Boys B v  Watton:  0-0

MOM: Freddie Jupe

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 28th September 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sColchester 1A1-2 (W)Mima Watson
Kate McKenna
Mima Watson
L2sIpswich 2H0-2 (L)Shelly Seaman
Esme Potter
L3sNorwich City 2A2-0 (L)Kristina Smyth
L4sEvergreens H2-2 (D)Lisa Harwood
Amy Forse
Lillian Sore

L5sMagpies 5A4-1 (L)Mary BowlesEmily Grint
L6sDereham 3H5-2 (W)Mia McGhee x3
Hatty Harrison-Mobbs
Lara King
Mia McGhee
L7sBroadland 3A3-1 (L)Lara NuthallEmma Dyer
Erin Aldous
L8sMagpies 8H0-0 (D)Rosie Tarleton
M1sCity of Peterborough 3A1-2 (W)Ollie King
Jack Hallworth
Patrick Gordon
M2sNorwich City 3A3-2 (L)James Cross
Eddie Gould
James Cross
M3sNorwich City 4H7-1 (W)Jon Miles x4
Will Kirby x3
Jon Miles
M4sSudbury 3A1-5 (W)Alberto Embarba x2
Phil York Smith
Tommy Gale
Josh Rollason
Alberto Embarba
M5sNorwich Exiles 1H1-1 (D)Josh BinghamRobin Clarke
M6sNorwich City 6H0-3 (L)Graham Cormack
Young MOM: Daniel Shirley
BD AWatton A0-11 (W)Ayrton Rant
Will Sexton x2
Hector McNeil
Raul Wigglesworth x4
Tom Skelton x2
Blade Earley
Will Sexton
Raul Wigglesworth
BD BN City H0-4 (L)Dylon Bondi
GD AN City H5-2 (W)Mia Rutterford
Lucy Courtier x4
Josie Kell
GD Bblank

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Colchester 1s:  2-1

Goalscorers:   Kate McKenna, Mima Watson
MOM:  Mima Watson

The Ladies 1st team played an inspirational match, winning 2-1 against Colchester Ladies. The first half saw Colchester leading 0-1 after scoring from a short corner, however, we made an amazing come back in the second half scoring two wonderful goals. The first was scored by Jemima Watson, and the second by Kate McKenna after receiving a well worked ball from Lucy Morton. Incredible work from everyone and a solid defensive line!

Player of the match went to Jemima Watson for her fantastic goal and great skill.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Ipswich 2s:  0-2

MOM:  Shelly Seaman, Esme Potter

Dragons lined up against Ipswich looking to improve on the previous week’s performance, as this new team builds together. 

The home team started strongly with a good spell of possession but failing to capitalise on this early pressure. Ipswich grew into the game and forced Dragons deeper, however goal scoring chances were few and far between.

Eventually the deadlock was broken with Dragons disappointingly allowing a ball to go right across the D, which was put away at the back post, giving Ipswich a slender lead at halftime.

Whilst Dragons had good spells in the 2nd half, Ipswich always looked comfortable and continued to move the ball around the back well. Dragons possibly sat back too much and should have pressed the visitors a bit sooner, as when they did this bought them success. In doing so however they left gaps, meaning Ipswich forced a late short corner home, with just 5 minutes remaining.

Player of the Match votes were split, the final vote a tie between Esme Potter and Shelly Seaman. 

 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Norwich City 2s:  0-2

MOM:  Kristina Smyth

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Evergreens:  2-2

Goalscorers: Lisa Harwood, Amy Forse
MOM:  Lillian Sore

Only the second game into the season, the 4s started with some new combinations today. As expected, Evergreens started hard and hassled the Dragons players, making sure they did not have much time on the ball. It was Dragons who had the early territory though, camping in Evergreen’s D for a chunk of time as short corner after short corner was awarded. Unfortunately, Dragons were unable to capitalise, and soon Evergreen were exerting pressure of their own. Some fabulous saves by Mia Somers kept the scores even until a quick break by Evergreens used to exploit tired Dragons legs (the team were working with no-substitutes) led to a goal.

The second half saw the arrival of Sarah Wagstaff on the pitch, coach and captain having to rush on as injury cover. Again, Evergreens exerted early pressure and were awarded with the first goal of the half, a deflection from a short corner attack. Dragons kept their heads up and kept trying to work the ball around the pitch, with big shifts put in mid-field by Hannah Edwards and Gill Walker to distribute to Lisa Harwood and Charlotte Dowson on the wings. Eventually Dragons were rewarded with a short corner, which lead to a goal by Lisa Harwood. That goal led to increasing belief in the Dragons team, and three minutes before the end a break down the left by Lily Sore and feeding into Amy Forse led to another goal. Evergreens were awarded a final short in the dying minutes of the game, but a cool save by Mia kept it to 2-2. MOM votes were split evenly across the team, reflecting the hard work put in by all, but the winner was Lily for her great attacking play on the left.

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Magpies 5s:  1-5

Goalscorer:  Mary Bowles
MOM:   Emily Grint

Dragons started strongly and caught Magpies off guard but their young, well-drilled team were quick on the break and Dragons had to work hard to keep on top of them.

 A Dragons short corner led to a great strike by Jane Wells, sadly blocked by their runner. Claire Stuart made good use of the wing and there was great joined up play in midfield by Mel Widdows, Emma Merryweather, Louise Brooks and Nat Crisp. End to end play in the first quarter eventually led to Magpies finding their way through a battling Dragons defence to score their first goal. Despite Dragons holding their shape well, a second Magpies goal was scored via a short corner.

There were some great saves by Mia Somers and Kate Atkins, Lou Davis, Georgia Butterworth and Emily Grint worked tirelessly in the face of repeated attempts at goal from Magpies. They scored their third goal, despite Emma  displaying her usual determination in midfield.

Lizzie McDonnell and Mary Bowles worked brilliantly together in the second half, resulting in a goal from Mary…making the score 3-1.  A near-miss by Jane in 60th minute left the bench on the edge of their seats. However another break from Magpies lead to the final score being 4-1.

Great work rate by all, just couldn’t quite match the speed of the Magpies runs and passes. Thanks to captain Gemma Ballard guiding us from the bench. Onwards and upwards!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v  Dereham 3s:  5-2

Goalscorers:  Mia McGhee x3, Hatty Harrison-Mobbs, Lara King
MOM:  Mia McGhee

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Broadland 3s:  1-3

Goalscorer:  Lara Nuthall
MOM:  Emma Dyer, Erin Aldous

The first half showed Dragons to be having a strong game against Broadland 3 with many opportunities on goal, winning short corners and maintaining pressure on the hosts. Dragons continued to deliver clean, clear passes and played the ball well, using the wings successfully. Erin Aldous as bottom of the diamond, kept the shape in midfield and was excellent at moving the ball around, making Broadland work! Claire Fairhurst began on as Left forward and had some great attempts at running the ball down the line and bringing it into the D via the baseline, Lois Metcalfe was receiving the rebounds well and Lara Nuthall managed to keep her game by the goal putting endless pressure on their goalie!

Our mid’s were also showing great play of attacking wide, Sophie James joined us from 8’s and had a particularly good game and it was great to see how over the past season her confidence has clearly grown!

Us defenders had a quiet first half, however unfortunately conceded 2 goals, the first from a short where the ball rebounded of my stick! Apologies team! The second being that of their forward being by the post and taking the opportunity to be swift! Something we can definitely learn from!

Jessie Young and myself have played in defence together many a time and we appear to be reading each other well and having great advice from Des allowed me to be an effective pivot at the back! Briony Johnstone joined us as right back and was playing some great clean, strong passes up the wing regularly.

In the second half the heavens opened and at one point play became impossible! A soggy second half allowed us to again concede from a short; however wearing a mask in torrential rain does limit sight and again Broadland were great opportunists! However, the fantastic Lara got what she had been working for all game, and scored a well-deserved goal bringing the result to 3-1.

This score does not reflect play at all and this should have been a game we should have at least drawn let alone win! From the defence point of view, we get to see the whole game play in front of us and we had many chances, something to take from the game would be to practise bringing the goalie out of their comfort zone and go around them. We had most of the possession and kept pressure both halves, an unlucky loss! With Biblical rain too! A quiet second half meant poor Northy got soaked through too; well played goalie!

Finally, a big thank you to Des who gave some great feedback and something we all need to apply to our games moving forward.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Magpies 8s:  0-0

MOM:  Rosie Tarleton

Dragons 8s started their season with a very encouraging draw against Magpies 8s. This match had plenty of end-to-end excitement involving two teams who were similarly set up with blends of youth and experience. Perhaps Magpies had the edge in goalmouth action and shots on target, but the luck of the draw on goalkeeper availability brought Kracking Kristina Smyth to the 8s. Her calmness under pressure and her ability to kick powerfully  with either foot gave Dragons a solid base.The defence also looked pretty solid, with Jo Lees in the middle backed either side by Jess Lockwood, Johanne Steward and Rosie Tarleton and they all got in some excellent tackles and improved the accuracy and power of their hit outs. Rosie was a particularly strong blocker and tackler, and she sealed a POM performance by doubling up as a speedy midfielder. 

The 8s welcomed two new players to the squad. Charlotte Carr proved her flexibility from the start by playing up front and in defence – typifying the willingness of this team to do any job asked of them. Louise Crouch-Read also impressed with some good distribution and marking-back at the top of the diamond. Another double debut for Louise – first time in the 8s and first time in that position. Bridget Le Good was bottom of the diamond, and she got a lot of accurate long hits away. The 8s were very encouraged that these long passes were picked up by Charlotte, Sadie Jacobs, Shaniece Claxton, Johanne Steward and Emma Young. All five of the players taking a stint up front could work the ball into the circle, but the Magpies defence was very resolute and shots on target were hard to come by. 

Potentially, the 8s have a strong midfield. Nic Harrison had to carry out a more defensive role on the left in this match to keep two strong right sided players quiet, and she began for form a good understanding with Jess. Ceris Burgues was a brave powerhouse in the centre, able to hold play up and push forward at speed despite some unfortunate strikes to the legs. Shaniece also did very well in her turn as left mid.

The 8s have two new captains this season. Johanne Steward and Jess Lockwood have enthusiasm and determination in abundance, and pronounced themselves very pleased with this first result. They noted the strong camaraderie, and the fact that the heads never dropped. Players kept running until the final whistle, and switched flexibly as the needs of the match dictated.  Not surprisingly, 10 players got at least one POM vote. The captains also concluded that the team spirit should carry the 8s through the hard work that needs to be done on certain key skills. We know what they are and we are committed to achieving. But we start with pride and a hard-won point!

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v City of Peterborough 3s:  2-1

Goalscorer:  Ollie King, Jack Hallworth
MOM:  Patrick Gordon

Men’s 1s make it two wins out of two with a closely fought 2-1 victory against Peterborough 3s. A deft deflection from Ollie King gave Dragons the lead before the break. A cracking half volley from Jack Hallworth put Dragons 2-0 up before Peterborough dragged one back from a short corner after the final whistle.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Norwich City 3s:  2-3

Goalscores:  James Cross, Eddie Gould
MOM: James Cross

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Norwich City 4s:  7-1

Goalscoresr:  Jon Miles x4, Will Kirby x3
MOM: Jon Miles

After a tough opening fixture NDHC Men’s 3s faced inter-city rivals Norwich City 4s for their first home game of the season. Dragons got off to an uneasy start missing a few chances and after 20 minutes going 0-1 down after a well-worked deflection by City slotting the ball into the bottom corner of Dragon’s goal. It went from bad to worse as Dragons then lost right midfielder Nick Turner to injury. However the tide finally turned and through striker Jon Miles Dragons hit back twice in quick succession to go into the break 2-1 up. After the break Dragons continued where they had left off with Jon grabbing another goal. With City’s team tiring after pressing high and hard with one sub all game and a combination of a resolute defence (bolstered by the return of Stu Kelly) and quick counter-attacking hockey the game quickly became a rout with Jon taking his final tally to 4 and reborn striker Will Kirby also grabbing a hat-trick. Whilst the numbers look impressive for the forwards in reality it was great team hockey that made it possible with a huge effort put in by Will Main, John Ives and Ed Smith in midfield. Final score 7-1 with MoM going to Jon Miles for his 4 goals and the team looking forward to a tough match-up with UEA 2s next week.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Sudbury 4s:  5-1

Goalscorers:  Alberto Embarba x2, Phil York Smith, Tommy Gale, Josh Rollason
MOM:  Alberto Embarba

Dragons 4s went on a long trip to face Sudbury’s 3rd team. But the hour-and-a-half trip paid back when they managed to leave behind the cloudy skies of Norfolk to enjoy the sunny spells of what seemed to be the last day of the summer.

It was shortly after the push-back that Dragons learnt the hard way that they were playing on a very slow pitch. In the first minutes of the game quite a few passes ended up short from target and being intercepted in dangerous places. A few embarrassing moments were seen as well, when the ball failed to cross the D after injection in a couple of short corners. Nevertheless, lessons were learnt, and Dragons started to move the ball around effectively by hitting, slapping and lifting it off the ground to overcome the problem. And then the goals came. The first one started with Owain Hall eliminating his opponent in the centre of the midfield and sending the ball to the top-right corner, where Tommy Gale did his part and sent a great pass to the centre of the D where Josh Rollason was waiting to brilliantly finalise a great team effort. The second goal was signed off by Phil York-Smith from a short corner, brilliantly pushed on target. The third goal started with Greg Reynolds moving incredibly fast from the left side and sending in a great ball which was collected by Bobby Sheppard and sent past the keeper, with Tommy Gale tapping in on the right post.

In the first minutes of the second half Sudbury managed to intercept a ball in midfield and move quickly into the D, dribbling superbly around a few Dragons and get their one and only goal of the day. As a response Dragons reacted well and got their fourth goal from a short corner, which was shot on target by Bobby Sheppard but stopped by the keeper, with Alberto Embarba collecting it and scoring, after four consecutive attempts! The fifth goal should have come from another short corner amazingly pushed by Phil York-Smith, which was deflected off the goal line by a defender sitting on the right-side post. We had to wait a few more minutes until another short corner was awarded to see Alberto picking up the ball deflected by the keeper and lifting it to the net. 1-5 win at final whistle, which places Dragons in second position in the league table, in a great game where we could see Will Ives coming back on track from injury and playing at the highest level again.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Norwich Exiles 1s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Josh Bingham
MOM:  Robin Clarke

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norwich City 6s:  0-3

MOM:  Graham Cormack
Young MOM:  Daniel Shirley

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A v Norwich City:  5-2

Goalscorers:  Mia Rutterford, Lucy Courtier x4
MOM:  Josie Kell

Dev Girls  – no fixture 

Dev Boys A v  Watton:  11-0

Goalscorers:  Ayrton Rant, Will Sexton x2, Hector McNeill, Raul Wigglesworth x4, Tom Skelton x2, Blade Earley
MOM:  Will Sexton, Raul Wigglesworth

Dev Boys B v  Norwich City:  0-4

In the first half Norwich City had the majority of the ball and went 1-0 up in the second quarter. At half time we lost our keeper that we had loaned. They went 2-0 up in the third quarter and scored the other two in the last quarter. They also had one disallowed. Thanks to Andy Hollis for playing as an adult. 

MOM: Dylon Bondi

 

NDHC League Match Reports – 21st September 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Bury St Edmunds 1s:  2-2

Goalscorers:   Kate McKenna, Katie Taubman
MOM:  Liv Leary

The Ladies 1st team started the season off today with a well earned 2-2 draw against Bury St Edmunds 1s.  We dominated the first half with some great transfers and moving the ball into space. There was lots of attacking play and many chances to score. The second half started off with a fantastic goal from Kate McKenna, which was then followed by a levelling goal by the opposition. Another unlucky goal by the opposition led to us being 2-1 down, however, after a strong fight back, Katie Taubman scored a fantastic equalising goal in the final 2 minutes of the match as a result of working the ball round the D and the back line. Player of the match went to Liv Leary for magnificent attacking play on and off the ball.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v UEA 1s:  2-4

Goalscorer:  Hannah Ellis
MOM:   Jillian Christie

The new season commenced with a number of new faces in the Ladies 2’s – with East League debuts for Georgia Rant and Lilli Ballard, who have worked hard over the summer and pre-season to earn their chance, plus a warm welcome to newcomer to Norwich Jillian Christie in goal.

UEA started brightly with Jillian pulling off a number of smart saves to keep the game level. Dragons grew and eventually a sharp attack down the right wing by Georgia Rant saw a great cross finding Hannah Ellis, who had ghosted into the back post, to place the ball past the keeper, to take the lead which the visitors held until half time, despite some UEA pressure.

The 2nd half saw UEA come out strong and draw level early after the break. It was end to end stuff though and an attack down the left involving Piper Hempsall and Hannah Ellis saw Ellis drive into the D and hit an excellent strike, beating defenders and the GK for her second of the game.

Unfortunately this only spurred UEA on further and despite the efforts of the Dragons defence and an outstanding MoM debut performance by Jillian Christie, the home team grabbed a further equaliser and then went on to take 2 further chances and all 3 points.

Dragons have work to do to fully establish themselves as a team, with a new mix of players, but the signs are promising and with continued hard work at training they will reap their rewards. 

 
 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Yarmouth 1s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Harriet Marlee
MOM:  Alex Daplyn

It was a very sunny and hot morning at the Den as the Ladies 3’s went out for their first league match against Yarmouth 1s. The 3’s started off strongly, winning a short corner in the first quarter with a brilliant straight strike from Harriet Marlee to go 1-0 up. Dragons kept their lead, with some other close scrambles near the opposition goal, up until late in the second half. 

However, Yarmouth were a strong side who challenged the Dragon’s defence on a couple of occasions in the second half. Eventually, the opposition secured a short corner in the last five minutes which brought them level. A quick break from Dragons in the last couple of minutes with a good shot on goal nearly brought them to 2-1 but it was saved and well cleared by a strong Yarmouth keeper.

All in all a good start to the season with lots of good play, team support and chances at goal! POM was very close but went to Alex Daplyn for some great play at both ends of the pitch.

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Magpies 4s:  1-6

Goalscorer: Fiona Fletcher
MOM:  Jen Buskell

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Dragons 6s:  8-0

Goalscorers:  Claire Stuart x4, Lizzy McDonnell x3, Jane Wells
MOM:   Nat Crisp

As usual the season kicked off for the 5’s with their first game up against the 6’s.  With lots of new faces in both teams it was a chance for both teams to try and establish themselves with their new mix of players. 

The 6’s started strongly and were obviously determined from the off.  But 5’s soon had a quick break down the right with Megan Beckett-Flatman finding Anita Mancini, and then her cross being calmly deflected in by Lizzy McDonnell.  Claire Stuart soon added to the scoring tucking in another cross from Megan on the left post.  6’s continued to challenge with some great runs down the right-hand side but were cut out by the defensive line of Emily Grint, Kate Atkins and Hannah Woods and again the 5’s would be set off back on the attack.  Esther Jacobs made some great saves for the 6’s but couldn’t keep out a short corner slipped to the left by Anita.  Nat Crisp, Hatty Harrison-Mobbs and  Louise Brooks all found themselves making runs into the attacking D and with Lizzy and Claire’s finishing the 5’s finished the 1st half 6-0 up.

The 2nd half saw the 6’s work tirelessly and eventually winning a flick for their persistence in front of goal, but this was saved by Mia.  2 further goals came from Jane Wells and Lizzy, but then an excellent goal line clearance by Ella in the 6’s denied the 5’s of any more.   6’s had an opportunity in the last minute of the game when Hatty Stuart found herself charging at Mia one on one, but Mia remained cool and sent the ball wide to keep a clean sheet and end the game 8-0. 

A good start to the season and great hockey played by all.  POM was very close but eventually went to both Nat Crisp and Claire Stuart. 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v  Norwich Dragons 5s:  0-8

MOM:  Ella Handy

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Thetford:  0-11

MOM:  Paige Fisher

Dragons lost heavily to a very well-drilled Thetford side who were superior in the key areas – they could move the ball all over the pitch more accurately and more powerfully, and they were frequently first to the ball. However, captain on the day Emma North said she was very pleased with all the players who made themselves available to fill the gaps in the team. Everyone gave 100 per cent, and the heads never went down.

With the first goal coming in two minutes, Dragons were able to identify Thetford’s most speedy and skillful player. When she was left unmarked and not tackled, Thetford scored. Once Paige Fisher was given the task of marking and tackling her, Thetford had less freedom, and an exhausted Paige earned the POM award.

Dragons had a lot of defenders. Jo Lees, Jess Lockwood, Emily Roper, Rosie Tarleton and Karen Davidson all had their moments with some very brave and solid tackling, but having never played as a unit before this was always going to be a baptism of fire.  They picked up a lot of the tonking shots, but where Thetford were clever was in the way they moved around in the circle at speed and forced the marking to break down. Dragons worked at establishing an understanding and even if the goals came at regular intervals, Northie kept out three or four for every one that went in. That in its turn is a measure of how much pressure Thetford created and how hard Dragons worked.

The 7s are really going to benefit from their own dedicated coach this season, and Des D’Souza made an instant impact with his crisp instructions, his ideas on developing the formation and his ability to keep the team positive.  He needs his full squad available to develop his themes, but his first insistence was on stronger, more accurate passing and the midfielders getting free to pick up from the defence, especially at 16s. Sarah Lucas seems to double her prowess every time she plays, and in this match she was particularly effective when she dropped into right mid where she tackled, won the ball and then got the passes away. Sharing the mid roles, Katy Cole always impressed with her speed, Sophie James with her tackling and Claire Fairhurst with her clear-headed distribution. Claire also made an impression in a more forward role.

In the second half of the second half, Dragons improved their link play. The defence  were getting the ball through to the mids, and the forwards in their turn were getting a better understanding  of  how to make themselves available. With Dragons under pressure, Ceris Burgues and Lara Nuthall were often isolated up front, but they learned how to time their runs, especially with Bridget Le Good spraying strong passes around.  Ceris used her speed and Lara took up some great positions in the circle – and the reward shortly before the end of the match was a penalty corner, which was executed according to plan.

This was a glorious day for hockey.  Vice-captain Claire summed it up; ‘We played, they scored – it was hot!’ Every player was delighted to have had the opportunity to play in this hard-fought but sporting game, and has Des’s words ringing in their ears for what needs to be done at training next week.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s – no fixture

 

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Dereham 2s:  5-2

Goalscorers:  Pedro Goss, Matt Knights, Dan Rix x2, Cley Hamilton
MOM:  Dan Rix

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v North Norfolk 1s:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Rupert Snelling
MOM: 

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Bury St Edmunds 2s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Jon Miles
MOM: John Ives

For the first game of the 2019/20 season the NDHC mens 3s headed down to Bury St. Edmunds to take on their 2nd team in what proved to be a thrilling match. In the glorious Saturday sunshine the away side got off to a good start with new member Jon Miles opening the scoring after a counter-attack led by pacy winger Will Main. For the rest of the half the Dragons weathered a storm of pressure and short corners but the defence remaining resolute including some important saves from captain Tom McLean. The second half featured much of the same with Dragons missing a few key chances in breakaway attacks and enduring constant pressure but centre-backs Joel Dennis and Mitch Smith proving up to the challenge whilst Rob Goodson shut down the midfield with his constant hounding of their best players. Finally the home side got their breakthrough with a nasty bobbling ball through the D finding their striker at the back post for an easy tap-in. The 3s dug in for the final 10 and came away with a very respectable and hard-earned point at 1-1 final score. Many positives to take away from the tough game, man of the match was awarded to John Ives for his experienced and “terrier-like” performance.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Bury St Edmunds 5s:  3-1

Goalscorers:  Rich Phillis, Ali Smyth, Bobby Sheppard
MOM:  Tommy Gale

The Men’s 4th team got off to a good start to the season, not without a fair portion of drama, I must admit. They were facing a well organised Bury St Edmunds 5th team, who arrived at the Den with plenty of time before a theoretical 3:30pm pushback. Shortly after their arrival and having made introductions, they requested access to the blue pitch, which wasn’t being used at that time, for a very disciplined warm up session. Meanwhile, Dragons awaited the final whistle of the previous game, which was carrying the cumulative delay of the rest of the games played before on that shiny Saturday. It was just a couple of minutes after the previous game ended that we learnt a great lesson from the Bury guys, who had been brilliantly plotting their masterplan: having noticed that we were not warming up while we waited, they requested a quick start of the game to “overcome the delayed pushback”. And their plan definitely paid off. With just a couple of minutes of play gone, Bury managed to raze into our D through the centre several times, catching us with the guard down, and scored an early goal from a short corner. Despite Dragon’s efforts, for most of the first half the game seemed in Bury’s hands, with Dragons lagging behind unable to turn their chances into goals, until young Bobby managed to slot in a ball getting the equalizer after a brilliant team effort of great passing between midfielders and attackers. That late-first-half goal seemed to bring Dragons some fresh air, with Bobby Sheppard, Tommy Gale and Adrian Kemp only missing a few more chances by millimetres.

The second half saw Dragons progressively getting into the game and creating multiple chances. Soon a second goal came from a short corner in which Ali Smith managed to send a bouncy ball in from the right side of the D. As time went on, more and more details of quality were seen. Like Paul Keating running up the side line, eliminating opponents with his 3D skills, Rich Phillis diving trying to reach every ball coming around the midfield or Tommy Gale navigating brilliantly from midfield into Bury’s D. With some 10 minutes still to go, Bobby had to leave the pith being a hit on his ankle, pushing Jon Price into the attack line, along with Mr Kemp, with a combined age of 111. But fear not, since both proved to be really fit and gave Bury a really hard time in defence for the remainders of the game. A last goal finally came from Rich Phillis, making the final score 3-1.

It was a great fair-play game, with the score not really reflecting on how well Bury fought. Man of the match went to Tommy Gale for his relentless work throughout the game, but needing a second vote to resolve the draw, since Bobby Sheppard, Jamie McKinnon and Will Mares had also received a fair number of votes for their flawless work on the day. Special thanks to both umpires, Angela Murgatroyd and Dave King, whose great work was also commented after the game.

East League, Men’s 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Bury St Edmunds 4s:  3-3

Goalscorers:  Craig Burley, Josh Bingham, Owain Diver Hall
MOM:  Charlie Creasy

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norfolk Nomads 1s:  1-5

Goalscorer:  Casper Lind
MOM:  Graham Cormack

Development Leagues

Dev Girls A v Watton:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Rosie Smith, Mia NOrrish
MOM:  Rosie Smith

Dev Girls B v Dereham:  0-0

MOM:  Ella Peart

Dev Boys A v  Dev Boys B:  3-1

Goalscorers:  Will Sexton x2, Raul Wigglesworth
MOM:  Blade Earley

On Saturday 21st September Dragons A took on Dragons B at the den. I (Fin Dearmer) was captain of the B team and unfortunately we lost but it was still good fun. I scored the only goal for the B team and the A team scored four. They had most of the possession during the first and second quarter and it paid off when Will Sexton scored from a short corner and the A team went 1-0 up. Half way through the game we had to move pitch and that’s when I scored my goal. It was one all at this point and even though the A team had all of the ball we were still getting chances. In the third and last quarter the B team kind of fell apart and conceded three goals, with one more from Will Sexton and another from Raul Wigglesworth. Tom Clifton and Marcel Moore played their first game for dragons and played very well with Tom getting the assist for my goal. In the end it was 3-1 to the A team, however we still gave them a good match.

Dev Boys B v  Dev Boys A:  1-3

Goalscorer:  Fin Dearmer
MOM: Fin Dearmer

On Saturday 21st September Dragons A took on Dragons B at the den. I (Fin Dearmer) was captain of the B team and unfortunately we lost but it was still good fun. I scored the only goal for the B team and the A team scored four. They had most of the possession during the first and second quarter and it paid off when Will Sexton scored from a short corner and the A team went 1-0 up. Half way through the game we had to move pitch and that’s when I scored my goal. It was one all at this point and even though the A team had all of the ball we were still getting chances. In the third and last quarter the B team kind of fell apart and conceded three goals, with one more from Will Sexton and another from Raul Wigglesworth. Tom Clifton and Marcel Moore played their first game for dragons and played very well with Tom getting the assist for my goal. In the end it was 3-1 to the A team, however we still gave them a good match.

From Saturday 14th September

Dev Boys v Norwich City:  0-4 
MOM:  Connor Kerrigan

It was a beautiful summers evening when the ‘Magnificent Seven’ (and the ever dependable Chris), played a pre-season friendly against City, who were kind enough to lend us a couple of players making it a more even game!

City were quicker out of the box, leading with 2 clear goals by half time!

The second half followed a similar pattern with City scoring a further 2 goals. 

Dragons goal keeper was in exceptional form, keeping the score line down by making some fantastic saves! 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 23rd March 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sIES 1H3-1 (W)Issy Wolfe
Maddy Reynolds
Liv Thomas
Carmel Windsor Waite
L2sBury 1A5-2 (L)Jess BennettSaskia Williams
L3sDereham 2H1-3 (L)Laura Van den BergEsme Potter
L4sUEA 2H2-2 (D)Lisa Harwood x2Lisa Harwood
L5sN City 5A2-4 (W)Gemma Ballard
Jane Wells
Amy Forse x2
Hannah Edwards
L6sReephamH1-5 (L)Emma MerryweatherJoanna Jennings
Amelia Keitley-Webb
L7sBroadland 3H3-0 (W)Mia McGhee x2
Paige Fisher
Briony Johnstone
L8sWatton 3A4-1 (L)Lois MetcalfeAnna Chapman
Lois Metcalfe
M1sSt Ives 1A3-2 (L)Rupert Snelling
Ollie King
Sam Avery
M2sNth Norfolk 1H2-1 (W)Alex BrowneJono Chaney-Baxter
M3sMagpies 3A4-0 (L)James King
M4sBury 3A2-1 (L)Joel LawrenceCharlie Creasy
M5sNo Fixture
M6sUEA 4A2-2 (D)Andrew Cross
Will Bloom
BD AWattonA2-8 (W)Harry Fuller x3
Raul Wigglesworth x3
Vithu Baskaran x2
Finn Pond
BD BDerehamA5-1 (L)Hector McNeillConnor Kerrigan
GDN CityH2-2 (D)Nellie Ong
Mia Rutterford
Hattie Stuart
Freya Dolding

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v IES 1s:  3-1

Goalscorers:   Liv Thomas, Issy Wolfe, Maddy Reynolds
MOM:  Carmel Windsor Waite

Dragons Ladies 1s finish off the season in style with a 3-1 win over IES.

Following a frustrating away performance against IES before the Christmas break, Dragons were looking for redemption on home turf, and to put a stamp on the end of the season. The team went out hard from the opening whistle and soon began to dominate the play, transferring the ball well round the back, and staying strong on the ball in the attack, despite some physical tackles from the opposition. The team’s perseverance was soon rewarded when – capitalising on some loose work from the opposition defence – the ball fell kindly to Maddy Reynolds in the circle, and she calmly slipped the ball into back of the net. IES had a few attacking chances throughout the first half, but some solid tackles from Sophie Barrow and player of the match Carmel Windsor-Waite, alongside some tight defensive work from the midfield line, kept the visitors at bay.  A disallowed IES goal kept the Dragons ahead at half time.

The second half saw the hosts quickly put themselves in a more comfortable position, where two goals were scored in relatively quick succession. The first came from a real team passage of play. Sophie Barrow picked up the ball on the left hand side of the pitch, and as she did, Lucy Morton made a baseline run to draw the defender, creating the space for Barrow to thread a beautiful ball straight into the circle, where Issy Wolfe was posting up. She picked up the ball and cracked out a classic Wolfe reverse stick shot into the bottom corner. Only minutes later, Liv Thomas added her own slick reverse stick goal to the tally as Holly Setchell found her on the top of the D, and Thomas found the sweet spot on the stick to smash the ball into the back corner. IES upped the intensity of their game for the final stages of the game, trying to stretch the defence and create some more chances. After a goal mouth scramble, IES were able to pull back a conciliatory goal, but it was not enough to shake the Dragons, who finish their season in 4th place.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Bury St Edmonds 1s:  2-5

Goalscorers:  Jess Bennett x2
MOM:   Saskia Williams

Once again Norwich Dragons Ladies 2’s faced Bury St Edmunds 1’s away on the last game of the season – this seemingly a regular occurrence! With North Norfolk deservedly securing the title, this game between 3rd and 4th would decide the 2nd promotion place in the league. A very late 3.15pm start saw Bury with a large squad and a vocal and lively sideline, for this winner takes all game.

Dragons were quickly on the back foot – with numerous short corners being awarded against them. They found themselves 2-0 down early in the game, but were not downhearted. Jess Bennett scored a great individual goal stealing a wayward pass across the back, driving into the D, rounding the keeper and firing home. Then not long afterwards, following great work by Mia Bartram and Saskia Williams down the right, the ball found its way to Jess Bennett again who calmly slotted home to make it 2-2. Just before the break, through yet another short corner, Bury took the lead once again.

Dragons were playing well and were still very much in the game – the sideline support were getting more vocal with every attack and Dragons knew they had to be totally on their game, given Bury seemed to have so many pairs of fresh legs! The early part of the 2nd half saw some strong attacks down the flanks with Sam Franklin and Haz Green down the left and Dragons PoM Saskia Williams and Mia Bartram down the right, creating threats. Unfortunately the visitors didn’t seem to get the breaks, earning just one short corner in the half, which they were unable to convert. Midway through the half, Bury settled the nerves, scoring after a period of pressure to make it 4-2. This effectively sealed the win and relaxed the home team and meant Dragons needed to try and force the game, leaving gaps and eventually conceding a 5th.

Congratulations to North Norfolk and Bury for their promotion to Div 1. For the Dragons Ladies 2’s, another thoroughly enjoyable season, with many close competitive matches and some good hockey played. Special thanks go to all who have played in the 2’s squad, to our coaches for all their help and dedication (especially Pete, Richard, Jason and Rob), to our umpires, to our sideline manager on many occasions this season Ollie King who has been excellent for the team (good luck with your return from injury) and finally to our Captain Karen O’Neill Simpson for all her hard work, dedication and for all the energy she has put in to drive the team week after week. We sign off, rest up and look forward to going again – bring on pre season fitness!!!

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Dereham 2s:  1-3

Goalscorer:  Laura Van den Berg
MOM:  Esme Potter

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v UEA 2s:  2-2

Goalscorer:  Lisa Harwood x2
MOM:  Lisa Harwood

Dragons’ Ladies’ 4s had a very evenly balanced game for the final fixture of the season against the UEA 2s.

Both teams had good spells of hockey, with plenty of accurate passing, using the whole of the pitch well. Short corners came at both ends,  all of which were defended successfully.

The break came first for the Dragons in the second half, when a ball through to Lisa Harwood found the back of the net in two teriffic, text-book, touches.

UEA equalised shortly after, following what looked like a bundle in front of the goal.

Dragons used the left side of the pitch better throughout the second half, and following some lovely linking play through the midfield, Harwood struck home again, earning her the majority of the MoM votes.

Disappointingly, UEA scored their equaliser from a quick turnover ball minutes after.

Dragons finish the season 7th in the Norfolk Premier division, which is commendable considering how many different players have been represented in the team.

Thank you skipper Trish Hagan for doing a brilliant job all year, and Lynne ‘Neeps’ Price for managing the sideline  every week.

Finally, we wish you well Chloe Mikronis on your return back to Aus – we will miss you!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Norwich City 5s:  4-2

Goalscorers:  Gemma Ballard, Jane Wells, Amy Forse x2
MOM:   Hannah Edwards

Dragons travelled the short distance away to City for a very unusual afternoon fixture. After a rousing team talk from captain Hannah,  further advice was given to not mix our balls with the men’s balls. It was their request.

Dragons had a strong start with an early break from Amy Forse. Anita Mancini sent a ball towards goal and was secured by Jane Wells on the reverse stick (taking notes from Gem Ballard).

City made a brief attack but was well defended by Jen Buskell, making a confident block tackle and dispatching to Hannah Edwards. Hannah made full use of the right wing to drive to ball high and deliver to the hungry attackers in the D. Dragons remained on the attack and dominating possession. Gill Walker sent a perfectly placed pass to Amy who scores with conviction. 2-0 Dragons.

City deserve credit for their quick turn-over of the game, working the Dragons midfield hard to track back and cover, but ultimately were no match for the silky stick skills of Anita, who trapped the ball and dispatched wide to Mel Widdows to the left. Anita held her central position well and took a lifted ball to her chest like a champ. Despite the City player attempting to carry on the play after this, Anita took a quick ball but was dispossessed and City were on the break again. Jen challenged and Steph Samson steps into action in a very busy D. Georgia Butterworth covers her player excellently, but Dragons found themselves with a City forward performing a rather impressive roll-out to shoot, scoring past GK Mia Somers whilst the Dragons could only look on.

The restart saw the midfield driving forwards again, with Han and Gill working hard. A cross from Han to Amy sees a short corner awarded: Gem injected to Amy, who sent the ball back to Gem streaking to the post. Her shot was saved by the keeper, Amy collected the rebound and sent back to Gem who scores! 3-1 to Dragons.

City capitalised on the restart and drive straight on the attack. Dragons defend a short corner with a solid save from Mia and confident clearance from Jen. Katherine Hardwick made herself ready to pick up from defence and calmly kept possession to distribute to Louise Brooks, who kept her composure under pressure to send the ball to Mel. Lots of lovely passing between the team and a high intensity work rate saw Dragons working towards the key points captain Hannah requests each week. First half summary: good stuff Dragons! Need we say more?!

The second half started with Han playing a really rubbish ball, but made up for it by playing many ‘amazing balls’. Lizzy McDonnell makes herself known in the D and sends a great ball to Jane Wells, who’s shot sadly went wide. Gem has a moment of mad ping pong with the City GK and their defence and cannot find a path through to goal. The forwards continued to put the pressure on with the support of midfield.

A short corner was awarded to Dragons again, with Amy taking a strike but denied by the keeper. Jen steps in to take the subsequent long corner, finds Amy who takes a strike which sails past the keeper: 4-1! Mia performed two forward rolls in celebration (quite impressive when we remember she is fully kitted up, but is nimble and ninja-like in her movements so equally is unsurprising).

Unfortunately Brooksy has to leave the pitch with a nasty injury. The medical team of Steph, Lizzy and Amy attended the scene to assess the damage. Jen diagnoses an ankle sprain, and keeps the patient laughing whilst Brooksy was patched up. We all secretly thanked her for giving us a five minute breather.

Dragons continue to dominate the game after the restart, with Georgia successfully tackling and sending the ball to Han who makes another run up the wing. City take a 16 yard hit out to drive on the attack, leaving Dragons on the back foot a little as City get through to the D for a strike. Mia makes another save, and another, and another! Lots of bodies in the D and lots of scrabbling about eventually saw Dragons conceded to make the score 4-2. Amy does an aerial which knocks City off balance (metaphorically, not literally) and Han shouted a lot to push forwards. Legs were tired and struggling to counteract the bounce of City’s water pitch but still we dug as deep as we could to win every ball that we could and attack at every opportunity. We learnt that Hannah does not know her left from her right, when guidance from Steph commands to the right and Hannah just goes to her other right.

Dragons win another short, injected but defended well by City. However a further short is given and Han steps in to inject. A master plan was established, but alas Hannah didn’t send the ball to the correct person and the plan was off, a further goal could not be found.

Finally, the last whistle blew and ladies 5s end the season on a convincing win.

The Second Half Summary was established later at the End of Season social: Amy’s birthday cake was more of a challenge than the game. Cutting it with a butter knife did not help.

A special thank you to our fabulous supporters: having your cheers and motivational comments kept us going when we were tired and willed us on to score. This result saw Dragons finishing 5th in a strong league, with the 5th best scoreline and joint second best defensive record. The team should be proud of what they achieved this year.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v  Reepham:  1-5

Goalscorer Emma Merryweather
MOM:  Joanna Jennings, Amelia Keitley-Webb

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v v Broadland 3s:  3-0

Goalscorers:  Mia McGhee x2, Paige Fisher
MOM:  Briony Johnstone

Dragons were keen to finish on a high and couldn’t have been happier with the result.

Dragons had the majority of control from the off, pushing Broadland and having plenty of shots on goal. Broadland defended well, thwarting Dragons attacks. Dragons persistence paid off when Mia McGhee ran into the D and hit a good firm shot into the goal. Broadland kept on fighting although Mia and the other forwards of Adelice Kraemer and Claire Fairhurst kept up the attack in the D. The solid central midfield of Brittany Hopkins and POM Briony Johnstone stopped Broadland’s attacks up the pitch, distributing the ball out to Paige Fisher and Maisie Dearmer on the wings. When Broadland did manage to break through, the defence of Bethan Greaves, Emma Fielding, Emma Dyer and Lizzie Costello were there to assist keeper Emma North in stopping them in their tracks.

Half time saw the arrival of Nathalie Crisp to help out in midfield, and Dragons were raring to go again after an encouraging pep talk from Mike Hardy. The second half continued to see Dragons dominating. Paige Fisher got her second goal of the season with a great decisive shot. Mia soon followed up with her second goal of the match, making it her 14th league goal of the season and top scorer for Dragons 7s. Dragons continued to press Broadland but they were defending well. Right at the end Broadland were awarded a short corner just as the whistle blew. Broadland all pushed up and as the ball was injected, so did all of the Dragons, with Adelice hitting the ball out of play to end the game.

Great game to end the season, with Dragons working hard and well together. Now for a short break before summer hockey starts up! #supersevens

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Watton 3s:  1-4

Goalscorer:  Lois Metcalfe
MOM:   Lois Metcalfe, Anna Chapman

After last week’s encouraging result, this was not the score the 8s wanted and neither was it the way they wanted to end their season. But as always, ever since they were formed, Dragons 8s have developed a reputation for welcoming all comers, whether players coming up from development or returning to hockey or being new to the area. Some move on to higher teams during the course of the season, but the regular players train hard, learn different positions (even goalkeeping!) and enjoy fun, friendly hockey.

The sporting home team won’t mind us saying we never mastered the flat, heavy beach of a pitch. Watton have a massive task on their hands to replace their artificial surface and we were shocked to learn they won’t get much change out of a quarter of a million. It made Dragons appreciate how lucky we are to have two superb pitches that are maintained so that we can play seven days a week.

Watton took an early lead when defensively the 8s began to try to stop the shots instead of making the tackles, and a ball dropped directly onto a forward’s stick and with the keeper unsighted Watton couldn’t miss. A few strong shouts from Kristina Smyth, welcomed back in goal again, and we learned our lesson. Kristina kicked with great power and purpose and Dragons got into the game.

The 8s are developing their skills at playing out from the back. Jo Baker is at the heart of everything that happens in defence and weekly she gets better at controlling movements in the D and getting the hits out wide. She now plays as a unit with reliable Rosie Tarleton and the equally determined Anna Chapman with the very brave Karen Davidson just in front of them proving that how ever many times she gets knocked down, she bounces back up again. There were several milestones in this match – it was Jo’s last as a single woman and the evidence is she is going on to bigger and better things! So too is Anna, who is going on to University. Anna is now a confident and competent defender. Her display in the her last match earned her a share of the POM award and the acknowledgement she will be missed. Also rotating in the defence was Ariadna Miguel who is fitting in really well.

Up until half time, the midfield  did really well at intercepting and blocking. Katy Cole once again set an example for chasing, harrying and never seeing a lost cause. Sadie Jacobs,  Shaniece Claxton and Katie Davidson all had moments of really skilful play as they linked the defence and forwards.. Unfortunately, for the 8s the work in progress is still about learning to be first to the ball, avoid faffing about with it when being given close attention by nippy players and generally making faster decisions. This can be their problem all over the pitch and these are aspects of the game that are not so easy to coach into players – but recent work in training has resulted in the 8s improving  their passing and collecting the ball without kicking it.

Another area where the 8s have improved is in working their penalty corners, and one goal in four pens is a good return. It was a smashing, tenacious goal from captain Lois Metcalfe, her first of the season,  that helped earn her the share of POM. Lois injected to Bridget Le Good, who slipped the ball to Sadie for a sweep that was bang on target. Watton thought they had got the ball away but reckoned without Lois’ determination to force the ball home from a central position. The tactic almost worked again, with this time the slip to the right finding Shaniece who went close. So 1-2 was the closest Dragons could get, and despite some good running by Lois and the wide forwards Johanne Steward and Emma Young the Watton defence held firm.

Dragons worked hard to the end, and sideline manager Jess Lockwood (injured) was kept busy as the 8s made their own suggestions for improving their formation. At present getting the ball into the attacking circle is very hard work, and it would seem to need either a lot more work on powerful passing, or not so much reliance on defending deep. Or perhaps both. Food for thought for next season. It was a beautiful afternoon for hockey, and after a plateful of chips and loads of cuddles from the adorable Florence and Meredith Smyth, the 8s  found their spirits restored. Make no mistake, we’ll be back!

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v St Ives 1s:  2-3

Goalscorers:  Rupert Snelling, Ollie King
MOM:  Sam Avery

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v North Norfolk 1s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Alex Brown x2
MOM: Jono Chaney Baxter

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Magpies 3s:  0-4

MOM:  James King

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Bury St Edmunds 3s:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Joel Lawrence
MOM:  Charlie Creasy

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v no fixture

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v UEA 4s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Andrew Cross, Will Bloom
MOM:

Development Leagues

Dev Boys A v  Watton :  8-2

Goalscorers:  Harry Fuller x3, Raul Wigglesworth x3, Vithu Baskaran x2
MOM:  Finn Pond


Dev Boys B v  Dereham :  1-5

Goalscorer:  Hector McNeill
MOM:  Connor Kerrigan

Dev Girls v Norwich City :  2-2
Goalscorers:  Nellie Ong, Mia Rutterford
MOM:  Freya Dolding, Hattie Stuart

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 16th March 2019

 

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sCam City 3A1-1 (D)Liv ThomasIssy Wolfe
Mima Watson
L2sChristchurch 1H3-0 (W)Donna Vaughan
Harriet Green
Jess Bennett
Shelly Seaman
L3sYarmouth 1A2-1 (L)Elsa ScottAngela Murgatroyd
L4sN City 3A6-1 (L)Lilli BallardJemima Williams
L5sCarrow 1H2-2 (D)Lizzy McDonnell
Gemma Ballard
Hannah Edwards
Katherine Hardwick
L6sDissA4-0 (L)Louise Brooks
Amy Beadman
L7sUEA 3A3-1 (L)Brittany HopkinsNathalie Crisp
L8sUEA 4H0-0 (D)Issy Gale
M1sPelicans 1H2-4 (L)Rupert Snelling
Will Main
Dim Ives
M2sBury 2A1-1 (D)Ed GouldPhil York Smith
M3sIES 3H2-2 (D)Jon Goodson
Ed Smith
Rob Goodson
M4sPelicans 2H1-10 (L)Rich PhillisDan Murphy
M5sDereham 4A1-4 (W)Matt Armstrong
Thomas Helfer
Will Bowman
Will Kirby
Greg Reynolds
M6sWattton 2H0-5 (L)
BD AMagpiesA4-4 (D)Josh Cormack x2
Ben Panter
Freddie Royall
Ed Cross
BD BNo Fixture
GDDereham PanthersH4-5 (L)Mia Rutterford
Evie Marlee
Freya Dolding
Lucy Courtier
Freya Dolding

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Cambridge City 3s:  1-1

Goalscorer:   Liv Thomas
MOM:  Issy Wolfe, Mima Watson

 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Christchurch 1s:  3-0

Goalscorers:  Donna Vaughan, Harriet Green, Jess Bennett
MOM:   Shelly Seaman

The penultimate game of the season with the Ladies 2’s playing their last game of the season at the Den on the red pitch!  A strong squad took to the pitch, determined to improve on the last 2 weeks performances.

The home team started brightly with some great runs down the wings by Saskia Williams, Sam Franklin, Harriett Green and Mia Bartram putting pressure on the visitors goal, but not creating any clear cut chances. With Gail Thomas and Donna Vaughan having a lot of space in the centre of the pitch to dictate play, Dragons were on top in the half. Finally they took the lead with a textbook short corner straight of the training field – Sarah Borrett dragged out with pace and accuracy, the stop from Karen O’Neill Simpson and finished with a bullet strike from Donna Vaughan.

The second quickly followed following good work from Jess Bennett, beating a couple of players and finding Harriett Green at the top of the D, whose firm shot nestled in the corner. More opportunities came and went, with the score at 2-0 at half time, with Amy Forse in the Dragons goal having hardly been called into action, largely thanks to some good defensive work from Stella Windsor-Waite, Sarah Borrett, Karen O’Neill Simpson and Donna Vaughan.

Ollie King asked for the team to up their levels a bit and to look to use the space / width a bit better. This the home team did but unfortunately despite some good efforts it just wasn’t Dragons day in front of goal, with the Christchurch GK having a good day. Eventually the third came following good work from Jess Bennett unleashing a fine reverse stick strike into the corner.

More opportunities came and went during the half, with Dragons passing the ball much better. Dragons scored a fourth through Mia Bartram, only for it to be reversed due to an earlier obstruction in the build up, seen by the umpire at the far end. The vote for Player of the Match went to Shelly Seaman for her usual high work-rate, tenacity in the tackle and general positive play. Last game of the season next week sees a late fixture against Bury St Edmunds.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Yarmouth 1s:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Elsa Scott
MOM:  Angela Murgatroyd

This week saw Dragons Ladies 3rd team travel to Yarmouth to face an undefeated in 2019 Yarmouth team. Dragons started sluggish and let Yarmouth put pressure on them from the start which quickly resulted in Yarmouth scoring their first goal from a short corner.

Dragons soon began to play some strong attacking hockey all over the field and secured a short corner for themselves which was scored reverse stick into the bottom left hand corner by Elsa Scott to level the scores.

Next it was Yarmouth’s turn to convert another well struck short corner into the bottom left hand corner and the first half finished 2 1 to Yarmouth.

Both teams continued to play attacking hockey and Dragons had opportunities to equal the score line again but unfortunately the score remained 2 1 to Yarmouth on the final whistle. Player of the match was Spike (Angela Murgatroyd).

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Norwich City 3s:  1-6

Goalscorer:  Lilli Ballard
MOM:  Jemima Williams

Dragon’s Ladies’ 4s headed to Taverham for their penultimate game of the season, against City’s 3rd team. Placed 3rd in the table, the City team is known to be a well drilled side with lots of young, skillful players in the ranks.

All started well, with the Dragons playing a far more relaxed game as of late. The two teams appeared well balanced, and a great game began to unfold. Movement on and off the ball helped create space for the Dragons, and allowed the play to flow, with good strings of passes creating opportunities for attack.

City won several short corners which were successfully defended. Then, with just a few minutes of the first half remaining, a break by Lily Sore got the ball behind the City defenders. A deft pass was made through to Lilli Ballard who then took the keeper on, neatly slipping the ball into the net with a strong push from the top of the D.

At half time, City clearly must have had the most inspiring of team talks, which resulted in their play being far more aggressive and decicive. Dragons struggled to maintain their shape, and unfortunately their lead was quickly erased, and some.

By the final whistle, City’s accomplished pressing yielded six goals.

Sometimes you just have to say well played to the opposition and take it on the chin!

Player of the match was spread around the team again, but Jemima Williams was the winner, so she got to take Dave the Dragon home this week.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Carrow 1s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Lizzy McDonnell, Gemma Ballard
MOM:   Hannah Edwards, Katherine Hardwick

Dragons 5 started their game against Carrow 1s on another blustery day (although not quite as
blustery as last week and minus the hail!). We started strong with much of the possession, Jen Buskell keeping the ball high and pushing it towards our strong midfield players. Anita worked the ball nicely up the pitch towards Amy Fose who then dribbled the ball towards the back line, making a quick pass across the Carrow goalkeeper, for Lizzie McDonnell to knock into the back of the net! 1-0 to Dragons.

After the restart, Dragons quickly regained possession with a good ball from Hannah Edwards into the D, but sadly no one was there to capitalise on the chance. Dragons continued to dominate play for at least another 10 minutes with Mel Widdows making some good tackles and passes on the left, however Carrow managed a rare break from their defence. Georgia Butterworth dealt confidently with the Carrow attack, by pushing the ball up the right to Katherine Hardwick who worked hard to keep possession. Dragons continue to pass the ball. On receiving the ball, Steph Samson makes a strong drive up the left working well with
Charlotte Dowson who made numerous interceptions and some great tackles throughout the game. Another period of attacking play from Carrow saw Hannah deal confidently with a player attempting to penetrate the D. Dragons regain possession and move the ball quickly forward to Jane Wells, who’s attempt on goal was well defended by Carrow. Dragons win a long corner with another attack on goal by Lizzie, but again the Carrow defence stayed strong. Carrow move the ball forward on a break with some good movement, beating our defence, but not beating Mia Somers who closes the player down to make two great consecutive saves! Dragons regain possession with Emma Bambridge using the space well and hitting a great ball from defence up
to the midfield. The ball is then picked up by Jane on the left, bringing the ball forward into the D and winning a short corner. Gem Ballard injects the ball to Jane who smashes a straight strike from the top, which Gem deflects into the top of the goal. 2-0 to Dragons.

Carrow respond with another attack, but again Mia is there with an AMAZING diving double save!! However Carrow regain possession in the Dragon’s half and win a short, which they convert to make it 2-1. Dragons have one last run of attacking play before half time. Lizzie falls over (OBVS), and Dragons win a short, but this time it’s not converted. Dragons keep the pressure on the Carrow defence with Jen winning a long corner.

After a very positive half time talk with Hannah praising the efforts of all of the team and
encouraging us to keep doing what we’re doing, the Dragons came out strong in the second half. They worked the ball around the D, but just couldn’t find the finish. Dragons continued to dominate with a great run and hustle from Gem, winning the ball high in the Carrow half. Dragons keep possession seeing another ball into the D from Jen, which Gem just missed, falling over in the process. (At least it made a change from Lizzie falling over!) Further pressure from Dragons saw a lovely reverse stick attempt on goal from Lizzie and then Anita Mancini also falling over (it’s catching!). The Dragons continue to work well together from defence to mid with Hannah making a run and getting the ball across the D to Gem, but Carrow manage to keep us at bay, showing their strength in defence. Amy picks up the ball and makes a great run down the right and an attempt on Goal, but sadly its saved by the keeper. Dragons follow up with another short corner seeing Amy smashing the ball from the top and another near miss from Gem. Carrow regain possession and put together a good attack into their D, but Hannah worked the ball out of danger getting it to Charlotte on the left. The ball is passed to Anita, pushing the ball into the Carrow D seeing another attempt on goal from Lizzie. A further run from Jane on the right getting the ball behind the carrow defence to Lizzie who saw another effort cleared. In the last few minutes, Carrow crank up the pressure and push hard for an equaliser. The Dragons defence and midfield work hard to keep the ball out with Charlotte making a vital interception in the D. Carrow win a short, which again is well defended by Jen. Somehow Carrow manage to get the ball back despite our best efforts, breaking down our defence to score an equaliser in the dying minutes.

A well fought and enjoyable game for all involved. Disappointing not to get the win but Carrow are contenders for 3 rd place in the league. Let’s hope we can make it happen in the last game of the season against City 5s!

Thanks to the support and encouragement from Will and Beth (in particular to Beth for her very
useful match notes – couldn’t have written the report without them.)

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v  Diss:  0-4

MOM:  Louise Brooks, Amy Beadman

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v UEA 3s:  1-3

Goalscorer:  Brittany Hopkins
MOM:  Nathalie Crisp

After their win last week, Dragons were confident they could have another successful match but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.

Dragons started well, on the attack from the off and having plenty of shots at goal. These kept hitting the keeper and no one was ready to receive the deflection or weren’t sitting on the post to knock the ball in, allowing UEA to clear it away. UEA soon rallied and ended the first half 1:0 up.

The half time talk saw the team being told to maintain their shape, be first to the ball, stop hiding behind the opposition and to mark up, with the defence reminded to take the hit outs wide.

UEA soon got their second goal and Dragons battled on, with their efforts being rewarded with a short corner. The injection went to Brittany Hopkins who gave the ball a strong strike that flew past UEA defence and into the back of the goal. Dragons were buoyed by the goal but UEA didn’t let up and got goal number 3. Play was stopped as POM Nathalie Crisp received a ball to
the nose, ending her time on the pitch. Play resumed with 6 minutes left, Dragons fighting hard but couldn’t find the goal again.

Dragons have lots to learn from this match. Not our finest performance but lots of positives too. Onwards to the last match of the season.

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v UEA 4s:  0-0

MOM:   Issy Gale

Wow! Whoohoo! Hooray! The 8s have at last taken a league point, and arguably deserved to win for their determined attacking game and all-round team effort. Although there were absentees through illness and injury (with captain Lois Metcalfe passing herself fit after being unwell all week) there were 21 players pressing for a game and 15 selected.

So step forward Krystyna Smyth, back from maternity ‘leave’ who put on the goalkeeping kit and proved she has lost nothing. She kept a smart clean sheet, dominating the circle and belting the ball away when she had to. Jo Baker had another defensive lineup to manage, and did it with her usual authority, linking particularly well with Karen Davidson who made some excellent tackles at bottom of the diamond. Rosie Tarleton earns a regular place in defence now for her tackling and clearing skills, while the Shammy sisters opened up new possibilities for the Dragons defence. Mehnaz stopped a speedy left wing from getting crosses into the circle, while Neha also blocked well and also proved she could link defence to forwards as well.

UEA had the best of the early exchanges, with Dragons starting a little tentatively as the new combinations needed time to find each other with their triangular passes. But when it became clear that the defence could smother the UEA attack and get away some nice wide clearances, the 8s midfield began to exert their influence. Nobody gets the ball off Sadie Jacobs at right mid, and her holding play was invaluable. The more the game went on, the more Issy Gale grew in confidence, and on a day when seven players got POM votes, she was the pick. Her defence was good, but the way she managed to smuggle the ball upfield was even better. Katy Cole set a great example for being ‘first to the ball’ and never gave up on a chase. This has been an 8s weakness in the past – but in this game Katy, Neha, Issy and Sadie gave the Dragons most of the possession. Katie Davidson plays a slightly different game, and she used her speed and stick skills to drive the ball forward where Shaniece Claxton, Johanne Steward and Lois were eagerly moving to pounce.

So Dragons created a solid base in defence and midfield for their draw, and for once they created shots and penalties as their attack began to threaten. It took some good UEA goalkeeping to keep them out. Johanne got the first shot on target, ghosting in as she often does in good positions which are not always spotted. Johanne also did some excellent injecting for the penalty corners. Bridget Le Good slipped twice to Sadie, who got in some nice first time sweeps. Then Bridget got in a thumper near the end which the keeper stretched to save, which she had done earlier to thwart Lois’s clean strike from the top of the D. With 6 shots on target out of 9, the 8s showed they have something to offer in all departments.

Towards the end of each half of the season, the 8s have built up their game and looked likely to win. Now they are raring to go for their last match, unfortunately not at home where injured players like Jess Lockwood can manage the subs and Mike Hardy can dispense words of wisdom and encouragement. The draw against UEA wasn’t their prettiest, but for sheer cussed determination, and a willingness to get every team member onto the ball, this was the game to give the 8s pride, pleasure and confidence.

 

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Pelicans 2-4

Goalscorers:  Rupert Snelling, Will Main
MOM:  Dim Ives

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Bury St Edmunds 2s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Ed Gould
MOM: Phil York Smith

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v IES 3s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Jon Goodson, Ed Smith
MOM:  Rob Goodson

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Pelicans 2s:  1-10

Goalscorer:  Rich Phillis
MOM:  Dan Murphy

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Dereham 4s:  4-1

Goalscorers:  Thomas Helfer, Will Bowman, Will Kirby, Matt Armstrong
MOM:  Greg Reynolds

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Watton 2s:  0-5

MOM:

Development Leagues

Dev Boys B v Magpies:  4-4

Goalscorers:  Josh Cormack x2, Ben Panter, Freddie Royall
MOM:  Ed Cross

 

Dev Girls v Dereham:  5-4
Goalscorers:  Mia Rutherford, Evie Marlee, Freya Dolding, Lucy Courtier
MOM:  Freya Dolding

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 9th March 2019

 

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sCam Uni 2H4-0 (W)Issy Wolfe x3
Liv Thomas
Issy Wolfe
L2sMagpies 3A4-0 (L)Sarah Borrett
Shelly Seaman
L3sWatton 1H0-3 (L)Beth Prakash
L4sBroadland 2H1-1 (D)Caroline WolfeChloe Mikronis
L5sDissA2-1 (L)Charlotte DowsonHannah Edwards
L6sWatton 2H1-4 (L)Kelly MillsJoanna Jennings
L7sMagpies 6H4-2 (W)Adelice Kraemer
Mia McGhee x2
Paige Fisher
Briony Johnstone
Emma Dyer
L8sMagpies 7A9-0 (L)Mia Somers
M1sLong Sutton 1A4-2 (L)Rupert Snelling x2Mark Flatman
M2sNewmarket 1H0-8 (L)Isaac Diver Hall
M3sSudbury 2A1-1 (D)Jon GoodsonJon Goodson
M4sMagpiesA7-1 (L)Bobby SheppardJoel Lawrence
M5sPelicans 4H7-0 (W)Charlie Creasy x3
Dan Orsborne x2
Josh Bingham
Will Bloom
Charlie Creasy
M6sNflk Nomads 1A5-1 (L)Tommy ChambersTommy Chambers
Christian Cornell
BD AN CityH1-3 (L)Harry Fuller
BD BMagpiesH4-1 (W)Hector McNeill x4Hector McNeill
GDMagpiesA9-3 (L)Mia x2
Rosie
Harriet Pymm

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Cambridge Uni 2s:  4-0

Goalscorers:   Issy Wolfe x3, Liv Thomas
MOM:  Issy Wolfe

The Ladies 1s continue to consolidate the experience they have gained this season, beating Cambridge Uni 2s 4-0 on home turf.

The Dragons came out hard from the opening whistle, determined to work on areas of weakness following a sub-par performance the previous week. The game was relatively evenly matched for the opening stages, with both sides having a number of chances from open play and from short corners. The Dragons defence looked much tighter than in previous weeks; supported by a midfield line that is coming into its own defensively as well as in attack, the defensive unit of Sophie Barrow, Sarah Jenkins, Holly Setchell and Carmel Windsor-Waite managed to keep the students at bay. After these early stages, the Dragons went on the offensive, with some superb work from the forwards. After breaking through the midfield, Maddy Reynolds used her pace to eliminate two players and create a 3 on 1 situation. Threading the ball through to Katy Hands in the D, Hands drew the keeper, and then unselfishly slipped the ball to player of the match Issy Wolfe who was waiting on the post to finish and put the hosts a goal ahead. The team maintained their pressure for the remainder of the half, and a silky piece of skill from Liv Thomas in the left hand corner of the pitch saw her find Wolfe on the baseline, for her to once again flummox the keeper and put the Dragons 2-0 up at half time.

The second half saw much of the same, with some opportunities coming from both sides. However, with some fantastic saves from Gina Hunt and with the midfield grafting through the high winds, the students never really looked particularly dangerous. It was to be the day of the Dragon, as two slick short corner routines sealed the game for the hosts. The first was a slip out to the right to Liv Thomas who shot across the circle to a waiting Issy Wolfe to deflect into the goal for a hattrick. The final goal saw Thomas get a deflection of her own, as Kiera Goymour set her up perfectly with a slap across the face of goal. This game showed a marked improvement on recent performances, and demonstrated how far we have come as a team this season. Tight in defence, aggressive in attack, with some slick short corner routines, the Dragons are ready to finish the season strong!

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Magpies 3s:  0-4

MOM:  Sarah Borrett, Shelly Seaman

Somewhat inclement weather conditions at the Nest, with strong winds blowing in the rain for the start of the game. Dragons continued with a largely unchanged squad, coming up against a very different looking Magpies Team from the one they had played previously.

With just a brief warm up on the pitch, the game got underway with Dragons immediately on the back foot, with Magpies youthful midfield spraying the ball around well and using the width of the pitch, to get in round the back of the defence and find their forwards in strong positions. The visitors quickly found themselves a couple of goals down.

A slight tactical switch by Coach Ollie King saw Dragons tighten things up a little in the middle, seeing them come into the game a little more towards the end of the half, forcing some short corners and having a couple of half efforts on goal, however the score remained 2-0 at half time.

The second half followed a similar theme, with Magpies looking strong and threatening in front of goal. Through some strong work from Sarah Borrett, Gail Thomas and Shelly Seaman, Dragons tried to relieve the pressure and once again had opportunities to break, but unfortunately the forwards too often found themselves isolated and outnumbered in the final third of the pitch.

Ultimately 2 more goals for the home side sealed the points, for a team who belied their league position. Dragons weren’t quite at the races again today and will need to pick themselves up and dust themselves down for the final 2 games of the season. Joint Players of the Match go to Sarah Borrett and Shelly Seaman both of whom gave their all with tenacious tackles and their attempts to pass their way out from the back, to build the attacks.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Watton 1s:  0-3

MOM:  Beth Prakash

This Saturday the Ladies 3 rd Team welcomed Watton 1 st Team to the den anticipating a tough match as Watton are battling for promotion. Watton put the pressure on Dragons right from the start and managed to score their first goal from open play after about 10 minutes of the match.

The wind and Watton were getting stronger and to add to the storm for Dragons the rain began to fall, which lead to play being abandoned for 5 minutes. Dragons regrouped and the defensive combination of Kat Speirs, Ally Windsor Waite, Angela Murgatroyd, Esme Potter and Grace Brown dealt with the attacking pressure being put on them. The midfield of Katie Hale, Laura Van Den Berg, Katie Lister, Beth Prakrash and Hannah Ellis worked hard to protect the defence and support the forwards but unfortunately, Watton managed to score a second goal just before half time again from open play.

The second half saw Dragons forwards, consisting of Catherine Matthews, Elsa Scott, Jenna Mills and Vicky Earley begin to get create some chances as Dragons began to gain confidence. The play was more even in the second half with Dragons having the wind behind them, however it was Watton who sealed the three points by scoring their third goal from a well worked short corner. Player of the match was awarded to Beth Prakrash.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Broadland 2s:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Caroline Wolfe
MOM:  Chloe Mikronis

Tough weather conditions were faced for this Empresa Norfolk Premier Division game at the Dragon’s Den between the Ladies’ 4s and Broadland 2s.

The Dragons, having had a poor run of results of late, struggled to find the confidence to play well in the first half. The were moments of good hockey, with plenty of running from Harriet Rant and Lilli Ballard. But all too often play, across the whole of the pitch, was taken into contact, giving possession away cheaply.

The Dragons put on a better performance in the second half, retaining the ball and making more sensible decisions with passing. Unfortunately, and against the run of play, Broadland broke away and scored, their attackers finding plenty of space.

Determination and effort returned to the home side, and eventually a short corner was won. This was converted with a straight strike fired in by Caroline Wolfe from the top of the D.

The game was temporarily put on pause as black clouds engulfed the sky, bringing with them a sudden hooly, with high winds, rain and hail.

Once the game resumed, Dragons had several goalmouth scrambles, but were unable to convert any of these opportunities to find the winner.

Player of the match votes were widespread across the whole team; Chloe Mikronis came out on top, taking ‘Dave the Dragon’ home with her for the week.

Dragons had to be content with a single league point after this performance.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Diss:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Charlotte Dowson
MOM:   Hannah Edwards

The wind whipped Dragons into a strong start at Diss with play remaining in our attacking half for much of the game. A new mascot, Baby Shark, provided some pre-match entertainment and support from the sideline, alongside a very windswept Amy Forse (champion team manager) and supporters Emma Somers and Will Kirby, who hid in the car.

Dragons won a long corner, with play sweeping out back and round to the left but sadly no conversion to a goal.

Diss made a break but were intercepted by a strong tackle from Hannah, keeping the Dragons firmly in control.

Lou Davis made an exceptional break up the right and drives into the D with plenty awaiting Dragons, but sadly no goal.

Diss make a break again and score from a reverse strike that no one was expecting. Genuinely impressed with Diss’ goal, Dragons push back and continue to drive forwards. Plenty of linking passes in midfield and excellent shadowing by Dragons defence see us maintaining possession. Anita performs an excellent volley clearance but was pulled up to give a free hit. Diss won a short corner from driving into our D and finding a foot, but super-goalie Mia saved the strike and was subsequently cleared by Jen with confidence and force.

Charlotte made a good run up the right but was intercepted and play turned over. Not for long, as Katherine challenged and sent the ball left to find Mel who drives forwards once more.

Hannah picked up a loose pass from Diss and took the ball into the D – with various shouts to shoot, she pushed the ball hard to Charlotte who put the ball through the keeper to score!

A further goal was scored by Diss in the same manner as their first one, leaving the half time score 2:1 to Diss.

The Yellow Weather Warning swept in dramatically and brought all the wind and hail that the unnamed storm between Storm Freya and Storm Gareth could muster. Umpires called for an intermission before 5 minutes of the second half was played. Thankful Dragons and supporters fled the pitch with hail stinging their thighs and faces to drip sodden wet all over the changing room for half an hour. Various deliberations took place between umpires, captains and players and after finding a broom to sweep away the puddles in the pitch, the sun came through as though nothing had happened and play resumed.

The second half maintained a 0-0 score: Dragons came away from top-of-table Diss with an impressive result and impressive play. The team should be proud of their selfless passes, calm decision making and positive attitude.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Watton 2s:  1-4

Goalscorer:  Kelly Mills
MOM:  Joanna Jennings

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Magpies 6s:  4-2

Goalscorers:  Mia McGhee x2, Adelice Kraemer, Paige Fisher
MOM:  Briony Johnstone, Emma Dyer

On a blustery day, Dragons faced Magpies with enthusiasm, determined not to be intimidated by the division leaders.

Dragons were on fine form, engaged from the start, making Magpies work hard. Dragons were first to score, with a scrappy goal from Paige Fisher, her first for the club. Magpies battled on and soon equalised, but Dragons kept on fighting and Mia McGhee slotted the ball past the keeper from a lovely assist by Adelice Kraemer. Everyone worked hard, a great step-up from last week. The defence of Emma Dyer (joint POM), Jessie Young, Erin Aldous and Emma Fielding worked solidly in thwarting Magpies and getting the ball out to the midfield of Paige, Brittany Hopkins, Maisie Dearmer, Briony Johnstone (joint POM) and Lara King. The forwards of Mia, Adelice and Claire Fairhurst were ever ready to put in full on attacks at goal. Dragons were pleased to go into the half-time break in the lead but were determined to keep their cool and hang on to it in the second half.

Play resumed as it had in the first, with lovely hockey from both teams. Dragons welcomed Nat Crisp into midfield, putting in her usual solid performance. Adelice got her name on the score sheet and Magpies battled on, getting their second goal, but Mia wasn’t finished, slotting another ball past the keeper to make the final score 4:2 to Dragons. Dragons are buoyed up by the win determined to carry on playing the same in the final two games of the season. Well done ladies!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Magpies 7s:  0-9

MOM:   Mia Somers

If we are totally honest, the young Magpies 7s team ran absolute rings round the Dragons, with only a phenomenal performance from the POM Mia Somers in goal keeping the score to reasonable levels.  Mia blocked, kicked, dived, leapt and twisted as the Magpies fired bullets at her from every angle – energised as they were by the injection of fresh blood from more ‘just 13s’ out of their development squad. Frighteningly good with their speed, tomahawks, reverse sweeps, slams and the full range of strokes.

And yet… there wasn’t a single Dragon who did not enjoy this match with its fast tempo and its opportunity for every player to work her hardest and make a contribution which drew a cheer from her team mates – when they could catch a breath. Initially, there was some confusion in the defence which allowed Magpies to nip in with an early goal, but then Jo Baker in central defence and captain Lois Metcalfe playing a strong central midfield role got their units working and were very pleased that the Dragons never allowed their heads to drop. Amongst the first to make an impression was Anna Chapman at left defence and Jessica Lockwood who played on the right and also shared bottom of the diamond duties with Karen Davidson. These three tackled with great determination and made some strong clearances out wide. Jessica and Nic Harrison were very unlucky to pick up strains that curtailed their pitch time, particularly frustrating for Nic who was making speedy inroads down the left wing.

Dragons midfield held up play nicely for long periods, but then had to experience the Magpies cutting their way through – using their excellent stick skills and then clever use of the drag past the Dragons ‘weak’ side. Katy Cole, newcomer Ariadne Miquel and the much-improved Sadie Jacobs all showed determination to block and take the ball from the marauders. The mids also managed to get the ball through to the forwards, where Katie  Davidson, Johanne Steward and Ceris Burgues were just longing to force the ball upfield, with Katie Cole and Lois in good support. But unfortunately for Dragons, the Magpies were fast upfront, and solid at the back so the attacks petered out.

The goals somehow seemed to arrive in bursts of three, but Ariadne, Bridget Le Good, Jo and Alice improved their understanding and managed to build something of a wall round the edge of their circle. Mia continued to roar on her encouragement, Bridget threw the odd aerial to add some variety to the hit outs, and Katy Cole and Sadie were full of running to the end.

So Dragons did not have to look far to see signs of the improvement they are working hard for in training. There’s still a fair bit more to do that can be done even at this late stage of the season. What’s more, the 8s are showing every sign of enjoying marking, getting first to the ball, and making quicker decisions all over the pitch. Go Dragons!

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Long Sutton 1s:  2-4

Goalscorers:  Rupert Snelling x2
MOM:  Mark Flatman

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Newmarket 1s:  0-8

MOM: Isaac Diver Hall

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Sudbury 2s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Jon Goodson
MOM:  Jon Goodson

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Magpies 4s:  1-7

Goalscorer:  Joel Lawrence
MOM:  Bobby Sheppard

Dragons started well against a swift yet experienced Magpies side. The first half saw Dragons defence hold well with Will Mares speed and Pete Davison’s experience working well together. Magpies went 2 up before Dragons responded with a lovely (maybe our best team goal of the season) round the baseline goal from Jones to Bobby Sheppard across for Joel Lawrence tap in on the far post. Dragons conceded another soft goal before half time though. Undeterred Dragons started the second half with confidence but unfortunately a few lapses and turnovers meant Magpies forwards slotted two quick goals. Dragons dug deep and pushed for goals as that’s what the game is about. Unfortunately, despite creating chances and short corners they couldn’t convert. Magpies broke again for more goals, but Dragons kept at it til the end of the game with real spirit. Thanks to the team for always running and trying and playing with a smile on their faces. Man’s of the match close between our young legs that never stopped but Bobby Sheppard nipped ahead of Will Mares. Still a very proud captain for the way the team plays and the attitude shown.

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Pelicans 4s:  7-0

Goalscorers:  Charlie Creasy x3, Dan Orsborne x2, Josh Bingham, Will Bloom
MOM:  Charlie Creasy

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norfolk Nomads 1s:  1-5

Goalscorers:  Tommy Chambers
MOM: Tommy Chambers, Christian Cornell

Development Leagues

Dev Boys A v Norwich City:  1-3

It was a cold day and we took the field against a very experienced looking City side. The opposition got into their stride very quickly with slick passing along  their left and through the middle which forced our goalkeeper to make a succession of good saves. They went 1-0 up with a move again down the wing. This was the very least they deserved for all their pressure. Their goalkeeper made a fantastic save from a short corner following one of our rare attacks.

In the second half,  having ridden our luck to be only 1-0 down, the sides, unfortunately, carried on as they had started. they quickly went  a second and third goal ahead. At that point the home team started to show their confidence and composure and played more like they can and after some good defensive, midfield and wing play got the ball into their D forcing the goalkeeper to juggle a save which allowed a goal to be scored with Harry Fuller hitting the ball that was above his head down into the goal.  We carried on from there with some threatening genuinely creative hockey but it just wouldn’t click in the final third of the pitch. City scored their final goal with a very slick movement from front to back leaving the final score as 3-1.

Dev Boys B v Magpies:  4-1

Goalscorers:  Hector McNeil x4
MOM:  Hector McNeil

Dev boys got off to a fine start with their enthusiasm and hard work, and it wasn’t too long before they scored their first goal by Hector McNeill.

Unfortunately Magpies followed suit and made the score 1-1.
After some strong play by both sides no more goals came and the first half ended 1-1.

Dragons kept their strong passing going within the midfield with some awesome teamwork and skills from Blade Earley, Vithu Baskaran, Archie Griegg, Aytron Rant, and Josh Cormack, with Zak McEwan darting between midfield and the forward position thus creating some wonderful hockey play enabling Hector to score a further 3 goals.

Tom Irvine and Sam Reynolds in defence made sure that Magpies didn’t get a look in when it came to scoring goals, although it was quite close at times they made sure they kept the dragons winning scoreline in tact. With Connr Kerrigan in goal doing some amazing saves the game came to a close with Dev B team winning 4-1.

It’s a big thank you to Tom Heiffer and Dan Osborne, the adult helpers, to guide and support the boys with their hockey knowledge.

Chris Sexton did a great job managing the team and he had some fab words to say about the boys

 

Dev Girls v Magpies :  3-9
Goalscorers:  Amy x2, Rosie
MOM:  Harriet Pymm

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 2nd March 2019

 

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sSudbury 1A4-2 (L)Issy Wolfe
Katy Hands
Gina Hunt
L2sNth Norfolk 1H0-3 (L)Sarah Borrett
L3sFelixstowe 1A0-1 (W)Hannah EllisEsme Potter
L4sPelicans 2A3-0 (L)Beth Elgood
L5sReephamH0-7 (L)Charlotte Dowson
L6sYarmouth 2A1-1 (D)Megan BeckettNat Crisp
L7sBrecklandH1-6 (L)Mia McGheeLizzie Costello
L8sNth Norfolk 2H0-7 (L)Rosie Tarleton
M1sCity of Pboro 3H2-3 (L)Sam Avery
Al Browne
Sam Avery
M2sLow Railway 1A2-2 (D)Louie Barby
Matt Hull
Louie Barby
M3sIpswich 2H1-4 (L)Tommy ChapmanTommy Chapman
James King
M4sN City 5H0-1 (L)Tommy Gale
M5sNflk Nomads 2A2-3 (W)Thomas Helfer x2
Andrew Cross
Thomas Helfer
M6sNth Norfolk 3H2-3 (L)Mike Banham
Lloyd Wade
BD Ano fixture
BD BWattonH7-3 (W)Monty Patel
Sam Reynolds
Ayrton Rant x2
Will Sxton
Monty Patel
GDDereham PenguinsA6-1 (W)Hattie Stuart x3
Lucy Courtier
Hannah Shepperson
Nellie Ong
Rowan Hewitt

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Sudbury:  2-4

Goalscorers:   Issy Wolfe, Katy Hands
MOM:  Gina Hunt

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v North Norfolk:  0-3

MOM:  Sarah Borrett

Perfect Hockey weather at the Den saw a top of the table clash between League leaders North Norfolk and Norwich Dragons in 3rd place. A good warm up on the pitch saw both teams raring to go.

There was nothing in the first 10 minutes – both teams having chances and Dragons having a particularly good chance following fine work from Shelly Seaman, however it was the league leaders that scored first following a break away. Whilst Dragons battled, they weren’t quite on their game in the first half, with their passing game not quite coming together. Defensively Sarah Borrett and Mima Watson in the wide positions were winning their individual battles, however down the centre of the pitch, North Norfolk were strong and scored a 2nd before the break.

At half time, Ollie King and Karen O’Neill Simpson called for a little more desire and for the team to ‘want it’ a little more. The 2nd half showed some improvement from the home team, but a third goal for North Norfolk sealed the points and consolidated their lead at the top; the visitors playing some strong fluid passing hockey. Dragons hit the inside of the post twice in the game, but it wasn’t meant to be this weekend! The home team know they can play better, but there were some good individual performances, notably from Mima Watson and Dragons Player of the Match Sarah Borrett. The team will look to train hard and look to come back stronger next weekend.

 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Felixstowe 1s:  1-0

Goalscorer:   Hannah Ellis
MOM:  Esme Potter

On a warm Saturday afternoon Norwich Dragons Ladies 3 rd Team travelled to Felixstowe looking for their first win since the beginning of December. The game could not have started better for Dragons putting Felixstowe under pressure from the first whistle, winning a free hit just outside the Felixstowe circle.  The hit was taken quickly by Ally Windsor Waite, to Elsa Scott and on to Hannah Ellis on the top of the D, who reverse flicked the ball into the top right-hand corner of the net to make the score 1-0 within the first two minutes of the game.

Dragons maintained the pressure on the Felixstowe goal for most of the first half but unfortunately could not put the ball past the Felixstowe keeper. The second half also saw Dragons with the majority of the play in the Felixstowe half, but a second goal eluded Dragons efforts, summed up by the quote of the day ‘that was not my feet, that was called skill!’
Felixstowe sensed the increasing frustration for Dragons and grew in confidence to pressure the Dragons D for the final few minutes of the game but with no reward. Player of the match was awarded to Esme Potter.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Pelicans 2s:  0-3

MOM:  Beth Elgood

Dragon’s Ladies’ 4s took the trip to King’s Lynn via minibus (fun bus). Spirits were up and everyone was looking forward to playing in near perfect hockey conditions, on the new Lynn Sport pitch.

Dragons were slow to get in to the game, playing against a much improved Pelican’s side, compared with their first encounter earlier in season. The visitors allowed Peli’s to get to the ball first, and left players unmarked on several occasions. The Pelican’s side capitalised on this, scoring two in the first half (the first from a short corner and the second from free play).

The second half was better for Dragons, with increased movement off the ball and improved decision making with passes. Newcomers to the team Jennifer Buskell and MoM Beth Elgood linked well with their surrounding players. Dragons began to penetrate deeper into the opposition’s end with stirling work from Niamh Somers and Harriet Rant, however the Pelis’ attacking play was too much, and a third goal was conceded.

Dragons finally won a series of short corners during the final 5 minutes, but could not convert for a conciliatory goal.

 
 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Reepham:  0-7

MOM:   Charlotte Dowson

In the 1st half Dragons started well and had the majority of the possession,
however, were caught on the break multiple times resulting in a 3 on one
situation with the ball fired across and in for their first goal. This was quickly
followed by another fast break resulting in another goal seeing Dragons go
0-2 down. Reepham were awarded a short corner when the ball collided
with Steph’s feet and the resulting shot was saved by Mia. A free hit for
Reepham from just outside of the D found another of their strikers and was
swept in taking the score to 0-3 to Reepham. Dragons battled their way up
the pitch and were awarded a long corner from which there was a good
strike on goal but an unlucky miss. Reepham found their way back into our
circle and when the ball was swept off the back line by the defence they
were awarded another short corner. A sharp strike from the top of the D
deflected of Mia’s pads into the goal … 0-4. Dragons were then caught on
the break again and with a swift overload and an unstoppable strike put
themselves 0-5 up at half time.

In the second half Dragons found their rhythm and strength, switching the
ball from side to side, calling well and having multiple attempts on goal
which were kept out by their keeper. Hannah picked up a good interception
from Reepham and was able to pass it on for a fast attack. Reepham
gained possession again and pressured our D with good clearing from Mel
and Katherine keeping them at bay. As the pressure grew so did their
confidence with another short corner. This time it deflected off one of the
defending sticks, straight at our keepers head taking the score to 0-6. At
this point Brooksy became the first casualty and hobbled off having been
taken out by one of the Reepham players. After another kerfuffle in our D,
Reepham gained another short corner. This one was saved by Mia and the
follow up strike from Reepham’s 21 was also saved and almost headed off
the pitch by Emily. Dragons surged back with a great ball forward from
Hannah to Crossy on the right. Hannah continued to lead by example with
a good push forward leading to an attempt on goal by Gemma then a
rebound by Amelia but the ball simply wouldn’t go in. There was good play down the left between Emily, Mel and Gemma but sadly nothing came of it.
Hannah was brutally taken down by Reepham’s number 13. Dragons lost
possession of the ball and despite the defence all making a huge effort
made to get it back Reepham took advantage of another break and scored
again. 0-7. Further great work from Brooksey saw the ball passed back into
our attacking D with a short corner awarded. An unlucky miss from Gemma
saw a return to open play with the final whistle going. Described as “not our
day” by players on the bench the scoreline didn’t really reflect the level of
effort and application but the opposition came away deserved winners for
taking the opportunities they created.
POM went to Charlotte for all her hard work, however, votes covered nearly
the whole team. On to next week!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Yarmouth 2s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Megan Beckett
MOM:  Nat Crisp

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Breckland:  1-6

Goalscorer:  Mia McGhee
MOM:  Lizzie Costello

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v North Norfolk:  0-12

MOM:   Rosie Tarleton

Ladies 8’s took on North Norfolk at home. Despite some of our best hockey yet we were unable to end victorious and lost 7-0.

Emma North doubled up in goal to play for us and was later on playing for the 7’s. As always she did us proud and made some spectacular saves.

We were privy to some great pre-match advice from Mike and our captain Lois Metcalfe. I am sure Mike can say he had witnessed much of what he advised brought onto the pitch and utilised to the best of our advantage.

Bridget Le Good was in defence as one of two sweepers and played magnificently. On numerous occasions the loud crack that was heard as she executed the ball out wide made any opposition in her wake jump out of the way for fear of contact to their feet. Jess Lockwood also in defence very nearly made her second ‘on the goal line’ save but today that was not for her, but definitely there will be a next time Jess, just keep doing what you are doing!!!

Karen Davidson was a forward sweeper and although new to that role, made an admirable debut.

We welcomed three of our newcomers to the match with Ceris Burgues playing the Dragons shirt for the first time. She played a speedy game on the wing and we all benefitted from her presence. Ari Miquel-Clopes also made some great tackles and was often seen finding space exactly where she could intercept the ball. Rosie Tarleton played another great match and deservedly took home Brian and the hockey stick for being awarded POM.

Katy Cole played as a midfielder and displayed all her usual energy and enthusiasm and one can only get drawn into her excitement and optimism. Sadie ‘speedy’ Jacobs was another midfielder to be reckoned with and more often than not was first to the ball when it came her way.

Nicola Harrison was ‘on fire’ and played some excellent hockey down the wing, and although she was on the receiving end of a fast ball to her knee and the obligatory ice pack as a result just before halftime was not to be thwarted and came back stronger than ever in the second half. There was some awesome and very welcome ball clearance in defence from Jo Baker who received the ball quickly and even more quickly was able to whack it out to the side.

Myself (Emma Young) and Johanne Steward played as forwards, we had one or two chances in the D but were not able to execute a goal at this point. I for one learn so much from Johanne every time I play with her and she has patiently and kindly given me continuous advice and encouragement and I am eternally grateful to learn from her experience and knowledge.

Awesome 8’s have come a long way this season and with three games to go we may have to accept we will not finish at the top end of the table, but we can say we we have come a long way this season and we always come on to the pitch fighting, we hold our heads high, look out for our team mates and have a great time.

 

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v City of Peterborough 3s:  2-3

Goalscorers:  Al Browne, Sam Avery
MOM:  Sam Avery

Men’s 1s lose 3-2 against City of Peterborough 3s. Despite having plenty of chances and lots of the ball, Dragons found themselves 2-0 down shortly after half time. A cracking comeback was on the cards momentarily as a Sam Avery deflection and an Al Browne goal, both from shorts, gave the home team hope. Unfortunately, a short corner conceded in the dying seconds meant Dragons came away with nothing. Our best wishes go out to Matt Knights whose second half was cut short due to a nasty injury and a notable mention to Ali Smyth for the longest sliding tackle seen this turn of the millennium.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Lowestoft Railway 2s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Louie Barby, Matt Hull
MOM: Louie Barby

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Ipswich 2s:  1-4

Goalscorer:  Tommy Chapman
MOM:  Tommy Chapman, James King

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Norwich City 5s:  0-1

MOM:  Tommy Gale

Dragons 4ths welcomed back a few players after the half term break and immediately benefited from some additional defensive strength. City pressed hard in the first half and strung some good passing moves together while Dragons tried to find their midfield structure. Despite some Dragons pressure City picked up a goal from a short corner variation after a fine first save from Chris Millar. After the break as the game opened up as the  midfield substitutes along with the never tiring Tommy Gale gave Dragons a chance. More short corners and circle penetrations came as the Dragons defence held well , typified by Will Mares chasing down anything that broke through. But despite an exciting end Dragons failed to find an equaliser. Thanks to City 5ths for a great game and good sportsmanship as well as the umpires – much appreciated.

 

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Norfolk Nomads 2s:  3-2

Goalscorers:  Thomas Helfer x2, Andrew Cross
MOM:  Thomas Helfer

 

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v North Norfolk 3s:  2-3

Goalscorers:  Mike Banham, Lloyd Wade
MOM:

Development Leagues

Dev Boys B v Watton:  7-3
Goalscorers:  Monty Patel, Sam Reynolds, Ayrton Rant x2, Will Sexton x3
MOM:  Monty Patel

The morning sun was blocked out by the dark clouds but other wise it was a perfect day for hockey. The game was played in quarters (4 quarters of 15 minutes). Watton were on the front foot for the first quarter. Within the first 2 minutes Watton had scored 2 goals but about 8 minutes through, the tables turned and Dragons were on a charge. At the end on the first quarter, despite dragons fight back, it ended 2-1 to Watton.

Dragons continued their charge in the second quarter. There were constant barrage of attacks but no shot would go in because of the valiant Watton defending. On one attack though, we got a short corner which went to Sam Reynolds who struck but just missed. Thankfully it went to Monty Patel who then stopped it and swept it past the goalkeeper. The second quarter, or first half, ended 2-2.

The third quarter started with high confidence as the dragons were on the attack. With some amazing plays and passes. Ayrton Rant managed to put 2 goals on the scoresheet, Sam Reynolds put 1 on and Will Sexton put 3 on. The final quarter ended 7-2 to Dragons.

For the final quarter Watton came back fighting with multiple attacks, not being able to pierce the Dragon’s defence.However Watton got one goal back and the game ended 7-3 to Dragons.

Man Of The Match went to Monty Patel with 3 votes but was closely followed by Will Panter and Will Sexton who both secured 2 votes each.

Dev Girls v Dereham:  6-1
Goalscorers:  Hattie Stuart x3, Lucy Courtier, Hannah Shepperson, Nellie Ong
MOM:  Rowan Hewitt

 

 
 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 23rd February 2019

 

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sSt NeotsH7-2 (W)Maddy Reynolds x3
Issy Wolfe x2
Katy Hands
Olivia Thomas
Issy Wolfe
L3sMagpies 3H0-1 (L)Lucy Buxton
M1sCity 3A0-4 (W)Pedro Goss
Jono Chaney-Baxter
Al Browne
Sam Avery
Pedro Goss
Jono Chaney-Baxter
M4sDragons Men's 5s - friendly
M5sDragons Men's 4s - friendly
M6sDereham 4A5-1 (L)Dan OrsborneStephen Holland

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v St Neots 1s:  7-2

Goalscorers:  Issy Wolfe x2, Maddy Reynolds x3, Olivia Thomas, Katy Hands
MOM:  Issy Wolfe

Norwich Dragons ladies 1s found their form this week, winning 7-2 at home against league
strugglers St Neots.  Determined to put an end to the last few weeks of lacklustre performances, the ladies 1s came out hard from the opening whistle, dominating possession for much of the first half.  The opening 10 minutes saw some lovely linking play between the midfield and forward lines, and some good early chances. Against the run of play, however, St Neots won a short corner, and found the back of the net through a deflection on the left post, putting them 1-0 up.

The Dragons kept their heads, however, and countered within a few minutes with a goal of their
own as Maddy Reynolds took the ball past one defender and slipped the ball to Lucy Morton,
only to receive it back on the p-spot and deflect it reverse side into the goal. Player of the match
Issy Wolfe added her own just before half time, receiving the ball at the top of the D, and taking
a reverse stick strike to find the back of the net and to put the Dragons up by 1 goal at half time.

St Neots came out hard in the opening minutes of the second half, and having won another
short corner, they converted in a carbon copy of their first goal, drawing things level. It was at
this point that the Dragons really hit their stride, however, and the next 35 minutes saw a feast of goals from the hosts. Maddy Reynolds found the goal twice more, setting up her hat trick for the day;  Issy Wolfe scored another reverse sweep after a foray down the baseline; Katy Hands got in on the action receiving the ball from Holly Setchell and sweeping it into the goal; and Liv
Thomas finished the day with a lovely piece of skill during a short corner play, eliminating two
players and slipping it past the keeper’s right foot. The forward line’s feast of goals was well-
supported by a hardworking midfield, and by some patient play round the back to open up the
spaces on the pitch. Overall, this was a much better performance from the team, and we’ll be
looking to take that into the last few games of the season.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s – no fixture

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Magpies 3s:  0-1

MOM:  Lucy Buxton

On a warm sunny February morning Norwich Dragons Ladies 3 rd team welcomed Harleston Magpies 3rd Team to the Den. The game was a close encounter with both teams creating chances and short corners. Unfortunately for Dragons, Harleston managed to convert a well worked corner in the second half to clinch all three points. Player of the match was awarded to Lucy Buxton.

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s –  no fixture

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s – no fixture

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s – no fixture

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s – no fixture

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s – no fixture 

 
 
 
 
 
East League, Men’s 2N

Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Norwich City 3s:  4-0

Goalscorers:  Pedro Goss, Jono Chaney-Baxter, Al Browne, Sam Avery
MOM:  Pedro Goss, Jono Chaney-Baxter

Men’s 1s win the derby 4-0 at Taverham. 0-0 at half time despite a decent start, Dragons turned the screw in the second half, dispatching 4 unanswered goals whilst Dim Ives was alert enough to keep his clean sheet when called upon. Goals from Pedro Goss, Jono Chaney Baxter, Sam Avery and a contender for goal of the season from Alex Browne.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s – no fixture

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s – no fixture

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s – no fixture

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s – no fixture

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Dereham 4s:  1-5

Goalscorer:  Dan Orsborne
MOM:  Stephan Holland

DEVELOPMENT LEAGUES

no fixtures

 
 
 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 16th February 2019

 

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sLow Ladies 1H1-1 (D)Issy WolfeMima Watson
L2sUEA 1A2-4 (W)Haz Green
Jess Bennett
Jess Haw
Saskia Williams
Esme Potter
L3sN City 2H1-1 (D)Victoria EarleyThe team!
L4sSlip Date
L5sSlip Date
L6sBecclesA1-1 (D)Gemma BallardFloss Andrews
L7sPelicansA1-2 (W)Mia McGhee
Lois Metcalfe
Emma Fielding
L8sCity 7H0-2 (L)Esther Jacobs
Ari Miquel
M1sKettering 1A4-2 (L)Olly Buck
Rupert Snelling
Ed Gould
M2sUEA 1A5-0 (L)Peter Dickerson
M3sLow RailwayH4-5 (L)Mitch Smith x2
Jon Goodson
Piers Gordon-Brown
Piers Gordon-Brown
James Goodson
M4sIES 4A5-3 (L)Tommy Chapman
Garnett Jones x2
Isaac Diver-Hall
Charlie Creasey
M5sN City 7H6-0 (W)Andrew Cross x4
Adie Kemp x2
Arjuna Puvanachandra
M6sNo Fixture
BD AMagpiesH3-2 (W)Ben Panter x2
Jake Reynolds
Jake Reynolds
BD BSlip Date
GDPelicansA5-0 (CL)

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Lowestoft Ladies 1s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Issy Wolfe
MOM:  Mima Watson

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s put in a much improved performance on home turf to draw
1-1 with Lowestoft Ladies.

Despite struggling in recent weeks, and suffering a dip in confidence levels, the Ladies 1s
came out on Saturday determined to play to their potential. The game started well, with
the Dragons dominating possession and creating some early chances. The Lowestoft
goalkeeper did a good job of keeping her team in the game in the early stages, making
some great saves from the attempts by the forward line of Issy Wolfe, Maddy Reynolds,
Katy Hands and Lucy Morton. As the first half went on, Lowestoft did manage to break
through the lines on a number of occasions. Seeking the long ball through the middle,
their defence managed to find their high forwards on a couple of occasions, leaving them
with an overload situation. However, player of the match, Mima Watson, and the rest of
the defensive line up managed to clear their lines, along with some excellent keeping
from Gina Hunt. The first half ended with the Dragons narrowly missing the net after a
slick short corner routine found Kiera Goymour on the left castle, who struck in for a
neat deflection from Katy Hands.

The Dragons went into the second half with much more confidence, and dominated
possession for the majority of the game. After a flurry of short corners, Issy Wolfe
managed to get the conversion after an initial strike from Liv Leary was saved on the
post, and Wolfe cleared up. However, after taking the lead, the Dragons were put under
some pressure from a reinvigorated Lowestoft side, as they immediately went on the
counter attack and won a short corner. The hosts managed to clear this, but a few
minutes later, after a break down of play in the middle of the pitch, the Dragons found
themselves on the back foot. Lowestoft drove along the back line, pulling the ball back
to the P-spot. Despite getting a touch on it, the Dragons defence were unable to clear,
and the opposition tapped the ball in at the back post. Despite having all the possession
in the remaining 10 minutes, and a number of short corners, Dragons were unable to
find the winner, leaving the score 1-1 at full time. While a win would have been a better
reflection of the game, the Dragons can take heart from a much improved performance,
which they will be looking to build upon next week.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v UEA 1s:  4-2

Goalscorers:  Jess Bennett, Jess Haw, Haz Green, Saskia Williams
MOM:  Esme Potter

Half Term meant that most people were either ‘on the piste’, off to sunnier climes or the rigours of the term had caught up with them and they were ‘off sick’. With Captain Karen O’Neill Simpson having succumbed to illness and another half dozen of the regular team away, Dragons knew this was going to be a tough encounter. The team were grateful to Shelly Seaman and Joanna Raymond for helping the team out, alongside amazing youngsters Esme Potter, Saskia Williams and Lucy Buxton all stepping up into the team and playing key roles.

It was UEA who started the brighter, with Dragons GK Issy Mumbray needing to be alert to smother a couple of early chances, but it was the home team who struck first from a smartly struck short corner routine. Dragons took a little while to get properly into their stride, understandable given the changes, but midway through the half scored the equaliser, Hannah Hardy and Lucy Buxton combining to square the ball to the incoming Jess Bennett to slot home. Not long after this, Dragons were reduced to 11 players, with Lucy Buxton twisting her knee and unable to play any further part.

Dragons had started to pass the ball better towards the end of the half, this continued in the second half, using the width better rather than trying to force the ball through the middle. Dragons second came from a fine individual run down the right by Saskia Williams, who beat a number of players, calmly driving into the D and firing a reverse stick strike under the out rushing GK. UEA continued to press however and the newly formed Dragons back four of Esme Potter, Stella Windsor-Waite, Shelly Seaman and Jess Bennett worked really hard as a unit and cut out most of the threats, however a short corner routine by the students, led to an equaliser.

Dragons didn’t let their heads drop and continued to press – Joanna Raymond working hard in the middle supported well by Debs Smith and Haz Green on either side of midfield. The third came following good work by Debs Smith, who found Jess Haw on the left, who worked hard to get into the D and fire the ball across the goal, where Haz Green had ghosted in at the far post to slot home. The fourth followed shortly after, Saskia Williams again making a fine run down the right, finding Hannah Hardy on the back line, who glanced the ball back towards Jess Haw who was clinical with her finish in front of goal.

A pleasing win given the changes the team had been forced into. Player of the Match was tight between Saskia Williams and Esme Potter, with Esme taking it for a fine, mature display and some strong tackles, but all round there were some excellent performances all across the pitch, with everyone giving their all for the team.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Norwich City 2s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Victoria Earley
MOM: The team!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s –  no fixture

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s – no fixture

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Beccles:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Gemma Ballard
MOM:  Floss Andrews

Dragon’s arrived at Hobart with lots on energy and keen on leaving with points.

Despite recent results not going their way, they have been playing progressively better hockey and have really started to come together as a team.

Winning the pushback Dragon’s started strong, however, were not prepared for the physicality of the game and soon found themselves 1-0 down after a lifted ball over the Dragons defence led to a break away goal.

Dragon’s continued to dominate possession, putting countless amounts of pressure on the Beccles keeper, however, she made save after save denying the 6s of an equaliser in the first half.

The half-time team talk focused around using the space of the pitch and showing tenacity in the final third. This paid off after a break-away led to a corker of a reverse stick goal by Gemma Ballard.

This gave the time a renewed sense of determination. They upped the pressure on Beccles through some great distribution to the forward line, earning Floss Andrews a well deserved player of the match after intercepting countless Beccles clearances and up-cycling them into great chances.

Unlucky not to clinch a winner, the 6s come away with a point. With 4 games left and the mission of climbing one more place the next 2 games will be crucial.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2

Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Pelicans 3s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Mia McGhee, Lois Metcalfe
MOM:  Emma Fielding

Ladies 7s saw a difference to the team sheet this week due to some of
the regular players being unavailable. However, this was not going to
stop the grit and determination as we  thrived for the game ahead of us
against Pelicans.

We started the game with the majority of possession of the ball, using
all members of the team to get it round the nippy Pelis players, with a
strong mid-field line of Maisie Dearmer, Briony Johnstone, Nat Crisp and
Brittany Hopkins we were able to work the ball around them and pass it
nicely to our forward line of Mia McGhee, Lois Metcalfe and Lara King
who worked together well. After having many shots at goal during the
first half, Mia scored the first goal of the match which came from a
lovely pass from Lara, which the goalie managed to get a touch on but
Mia got the rebound and scored making us 1 nil up. Pelis also had a few
shots at goal but our keeper Emma North was on form and was saving them.
However, shortly after we scored our goal Pelis were quick to fight
back, and managed to work the ball round us and our defensive line of Bethan
Greaves, Emma Fielding (Mouse) and Anna Chapman and got it past Emma
making it a 1-1 draw just before the half time whistle went.

After a quick team talk, some sweets and a drink of water Dragons were
ready for round 2. Like in the first half we had most possession but
even more so in the second half. Our second goal came very early in
the second half after another lovely cross from Lara which again
deflected off of the keeper as she dived to save the ball and Lois
managed to get a reverse stick on it with enough power to whack it home
scoring her first goal of the season! Throughout the second half Dragons
absorbed a lot of pressure from Pelis as they were trying to level with
or beat us. This meant they also began to show determination as they
were awarded 3 consecutive short corners and were really pushing and
hoping to level the score but were unsuccessful as our defensive line
and a few midfielders were able to put the pressure on and clear the
balls. After a bit more play Sophie James was getting stuck in and was
working tirelessly to tackle Pelis and win the ball back into our
possession in both the first and second half of the game. She was a
flexible player who started in defence in the first half and moved to
left mid in the second. Shortly after the full time whistle went and we
cheered and shook the hands of the young Pelis team.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Norwich City 7s:  0-2

MOM:  Esther Jacobs, Ari Miquel

Half-term availability had a big impact on the 8s squad, but with two new players, the return of Louise Bond, and Karen Davidson determined to play despite a nasty abductor injury, the Awesome 8s were their usual excited and positive selves looking forward to their re-scheduled match against their derby rivals.

But even before the match started, enthusiastic drilling took out Johanne Steward (black eye) and Shaniece Claxton (bloody nose). However, you can’t keep a Dragon down and both picked themselves up to play, particularly welcome for Shaniece who was giving herself a few minutes on the pitch after injuries before Christmas.

Dragons started well, finding each other with well-timed passes and holding their formation. But gradually City began to dominate and if it had not been for Esther Jacobs being in fine kicking and diving form, the visitors could have had more goals. The Dragons defence held firm, with Captain Jo Baker looking solid at centre back and getting the see-saw going. The defence improved the percentage of 16s and free hits they managed to get out wide and clear, with Jo, Jessica Lockwood and Rosie Tarleton working well together and protecting the centre castle.

Going in only one goal down, Dragons were still well in the game, but they did not keep their shape or pass as accurately in the second half. City created threats with some excellent crosses, Dragons contributing to their downfall by ‘fishing and missing’ with reverse stick tackles. So having learned to be strong through the middle, the 8s will work on their marking and tackling. Debutant Rosie impressed with her sweeping clear, and Ari Miquel, also making her first appearance, took top marks for her tackling, high energy runs and tenacity. Ari shared the POM with Esther with both of them the role models for never giving up. Some players did get stronger as the match wore on – Sadie Jacobs having so improved her ability to win the ball out on the left wing. Nic Harrison is almost back to her courageous best after long term injury (not hockey related!) and was finding her touch on the right wing, and the experienced Louise Bond combined well in the defensive unit.

Seems hard to award Karen Davidson DOD after she bravely stood up to some crushing tackles, and managed to distribute the ball beautifully.  But any player who wants to take a restart bully with THREE ‘ground sticks’ AND face the wrong direction is going to have to take some bantz. Some of the nicest touches came from Emma Young and Jo Steward, who know how to steal into good positions and send the ball away. Katie Davidson also created space in midfield and linked the play well.

This week, the 8s had far more of the attacking play and actually got a penalty corner which Bridget Le Good whistled past the post.

Jo Baker pronounced herself pleased with the individual work rate  and effort of all her players, but is looking for the squad to maintain energy and consistency throughout the match to get over the finishing line. The squad benefited from some high-energy coaching from Mike Hardy during the week and this was carried through into sideline management during the match, which all the players appreciated. Go Awesome 8s – the win is within reaching distance!

East League, Men’s 2N

Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Kettering 1s:  2-4

Goalscorers:  Olly Buck, Rupert Snelling
MOM:  Ed Gould

The men’s 1s threw away a 2-0 lead at half time to lose 4-2 away at Kettering. A couple of injuries essentially meant we played the majority second half with a player less and legs began to tire. An extremely disappointing result against a team in a similar position in the league.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v UEA 1s:  0-5

MOM: Peter Dickerson

M2s well beaten by a strong UEA 1s side. A poor spell of 4 goals conceded in the first half left a mountain to climb and unlike last week we couldn’t pull it back. Final score 5-0.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Lowestoft Railway 1s:  4-5

Goalscorers:  Mitch Smith x2, Jon Goodson, Piers Gordon-Brown
MOM:

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v IES 4s:  3-5

Goalscorers:  Tommy Chapman, Garnett Jones x2
MOM:  Isaac Diver-Hall, Charlie Creasey

Dragons travelled to Ipswich with a team or youth and experience. Starting brightly Dragons matched IES in the opening exchanges with Garnet Jones rolling back the years and slamming home a rocket past the IES keeper. This woke IES up and the game became more entertaining with Ipswich poaching the lead before half time to make it 2-1, despite Charlie Creasy excellent reverse stick shot clipping the post. Undeterred and Dragons up to a full complement with Tommy Chapman back on up front Dragons continued to threaten. Unfortunately, Dragons couldn’t get in front and IES pounced on two rare mistakes to the end score to 5-3. Garnet Jones continued to poach goals with a well taken finish as did Tommy Chapman from a good short corner variation. But despite tireless running and positive play from Will Plank , Will Mares and Isaac Diver-Hall Dragons failed to get another in the last 10 mins despite penning IES in their own half. Excellent play from the Dragons young guns still left us with a smile on our faces as did the nice teas and good company from IES (many thanks). Also hats off to the netball mum and the clubhouse steward who looked after our patient for the first half enabling us to play a full and competitive game. Man of the match very hard to split between Isaac Diver-Hall and Charlie Creasy who both had fantastic games.

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Norwich City 7s:  6-0

Goalscorers:  Andrew Cross x4, Adie Kemp x2
MOM:  Arjuna Puvanachandra

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s- no fixture 

DEVELOPMENT LEAGUES

Dev Boys A v Watton:  3-2

Goalscorers:  Ben Panter x2, Jake Reynolds
MOM:  Jake Reynolds

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 9th February 2019

 

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sBedford 2A7-0 (L)Mia Bartram
L2sN D 3H4-0 (W)Jess Bennett x2
Hannah Hardy
Kate McKenna
Mima Watson
L3sNDHC 2A4-0 (L)Kat Speirs
L4sN City 4H1-4 (L)Jemima WilliamsChloe Mikronis
L5sMagpies 5A2-2 (D)Anita Mancini
Gill Walker
Amy Forse
L6sCarrow 1H0-3 (L)Hatty Harrison-Mobbs
L7sLoddon 2H1-1 (D)Mia McGheeBriony Johnstone
L8sCarrow 2A5-0 (L)Anna Chapman
Karen Davidson
M1sBury 1H1-0 (W)Al BrowneDave Sloman
M2sMagpies 3H3-5 (L)Cley Hamilton
Ed Gould
Angus Blazer
Angus Blazer
M3sUEA 2A3-0 (L)
M4sNewmarket 2H4-0 (W)Isaac Diver Hall x2
Joel Lawrence x2
Alex Wolfe
M5sNDHC 6A0-6 (W)Will Bowman
Andrew Cross x2
Adie Kemp x2
Tommy Chapman
Will Bowman
M6sNDHC 5H0-6 (L)Casper Lind
BD ADerehamH3-2 (W)Lawry Williams
Vithu
Raul
Lawry Williams
BD BN CityA2-0 (L)Theo Demitriou
Oli Rudling
GDWattonA3-3 (D)Nellie Ong
Hattie Stuart
Mia Rutterford
Honey Wells

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Bedford 2s:  0-7

MOM:  Mia Bartram

Ladies 1s struggle on the road to a well-organised Bedford 2s side, losing 7-0. A difficult day but lots to learn and we’ll come back stronger next week. Pom Mia for some great tenacity and work.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s:  4-0

Goalscorer:  Jess Bennett x2, Hannah Hardy, Kate McKenna
MOM:  Mima Watson

The sun shone but the Storm Eric blew, the Dragons Ladies 2’s and 3’s prepared to meet at the Den for the 2nd of their League encounters. The 2’s welcomed Mima Watson and Gina Hunt into the team, as a prior engagements meant they were unable to travel away.

The game started fairly evenly, with the 2’s putting pressure on the 3’s midfield and defence, but unable to take their early chances with Kat Speirs in the 3’s goal, starting the game strongly. The 3’s always threatened on the break however the 2’s defence remained resolute. Midway through the half, Kate McKenna took at trademark reverse strike, which found its way into the goal via a deflection.

Whilst the 2’s had a lot of pressure, they didn’t make the most of their chances in the 1st half. The 2nd half saw the 3’s come out well and force a few short corners; one of which saw a goal mouth scramble needing Gina Hunt to make a couple of good saves, and also requiring Sarah Borrett to make a an excellent save on the line, to avoid an equaliser.

From this point the 2’s started passing the ball better, with more patience as a team. They started to use Mima Watson’s pace as an outlet out on the right, with the youngster making some great driving runs into the D. From one such run, Watson found Jessica Haw on the edge of the D, she fired a ball across which made its way to Hannah Hardy on the back post, to volley in at the back post – a good team goal. From here, confidence grew and the team played with more composure – a broken down short corner saw a shot from Harriett Green saved, only for Jess Bennett to pounce and fire home for a 3rd. The final goal, again from Jess Bennett, was following good work on the left, she drove into the D and smashed home into the corner.

Some good hockey from both teams, Mima Watson deservedly Player of the Match for the 2’s, whilst equally as deservedly, Kat Speirs was unanimously Player of the Match for the 3’s for a fine display in their goal.

 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s:  0-4

MOM:  Kat Speirs

Ladies 3’s lost to dragons ladies 2’s, 4-0. Played in good spirit, 3rd team made the 2’s work hard for their points. POM goes to Katrina Speirs for some excellent saves!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Norwich City 4s:  1-4

Goalscorers:  Jemima Williams
MOM:  Chloe Mikronis

Ladies 4’s lost to local rivals City 4’s 4-1. Stunningly smooth goal by Jemima Williams. Well deserved POM to Birthday girl Chloe Mikronis!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Magpies 5s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Anita Mancini, Gill Walker
MOM:   Amy Forse

On a beautiful crisp, chilled and exceptionally windy morning, Dragons Ladies 5s came up against the youthful HarlestonMagpies 5s. The last encounter ended with Magpies victorious over the Dragons. Would history be repeated, or could Dragons extend their 7 games undefeated run to 8?We knewthis time we would be up against it, with numerous injuries and illness amongst us all from last week – too numerous to say and would take up half the match report! Dragons welcomed the youthful Amelia Keitley-Webb coming up for the 6s to help strengthen a depleted forward line… andwhat a great job she did.

In the warmth of the changing rooms, inspiring Captain Hannah Edwards began pre-match prep with a master plan for both offensive and defensive moves and a reminder of the qualities and skills that have seen us hot on the heels of the leader board all season.

The game began as expected with both teams fighting hard for every ball. Dragons moved the ball around confidently for the first half, distributing the ball across the whole of the pitch from Neet, Beth, Katherine, Gillie and Mel keeping the pressure on the Magpies’ midfield and defence. Lovely assertive attack from Hannah E and Jen Buskell throughout, playing some precision passing to the forward line of Gemma B, Sue C and Amelia. Shots at goal from Sue C and Amelia were very well saved from a very quick reacting goalie who early on looked to be the Dragons nemesis, after saving two well directed high balls from Gemma B and Amelia. The game was fast and furious for pace and skill with the Magpies showing why they too are title contenders with some beautiful one-touch ball distribution as well as individual slick stick skills. Finally, the deadlock was broken after Amelia KW broke down the right with the ball and after managing to outmanoeuvre two Magpies defenders, crossed the ball into the D, picked up by Neet “dodgy hamstring” Mancini who slotted the ball home underneath the sprawling goalie – 1:0 to the away team. With the game finely balanced between the two teams and great play by both sides, Magpies’ unrelenting drive forward saw them level the score after some very dogmatic and defiant defending from our back four. Eventually…somehow after a Magpies short corner, the ball pinging off between players like a pin ball machine – eventually hit the Dragons back board – 1:1. An encouraging half time pep talk by Han E and light refreshments of Jen’s oranges and mega jelly beans, the Dragons began the second half – tired but determined to give it their all.

Second half the game continued to be hard fought and fast and remained that way for a while. Magpies took advantage of the break and a short corner deflection off Jen to take the lead to 2:1. But not giving up, the hard grafting of the Dragons and some great play up the pitch by Beth Elgood and Mel Widdows fighting for every ball and working back to support the defence when the youthful legs of the Magpies front line broke through… After many a brave tackle by Brooksy, Han and Emily it was a tough break to find Magpies awarded a penalty flick after a strike at goal was a stopped by an accidental defensive foot (a fair but gutting decision for the team). To be 3:1 down could have sealed Magpies win and left the Dragons team facing an uphill battle to get back into the game. Goalkeeper Amy made a great save to her right to deny the Magpies a goal.

Inspired and with all cylinders firing, Dragons pushed forward with renewed energy but again were stopped hard in their tracks when Sue C collided with a Magpies defender, knocking the wind out of her and having to come off with an injury. With a change of forward line, Gillie W took on the role of forward and Jen came up from defence to be a second top D… with a few minutes to go after a ball from midfield saw Jen take the ball towards the Magpies’ defence; she shot but it was saved by the goalie, only to fall to Gillie who with calm and precision struck that ball home…GOAL!!!!!! The majority of the team were confused for Jen to be playing so high, but with her instrumental work in preparing the second goal, Han declared “that’s why!” much to everyone’s realisation.

2:2 at the final whistle: An amazing game between two finely balanced teams. Magpies can very very proud of how they played today. Great umpiring really made the game enjoyable and fair with both teams playing in good spirits.

Finally in the words of Han E a very proud captain …”smashing game today ladies, should all be thoroughly proud..I am chuffed.” Man of the Match to Amy for her exceptional keeping of the goal, in spite of her deflection-loving-defence and for excellent reading of the penalty flick taker.

Thanks to our great supporters: little Nell and Edith (with Dad, George) and Amelia’s Great Aunt –

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Carrow 1s:  0-3

MOM:  Hatty Harrison-Mobbs

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Loddon 2s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Mia McGhee
MOM:  Briony Johnstone

Dragons started the match in good spirits, hoping to gain some much-needed points and were content with the draw. Loddon fought hard and the game was pretty evenly matched with plenty of end-to-end play. Dragons went 1:0 up halfway through the first half when some great linking play saw them break away from Loddon, allowing Mia McGhee to slot the ball past the keeper. Loddon kept up the pressure and equalized in the second half. 

Due to availability issues, Dragons had a different line-up, with some new faces making up the squad. Making her debut in the 7s, Emma Fielding had a great game, settling in and playing well with the other defenders of Jessie Young, Lizzie Costello and Issy Gale. Briony Johnstone had another stonking game, proving how invaluable she is at bottom of the diamond and deservedly earning POM. Lara King was welcomed back after illness and put in lots of great tackles at top of the diamond, confounding Loddon’s attempts through the middle. Paige Fisher and Brittany Hopkins worked hard on the wings, getting the ball up to the waiting forwards of Mia, Katy Cole, Katie Davidson and Claire Fairhurst. Keeper Emma North was kept busy and made several amazing saves, stopping Loddon from scoring. She was only defeated by a short corner when Loddon slotted in a neat, strong strike.

Although it wasn’t the win that Dragons are craving, it was a good result from a new formation, showing that regular attendance at training makes all the difference! Onwards and upwards, the next win is surely within grasp!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Carrow 2s:  0-5

Dragons 8s played with much more commitment this week against a very strong Carrow team with a Carrow Teamsheet showing at least 5 players doubling up.
Dragon’s defence battled hard but the final score was 5-0 to Carrow.
In defence Eva Muiruri, Jo Baker, Anna Chapman and Jess Lockwood played solidly to support Emma North in goal. With no sweeper this week a more attacking line up was tried having Karen Davidson , Sarah Lucas, Lois Metcalfe, Sadie Jacobs, Nic Harrison and Fern Daly rotating for each other in the mid using a diamond formation. Emma young, Bridget Le Good and Johanne Steward played up front but unfortunately the Carrow defence was not letting them play in to the D.
Emma North was occasionally left on her own to defend against a couple of their fast paced players making great one on one saves.
Dragons had a good amount of possession but just couldn’t break through. Good passing and control was made in the mid field but at times dragons were bunched together making pressing up the field difficult.
First half score line was 2-0 and looked like the visitors could come back in the second half but Carrow had some unstoppable short corners and players on the post to capitalise scoring opportunities gave them 3 quick goals in the later part of the second half.
Man of the match was split between Karen and Anna with a total of 7 nominations.
Well played and battled till the end. Plenty to find positive in and also to develop in training for next weeks game.

 

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Bury St Edmunds 1s:  1-0

Goalscorer:  Al Browne
MOM:  Dave Sloman

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Magpies 3s:  3-5

Goalscorers:  Cley Hamilton, Eddie Gould, Angus Blazer
MOM: Angus Blazer

Another goal fest game for the neutral by the Mens 2s. Unfortunately we didn’t start well, going in 3-0 down at half time. After having a good word with ourselves at the break, we let another goal in before then stepping it up and pulling the game back to 3-4. Chasing a 4th, unfortunately we let in a 5th, losing 3-5. Another good game for the youth of the club. Goals by Ed Gould, Angus Blazer, and a penalty flick from Cley Hamilton. MoM votes went to just about everyone in the team, with Angus Blazer winning a 3 way tie on 2 votes by rock-paper-scissors. Sol Blazer just avoids DoD by turning up, unlike Chris Simmonds having the weekend off and hence being awarded it. Thanks to all those watching and supporting!

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v UEA 2s:  0-3

MOM:

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Newmarket 2s:  4-0

Goalscorers:  Isaac Diver-Hall x2, Joel Lawrence x2
MOM:  Alex Wolfe

This was a big game for two teams who haven’t had much luck this season with results. But as the game started neither team was put off playing some nice hockey. Newmarket started well with structures approach play meaning Alex Wolfe was called into play a few times to keep things level. Always dangerous on the counter attack Dragons got the goal they wanted before half time mainly thanks to the pace and work of Jones , Gale and Diver-Hall. As the second half started Dragons broke away for another goal to make things more comfortable with Newmarket always threatening. Dragons managed to close out the game with two more goal despite Newmarket puling one back mainly thanks to man of the match Alex Wolfe in goal. Overall well played Newmarket for a good open game and to the Dragons goal scorers with Joel Lawrence denied by the post for his hattrick and Isaac Diver- Hall  also threatening his first hat trick but settling for a brace.

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s:  6-0

Goalscorers:  Will Bowman, Andrew Cross x2, Adi Kemp x2, Tommy Chapman

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s:  0-6

MOM:  Casper Lind

Men’s 6 lose 6-0 to Men’s 5. Some good play and much better than when we last met. MOM to Casper Lind. Congrats to the 5’s being champions

Development Leagues

Dev Boys A v Dereham :   3-2

Goalscorers:  Lawry Williams, Vithu Baskaran, Raul Wigglesworth
MOM:  Lawry Williams

The game had a cold and windy start but that did not stop the teams from playing to their best. The first half was very even and very end to end. The first goal in the game was scored by Vithu Baskaran. It was ‘luck’ as some people would say but Dragons knew that it was Vithu’s pure skill. He had whipped it in to the goal from the base line, it was truly spectacular and a big surprise. The first half ended a fair 1:1.

The next half again started off very even once again. There were many chances and Dragons were the first to put one away. There was a barrage of attacks on Dereham, which were very well defended, and multiple crosses. Eventually a ball arrived at the stick of Raul Wigglesworth who, with great composure, put it away. In response to this Dereham came fighting back and eventually scoring another leaving it 2:2. It was nearing the end of the game and both teams were looking for a goal to take the lead. In the last minute Dragons were awarded a short corner after an attack. Lawry Williams was the injector and Edward Cross was receiving it. When it reached Edward he took a shot and was saved by the keeper. The ball then came flying to Lawry who made a good stop and then an amazing shot. The ball shot in to the bottom right hand corner and the team celebrated. Dereham went back to the centre spot looking to get a goal in the last 30 seconds. They went straight on the attack but was defended and cleared by dragons. The whistle then blew and the Dragons team celebrated with a 3:2 win.

After the game man of the match was awarded to Lawry but closely followed by others with him winning only by 1 vote.

Dev Boys B v Norwich City :  0-2

MOM:  Theo Demitriou, Oli Rudling

The teams were eager to get cracking on this very cold and dimly lit day.  They were evenly matched, with both Dragons and City quick to get shots at goal, defended well by both Dragons and City GKs.

City kept on the pressure and were awarded by a series of short corners, Dragons went on the defensive and with some great saves by GK Adam Jones kept a clean sheet in Q1.

Dragons then went on the attack with George Wilson and Monty Patel passing well to get Dragons in to shooting distance, but City intercepted and quickly went on the counter attack and awarded another short corner!  Well defended again by Dragons, with some great tackling by Oli Rudling , Theo Demetriou and the boys to keep the score 0-0 in Q2.

Dragons started strong in Q3, Jake Reynolds managed to dribble the ball through City’s players and between him and Monty Patel looked like they could score, but to no avail.

More suspense with short corners for both Dragons and City and after what felt like the 10th short corner City scored to put them in the lead.

In the final quarter Dragons started well and were tantalisingly close to scoring, first with the ball going just wide of the goal and then just off the goal line.  Dragons were awarded with a couple of short corners but unable to take advantage.  Pressure was mounting by Dragons and we felt a goal was coming, but City defended well.  In the final flurry Monty looked like he was going to score but City’s keeper made a cracking save, which then allowed City to dash up the pitch and were awarded with a final goal in the last minute, resulting in a 2 – 0 win to City.

It’s fair to say the final score did not really reflect the overall game, the play was evenly matched throughout with good attacking and defensive play by both teams and an abundance of short corners which kept us spectators on edge to the final whistle!

Dev Girls v Watton:  3-3

Goalscorers:  Nellie Ong, Hattie Stuart, Mia Rutherford
MOM:  Honey Wells

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 2nd February 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sIpswich 2H2-1 (W)Lucy Morton
Kiera Goymour
Kiera Goymour
L2sYarmouth 1A2-1 (L)Debs SmithSarah Borrett
Haz Green
Hannah Hardy
L3sBury 1H1-5 (L)Lucy BuxtonVictoria Earley
L4sEvergeeens 1A4-3 (L)Lilli Ballard x2
Niamh Somers
Lilli Ballard
L5sLow Ladies 2H3-0 (W)Hannah Edwards
Anita Mancini
Sue Cross
Hannah Edwards
L6sMagpies 5A6-0 (L)Emily Grint
L7sPelicans 3AP-P
L8sPelicans 4H0-4Anna Chapman
Sophie James
Katie Davidson
M1sN City 3AP-P
M2sIES 3A7-4(L)Alex Brooks
Angus Blazer
Al Browne x2
Louie Barber
M3sNth Norfolk 1H2-4 (L)Tom Vaughan x2Stuart Kelly
M4sIpswich 3A3-0 (L)Harry Brown
M5sUEA 4H2-0 (W)Dan Ryan x2Tommy Gale
M6sDereham 4AP-P
BD ADragons BH4-2 (W)Sam Leeming
Felix Bartram
Ed Cross
Gabe Overton
BD BDragons AA4-2 (L)Ben Panter
Will Panter
GDPelicansH11-1 (W)Mia Rutterford x5
Hattie Stuart x3
Hattie Courtier x3
Mia Rutterford

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Ipswich 2s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Lucy Morton, Kiera Goymore
MOM:  Kiera Goymour

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Yarmouth:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Debs Smith
MOM:  Sarah Borrett, Haz Green, Hannah Hardy

The game survived the inclement weather by the coast and the pitch was playable. Dragons had a reduced squad through illness and were also missing influential midfielder Gail Thomas, who was jetting off to somewhat warmer climes.

After a short warm up, Yarmouth started the game the brighter of the two teams, content to sit deep, protect the middle and break effectively on the counter attack. Whilst Dragons had possession, they really weren’t on their game. A break midway through the half saw the home team take the lead through strong attacking breakaway play.

Dragons thought they had equalised following a strong pass from Donna Vaughan which was deflected into the path of Jess Bennett who released the ball and collided with the GK at the same time, the ball was slotted home by Kate McKenna, but the collision with the GK was deemed to be a foul. Dragons kept attacking but across the team things just weren’t quite gelling.

The second half saw a similar pattern emerge with Dragons trying to force play down the centre, which was being well dealt with by the Yarmouth defence. A rare attack, using the width of the pitch, saw a ball fired in from wide and after a bit of pinball with the Keeper, Jess Haw fired goalwards, and the ball sneaked in via the faintest of deflections from Debs Smith.

Yarmouth continued to counter attack, and went back ahead through another fine individual effort. Whilst Dragons forced some saves from the Yarmouth Keeper, this just wasn’t their day and to a player, they didn’t play well enough either individually or as a team. Dragons MoM was split by Sarah Borrett, Harriet Green and Hannah Hardy.

 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Ladies 3s v Bury 1s:  1-5

Goalscorers:  Lucy Buxton
MOM:  Victoria Earley

On a cold but sunny Saturday afternoon Norwich Dragons Ladies 3rd team played Bury St Edmunds 1st team at the den. Bury St Edmunds began applying attacking pressure right from the first whistle, switching the ball confidently and efficiently. Despite the good communication and determination amongst the Dragons players Bury managed to score two goals early on.

Dragons continued to battle hard for each other as team and began to create some attacking chances down the wings to ease the pressure on the defence, however it was Bury who managed to score a third goal to finish the first half 3- 0 to Bury.

Dragons stuck to their game plan and the second half saw attacking play from both teams and a much more even game. Bury managed to score a fourth, but Dragons had short corner and penalty flick opportunities missed before Lucy Buxton scored from close range to give the home team a much-deserved goal.

Bury managed to score one last goal from a very deep run along the base line to give a final score of 5-1 to Bury. A great team effort from all the players and player of the match was Vicky Earley.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Evergreens 1:  3-4

Goalscorers:  Lilli Ballard, Niamh Somers
MOM:  Lilli Ballard

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Lowestoft Ladies 2s:  3-0

Goalscorers:  Anita Mancini, Hannah Edwards, Sue Cross
MOM:   Hannah Edwards

Considering that City and Dereham had cancelled all their home fixtures, we were pleased to get another win under our belts. We had won our last 6 fixtures and were getting excited. On paper we were the stronger team … which always makes it difficult.

Due to holidays, sickness and a rather nasty broken hand we only had one sub. The subs bench
looked more like a nursing station when after 5 minutes Anita Mancini proved that she can do the splits in the strangest of positions – The curse of tripping over our own feet had obviously been passed on. I don’t want to think where the ice pack was put.

However, not long after that we took the lead from a short. Gem Ballard fed the ball out, Sue Cross stopped it and took a shot.  It hit the keeper on the pads and wafted over the keepers head. Captain Marvel (Hannah Edwards) then appeared with a Murray like serving action to smash the overhead ball into the goal. No one was going to try and stop that one. 1 – 0 Hannah.

The second goal was less controversial; the ball was fed into the D. The keeper came out sliding, and Crossy dribbled round the by that time stationary keeper to push the ball home.
Anita scored the third, although Gem was lurking at the post. A nice simple goal, but well executed.

Take the ball into the D and then hit it as hard as you can.
Poor old Emily Smith who had been playing really well, took a ball to the face, and then had to replace Louise Brooks who took a ball to the elbow. We seem to be raised ball magnets at the minute.

Lowestoft were a lovely team to play against. They had a couple of really strong skilful players, but Hockey is a team sport so Dragons benefited from Lowestoft being unable to stop their own crosses. Steph Samson and Jen Buskell played really well at the back, picking their times to nick the ball. A masterclass in defending.

Hannah, Gem and Sue all demonstrated why tall people should have the ball out in front of them and not between their feet. However they moved well off the ball, picking up balls down the line from Mel Widdows and Charlotte Dowson, and winning lots of short corners.

Mel, Charlotte and Gill Walker were well disciplined, kept their positions and worked their socks off.  Dragons seemed to move the ball around well, Hannah making some lovely runs down the right  wing. That girl really can play in every position!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Magpies 5s:  0-6

MOM:  Emily Grint

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Pelicans 3s:  P-P

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Pelicans 4s:  0-4

MOM:  Anna Chapman, Sophie James and Katie Davidson.

Player of the match had 9 nominations very evenly spread, 3 tied for the top.

The awesome eights had a tough match against Pelicans 4s loosing 0:4
Captain Jo managed to get a great team together despite difficulties.
Dragons started well but then unfortunately let two goals near the start of the first half due
to confusion, thinking penalty corners had been called. It is a reminder to keep playing until
you are really sure the whistle has blown and play has stopped.

Still there was some great play, defenders Anna Chapman, Eva and Jo Baker clearing the ball wide and Karen Davidson was brilliant in goal. Becca James, Sophie James, Sadie Jacobs, Emma Fielding (Mouse), Ellie O’Kane and Katie Cole as mids keeping up with the fast Pelicans and marking close most of the time. Forwards Emma Young, Johanne Steward and
Bridget Le Good  played well getting the ball in the D a few times.

Unfortunately, Becca injured her ankle at the end of the first half so was off for the second
half but by that time we had been joined by Katy C who was full of energy and played a
great half as a centre mid. The two goals in the second half were more deserved but the 8s
still continued to fight to the end and are looking forward to practice next week and their
next match.

 

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Norwich City 3s:  P-P

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v IES 3s:  4-7

Goalscorers:  Alex Brooks, Angus Blazer, Al Browne x2
MOM: Louie Barber

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v North Norfolk 1s:  2-4

Goalscorer:  Tom Vaughan
MOM:  Stuart Kelly

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Ipswich 3s:  0-3

MOM:  Harry Brown

Norwich Dragons set off to Ipswich with a straight 11 ready to play. Ipswich started strongly with a very experienced side and a splash of magic upfront. Dragons played well with tireless running from Rich Phillis , Harry Brown and Tom Helfer in midfield cutting most midfield threats out. Unfortunately despite great defending from Will Bloom, Pete Davison , Lloyd Wade and Will Mares the individual skill of Ipswich’s centre forward made the difference in the first half. At 2 nil down Dragons where undeterred and a great attitude and effort continued into the second half led by the (no not bobbled hatted) experience of Keating and Price upfront. Whilst Dragons got into the Ipswich circle a number of times they where once again undone by some fine skill breaking the excellent defence. So it ended 3 nil but huge thanks to those who played and Ipswich as well for the extra beans with great banter while we played. Man of the match ended up with Harry Brown but Will Mares wasn’t fair behind on his 4th team debut. Nearly forgot Chris Millar with more fine saves kept the score line tidy.

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v UEA 4s:  2-0

Goalscorers:  Dan Ryan x2
MOM:  Tommy Gale

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Dereham 4s:  P-P

 

Development League

Dev Boys A v Dev Boys B:  4-2

Goalscorers:  Whites: Sam Leeming, Felix Bartram, Ed Cross,  Gabe Overton
Reds:  Will Panter, Ben Panter

The match started great, with players from both side making coordinated passes and moving to create space. Within a few minutes, some simple passing and a lovely cross gave the white team a brilliant first goal scored by Sam Leeming. Even though the reds were now feeling a bit down, they managed to push through and (using some amazing team work and great passes) score a good goal by Will Panter. This goal was quickly followed by another, in which Ben Panter skilfully dribbled the ball through the white’s defences and pushed it into the goal. However, the white’s weren’t pleased with the score so far and started to fight back stronger than ever, this luckily earned them a second and third goal, scored by Felix Bartram and Ed Cross.

The game was pretty even from then on, each team was fighting hard and getting the ball into the other side’s D and coming very close to scoring, but eventually, in the last few minutes of the match, Gabe Overton scored the final goal that settled the match.

Then sadly then final whistle blew to signal the end a a fantastic game. Well done to everyone who played!

Match Report by Will Sexton

Dev Girls v Pelicans:  11-1

Goalscorers: Mia Rutterford x5, Hattie Stuart x3, Lucy Courtier x3
MOM:  Mia Rutterford

This morning we had a 10:30 pushback against Pelicans dev girls. We started off the match with an extremely strong side, with many attackers striking at goal. By the end of the first half we were already 4-0 up.

We carried on with most of the possession and the final result was 11-1, with 5 goals from Mia Rutterford, 3 goals from Hattie Stuart and 3 from Lucy Courtier. Defence was strong throughout the match and lovely balls were passed into the D by mid fielders. Player of the match was Mia Rutterford but well done for an excellent match girls!

Thank you to Maddie Reynolds and Esme Potter for umpiring and Spike for coaching.
Match report written by Honey Wells

 
 
 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 26th January 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sCam Uni 1A7-0 (L)Gina Hunt
Shelly Seaman
Olivia Thomas
L2sWatton 1H3-2 (W)Katie McKenna x2
Hannah Hardy
Katie McKenna
L3sChristchurch 1H2-3 (L)Beth Prakesh
Ally Windsor-Waite
Beth Prakesh
L4sDereham 3H5-0 (W)
L5sBecclesA0-4 (W)Gemma Ballard
Amy Forse
Anita Mancini
Sue Cross
Katherine Hardwick
L6sLow Ladies 2H3-2 (W)Kelly Mills
Amy Beadman
Hannah Woods
Hannah Woods
L7sDereham 4H1-2 (L)Adelice KraemerNat Crisp
L8sNo Fixture
M1sCam South 1H5-4 (W)Matt Knights x3
Sam Avery
Alex Browne
Matt Knights
M2sSudbury 2H5-0 (W)Alex Brooks
Andrew Saunders
Rupert Snelling
Cley Hamilton
Rob Wagstaff
Cley Hamilton
M3sBury 2A0-0 (D)James King
M4sWatton 1H1-4 (L)Phil York-SmithDan Murphy
M5sWatton 2A1-3 (W)Andrew Cross
Josh Bingham
Peter Davison
Will Bloom
M6sPelicans 4H0-0 (D)Stephen Holland
BD ANo Fixture
BD BNo Fixture
GDYarmouthH5-0 (CW)Hattie Stuart
Lucy Courtier
Nellie Ong

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Cambridge University:  0-7

MOM:  Gina Hunt, Shelly Seaman, Olivia Thomas

The ladies 1s were dealt a hockey masterclass on the road by Cambridge University 1s.
The opening moments of the game set the tone for how things would progress, with the
students having the lion’s share of possession and moving the ball quickly around their
whole team, from the defence through to the forward line. Stretching the game both
high and wide, the university began to find holes in the Dragons’ defence and created a
number of opportunities. Despite absorbing a significant amount of pressure in the first
10 minutes, the hosts capitalised on their excellent passages of play, taking a
controversial long corner quickly and placing the ball hard and fast to the back right post,
for the incoming striker to deflect into the net for a textbook goal.

The rest of the half saw much of the same, with the students placing the visitors under a
lot of pressure, and winning several short corners. They managed to convert two of these
with some very slick routines to put them 3-0 up at half time. The Dragons came out
harder in the second half, and managed to create a few chances going forwards.
However, the Cambridge defence were strong and mopped up our attacks with relative
ease. Again and again, the students were patient, playing the ball around their team,
stretching the game, and then capitalising on the gaps that were emerging through the
middle and down the sides of the pitch. They extended their lead to 4 with a drive along
the base line, and despite tackles from both Holly Setchell and Sarah Jenkins, the ball was
slipped to the opposite post and tapped in by the waiting striker. The final three goals
came from another three textbook short corner routines leaving the final score 7-0. The

Dragons were outplayed by a classy team this week, and while a humbling experience, it
has given us a lot to aspire to and to think about as we move forward. Player of the
match was split between Shelly Seaman, Gina Hunt and Liv Thomas, with a number of
other votes being spread around the team.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Watton 1s:  3-2

Goalscorers:  Kate McKenna x 2,  Hannah Hardy,
MOM:  Kate McKenna

Dragons faced 2nd placed Watton in what was likely to be a close encounter at the Den. The home team was once again largely unchanged, Stella Windsor-Waite who moved up from the 3’s the week before, rightly retained her place. Unfortunately, illness meant Dragons were down to 12 being denied the services of the talented Liv Leary, becoming unavailable late on Friday.

The game started brightly for the home team, with the ball being moved around well, the midfield of Gail Thomas, Annabelle Phoenix, Sam Franklin and Harriet Green battling extremely hard and distributing the ball well. Watton looked a threat in attack, but Issi Mumbray was strong in the Dragons goal, making some fine early clearances.

The break through came mid way through the half, Jessica Bennett, finding Hannah Hardy in the D, who turned in front of the outrushing GK and was able to slot the ball under her, to find Kate McKenna, who had found a great position to slot home. Dragons continued to be a threat, and before the break scored a second, with Donna Vaughan finding Kate McKenna with a firm ball, McKenna found a deft touch, deflecting the ball into the path of Hannah Hardy who swept home.

Despite the lead, Watton threatened the Dragons goal on many occasions but the defence was strong – Sarah Borrett her usual composed self, Karen O’Neill Simpson and Stella Windsor-Waite are already forming a good understanding, whilst Donna Vaughan was her usual dominant self in front of the back three. Watton forced short corners and had various routines, but Keeper Issi Mumbray was commanding kicking and clearing strongly.

 

After the break, as anticipated Watton came out firing and Dragons knew they were going to be in a battle. The deficit was reduced to one, with a Watton goal from a short corner directly from their left slip. This served to fire up the visitors and Dragons perhaps dropped a little deep, inviting the pressure. Again the whole team defended for their worth, putting their bodies on the line, none more so than Jess Bennett, who made an excellent run from deep, driving into the Watton D towards the outrushing GK; as she released her shot, the two collided, with Bennett taking the full impact. Fortunately she recovered to continue play and was instrumental in Dragons 3rd goal, forcing the ball down the left to Hannah Hardy who had come out to a wide position, turning the defender, Hardy spotted Kate McKenna who had once again found an excellent position in the D. Calmly McKenna drew the keeper, took it onto her reverse and slotted home for her second and Dragons third.

Watton were not done and piled on the pressure, pulling back another goal with around 10 minutes remaining. Both teams gave everything in this full blooded battle between 2nd and 3rd, and with Watton continuing to pile on the pressure, the final whistle went. A good contest against a strong attacking opposition; both teams headed for the warmth of Goals, for their well deserved hot cheesy pizzas.

Dragons Player of the Match went to Kate McKenna, not only for her 2 goals, but for her extremely high work rate, great positioning and all round confident play; special mention should also go to Issi Mumbray, who was dominant in goal for the home team.

 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Ladies 3s v Christchurch 1s:  2-3

Goalscorers:  Ally Windsor Waite, Beth Prakash
MOM:  Esme Potter, Beth Prakash

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3 rd team played Christchurch Ladies 1st team at the Den and following a heavy defeat in the previous encounter were keen to put in a good performance. Dragons started promisingly, creating some good play all over the pitch and were soon awarded with a goal by debutant Beth Pakrash.

Christchurch continued to look for long hits across and through the field to their forwards who were dangerous in attack, which resulted in two goals in the first half making the score 2 1 to the visitors at half time.

Dragons began the second half determined to gain something from the game, creating some good runs down both wings and winning a few short corners, but the game remained evenly balanced with both teams having opportunities to score.

Dragons managed to level the score with 15 minutes of the match remaining from a short corner strike from Ally Windsor Waite. However, Christchurch managed to clinch all the points in the final ten minutes also from a short corner strike. Player of the match was shared between Beth Pakrash and Esme Potter.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Dereham 3s:  5-0

Goalscorers:  Victoria Earley, Lilli Ballard, Niamh Somers x3
MOM:  Fiona Fletcher

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Beccles:  4-0

Goalscorers:  Anita Mancini, Gemma Ballard, Amy Forse, Sue Cross
MOM:   Katherine Hardwick

In recent tradition, ladies 5s have written their match report from expert note-taking on the bench. This week, we open with “Anita was late”. Which she was. Leaving Jane to fend for herself in the car park, nearly half the squad squashed into Amy’s car, the team congregated at Beccles. The team talk on the pitch involved lots of whiteboard action, followed by a pumped warm-up to Taylor Swift.

After shaking everything off, Dragons started strongly with early pressure on the Beccles defence with Anita Mancini pushing a great ball to Gem Ballard; sadly stopped by a diving save from the keeper. Gem then got swiped!

A pass from Amy Forse to Sue Cross was intercepted with a foot, winning the Dragons a short corner. This resulted in yet another short, Gem injecting to Amy who performs the famous “5” manoeuvre whereby a scuffle ensued, Beccles keeper going to ground (the whereabouts of the ball could still be seen we are told) and Beccles win a free hit.

Dragons press hard around the big-hitting captain, Anita uses her foot to nicely block said hit but receives a bruise and Beccles win another ball.

Beth Elgood makes streaking progress up the right wing, crossing the ball width-ways to Mel Widdows and at some point Anita scores – 1-0 to Dragons. More action in the D sees Amy passing through to Jane Wells who’s shot was saved.

The Dragons heeded the instructions of captain Hannah Edwards to pass in triangles, the old faithful back-and-round and continue to press onwards. This worked beautifully, with possession dominated by the Dragons who were continuously looking for scoring opportunities.

Despite an injury, Jane valiantly continued into the second half (unknowingly at the time that a bone was broken, and now donning the nickname Bone Crusher). Fuelled by oranges, wine gums and squidgeletts, Dragons went straight out with a roar. Sue Cross scores, as does Gem Ballard and Amy Forse.

Georgia Butterworth defending very smartly, covering players and communicating well when Beccles made a break and working the ball back up the pitch to Charlotte Dowson. Katherine Hardwick covered the bottom of the diamond and kept the momentum high and attacking.

Hannah Edwards spent much of the second half in conversation the Dragons keeper Mia Somers, having a chat about not being afraid to kick the ball away really, really hard. Mia did this with great vigour. Fitbit statistics say that Hannah didn’t run very much at all.

Sadly, note taking desists from Crossy’s goal. Final score is 4-0, with MoM votes split between 7 players with Katherine Hardwick being the winner.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Lowestoft Ladies:  3-2

Goalscorers:  Hannah Woods, Kelly Mills, Amy Beadman
MOM:  Hannah Woods

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Dereham 4s:  1-2

Goalscorers:  Adelice Kraemer

MOM: Natalie Crisp

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s – no fixture

 

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Cambridge South 1s:  5-4

Goalscorers:  Sam Avery, Matt Knights x3, Alex Browne
MOM:  Matt Knights

The men’s 1s bounced back in perfect fashion this week, beating league topping Cambridge South 5-4 in an exciting game for the neutral!

Dragons put in easily their most dominate performance of the season, moving the ball with pace and purpose and quickly found themselves two goals to the good courtesy from Matt Knights. The second in particular was a screamer, as he converted a waist high cross with a connection that Joe Root would have been proud of. Dragons conceded to make it 2-1, but Matt Knights then competed his hat trick. Again Cambridge responded before Sam Avery popped up to put Dragons two goals ahead. The score was 4-2 going into half time.

Cambridge scored another goal almost immediately after the restart to drag them back to within one goal. A signature Alex Browne short corner rocket made it 5-3. The rest of the second half was even until, with minutes left on the clock, Cambridge converted a flick to make it 5-4 and had a short corner awarded as the final whistle went, which was valiantly kept out by the Dragons defence.

A cracking team performance and sets a benchmark for future performances, starting with the City derby next week!

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Sudbury 2s:  5-0

Goalscorers:  Rob Wagstaff, Alex Brooks, Andy Saunders, Cley Hamilton, Rupert Snelling
MOM:  Cley Hamilton

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Bury St Edmunds 2s:  0-0

MOM:  James King

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Watton 1s:  1-4

Goalscorer:  Phil York-Smith
MOM:  Dan Murphy

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Watton 2s:  3-1

Goalscorer:  Peter Davison, Josh Bingham, Andrew Cross
MOM:  Will Bloom

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Pelicans 4s:  0-0

MOM:  Stephen Holland

Development Leagues

 
Norwich Dragons Development Girls v Yarmouth:  2-2 (Yarmouth had conceded the fixture in advance of the game)
Goalscorers:  Lucy Courtier, Hattie Stuart
MOM:  Nellie Ong
 
 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 19th January 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sSt Neots 1HP-P
L2sFelixstowe 1A0-7 (W)Donna Vaughan
Gail Thomas
Jess Bennett
Hannah Hardy x2
Kate McKenna
Stella Windsor Waite
Stella Windsor Waite
L3sMagpies 3HP-P
L4sBroadland 1A3-0 (L)
L5sWatton 2H4-1 (W)Gemma Ballard
Mel Widdows
Gill Walker
Amy Forse
Mia Somers
Anita Mancini
Amy Forse
L6sBecclesAP-P
L7sN City 6A0-2 (W)Lara King
Mia McGhee
Bethan Greaves
L8sN City 7HP-P
M1sBourne Deeping 2A1-0 (L)
M2sIpswich 2A6-3 (L)Andy Saunders x2
Jordan Hambling
Angus Blazer
M3sNewmarket 1H2-2 (D)Nick Turner
Jon Goodson
M4sFelixstowe 2A2-0 (L)Lloyd Wade
M5sNflk Nomads 1H1-0 (W)Will BowmanWill Bowman
M6sNflk Nomads 2A1-0 (L)Rob Lee
BD AWattonA0-8 (W)Will Panter x3
Ed Cross x2
Harry Fuller
Sam Leeming
Rahul Kaushal
BD BDerehamH4-4 (D)Ben Panter x2
Josh Cormack x2
Monty Patel
GDN CityA3-0 (L)Nola Mitchell

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v St Neots:  P-P

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Felixstowe 1s:  7-0

Goalscorers:  Kate McKenna, Donna Vaughan, Gail Thomas, Jess Bennett, Hannah Hardy x2, Stella Windsor Waite
MOM:  Stella Windsor Waite

Whilst chilly, the pitch at Felixstowe was perfectly playable. Dragons arrived in good time and huddled in the warmth of the changing room, welcoming Katie Taubman back into the team, also Rowie York-Smith, who had very kindly agreed to help out. The final welcome was to Stella Windsor-Waite, who was making her well deserved 2nd Team debut.

The early pressure was all with Dragons, dominating the ball in Felixstowe half, but just not able to make any clear cut chances, as Felixstowe had every player behind the ball and packed the D, plus they had a goalkeeper who was once again on very fine form. Sam Franklin was attacking and hassling well down the right, whilst Stella Windsor-Waite and Rowie York-Smith were combining down the right, but Dragons struggled to convert this pressure into early goals, which maybe caused them to get slightly anxious, which reflected in their decision making.

Eventually the 1st goal came in the 21st minute, with Gail Thomas finding Hannah Hardy who turned and slotted under the keeper; this served to relax the visitors, who started to use the space better, move the ball more patiently and open up opportunities. The second came from Gail Thomas who held her central position well, and when the ball broke at the top of the D, her shout was heard by all, and she fired home a ball, taking a deflection and looping over the GK. The next a fine individual run and strike by Donna Vaughan who again attacked from deep, gliding past defenders and crashing the ball home. A fourth before halftime, was converted by Hannah Hardy, following a good pass from Jess Bennett.

The break gave the team a reminder that patience was key, Felixstowe to their credit hassled and harried for every ball and with the whole team sitting deep, were never going to be easy to break down. Katie Taubman moved into central midfield and started to exert pressure. Sarah Borrett was becoming more and more involved in the attacking phases of the game, moving through the midfield at pace, and playing some excellent balls into the D.

The 5th goal came following good work down the left from Rowie York-Smith who again combined well with Dragons Player of the Match debutant Stella Windsor-Waite, who forced her way through into the D. Her attempted cross was initially broken down and the ball fell back to Windsor-Waite, who saw the opportunity to smash the ball in at the near post! Another came from a free hit which was intercepted by Hardy, who squared to Jess Bennett, who forced the ball past the keeper. The 7th and possibly the best of the game, came following great work on the right by Sam Franklin; she weaved her way through defenders and passed an excellent early ball back to the P spot where Kate McKenna was at hand to dispatch with a smartly taken sweep shot which crashed into the goal!

Special mention goes to Issy Mumbray in goal for Dragons, who despite having little to do in the freezing conditions, kept her concentration well and on a couple of occasions, when Felixstowe broke, smothered the ball well and made vital saves when needed. Final credit goes to Felixstowe, who despite a challenging season, battled extremely hard for every ball and deserve every credit for keeping going – they are a talented and determined group and will come back stronger next season.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Magpies 3s:  P-P

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Broadland 1s: 0-3

MOM:

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Watton 2s:  4-1 

Goalscorer:  Gemma Ballard, Mel Widdows, Gill Walker, Amy Forse
MOM:   Mia Somers, Anita Mancini, Amy Forse

A tense atmosphere at the den with the first frost of the season casting confusion and doubt all over. NDHC Ladies 5s waiting anxiously for news – should I leave now? What’s the pitch like? Will we get a game today? Calm deliberation and communication from cool as a cucumber captain Hannah Edwards, led to a satisfying outcome; play to start half an hour later on a fully-thawed pitch. A quick warm up (much needed) and team talk and then onto the pitch for push back.

Dragons made a confident start with an early short – unable to convert but a solid strike from Sue Cross. A high-tempo Watton responded straight away but their efforts were well defended by Dragons. End to end hockey ensued for a while, great hit outs by Jen Buskell and Steph Samson meant we were well placed for high strikers to pick up in space, leading to a couple of good chances.

Central play from Gill Walker distributed the ball to the wings – a welcome change from a congested middle.  Play eventually made its way to Amy Forse delivering to a sweeping Gemma Ballard. GOAL DRAGONS. 1-0.

A confident Dragons held off the ensuing Watton response, with Katherine Hardwick channeling on the wings and pressuring Watton’s attack into error.

Further hits from Anita Mancini into forward space created opportunity and kept the threat high. Watton switched to a wider formation, using quick runs down the wings to carry the ball forwards, leading to a Watton short at 21 minutes. A tenacious Dragons defence and strong decision making from Mia Somers in goal kept a tidy scoresheet. Watton still kept pressure high though with a near goal, obstructed by a Watton stick tackle. Dragons defence remained strong with Steph Samson’s solid tackles in.

Another short from Watton at 33 minutes – sorted with a no nonsense kick-out by Mia Somers. Width created by Charlotte Dowson and some very good work around the back by defence meant the dying minutes of the second half were all Dragons. 1-0 half time.

A calm start with even play during the beginning of the second half with Watton making a couple of dangerous runs up the wings. At 15 minutes, Watton had a chance at goal but couldn’t convert -another shortly after. However, Dragons pulled together with some excellent interceptions from Hannah Edwards; pressurising Watton and gaining control. Some nice passing play from dragons carried the ball into the D at pace – a hit from Gill Walker and deflection off a Watton player resulted in Goal number 2 for dragons. 2-0.

The second goal gave dragons a real grip on the game, great running from Hannah Edwards led to a well-placed cross picked up by Beth Elgood. Excellent work around the D. A well paced ball into the D from Beth Elgood reached Sue Cross, who made a great pass to Hannah Edwards’ call and well-timed run. Another hit at goal from Sue Cross at 26 minutes fell just wide of goal. Lots of excellent hockey but no third goal yet.

A series of quick, strong passes through the wing to the middle from Watton meant dragons couldn’t quite relax – resulting in a goal at 29 minutes. 2-1.

An unperturbed dragons quickly turned the ball over and the next 5 were dominated by dragons; culminating in a penalty flick. A super cool Amy Forse took on the challenge, 3-1 dragons.

Watton’s response a shot at goal was firmly denied by Mia Somers – again Dragons’ turnover leading to great attacking play – a strike from a rebound from quick-thinking Mel Widdows landed Dragon’s victory with seconds to spare. 4-1 Dragons.

A pleasing result for a Dragon’s 5 team who have won their last 5 games. May the winning streak long continue!

Thanks goes to the supporting crew who braved the chill factor on the sideline. Hope you all managed to thaw out quickly!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1

Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Beccles:  P-P

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Norwich City 6s:  2-0

Goalscorers:  Lara King, Mia McGhee
MOM: Bethan Greaves

Dragons were grateful of the midday push back as it meant the sun had thawed the frozen pitch and the match went ahead. Dragons started out well, and so did City. The game was end-to-end, with both teams trying for goals, but the first half ended 0:0.

The half-time team talk was to concentrate on pressing City, continue to work well together, but cautioned on using the reverse stick. Dragons went out with confidence and they were rewarded when Lara King weaved past City to reach the back of the goal. Dragons were buoyed up by this, continuing to fight hard and not let City equalize. Dragons second goal came from some nice passing play up the pitch that reached Mia McGhee who then slotted the ball home. City didn’t give up and continued to push Dragons until the final whistle but were unable to get the ball past the goalkeeper Emma North and defenders Emma Dyer, Erin Aldous and Bethan Greaves (POM). Briony Johnstone at bottom of the diamond had another stonking game, getting in and tackling hard, distributing the ball to the other mids Maisie Dearmer, Brittany Hopkins, Paige Fisher or Nathalie Crisp. Nathalie at top of the diamond was also a force to be reckoned with and few tackles got past her. The forwards of Lara, Mia and Claire Fairhurst had several attempts at goal that were either blocked by City’s defence or just went too wide.

Dragons were elated by their first win of the season and are confident that they will keep up the momentum so this won’t be their last. Everyone played well and this was shown by the spread of POM votes across the team.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Norwich City 7s:  P-P

 

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Bourne Deeping 2s:  0-1

MOM:  George Bowman

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Ipswich 2s:  3-6

Goalscorers:  Andy Saunders x2, Jordan Hambling
MOM:  Angus Blazer

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Newmarket 1s:  2-2

Goalscorers: Jon Goodson, Nick Turner
MOM:

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Felixstowe 2s:  0-2

MOM:  Lloyd Wade

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Norfolk Nomads 1s:  1-0

Goalscorer:  Will Bowman
MOM:  Will Bowman

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norfolk Nomads 2s:  0-1

MOM:  Rob Lee

Development Leagues

Norwich Dragons Development Boys A v Watton:  8-0

Goalscorers:  Will Panter x3, Ed Cross x2, Harry Fuller, Sam Leeming, Rahul Kaushal
MOM:

The Dragons plus managers Crossy and Chris gathered on a cold afternoon in Watton. The first quarter was characterised by sustain Dragons pressure on the Watton goal which bore fruit in the 12th minute and immediately after in the 13th with Will Panter scoring both goals. The start of the second quarter saw real pressure from Watton ably defended by Dragons until an unfortunate own goal was scored in the 27th minute. Normal business was resumed in quarter three leading to a short corner on 40 minutes which duly delivered goal 4. Two further short corners at the end of the quarter yielded goal 5. Quarter four saw a further four goals in minutes. A short corner in the dying minutes of the match was not converted. A fantastic team effort with quick, accurate passing generating the opportunities and the space to score a handsome haul of goals.

Thanks to the hosts for a great game and a great tea afterwards.
Norwich Dragons Development Boys B v  Dereham:  4-4

Goalscorers:  Ben Panter x2, Josh Cormack x2
MOM:  Monty Patel

On Saturday 19th January the Dragons held a home game against Dereham.

In the first quarter we got off to a steady start and opened the scoring with a goal from Ben Panter.  Dereham dominated possession in the second quarter scoring twice. Before Ben drew the game level at the end of the second quarter.  We started the third very lively with plenty of possession with a strong team performance with Josh Cormack scoring two goals to Derehams one.   Starting the last quarter with a slender lead it was nip and tuck with Dereham finding the back of the net to finish the game off evens with a scoreline of 4 – 4. Both teams performed well, just unlucky to not win the game.

Norwich Dragons Development Girls v Norwich City:  0-3

MOM:  Nola Mitchell

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 12th January 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L2sN City 2H2-1 (W)Donna Vaughan
Kate McKenna
Karen O'Neill Simpson
L3sNth Norfolk 1A2-0 (L)Ally Windsor Waite
L4sMagpies 4H1-4 (L)Caroline WolfeBeth Prakash
L5sYarmouth 2A1-2 (W)Lizzy McDonnell
Anita Mancini
Hannah Edwards
L6sLow Railway 2H1-1 (D)Stevie SpencerJoanna Jennings
L7sHerlingsH3-4 (L)Bridget Le Good
Ella Bartram
Lara King
Lara King
L8sThetfordA6-0 (L)Fern Daly
M1sCam Nomads 1H2-2 (D)Rupert Snelling
Olly Buck
Pedro Goss
M2sDragons 3H0-1 (L)James Cross
M3sDragons 2A0-1 (W)Tom VaughanMitch Smith
M4sCity 4H0-6 (L)Jordan Hambling
M5sNth Norfolk 3A1-10 (W)Andrew Cross x4
Dan Orsborne X3
Dan Ryan x2
Josh Bingham
Dan Ryan
M6sN City 7H2- (D)Jon Price
Darryl Robinson
The team!
BD AN CityA1-2 (W)Will Panter
Ben Panter
Kit Scott
BD BMagpiesA4-1 (L)Jake ReynoldsFinn Pond
GDDereham PanthersA0-2 (W)Evie MarleeNellie Ong

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Wisbech 1s:  0-3

MOM:  Olivia Thomas

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s struggle to maintain their pre-Christmas momentum in a 3-0 loss away to Wisbech.

The Dragons travelled to Wisbech hoping to build upon their excellent performance against league-leaders, Dereham, just before the break. The team started strongly, winning a short corner in the opening few minutes of the game. Over the next 10 minutes we looked the better of the two teams, threatening to score on several occasions, with some nice build up play through player of the match, Liv Thomas, in the middle of the pitch, and the forward line of Maddy Reynolds, Lucy Morton, Issy Wolfe, Katy Hands and Mia Bartrum stretching the game and making some good runs. However, Wisbech soon settled into the game and began to make some attacks of their own. The Dragons left too much open in the middle of the pitch, and the hosts capitalised upon this. Despite some excellent goalkeeping from Gina Hunt, Wisbech went ahead just before the end of the first half.

The second half saw a ropey performance from the visitors, with basics letting us down. Despite a number of chances, Wisbech utilised their skills and numbers up front, and after 10 minutes scored an excellent tap in goal, having drawn the defence out. The Dragons battled on, and had plenty of chances in the second half, but this was not our day, and a few minutes before the whistle, Wisbech sealed the game with a strike from the right hand side of the D. A disappointed Dragons team recognise that this was far from our best performance, and that we need to get back to basics in next week’s game.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Norwich City 2s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Kate McKenna, Donna Vaughan
MOM:  Karen O’Neill Simpson

Dragons welcomed back Sophie Barrow from long term injury and Liv Leary from maternity for this first league match back post Christmas. Sadly injury will deny the team the services of Piper Hempsall for the 2nd half of the season, the team wish her a speedy recovery and look forward to have her supporting from the sideline.

Both teams started brightly, with the visitors possibly the sharper of the two teams, moving the ball around well and putting the Dragons defence under some pressure. Sarah Borrett, Sophie Barrow and Kath Mares were working hard either side of Donna Vaughan and Karen O’Neill Simpson, as City used the width well. The home team had welcomed back Amy Forse in goal, who was sharp as ever, and made some important saves from both short corners and open play.

Dragons had attacks of their own with chances created by Liv Leary, Kate McKenna and Jess Bennett, however nothing too clear cut in the early stages. Mid way through the half, a smart break down the right and a good cross, saw City take the lead with a sharply taken effort. Dragons remained composed and continued to play their game, the midfield of Laura Van den berg, Gail Thomas, Deb Smith and Sam Franklin were starting to see more of the ball and put pressure on the City defence.

Dragons earned a number of short corners and it was from one of their routines that the ball was well struck home by Donna Vaughan, the ball taking a deflection off a defender en route to goal.

At half time Ollie King and Captain Karen discussed areas the team could improve and stressed it was the team who wanted it more, that would come out on top. The second half remained tight, both teams having chances. Amy Forse was alert to any goal threat, whilst Karen O’Neill Simpson put her body on the line and earned Player of the Match as recompense for her bruises!

Chances were few and far between for Dragons, but after a spell of pressure, Jess Bennett took a smartly taken early free hit, and fed a great square ball into Donna Vaughan who had ghosted up from deep – Vaughan glided past a couple of players, passing the ball to Kate McKenna who had got in an excellent position and with composure, firmly placed the ball into the corner for the lead.

City continued to attack with width and pace, but were unable to find the equaliser, despite going 4 up front in the later stages of the game. The experience of the Dragons team saw the game out. Dragons know they can play better, but were pleased to take the 3 points as they get back up to speed, following the break.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v North Norfolk 1s:  0-2

MOM:  Ally Windsor Waite

The first league game back after the Christmas break and Dragons Ladies 3rd team travelled to Cromer for a tough game against North Norfolk Ladies 1st team, who have only dropped 5 points this season so far and are currently top of the league.

The game began with North Norfolk pressing Dragons back into their own half and putting their defence under immediate pressure. The defensive combination of Stella Windsor Waite, Angela Murgatroyd, Ally Windsor Waite, Grace Brown and Lily Sore were strong and united and dealt efficiently with the attacking threats and were confidently backed up by Kat Speirs who had a great game in the Dragons goal.

After the initial pressure Dragons began to gain some confidence midway through the first half and created a couple of opportunities to score for themselves through the attacking combination of Lucy Buxton and Jenna Mills (on her third team debut). North Norfolk’s fast attacking play eventually lead to the first goal from a short corner, which saw the first half finish 1 – 0 to North Norfolk.

At half time Dragons felt they were still in the game, looking to build on the progress made in the first half and the second half became a much more open game with both teams creating chances. The midfield of Katie Hale, Elsa Scott, Catherine Matthews, Harriet Rant and Hannah Ellis all continued to work hard both protecting the defence and offering support to the attack, which lead to some chances and short corners to Dragons, that were unfortunately not converted.

The strong attacking force of North Norfolk continued to make dangerous runs and managed to convert a second goal from open play down the left wing. Dragons continued to work hard as a team right until the final whistle and have a lot of positives to work on for their next game. Many different votes across the defensive combination with Ally Windsor Waite generating the most votes.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Magpies 4s:  1-4

Goalscorer:  Caroline Wolfe
MOM: Beth Prakash

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Yarmouth 2s:  2-1

Goalscorer:  Lizzy McDonnell, Anita Mancini
MOM:   Hannah Edwards

Dragons arrived at a windy Gorleston hoping for another win after last week.  Captain Hannah Edwards made good use of the whiteboard in the changing room and we all admired the shower cubicles with doors!  After a rousing warm up conducted by Beth Elgood with some funky music we started the game expecting to be dominant.  We soon realized this was a different team from the last time we met Yarmouth and needed to up our game.  Within 2 minutes Yarmouth had won a short corner and then attacked again, both saved by Mia Somers in goal.  It wasn’t long though before Dragons won a short corner that then turned into another short corner, Gem Ballard received the ball on the post and managed to get it to Anita Mancini who put it away in comfortable fashion.

Our lead was to be short lived though as Yarmouth broke away and scored within 2 minutes to put us 1-1.  Dragons settled into the game and worked well together, Anita and Gill Walker in the middle helped move the ball around and we maintained much of the possession.  The game continued much in this way until another short corner was won, Jane Wells did a great strike that was saved and then a few minutes later we won another short corner and with multiple shots on goal it was finally put away by Lizzy McDonnell.

After a good half time talk Dragons started the 2nd half confidently and had much of the play.  Charlotte Dowson made some great runs up the right wing working well with Sue Cross who hit some fantastic crosses.  Likewise on the left side Mel Widdows and Gem passed the ball between each other well.  Anita put in some well-timed tackles, Georgia Butterworth and Jen Buskell in defence often pushed up to keep the ball in our attacking half.  Yarmouth only seemed like they were going to score once after a tense scrap on our goal line involving lots of players, Mia kept her cool though and the danger was eventually cleared.

Man of the match votes were spread across lots of players as it really was a good team performance, Hannah just won for her strong performance out of her comfort zone (and feeling very chilly) as central defender.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Lowestoft Railway 2s:  1-1

Goalscorer:   Stevie Spencer
MOM:  Joanna Jennings

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Herlings:  3-4

Goalscorers:  Bridget Le Good, Ella Bartram, Lara King
MOM: Lara King

The 7s are kicking themselves for somehow snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, allowing a 3-2 lead to slide to a defeat in the last seven minutes. But for any neutrals watching, this was an end-to-end battle with the team at the wrong end of the division almost pulling off a shock against the team in second place.

Dragons at their best play a neat passing game, building from the back where Emma “Meg” Dyer in particularly can hit the 16s wide and hard. Herlings, on the other hand, like to drive the ball powerfully through the middle and take no prisoners in the D. Herlings, who beat Dragons 4-1 on grass, had the best of the early exchanges, but Dragons came back into the game with Mia McGhee running freely on the right and Ella Bartram making ground on the left. The last pass was not quite accurate enough until Maisie Dearmer ran a beautiful overlap on the right and put the ball right on the P spot for Bridget Le Good to smash it home.

 Dragons then dealt competently with everything Herlings could throw at them, with two debut players, one from the dev squad, catching the eye for their pace and determination. Lara King (POM) played top of the diamond and Herlings had no answer to her driving style. Lara was rewarded with a goal early in the second half, when she forced the ball home, and although Herlings pulled one back, Ella made it three and Dragons looked well in control. The forwards and mids were doing some of their most impressive pressing of the season. Erin Aldous and Jess Young were combining well with Meg to create a solid defence in front of Emma “Northie” North, who looked secure in goal. Briony Johnstone was playing a disciplined marking role to snuff out the raids down the middle, with Paige Fisher and Brittany Hopkins linking the midfield skilfully with the forwards.

Where did it all go wrong? In their eagerness to score more goals, Dragons started to get in each other’s way. Individuals began to hold onto the ball and run into trouble, ignoring Ella and Claire Fairhurst, whose runs into beautiful space on the left went begging. The defenders tired slightly, with some weak reverse tackle attempts popping the ball up for the advancing Herlings forwards to win penalty corners and long corners at will.

So it was a slight loss of discipline and shape that did for the Dragons in the end. But they can take this on the chin knowing that if players make every effort to get to training, the squad is gathering new energy, impetus and game craft. Coach Karen O’Neill-Simpson prepared the 7s with great direction in the last session, and Mike Hardy stayed with the team throughout the game to encourage and push them to put the plan into action. Finally, it should not be underestimated the impact and benefit of Captain Claire’s careful subbing plans. Trying to blend four new players into a squad of 13 is a demanding task, and Claire gave the 7s the best possible opportunity to blend into a team.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Thetford:  0-6

MOM:  Fern Daly

Ladies 8’s were away at Thetford and despite a good fight  (not literally) were defeated with a6-0 loss.

We were once again privileged to have Neeps on the sideline and just like last time she proved an invaluable addition to the team, shouting advice and tips from a frustratingly windy touch line which more often than not had her words swallowed up into the air but she never gave up or let us down and I for one was ever grateful for her presence!

We were not short of supporters as Sadie’s Dad Lee Jacobs roared encouragement at us drawing from his own hockey prowess and experience. Also Jess’s and Fern’s mum’s braved the cold to watch and cheer us on.

Player of the match went to a well deserved Fern who had to deal with the added pressure of  being filmed by her mum Clare as part of her GCSE coursework!

We were happy to welcome Katy Cole back into the fold and she was just as fast as ever! Another welcome addition was Nat Crisp in central defence who is so quick and nimble. She plays with an admirable strength and agility!

Karen was in goal and was kept busy and constantly defended our goal with diligence.

The defence (Jess, Mouse, Jo and Anna, with a fleeting return appearance from Johanne) worked tirelessly and time and time again cleared the ball from the D! We all played really well and the score very much showed our progress since the beginning of the season when we welcomed the Thetford team to Dragons.

I am both embarrassed and honoured to include the next sentenced which I was asked to do by our captain Jo Baker which was to say “I, Emma Young played my best league game EVERRrrr!” There I have done it Jo!! Thank you so much for your praise.

We all left Thetford cold, windswept and aching but as always camaraderie and high spirits never left any of us and we will never give up!

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Cambridge Nomads 1s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Rupert Snelling, Olly Buck
MOM:  Pedro Goss

The men’s 1s faced third place Cambridge Nomads in the first league game of 2019 and drew 2-2 after trailing 2-0. Unfortunately, despite having much of the ball in the first half, Dragons found themselves 2-0 down in the first 25 minutes. The home team dragged one back from a short corner just before the half ended courtesy of a Rupert Snelling goal. The second half was evenly matched until Captain Marvel Olly Buck stepped up with minutes left on the clock to bang home a rebound from a short corner to claim his first league goal for Dragons!

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Norwich Dragons Mens 3s:  0-1

MOM:  James Cross

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Norwich Dragons Mens 2s:  1-0

Goalscorer: Tom Vaughan
MOM:   Mitch Smith

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Norwich City 4s:  0-6

MOM:  Jordan Hambling

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v North Norfolk 3s:  10-1

Goalscorers:  Andrew Cross x4, Thomas Helfer x2, Dan Ryan x2, Josh Bingham, Dan Orsborne
MOM:  Dan Ryan

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norwich City 7s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Jon Price, Darryl Robinson
MOM:  The team

Development Leagues

Norwich Dragons Development Boys A v Norwich City:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Will Panter, Ben Panter
MOM: Kit Scott

The Dragons vs City match is always a close fixture and this game started tentatively with both teams passing well and getting used to their formations, with only a few chances in the first 15 minutes for both teams. Eventually the deadlock was broken when Kit Scott drove into the D, passing to an unmarked Wills Patner who shot past the goalkeeper to open the scoring. Dragons continued the pressure, earning a couple of short corners but were unable to score. City then came back with a move that saw them put 3 long passes from a sixteen into the Dragons D resulting in an unstoppable shot from their attacker to level the score. Half-time score 1-1.

After the half-time team talk, Dragons scored from the first play, with Ben Panter pressuring the City defence from their push-back and managing to steal the ball from their last defender and calmly slotting past the charging City goalkeeper. Dragons then started to apply more territorial pressure, preventing any attacking chances from City for most of the second half. Dragons had several trips into the City D where the City defence conceded a number of short corners, but despite a number of near misses, Dragons couldn’t add to the score. As the clock started getting to the end, some good game management, keeping the ball around the City D brought the final whistle and a final score of 2-1 to Dragons. Man of the match was voted as Kit Scott.

Norwich Dragons Development Boys B v  Magpies: 1-4

Goalscorers:  Jake Reynolds
MOM:  Finn Pond

Norwich Dragons Development Girls v Dereham Panthers:  2-0

Goascorer:  Evie Marlee x2
MOM:  Nellie Ong

 

NDHC League Match Reports: 5th January 2019

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L4sLoddon 1A2-1 (L)Jenna MillsVictoria Earley
L5sLow Railway 2H11-0 (W)Amy Forse x4
Gemma Ballard x3
Jane Wells x2
Lizzy McDonnell
Gill Walker
Beth Elgood
L6sN City 5A3-1 (L)Kelly MillsClaire Stuart
GDMagpiesA3-1 (L)Ella PeartTaylor Sisterson

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Loddon 1s: 1-2

Goalscorer: Jenna Mills
MOM: Victoria Early

Dragons 4s travelled to our old temporary home at Hobart High School for what was always going to be a tough game. Loddon have had a good season so far, and are currently 3rd in the table.

Dragons started with great confidence, and looked an even match for the opposition. It was end to end play for the duration of the first half, but it was the  Loddon forwards who eventually broke the stale mate with a well executed goal in free play.

The half time atmosphere was positive; the Dragons knowing that their standard of passing this week during the first half was vastly better than of previous weeks.

With heads held high, Dragons continued into the second half with high ball speed, work rate, and movement across the pitch. Following a neat string of passes around the midfield and forwards, the opportunity came for the Dragons when Jenna Mills received the ball, turned and hit it home to equalise from the top of the D.

Following several unsuccessful short corners and both ends, it was Loddon who, with 7 minutes remaining, perfected their routine to score the winner. 

Dragons’ MoM was Vicki Earley (winning the majority of the votes) for excellent distribution from midfield, and persistent harassment of the opposition – her new stick was worth every penny! 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Lowestoft Railway:  11-0

Goalscorers:  Lizzy McDonnell, Gemma Ballard x3, Jane Wells x2, Amy Forse x4, Gill Walker
MOM:  Beth Elgood

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Norwich City 5s:  1-3

Goalscorer:   Kelly Mills
MOM:  Claire Stuart

Development Leagues

Norwich Dragons Development Girls v Magpies:  1-3  

Goalscorer: Ella Peart
MOM: Taylor Sisterson

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 8th December 2018

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sDereham 1AP-P
L2sDereham 2A0-3 (W)Donna Vaughan
Hannah Hardy
Jess Haw
Piper Hempsall
L3sUEA 1H1-12 (L)Harriet MarleeAlly Windsor Waite
L4sLow Railway 1H4-1 (W)Fiona Fletcher
Caroline Wolfe
Lilli Ballard
Emily Smith
Trish Hagan
L5sL6A1-5 (W)Izzy McDonnell
Gemma Ballard 2
Jane Wells
Sue Cross
Jane Wells
L6sL5H1-5 (L)Adelice KraemerEmma Merryweather
M1sDereham 2A2-3 (W)Al Browne
Pedro Goss
Rupert Snelling
Pedro Goss
M2sUEA 2A1-1 (D)Andy SaundersRich Moulson
M3sUEA 1H1-3 (L)Mitch SmithDim Ives
M4sThetfordA4-1 (L)Phil York SmithJames King
M5sM6 (friendly)H
M6sM5 (friendly)H
BD ASlip Date
BD BSlip Date
GDDereham PenguinsH5-0 (CW)

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s –
Indoor Tournament

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Dereham 2s:  3-0

Goalscorers:  Donna Vaughan, Hannah Hardy, Jess Haw
MOM:  Piper Hempsall

Dragons travelled to Dereham on a windy but dry day, for the first game of the second half of the season. Dragons were very excited to have a surprise guest spectator, in the form of super striker Shreeve. Dragons had beaten Dereham 1-0 at the start of the season, so hoped to try and improve on this.

Dereham started well putting the Dragons defence under pressure straight away. Dragons were a bit lethargic and started the game looking like a team that were ready for the Christmas break! Dragons tried to work their way into the game, but made it more difficult for themselves than it needed to be by giving the ball away cheaply. Slowly slowly Dragons started to improve and started to pressure the Dereham defence, finally winning a short corner. The ball was dragged out at speed by Hannah Hardy and ”cunningly” left by stick stopper Karen O’Neill-Simpson…(Hmmm??)….and fell to Piper Hempsall, who was backing up. Piper calmly passed it to Donna Vaughan, who skillfully beat a couple of players, before she smashed it into the the goal to make it 0-1 to Dragons. This helped Dragons pick themselves up a bit and they started to take control of the game. Soon after this the whistle went for half time with the score still 0-1 to Dragons. The call at half time from Dragon’s coach Ollie King was to up the intensity and we all knew as a team that we could do much better.

From the whistle Dragons started to play much better Hockey and started to take control of the game. This soon paid off when Hannah Hardy passed the ball into the D and found Jess Haw in a perfect position on the P spot. Jess swept the ball with composure past the keeper and into the goal making it 0-2 to Dragons. Dragons continued to play well and had several more chances, making the Dereham defence work hard. With not long left the ball then fell to Laura Van Den Berg who with great vision found Hannah Hardy at the top of the D. Hannah with no hesitation smashed it into the top right of the goal making it 0-3 to Dragons. At full time the final score was 0-3 to Dragons, who were pleased that they managed to give a much better second half performance. Votes for Player of the Match were wide spread, showing what a good team performance the second half was. However the majority of votes went to Piper Hempsall for helping in the build up to two of the goals.

Dragons go into the Christmas break pleased with their performance for the first half of the season. They are fourth in the table, but only 4 points behind the leaders, so there is still all to play for in the second half of the season. Dragons would like to thanks coach Ollie for all his help and super spectator Shreeve for coming to cheer us on!

 East League, Ladies 2NE

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v UEA 1s:  1-12

Goalscorers:  Harriet Marlee
MOM:  Ally Windsor Waite

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Lowestoft Railway 1s:  4-0

Goalscorers:  Fiona Fletcher, Caroline Wolfe, Lilli Ballard, Emily Smith
MOM: Trish Hagan

Today was definitely a day with two very different halves. Having started initially with vigour, the lethargy of last week’s game at UEA soon crept in. Dragons failed to move the ball quickly enough, and allowed Railway to run at them almost the length of the pitch. Dragons conceded a string of short corners, and it was one of these which was converted after 10 minutes of play – Lou Davis was unlucky not to stop the strike at her goalpost.

Dragons did have a couple of opportunities with short corners during the first half, but couldn’t quite capitalise on these. Dragons managed to hang on for the rest of the half, facing fast runs from the Lowestoft forwards and penetration in to the D, but it was not pretty hockey.

At the half time break, captain Trish Hagan gave some stern (well deserved) words to the Dragons; this telling off appeared to do the trick, and the hockey on display from the team in the second half was incomparible.

After just 3 mins of the second half, Dragons won a short corner. A straight strike from Caroline Wolfe was saved initially, but the keeper was not quick enough to clear the ball off her pads. Fiona Fletcher, who was quick to get to the post having injected for the short, took her opportunity and popped the ball across the goal line.

This early second half goal gave Dragons sudden momentum, and more short corner opportunities followed. The second goal for Dragons came from one of these shorts – a slip left to Lilli Ballard was cleanly struck to find the backboard.

Five minutes later, another corner was converted with a straight strike from Caroline Wolfe at the right hand post.

The final goal for Dragons came in free play: building from left midfield, Fiona Fletcher passed to Vicki Earley on the 25; she played it back to Fletch who had continued her supporting run. Fletch moved the ball towards right post where Niamh Somers ran on to it, knocking the ball round the keeper to Emily Smith for a tap in finish.

Yay!

POM votes were spread around many team members, but edging ahead with three votes was Trish Hagan.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1

Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Norwich Dragon Ladies 6s:  5-1

Goalscorer:  Liz McDonnell, Gemma Ballard x2, Jane Wells, Sue cross
MOM:  Jane Wells

Beautiful morning for a great game of hockey with two Dragons teams vying for the win. The 5s
attack started in the first 4 minutes of the game with a shot on goal from Jane Wells, followed closely by several short corners in quick succession, none of which resulted in a goal. 7 minutes in and the 6s filed a counter attack which was foiled by a great save from Mia Somers. Although a little scrappy in the first 15 minutes, the 5s dominated play but were unable to convert the shots on goal. 20 minutes in and the first goal came from a close range shot from Sue Cross. The second goal came from some great play from Jane down the right, which paid off with a great pass into the D where Gemma Ballard was waiting on the far post. 2-0 to the 5s at half time.

Half time talk ensured the second half utilised the wings more and goal number 3 resulted from a great run down the right from Charlotte Dowson, pass to Jane who crossed the ball in front of the goal to Gemma on the far post. A counter attack ensued and despite some great play from the defensive line, a goal was conceded. This didn’t deter the team and Mel Widdows went on the attack down the left, crosses the ball to Lizzy NcDonnell but the defenders were ready and cleared the ball. Goal number 4 came from an incredible strike from Jane from the top of the D and straight past the goalie. Minute 28 in the second half came the 5th and final goal. Nita Mancini skilfully dribbles the ball past the midfield and defensive lines, passes to Lizzy on the P spot who gets the ball past the goalie, at the same time running straight into the goalie winding her in the process. Final score line 5-1 win to the ladies 6s.

MOM went to Jane for her amazing play down the right and of course her incredible goal. The
votes however, were spread with one vote for Georgia Butterworth and Gill Walker, two votes for Mel and Charlotte and seven for Jane. Great final game of the year.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1

Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s:  1-5

Goalscorer:   Adelice Kraemer
MOM:  Emma Merryweather

Slip week for Ladies 7s and 8s

——————————————————————————————————————————–

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Dereham 2s:  3-2

Goalscorers:  Pedro Goss, Rupert Snelling, Al Browne
MOM:  Pedro Goss

Christmas has come early this year for the men’s 1s as Santa served up a nail biting 3-2 victory against Dereham 2s – which included another last minute winner!

After going a goal down early, Alex Browne pulled one back with a lethal short corner to take us into the break level. Dragons then fell behind from a p-flick.  A dramatic comeback from 2-1 down was spearheaded by  Pedro Goss with a neat finish and Rupert Snelling (who else?) sealed the win with only a matter of seconds left on the clock!

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v UEA 2s:  1-1

Goalscorer: Andrew Saunders
MOM: Rich Moulson

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v UEA 1s:  1-3

Goalscorer: Mitch Smith
MOM:  Dim Ives

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Thetford Town 1s:  1-4

Goalscorer:  Phil York-Smith
MOM: James King

Dragons knew this was to be a tough game and started well defensively whilst threatening on the counter attack.  Unfortunately for Dragons, Thetford scored two in quick succession after a number of strong fast carries reached round an exposed Dragons baseline. Undeterred Dragons fought back with some short corners which resulted in a goal back scored by Phil York-Smith. Again, Thetford pulled two more goals back with a deflected short and another close range finish. Half time game with Dragons determined to do better in the second half. The game opened up in the second half and more chances occurred at both end but the defences held. Pete Davison get a special mention for a great goal line take down as does James King taking the man of the match keeping the second half score down to 0-0 in the second half.

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 1st December 2018

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sIES 1A2-2 (D)Olivia Thomas
Issy Wolfe
Sarah Jenkins
L2sBury 1H1-2 (L)Donna VaughanDonna Vaughan
L3sDereham 2A1-2 (W)Catherine Matthews
Ally Windsor Waite
Hannah Ellis
L4sUEA 2A1-0 (L)Jemima Williams
L5sN City 5H3-1 (W)Lizzy McDonnell
Jane Wells
Amy Forse
Gill Walker
L6sReephamA6-1 (L)Claire StuartBeth Prakash
L7sBroadland 3A2-2 (D)Bridget Le Good
Mia McGhee
Natalie Crisp
L8sWatton 3H1-5 (L)Johanne StewardAnna Chapman
M1sSt Ives 1H2-1 (W)Matt Knights
Lewis Wilkins
Lewis Wilkins
M2sNth Norfolk 1A2-1 (L)Andrew SaundersAlex Brooks
M3sMagpies 3H3-5 (L)Tom Vaughan x2
Ed Smith
Tom Vaughan
Jon Goodson
M4sBury 3H1-2 (L)Tommy GaleTommy Gale
M5sSudbury 4A3-1 (W)Dan Orsborne
Matt Armstrong
Tadgh Walsh
Josh Bingham
M6sUEA 4H0-4 (L)
BD AMagpiesHP-P
BD BWattonA1-4 (W)Ed Cross,
Vithu Baskaran X2
George Wilson
GDWattonH7-0 (W)Lara King x3
Hattie Stuart x2
Mia Rutherford x2
Mia Norris

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v IES 1s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Olivia Thomas, Issy Wolfe
MOM:  Sarah Jenkins

The Ladies 1s, coming off the back of a couple of disappointing losses, were ready to
finish off the first half of the season in style as they travelled to the IES home ground.
The team started well, and had the lion’s share of possession in the first half. The
forward line of Lucy Morton, Issy Wolfe, Shelly Seaman and Piper Hempsall, continued
to create chances, but luck was not on their side, as the ball drifted wide, or was saved as
it veered towards goal – on one occasion by the opposition’s foot, but no stroke was
awarded. The midfield worked tirelesslessy up and down the pitch, and the team played
more as a unit than they have done in recent weeks. The hard work paid off when
Harriet Green played a long square ball from the left hand side of the pitch to Holly
Setchell on the edge of the D. Setchell drove the ball wide and to the base line before
pulling it back to an unmarked Liv Thomas waiting on the penalty spot. Thomas picked
her spot and put the ball away with confidence. While IES had a few chances in the first
half these were dealt with by the some excellent saves from Izzy Mumbray and a team
defence, leaving the score 1-0 at half time.

IES came out hard in the second half, creating more opportunities than before.
However, at least for the first phase the Dragons still seemed to be in control. After 10
minutes, Shelly Seaman found player of the match Sarah Jenkins just outside the D.
Driving into the D, Jenkins found herself in some space and placed a shot on target.
While the initial shot was saved, Issy Wolfe was there to clean up, putting the visitors 2-0
ahead. However, the Dragons’ fortunes changed with the arrival of the opposition’s fan
base, and a renewed energy from the host team. IES played with a desire that seemed to
be lacking in the Dragons unit, and were soon rewarded for their renewed vigour with a
short corner. The drag flicker got hold of the ball well and launched the ball at a tricky
height towards the right hand side of the goal, bringing the score back to 2-1. For the
rest of the game it was very much a question of whether the Dragons could hold on to
the 3 points, and while they had a number of chances to score, it was IES that looked the
stronger team. Minutes before time, the hosts manage to draw the game level, after a
loose ball in the middle of the pitch was picked off and played into an unmarked player
on the penalty spot, leaving the game at 2-2 at the final whistle.

This was a disappointing result for the Dragons, who really should have seen the game
off much earlier. Some tough lessons have been learned, and the team look towards the
business end of the season in their campaign to secure promotion.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Bury 1s:  1-2

Goalscorers:  Donna Vaughan
MOM:  Donna Vaughan

Dragons welcomed Bury to the Den knowing it was going to be a hard fought game as both teams were on the same points and in third and fourth place in the table. Dragons were pleased to welcome back Amy Forse in goal, as their usual keeper Izzi Mumbray had been called up to the 1’s.

The game started at a fast pace with Bury having most of the possession. Bury moved the ball around really well with some good sharp passing. Dragons defence had to work hard and communicate well to cope with the pace of the game. During this period Bury won several short corners, but Dragons were determined to keep the ball out of the goal and some good defending and great saves from Amy Forse helped Dragons keep the ball out. After the first onslaught Dragons started to work their way back into the game and won a few short corners of their own. It was on one of these short corners that Sarah Borrett dragged the ball out at speed for Jess Bennett to stop. The ball was then struck with great pace and accuracy straight into the goal by Donna Vaughan. Dragons had ridden the first period of pressure and worked their way back into the game and were 1-0 up. After this the game continued at speed with both teams playing some good hockey and both teams having their chances but when the whistle went for half time it was still 1-0 to Dragons.

After half time both teams continued to battle hard, both determined to try and win the 3 points. Unfortunately not long into the second half Bury attacked at speed and outnumbered the Dragons defence and scored to make it 1-1. Neither team were happy with the draw and both continued to press hard and both had several chances but the score remained 1-1. With the game nearly over and mere minutes on the clock a deflected ball fell to a Bury player and the middle of the pitch appeared to just open up for them and the dragons defence again found themselves outnumbered. There was little anyone could do but watch in horror as the ball seemed to trickle over the line and into the goal in slow motion to make it 1-2 to Bury. Dragons tried to get a goal back but unfortunately time was against them and the final whistle went. Player of the match went to Donna Vaughan for her great goal and some excellent defending.

A disappointing end to the first half of the season for Dragons but it hasn’t dampened their spirit, if anything it has fired them up. Dragons have had a good first half of the season and find themselves in fourth place just 4 points behind the leaders with all to play for and everything still in their own hands. Finally as always thanks to Ollie King for his help and to all the supporters that battle the miserable rain to cheer us on.

 East League, Ladies 2NE

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Dereham 2s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Catherine Matthews, Ally Windsor Waite
MOM:  Hannah Ellis

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3rd Team travelled to play Dereham 2nd Team this week on a wet and miserable Saturday afternoon. With the same squad and following a hard-fought win last week the team were confident of building on the progress made in the last few weeks.

The first half began with both teams testing the opposition defences and it was Dragons who managed to convert a chance first. Following some good build up play from midfield the ball was crossed into the circle for Lucy Buxton to strike but was saved by the keeper, however Catherine Matthews was within close range to covert the rebound. Dereham remained in the game and managed to convert a short corner to equal the scores in the first half.

The half time talk was for Dragons to increase their performance in all areas and at the start of the second half Dragons were putting Dereham’s defence under increasing pressure. Dragons were beginning to play some good passing hockey and from open play Dragons managed to score a second goal slotted home by Ally Windsor Waite.

Dereham remained in the game and for the last ten minutes of the game put the Dragons defence under pressure and won many short corners, but the defence of Dragons remained composed and with some good saves from Esther Jacobs managed to secure the win. Player of the match was Hannah Ellis.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v UEA 2s:  0-1

MOM: Jemima Williams

The Dragons’ Ladies 4s went to a very wet and miserable fixture at the Sports Park to play the UEA Ladies’ 2s, and came away with no points.

Gem Ballard made her 4s debut, enabling her to play league hockey with daughter Lilli.

Despite having the upper hand with percentage possession during the first half, the students managed to slip a goal in, after 10 minutes, against the run of play.

The Dragons had their chances having won several short corners (shots either off target or saved) and narrow misses during free play. But today, for some reason, they were not in favour with the hockey gods.

The second half saw much of the same, with Dragons dominating possession, but the UEA goal had been well and truly clingfilmed.

Dragons’ overall performance today was lacklustre, with little sharpness in passing; a far cry from how the team has played earlier in the season.

POM was Jemima Williams for sterling work in defence.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Norwich City 5s:  3-1

Goalscorer:  Lizzy McDonnell, Jane Wells, Amy Forse
MOM:  Gill Walker

The 5’s had a cold and early start at home against Norwich City 5’s. After a rousing team talk and warm the Dragons started strong. With most of the possession the Dragons were dominating the game from the beginning. A lucky break saw City gain a short corner against dragons. They shot and scored however, the goal was disallowed as the first shot was above the back board. This was kindly pointed out by our knowledgeable keeper Kristina. The dragons were back at it quickly with a shot on goal by Amy that was saved but after winning the ball back the Dragons were awarded a short corner. Gill injected and Amy took the shot which resulted in a goal, 1-0 to Dragons.

City came back fighting after this but their attempts at goal were saved by Kristina in goals. The Dragons were back in attack again but this was turned over by City who make a break for the Dragons goal, their attempt was stopped by captain Hannah Edwards who does a dramatic dive and saves the ball in our D, she then goes on to lead the attack where the goal is narrowly missed following a valiant reverse stick effort from Lizzie. A short corner just before half time was unfortunately not converted leaving the half time score at 1-0.

The start of the second half saw City on the attack but this was stopped and cleared by Jen who got the ball up to Amy.  An attempt at goal was saved by the City goalkeeper which allowed City to launch a new attack on the Dragons but Kristina made a great save at top D for the dragons Beth now on the attack for Dragons drives into the D, Amy takes the shot on goal that is saved but Jane is quick to regain possession and scores. Dragons are now 2-0 up.

Kristina makes some more stellar saves before city get a lucky break and score. Now with the score 2-1 City have an attacking short corner but again this is saved by Kristina. The next 10 minutes sees some strong drives on attack for both sides but after a strong strike from Jane that is saved Lizzie scores on the rebound. The final result sees Dragons win 3-1!

After a brilliant performance from all eight different players were nominated for POM but Gill Walker came out on top with solid performance in both attack and defence in her second outing for the fives this season.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Reepham:  1-6

Goalscorer:   Claire Stuart
MOM:  Beth Prakash

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Broadland 3s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Mia McGhee, Bridget Le Good
MOM: Natalie Crisp

Dragons scored another precious point in a game which they dominated. Two silly slips left them playing catch up, but overall the performance was yet another step up in their progress towards becoming a good team. There were big defensive responsibilities on Emma ‘Meg’ Dyer and Amy Hunter, because once again there had to be some changes in the squad. Grace Adams made her debut at left back (and right back!) and proved early on she has both potential and flexibility. Meg and Amy dealt very competently with the Broadland raids down the middle, and with Briony Johnstone having another stormer at the bottom of the diamond, all the early pressure came from Dragons. Mia McGhee made a brilliant ‘J’ run down the right, but Bridget Le Good coming in from the left wasn’t able to get in front of the defender and the super cross went begging. Orla Hardiman was making her return after nine weeks out with injury, and showed excellent speed on the left and in the centre.

For some reason, the 7s started ball watching and a Broadland forward was left entirely unmarked in front of goal and made no mistake with her shot. Dragons always believed they could get the game back, and with Maisie Dearmer having another fine run out at right mid with her overlapping runs, they equalised. Maisie swept the ball across and Bridget made no mistake, hitting home first time. Dragons piled on the pressure. Paige Fisher again proved how tough she is to get at at left mid, and her lovely disguised passes were getting Orla and Claire Fairhurst away. Nat Crisp (POM) was again in control at the top of the diamond, both defensively and with some excellent distribution.

After sustained pressure by the 7s, another lapse in concentration let Broadland into the D, and in an effort to scramble back, the defence unsighted Emma Northie North and a soft goal was scored. Dragons then really began to fight back. They chased every ball, picked up the ball to stop any time-wasting, and were the only side to get any penalty corners. Both Claire and Mia could inject with accuracy and zing, and Bridget had two saved and one went past the post. A bit more practice with some variety and penalty corners will become potent for them. At last they got their deserved equaliser. Mia, having been well and truly taken out by the keeper, got up minutes later to finish off a 3-man weave with an excellent shot.

 So the 7s are now starting to believe in themselves, demand more from each other, and are playing very well for each other. That is not quite the same as playing well as a team, where they still have to improve their link play. But with another five members of their squad either injured or not available, they have ended the first half of the season on a bit of a high. Now they mustn’t lose their impetus over the long break. Watch out, the 7s are coming!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Watton 3s:  1-4

Goalscorer:  Johanne Steward
MOM:  Anna Chapman

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v St Ives 1s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Matt Knights, Lewis Wilkins
MOM:  Lewis Wilkins

Men’s 1s get a well deserved victory against St Ives winning 2-1. A cracking team performance.  Matt Knights got the first goal from a well worked short corner early in the second half. St Ives equalised on the break but with minutes left on the clock,  Lewis Wilkins popped up with an emphatic winner!

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v North Norfolk 1s:  1-2

Goalscorer: Andrew Saunders
MOM:  Alex Brooks

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Magpies 3s:  3-5

Goalscorer: Tom Vaughan x2, Ed Smith
MOM:  Tom Vaughan, Jon Goodson

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Bury 3s:  1-2

Dragons started strongly against an experienced Bury side who demonstrated a better passing game throughout the match. The first half ended 0-0 with both teams thinking the game was for the taking. Unfortunately for Dragons Bury scored very early on with a touch line run well finished. This seemed to unsettle Dragons for the first part of the second half and Bury had other chances they failed to convert. As they have all season Dragons 4ths kept running and working together.The result being an excellent finish from Tommy Gale after a superb touchline run and pass across the D from Tommy Chapman. Dragons then knew they could score again but unfortunately a Bury short corner squirmed its way under James King who couldn’t get a full contact on it and past Neil Shorten on the line.  Dragons had chances as well to level the game but even a short when time was up just didn’t make it in. Well played Bury and just one more game til the xmas break.

Goalscorer:  Tommy Gale
MOM:  Tommy Gale

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Sudbury 4s:  3-1 – Friendly

Goalscorers:  Matt Armstrong, Dan Orsborne, Tadgh Walsh
MOM:  Josh Bingham

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v UEA 4s:  0-4

MOM:

Development Leagues

Norwich Dragons Development Girls v Watton:  7-0
Goalscorers:  Lara King x3, Hattie Stuart x2, Mia Rutherford x2
MOM: Mia Norris
Norwich Dragons Development Boys v Watton:  4-1
Goalscorers:  Ed Cross, Vithu Baskaran x2, George Wilson
MOM:

On a rather cold wet start to December we took on Watton. We kept good possession in our first quarter and made the ball work for us spreading it out wide as well as going direct through the middle. On several occasions we had short corners in which Ed Cross beat his man and drilled it centrally into the goal.

The game was fairly even in the second quarter but a good attack turned into another goal when George Wilson pushed the ball across the D and ended up in the back of the goal. Dragons defence was very solid and it didn’t look as if Watton would score but one lucky defection saw the ball pop up to their player to pass the ball into the goal.

Dragons kept attacking showing great skill and team work which was rewarded with a brace of goals by Vithu Baskaran. Any Watton attack was soon extinguished and Dragons saw out a good but cold and wet end to the game.

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 24th November 2018

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sCam City 3H0-3 (L)Carmel Windsor-Waite
L2sChristchrchA0-3 (W)Kate McKenna x2
Jess Haw
Saskia Williams
L3sYarmouthH2-1 (W)Lucy Buxton
Hannah Ellis
Esme Potter
L4sN City 3H0-4 (L)Kristina Smyth
Emily Smith
L5sCarrow 1A2-1 (L)Gemma BallardMia Somers
Hannah Edwards
L6sDissH2-11 (L)Charlotte Dowson
Amelia Keitley-Webb
Emily Roper
L7sUEA 3H1-1 (D)Mia McGheeClaire Fairhurst
L8sUEA 4A2-0 (L)Becca James
M1sPelicans 1A6-3 (L)Matt Jenkins
George Bowman
Rupert Snelling
Olly Buck
M2sBury 2H3-2 (W)Louie Barby
Jono Chaney-Baxter
Al Browne
Jono Chaney-Baxter
M3sIES 3A2-3 (W)Tom Vaughan x2
Mitch Smith
Tom Vaughan
Jon Goodson
M4sPelicans 2A10-1 (L)Rich PhillisThe Team!
M5sDereham 4H4-2 (W)Charlie Creasy x2
Greg Reynolds
Tommy Chapman
Tommy Chapman
M6sWattton 2A3-3 (D)Shiv Kapur x2
Casper Lind
Shiv Kapur
Stephen Holland
BD ADerehamA0-6 (W)Harry Fuller x2
Freddie Royall
Will Panter
Josh Cormack
Adam Jones
Freddie Royall
BD BN CityH3-1 (W)Kit Scott
Raul Wigglesworth
Vithu Baskaran
Oliver Rudling
GDPelicansH5-2 (W)

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Cambridge City 3s:  0-3

MOM:  Carmel Windsor Waite

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s struggle for a second week running as they fall 3-0 to Cambridge City 3s.

The Ladies 1s started the game very positively, moving the ball well around the pitch and creating some lovely patterns of play. In fact, the hosts looked very much like the dominant side for much of the half, controlling the midfield through Liv Thomas, Tabba Tabbrett, Kiera Goymour and Mia Bartrum, and creating chances up front. A flurry of short corners, however, came to nothing, and just before half time Cambridge caught the team on the break. Driving down the right hand side of the pitch and onto the base line, they managed to pull the ball back past the defence to slot the ball into the far side of the goal. The first half ended 1-0, with the Dragons still very much in the game.

The opening period of the second half saw much the same story, with the Dragons creating a lot of chances, but not being able to convert. However, misplaced passes and lost possession were all too frequent, allowing the visitors to break in attack. Their skilful and pacey forwards saw a carbon copy of the first goal put them 2-0 up with 20 minutes left to go. Despite a strong and aggressive press, a number of opportunities in the attacking D, and despite player of the match Carmel Windsor-Waite’s impressive efforts down the right hand side of defence, Dragons were unable to find the back of the net, and the opposition were able to seal the game through a short corner with just a few minutes to go. While a disappointing result there were a number of positives in the game. But tighter possession and more composure in the attack are needed over the coming weeks.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Christchurch 1s:  3-0

Goalscorers:  Kate McKenna x2, Jess Haw
MOM:  Saskia Williams

The day started brightly with a trip to the seaside for the Ladies 2’s – never had they seen so much water, just a good job there was a bridge! The team welcomed Sumitha Bose for her first game of the season and were grateful to Saskia Williams (and Dad Paul) who completed an early cricket fixture, before heading to Christchurch to help the team.

After a 2 minute warm-up, the Dragons were ready(ish), well fortunately Issi Mumbray was, as she made a couple of vital early saves whilst the rest of the team were getting used to the pitch. Dragons started to settle and started to get their passing game together, however the Christchurch keeper kept them at bay for a while. Midway through the half, a ball in from Laura Van Den Berg found the willing run of Kate McKenna, who unleashed a reversed stick strike, beating the keeper with pace and accuracy.

Dragons continued to play some fine passing hockey, epitomised by the 2nd goal with Donna Vaughan finding Gail Thomas, who drew her player, then found the excellent Saskia Williams out on the right, who drove into the D at pace, and shot across the GK, finding Jess Haw in a perfect position on the back post to slot home.

Going into the break 2-0 up, fuelled with Jelly Babies, the team vowed to continue to enjoy their hockey and that they did, dominating possession, but not quite converting their excellent play into the goals they deserved. Eventually a third came, following a Van Den Berg strike, which was saved, only for the tenacious Kate McKenna to force the ball home for her second of the day.

Too many good performances to mention, however Player of the Match went to Saskia Williams for her excellent runs and fine skills down the right hand flank. All in all, the team were delighted to head back over the bridge (a number of times) and up the A140 with a well deserved 3 points in the bag.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Yarmouth 1s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Lucy Buxton, Hannah Ellis
MOM:  Stella Windsor Waite

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3rd team welcomed Yarmouth Ladies 1st team to the Den on a bright and fresh November Saturday afternoon. Dragons began tentatively but quickly gained in confidence, controlling possession and playing some good hockey, switching the ball across the field and creating opportunities down both wings.

Dragons managed to score first following a good passage of play down the right of the pitch. The ball was passed across the circle where a few dragons players were waiting to pressure the keeper and the final touch was put over the line by Lucy Buxton. The first half ended with Dragons 1 0 up.

The second half began with both teams playing attacking hockey and winning short corners. Yarmouth managed to level the scores mid-way through the first half from open play. However, Dragons maintained belief and continued to play their passing game throughout the pitch, dominating play, but Yarmouth were dangerous on the break.

In the last ten minutes of the game Dragons managed to convert a short corner, Grace Brown picked up the initial save from the keeper and laid the ball across the penalty spot for Hannah Ellis to finish from close range. Esme Potter was nominated player of the match.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Norwich City 3s:  0-4

MOM: Krystina Smyth, Emily Smith

This week Ladies 4’s played Norwich city 3’s in a tough game losing 4-0. MOM was tied between Emily Smith and Kristina Smyth. Emily did great defending and attacking whilst Kristina played excellently as goalie saving goal after goal.

In the first half Dragons where under pressure however we stayed strong, played some great hockey and worked together to do some good passes and runs. We conceded our first goal a fair way into the first half and at half time the score was 1-0 so we were still confident in being able to get a goal or two back. However that didn’t happen, despite Dragons working tirelessly and on occasion coming close to scoring, City managed to get three more goals through some excellent attacking.

Overall it was a great game and we played well against a strong team. Thank you to Caroline for
stepping in as captain and Jason, Neeps and Chloe for their sideline support.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Carrow 1s:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Gemma Ballard
MOM:  Mia Somers, Hannah Edwards

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Diss:  2-11

Goalscorer:   Charlotte Dowson, Amelia Keitley-Webb
MOM:  Emily Roper

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v UEA 3s:  1-1

Goalscorers:  Mia McGhee
MOM: Claire Fairhurst

Yippee! The 7s are off the mark with a well deserved point against UEA in a match which they might have won – but such is their delight at last proving that they can ‘play a bit’ they are content to take it as a confidence boost and a platform for the rest of the season. Under the inspirational gaze and guidance of club captain Holly Setch, who gave our sticks the magic tap at the start of the game, the 7s started like trains and their first foray nearly resulted in a goal for Mia McGhee. Dragons did take the lead shortly afterwards, when a clever pass out wide from Adelice Kraemer found Mia who stormed in and shot home a fabulous goal from the narrowest of angles.

There is still some room to improve overall team understanding, but what the 7s did really well was to play for each other. As is often the case, their best play starts with a block or clearance from Emma ‘Northie’ North in goal, which always lifts the team. Then there is Emma ‘Meg’ Dyer’s hit outs which are getting harder by the game. It isn’t easy stepping up a team and a division, but Issy Gale made a big impact in defence with some neat stick skills and some strong tackling. Katie Davidson also made her debut and did particularly well in the first half. Becky Bowen was back to her best after illness and Lily Crew chipped in the defence. Briony Johnstone was excellent this week at bottom of the diamond, playing a controlled game to keep on top of the forwards and listening keenly to guidance from the back as ‘Meg’ marshalled the defence and read the game really well.

The mids were really strong, with Maisie Dearmer outstanding on the right, tackling, running and overlapping. She did not put a stick wrong until unfortunately a heavy slip midway through the second half meant she had to go off.  Nat Crisp is a formidable player everywhere on the pitch, and again it was her tackling and distribution from top of the diamond which kept the Dragons strong through the middle. The enforced changes meant that Captain Claire Fairhurst had to be at her flexible best – and she was better than steady, whether at top of the diamond, tackling in midfield or sprinting up front. She deservedly won the POM – hooray for Claire, who didn’t have to get angry today!

 Clearly Wednesday’s truncated training session, which saw the 7s learning a lot more about tackling (thank you Pete and Jason) had been a big help. Now we need to get a little sharper upfront, and definitely tidy up our penalty corners. It didn’t matter when we didn’t get many, but now we do, and we need to make more use of Addi’s clever work in the circle. The forwards didn’t always use the width, but there was a lot of honest pressure in there and some good pressing on the 16s. it was a great pity that the one time we didn’t get a press on UEA were able to race through the middle and score. But nothing could really spoil this fabulous day – except perhaps the rude people who nicked our pizzas! Go go Super Sevens, and get well soon Erin Aldous and Katy Cole.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v UEA 4s:  0-2

MOM:  Becca James

Ladies 8’s took on UEA 4’s away at the UEA sports park. We were both privileged and very pleased to welcome Lynne Price (Neeps) from Dragons Hockey Club, who is a highly proficient and experienced hockey player and had kindly taken time out on her Saturday morning to show us support and offer vital pearls of wisdom, tips and observations as well as manning the timer and the substitutions and generally keeping us in order. We all so appreciated having her help.
Although we lost 2-0, it was a very close battle with Ladies 8’s having three short corners within the  first 8 minutes! It was nail biting stuff and we all played to the best of our ability and was such a shame we were unable to score.
POM went to newcomer Becca James who was playing her first league match for Dragons. She proved to be a valuable asset and was able to cover the entire pitch with admirable speed and prowess.
Esther Jacobs was in goal and once again defended brilliantly. Before racing back to defend another goal in another Dragons match!
Sarah Lucas, Anna Chapman, Sadie Jacobs, Shaniece Claxton, Louise Bond (Bondie) and Karen Davidson played in midfield and continuously fought to keep the ball out wide enabling it to be passed up the wing with text book style hockey just like we are patiently reminded every Wednesday evening at training! Sarah made some great tackles and seemed to get to the ball before the opposition on numerous occasions. Anna, too, played a great match with some spectacular block tackles.
In defence Jo Baker and Eva looked like they have mastered their roles as ‘the sweeper’ as more often than not when the ball appeared in the D by the opposition they were there to clear it with impressive force, speed and accuracy.
Lois Metcalfe Johanne Steward and I, (Emma Young) played up front as forwards. Johanne made a fabulous job of creating short corners in our favour and Lois as always, not only kept us all in check but played a great game and was often seen going in for a tackle and coming away with the ball!
It was a very close game with both sides matched equally. We just need to get some goals and I think rather like busses once one appears, they will just keep coming!!!

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Pelicans 1s:  3-6

Goalscorers:  Rupert Snelling, George Bowman, Matt Jenkins
MOM:  Olly Buck

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Bury St Edmunds 2s:  3-2

Goalscorer:  Louie Barby, Jono Chaney Baxter, Al Browne
MOM:  Jono Chaney Baxter

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v IES 3s:  3-2

Goalscorer: Tom Vaughan x2, Jon Goodson
MOM:  Tom Vaughan, Mitch Smith

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Pelicans 2s:  1-10

Goalscorer:  RIch Phillis
MOM:  The team

Norwich knew top of the table Pelicans would be a challenge and this proved the case. Dragons started solidly but conceded their first goal after 12 minutes. Despite circle penetrations of the Pelican’s D Dragons continued to concede goals regularly until half time leaving the score at 0-5. Let’s face it it seemed that if a bounce or bobble was going to go one way it seemed to go in and this continued into the second half. Pelicans where too good but the great part was Dragons, as they have all season, still tried to play snatching one back after a short corner drag flick was well saved by the Pelican’s keeper with the rebound falling to an alert Rich Phillis. Everyone appreciated each others efforts and vowed to give Pelicans more to think about when they return to the Den. Thankyou to Pelicans for good teas and drinks post game.

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Dereham 4s:  4-2

Goalscorers:  Greg Reynolds, Tommy Chapman, Charlie Creasy x2
MOM:  Tommy Chapman

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Watton 2s:  3-3

Goalscorers:  Shiv Kapur x2, Casper Lind
MOM:  Shiv Kapur, Stephen Holland

Development Leagues

Norwich Dragons Development Boys A v Dereham:  6-0

Goalscorers:  Harry Fuller x2, Freddie Royall, Will Panter x2, Josh Cormack
MOM:  Adam Jones, Freddie Royall

1st Quarter: Dereham started the game strongly, putting Dragons under some early pressure and a few basic errors in passing meant that Dragons struggled to get the ball out of defence. As the quarter developed Dragons began to take control with some good stick skills from Gabe Overton and Blade Earley resulting in a close effort from Harry Fuller. A succession of short corners were well defended by Dereham, but eventually the breakthrough came after a good run down the right from Gabe, an accurate pass and a decisive strike from Wills Panter. (1-0 Dragons)

2nd Quarter: Dragons began to pass the ball round very well and again down the right Gabe and Blade were putting a lot of pressure on the Dereham defence. One of these moves resulted in a goal from Josh Cormack, however unfortunately the umpire had already blown for a short corner. Four successive short corners eventually ended with a goal, a cracking shot from Ben Panter was well saved, but Freddie Royall pounced on the rebound in to slot in Dragon’s second. Dereham responded well to the goal and some great defensive work from Arjuna Puvanachandra, Tom Jackson and Bertie Pinching kept them away from the Dragon’s goal. Adam Jones ended the second quarter still without a touch of the ball. (2-0 Dragons)

3rd Quarter: Dereham were definitely now showing signs of tiredness which Dragons were able to capitalise on. The whole team were now passing the ball around well, creating space and driving forward. There was no let up for Dereham, who themselves were now unable to get the ball out of defence. The Dragons responded well to their enthusiastic and vocal coach Natalie, pressing hard each time Dereham had a 16 yard hit or free hit. We did not have to wait long for the next goal which started from a beautiful aerial pass from Gabe, to Josh who drove down the right wing before slotting a decent pas through to Wills who crossed for Harry to score with a simple tap in. A great tackle from Harry and a probing run from Gabe shortly afterwards resulted in the ball being fed through to Wills for the Dragons’ fourth goal. The fifth goal followed with a great team move and a finish from Josh. Dereham by this stage were deflated, the Dragons had kept them under intense pressure and there was little let up. A change in personnel at the final short corner of the quarter, resulted in Arjun hitting out to Tom Jackson, with a neat pass to Harry who slotted the ball into the goal.  (6-0 Dragons)

4th Quarter: Some substitutions and positional changes from the Dragons. Bertie moved up to left midfield and him and Tom moved the ball nicely down the left side, with one move resulting in a good cross from Bertie and a good shot from Blade which narrowly missed the target. Dereham introduced an adult player which reinforced their back line and Dragons were forced to defend solidly to avoid giving away a goal. Sam and Tom put in several good tackles and Adam finally was forced into his first save of the day which at least brought his toes back to life. A shot from Ben late in the game resulted in a goal, unfortunately this was disallowed.

Summary: A very good team performance. Stoic defence early on kept Dereham at bay when they looked most threatening and as the game developed Dragons were completely in control. Good passing and use of the pitch, great communication between the players on the pitch aided by the coach. Good pressing keeping Dereham under pressure. Well executed goals.

Norwich Dragons Development Boys B v Norwich City:  3-1
Goalscorers:  Kit Scott, Raul Wigglesworth, Vithu Baskaran
MOM:  Oliver Rudling
It started out to be a wet evening but the rain cleared.
The First half was fairly even for possession, but Dragons managed to make the most of their opportunities,  Kit Scott scoring a great goal early in the first quarter.
Two more goals followed from Raul Wigglesworth and  Vithu Baskaran to bring the score to 3-0.
Late in the second quarter City upped the pace and scored taking the score to 3-1.
The beginning of the 2nd half City came out strong, having most of the possession and pushing dragons into their own half for much of the time.
City had several shots at goal finding the post a couple of times. Some good defending and some great saves from Dragons kept the score at 3-1.
Dragons number 10 was injured with a blow to the knee.
The last quarter again saw City pressing hard into Dragons D but they were unable to make any head way against the keeper or the defence.
The score remained 3-1.
Well done everyone.
Norwich Dragons Development Girls v Pelicans:  5-2

1 st Quarter was closely contested with Pelicans taking 3 short corners and 1 shot on goal. Dragons
had 2 shots on their goal. Neither side scored this quarter.

2 nd Quarter
Pelicans took the lead with a goal by their number 3. Dragons came back strongly and Hattie scored
a goal to equalise. However Pelicans then scored again, the goal was from their number 10.

3 rd Quarter
Hattie scored again to bring the game back to 2:2 for Dragons with an amazing goal over the keepers
head! Dragons were now on top for rest of this quarter with a further 3 shots at goal.

4 th Quarter
Ella scored early for Dragons putting us into a 3:2 lead. We then had a short corner before Hannah
was able to score another for Dragons taking the score to 4:2. Lara then capped off a great win with
another goal taking us to a final score of 5:2.

A great win from Dragons with Lara getting a well deserved Player

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 17th November 2018

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sCam Uni 2A1-0 (L)Joanna Raymond
Lucy Morton
L2sMagpies 3H3-1 (W)Jess Bennett
Hannah Hardy x2
Hannah Hardy
L3sWatton 1A7-0 (L)Stella Windsor Waite
L4sBroadland 2A3-4 (W)Caroline Wolfe x3
Lilli Ballard
Trish Hagan
Jenna Mills
Sophia Haehnelt
L5sDissH1-1 (D)Gemma BallardEmily Smith
L6sWatton 2A7-1 (L)Gill WalkerGill Walker
Louise Brooks
L7sMagpies 6A3-1 (L)Adelice KraemerEmma Dyer
L8sMagpies 7H0-5 (L)Neha Shammy
Issy Gale
M1sLong Sutton 1H1-5 (L)Rupert SnellingLewis Wilkins
M2sNewmarket 1A1-3 (W)Jason Wolfe
Ed Gould
Louie Barby
Peter Dickerson
M3sSudbury 2H1-1 (D)Tom VaughanTom Vaughan
Jon Goodson
M4sMagpies 4H1-1 (D)Joel LawrenceIsaac Diver Hall
M5sPelicans 4A1-2 (W)Greg Reynolds
Sam Echevarria
Will Bowman
M6sNflk Nomads 1H1-4 (L)Charlie CreasyCharlie Creasy
BD ANo Fixture
BD BDerehamA1-5 (W)Ben Panter x2
Raul Wigglesworth
Josh Cormack
Will Panter
Tom Jackson
GDYarmouthA0-1 (W)Hattie StuartEvie Marlee

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Cambridge Uni 2:  0-1

MOM:  Lucy Morton, Joanna Raymond

The Ladies 1s, welcoming Lucy Morton back into the squad, alongside Harriet Green
and Gail Thomas, travelled down to Cambridge to take on the University 2 nd XI.
Depleted by injury, illness, and absence, it was always going to be a tough game against a
feisty and youthful team, but going down to a bare 11 before the game even started set
the stage for an uphill struggle against the opposition’s army of 15. The Dragons started
tentatively, as the students exposed gaps in our defensive unit, and capitalised on their
pace up front. However, the team soon settled and began to go on the offensive, with
the forward line of Tabba Tabbrett, Maddy Reynolds, and joint player of the match, Lucy
Morton, making some excellent runs up front. The first half saw a few chances for both
sides, with some excellent saves by both keepers to keep the score 0-0 at half time.

The second half started much the same, with plenty of opportunities for the visitors. A
number of chances saw the ball slotted just wide on several occasions, and run across the
face of goal on others. The hosts also had their own chances, with Harriet Green and
Carmel Windsor-Waite needing to make some important tackles on the wide flanks of
defence, and Shelly Seaman making an excellent save off the goal-line to keep the score
at 0-0. However, with no substitutes and a slow pitch, the team of 11 began to tire and
Cambridge were able to exert some pressure. After a flurry of short corners, they
managed to convert through a bobbling straight strike. Despite the tireless running of
Tabbrett, alongside the midfield unit of Holly Reding, Gail Thomas and joint player of
the match, Joanna Raymond, the Dragons were just not able to pull the game back, and
the whistle blew with the score still at 1-0. This was a disappointing and frustrating loss,
but lessons can be learned with regards to game management. And with a full squad, the
team fully expect to take their revenge on home turf.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Magpies 3s:  3-1 

Goalscorers:  Jess Bennett, Hannah Hardy x2
MOM:  Hannah Hardy

On yet another lovely sunny day Dragons welcomed Magpies to the Den, knowing it would be a good hard fought game. Dragons were super excited to welcome Hannah Hardy back to the 2’s after having been out for 8 months, with an Achilles tendon injury.
 
The game started at a fast pace, with Magpies passing the ball around nicely. However Dragons did not panic and stuck to their game plan and soon started to take control of the game. Dragons moved the ball well with the midfield of Laura Van Den Berg, Debs Smith and Annabelle Phoenix working hard to feed the forwards. Dragons had a few early chances but couldn’t quite find the goal. Finally the ball fell to Donna Vaughan who fired it into Hannah Hardy. Hardy collected it well and calmly turned and slotted it into the goal, as if she’d never been away! 1-0 to Dragons! Dragons continued to control the game and soon after this first goal a great bit of individual skill, from Jess Bennett, found Dragons in a 2 v 1 situation against the Magpies keeper. Bennett passed the ball to Kate McKenna, who drew the keeper and passed the ball back to Bennett, who confidently put the ball in the goal, giving the keeper no chance. Not long after this the whistle went to make it 2-0 to Dragons at half time.
 
After the half time break Magpies were fired up and had several good attacks, making the defence of Kath Mares, Karen O’Neill-Simpson, Donna Vaughan and Sarah Borrett work hard to keep the ball out of the goal. Magpies earned several short corners, which Dragons dealt with well, but finally Magpies managed to score from one, making it 2-1 to Dragons. Luckily Dragons didn’t panic at this and started to work their way back into the game again. A good run from Jess Haw saw her feed the ball into Jess Bennett, who played the ball goal ward, resulting in a penalty flick being awarded to Dragons. Hannah Hardy was asked to take the flick and took it well to make it 3-1 to Dragons. After this Dragons reclaimed control of the game and started to pass the ball around well again. Magpies had one final chance to pull one back, with a good strike, but keeper Izzi Mumbray made a great save to keep it out. Soon after this the final whistle went with Dragons winning 3-1. This was a great team effort by Dragons and several people got votes for player of the match, but the majority of the votes went to Hannah Hardy for some great attacking play and two good goals.
 
As always thanks to those who cheered us on and thanks to Ollie King for all of his advice and for managing our sideline.


East League, Ladies 2NE

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Watton 1s:  0-7

MOM:  Stella Windsor Waite

This week saw Norwich Dragons 3rd team travel to play Watton 1st team who are undefeated this season with a team that consisted of no fewer than eight under 18 players. The team welcomed both Lily Sore and Emma Bambridge for their 3rd team debuts.

The game started as a fairly even contest with both teams creating some good hockey all over the pitch. The defensive combination of Esther Jacobs in goal, Lily Sore, Ally Windsor Waite, Stella Windsor Waite and Emma Bambridge combining well for the first time together keeping a clean sheet for the first twenty minutes of the match.

The midfield combination of Elsa Scott, Hannah Ellis, Catherine Matthews and Grace Brown were linking well to fed the forwards of Harriet Marlee, Harriet Rant, Aditi Naik and Katie Lister, who were worrying the Watton defence.

Unfortunately, Watton managed to score three quick goals from open play mid-way through the first half. Dragons kept battling, winning short corners and creating goal scoring chances but the first half ended 3 0 to Watton.

The second half again saw some promising hockey from Dragons but were not able to score a goal and Watton were clinical in front of goal and scored another four goals in the second half, three from short corners.

A great team effort from such a young and inexperienced team, with plenty to work on and build on in the coming weeks. Player of the match was taken by Stella Windsor Waite for a determined performance in defence. Thank you very much to our sideline support and encouragement from Spike, Sarah and Neeps.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Broadland 2s:  4-3

Goalscorers: Caroline Wolfe x3, Lilli Ballard
MOM: Trish Hagan, Jenna Mills, Sophia Haehnelt

The Ladies 4s headed to Taverham for an early start for their fixture against Broadland 2s. With a chilly start to the morning, there was a slight concern that the pitch might be frozen in places, but it was soon apparent that the sparkles on the  ‘bouncy’ pitch was just water glistening in the bright sunshine.

 
The Dragons started well, passing wide and using the space well, but struggled at times with the bounce of the pitch. There were plenty of opportunities, but it wasn’t until the 21st minute that Dragons got off the mark. Following a nice string of passes up the left side of the pitch, the ball was played in to Lilli Ballard, who took it to the top of the D and swept it through the defenders and past the keeper.
 
Broadland fought back and took advantage of a sloppy 10 minutes from Dragons, scoring 2 goals in rapid succession shortly before half time, giving them an unexpected half time lead.
 
Broadland scored again at the start of the second half, taking the score line to 1-3. Dragons did not let this deter their spirit, and as their shape returned, passing became more accurate.
 
The grit and determination shown by Dragons started to pay off 8 minutes into the second half, first with a long pass wide from Sarah Wagstaff to Fiona Fletcher on the right. Fletcher carried the ball up the wing, cutting in and crossing the ball to Caroline Wolfe who was on the near post with stick low and ready, and an angled deflection took the ball past the keeper, into the net.
 
Four minutes later, captain Trish Hagan picked up the ball in the middle of the pitch, beat three players to get in to the D and found Wolfe with a deft pass forward to the left. Wolfe spotted a gap and, with two touches, the ball was in the net.
 
The Dragons’ midfielders worked tirelessly to keep the pressure on and maintain possession, not least Jenna Mills. At 19 minutes, she carried the ball from the half way line, curving in text book style along the baseline. At a meter from the post, Mills played the perfect pass back to beat the keeper resulting in an easy tap in for Wolfe to gain her second hat trick in two weeks, and the winning goal (final score 4-3).
 
The man-of-the-match voting reflected the excellent team effort, with 7 players receiving nominations. First place was tied between midfielders Trish Hagan, Sophia Haehnelt and Jenna Mills.
 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Diss 1s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Gemma Ballard
MOM:  Emily Smith

Ladies 5s faced top of the table Diss on a bright sunny autumn day. The match started as  Steph Samson had requested with good pace and determination from the outset. In the first half Dragons dominated overall with the midfield Anita Mancini, Mel WIddows, Katherine Hardwick and Beth Elgood looking solid. There were attacks both ends of the pitch with Jane Wells crossing to Gemma Ballard who took a shot but it was saved by the keeper, then Diss broke and took a strike but this was blocked by Hannah Edwards. The midfield then sent the ball up to Jane, Beth and Lizzy McDonnell who completed a great move but this was well defended by Diss. Dragons continued to press and Jane then broke down the right sending a powerful shot into the D which Amy Forse sent just wide of the post. Dragons continue the pressure with 2 short corners just before half time but unfortunately were not able to score.

Diss came out fighting in the second half winning an early short corner but Kristina Smyth made a great save. Dragons defence continued to be challenged by Diss but Lou Davis, Steph, Georgia Butterworth and Hannah worked brilliantly to keep them at bay. Beth broke on the right sending a beautiful ball into the D which Gemma just had to touch to seal Dragons goal! Diss were awarded a short corner but Kristina made another great save.  Diss then broke on the wing bringing the ball past our defence at the top of the D to score in an open goal. Dragons did their best to add to the scoreline with further shots at goal but the final score was 1:1 bringing Diss’ 8 match winning run to an end. A solid team performance from Ladies 5’s. Player of the Match went to Emily Smith.

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Watton 2s:  1-7

Goalscorer:   Gill Walker
MOM:  Gill Walker, Louise Brooks

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Magpies 6s:  1-3
 

Goalscorers:  Adelice Kraemer
MOM: Emma Dyer

The 7s turned in a very creditable performance against the division’s unbeaten leaders, holding them to a goalless draw in the first half and pulling a goal back after Magpies established a three goal lead in the second half. The Dragons defence are developing into an assured unit, with Emma ‘Meg’ Dyer turning in another POM performance in the centre ably backed by Erin Aldous and Amy Hunter. Becky Bowen, playing despite a nasty respiratory infection, stuck to her task at bottom of the diamond and got in some good tackles. As usual, Emma ‘Northie’ North was reliable in goal and withstood a barrage of shots in the first half. The midfield continued their progression, with Paige Fisher and her unorthodox way of tackling stopping a lot of raids and cross balls, and Katy Cole worked hard as usual. Captain Claire Fairhurst proved her versatility with different roles in the mid, and showed excellent direction when playing at top of the diamond. Nat Crisp was able to play in the second half and added some bite into the link between forwards and defence.

 Dragons did not make enough use of the potential of Addi Kraemer, because they had difficulty in reaching the right side of the pitch. Magpies wanted to play centrally and down their right, which kept the 7s pinned on their left side. The one time that Bridget Le Good managed to get a decent pass to Mia McGhee, she sprinted down the left channel and timed her cross beautifully for Addi to slot home. During the last 7 minutes, Dragons produced some decent hockey, but Magpies were in no mood to be generous.

 7s know that there are three things they have got to work harder at in training – and the challenging thing is that it is the same three things that have plagued them all season. It is a great shame that illness and other commitments have meant that the 7s are no longer the champions of training that they were last season. They need more than six or seven to take advantage of the excellent coaching available to them if they are to ‘click’. That having been said, this was a pretty good performance against a strong team and all the Dragons made plenty of effort. So thanks to the Magpies for an enjoyable game and the tea of the season so far! The quest for success continues…

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Magpies 7s:  0-5

MOM:  Issy Gale, Neha Shammy

Ladies 8’s were at home against Harleston Magpies today. It was an early pushback and the pitches glistened after a light frost in the early morning sunshine. The setting was idyllic but despite a valiant fight we lost 5-0. We had four opportunities on goal but just couldn’t quite get it across the goal line.
Issy Gale played with energy and dogged determination in midfield and was rewarded with cheers from the sidelines, not just from the Dragons but the oppositions supporters as well! Nehar Shammy played in her debut match for Dragon’s Eights and did us all proud in defence continually clearing the ball and deservedly earning herself MOM. Karen Davidson made an incredibly competent goalie and made some great saves! Also in defence Jess Lockwood, Jo Baker and Eva Muiruri fought tirelessly to form a wall to block the ball going through and we witnessed some awesome play. Mouse Fielding, Sadie Jacobs, Sarah Lucas and Katie Davidson were in midfield and  I don’t think any of them experienced the luxury of standing still!! They were constantly on the move and if any of them were wearing a Fitbit, I would love to know the mileage they covered!
Lois Metcalfe, Johanne Steward and myself, Emma Young were playing as forwards, Lois and Johanne set up some great goal opportunities but we just couldn’t quite finish them with a goal.
But despite the loss today the Awesome 8’s remained positive and determined. We were able on reflection to highlight strengths and weaknesses and how to improve them for next weeks match.
It takes a lot to dull the spirits of the Awesome 8’s and we will be back and we will be Victorious!!!

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Long Sutton 1s:  1-5

Goalscorers:  Rupert Snelling
MOM:  Lewis Wilkins

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Newmarket 1s:  3-1

Goalscorer:  Louie Barby, Jason Wolfe, Eddie Gould
MOM:  Peter Dickerson

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Sudbury 2s:  1-1

Goalscorer: Tom Vaughan
MOM:  Tom Vaughan, Jon Goodson

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Magpies 4s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Joel Lawrence
MOM:  Isaac Diver Hall

Dragons start well with strong running and good positional play helping against a mix of youth and experience in the Magpies side. Dragons scored first with Joel Lawrence slotting home from close range.  Unfortunately this didn’t last as Magpies capitalised on a direct ball into the D to gain a touch to wrong foot the keeper. Both sides played a fast form of hockey with Alberto Embarba making sure the Dragons midfield was well defended. This enabled Dragons player of the match Isaac Diver-Hall to create issues and constantly win turn over ball. The game ended 1-1 despite Dragons having  a few clear opportunities to get good shots on target and pinch the game.

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Pelicans 4s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Greg Reynolds, Sam Echevarria
MOM:  Will Bowman

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norfolk Nomads 1s:  1-4

Goalscorers:  Charlie Creasy
MOM:  Charlie Creasy

Development Leagues

Norwich Dragons Development Girls v Yarmouth:  1-0

Goalscorer:  Hattie Stuart
MOM:  Evie Marlee

Norwich Dragons Development Boys B v Dereham:  5-1

Goalscorers:  Ben Panter x2, Raul Wigglesworth, Josh Cormack, Will Panter
MOM:  Tom Jackson

Dragons started the match very strongly, dealing well with everything that came our way. Josh Cormack broke the deadlock to put us one in front, deflecting in from Ben Panter’s cross to score.
 
Dereham’s only goal came in the second quarter. Their player running down the wing, crossing the ball to be deflected in for a deserved goal. 
 
Dragons defended with real discipline throughout the match to protect Finn Pond in goal and limited Dereham to few chances to score again and finished up winning 5-1.
 
Scorers for Dragons were Josh, Will Panter, Raul Wigglesworth and two for Ben Panter – Ben’s second goal sealed the victory when having sent the keeper the wrong way he coolly flicked the ball straight down the middle. 
 
Player of the match was Tom Jackson.
 
 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 10th November 2018

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sSudbury 1H5-1 (W)Shelly Seaman
Issy Wolfe
Olivia Thomas
Maddy Reynolds
Kiera Goymour
Issy Wolfe
L2sNth Norfolk 1A4-3 (L)Jess Bennett x2
Lucy Morton
Sarah Borrett
L3sFelixstowe 1H4-0 (W)Hannah Ellis
Hannah Hardy
Harriet Rant
Sam Franklin
Sam Franklin
L4sPelicans 2H5-0 (W)Lilli Ballard
Lisa Harwood
Caroline Wolfe x3
Steph Samson
L5sReephamA1-1 (D)Gemma BallardAmy Forse
L6sYarmouth 2H6-0 (W)Kelly Mills x2
Amelia Keitley-Webb x3
Adelice Kraemer
Gill Walker
L7sBrecklandA4-2 (L)Mia McGhee
Maisie Dearmer
Maisie Dearmer
L8sNth Norfolk 2A6-0 (L)Shaniece Claxton
M1sCity of Pboro 3A3-3 (D)Matt Jenkins
Rupert Snelling
Jono Chaney-Baxter
Rupert Snelling
M2sLow Railway 1H1-1 (D)Alex BrownePeter Dickerson
M3sIpswich 2A6-4 (L)Tom Vaughan x3
Mitch Smith
Angus Blazer
M4sN City 5A4-0 (L)Alex Brooks
M5sNomads 2H5-1 (W)Dan Ryan x2
Andrew Cross x2
Will Bloom
Dan Ryan
M6sNth Norfolk 3A3-2 (L)Mike Banham
Sam Nutt
Luke Wilkinson
BD ADragons BA0-3 (W)Ed Cross x2
Will Panter
Tom Jackson
BD BDragons AH0-3 (L)
GDN CityH0-4 (L)Mia Norris
Mia Rutherford
Honey Wells
tbc

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Sudbury 1s:  5-1

Goalscorers:  Shelly Seaman, Issy Wolfe, Olivia Thomas, Maddy Reynolds, Kiera Goymour
MOM:  Issy Wolfe

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s continue to build momentum in Division 1N League, taking
all 3 points in a 5-1 win against Sudbury Ladies 1s. The Dragons began the match
strongly, dominating possession and keeping much of the play in their attacking half.
While Sudbury managed to break through the middle with a couple of long balls through
to their forwards, they did not look overly threatening in the opening stages of the game.
After a flurry of short corners – one of which saw Mia Bartrum’s drag flick sail just
inches wide of the post – the Dragons managed to convert one, through a strike from
Shelly Seaman on the right which was deflected into the roof of the goal by player of the
match Issy Wolfe. The scoreline remained at 1-0 at half time.

The second half opened in much the same way, with the hosts maintaining possession,
and finding the back of the net a second time through a well-timed run from Issy Wolfe,
and a beautifully placed pass to the unmarked Liv Thomas in the D. Thomas took the
ball on her reverse and cooly slotted in past the keeper. Following this, the Dragons
experienced a difficult phase of play and were put under pressure by the visitors. The
defensive unit absorbed the pressure, with Sophie Barrow making a number of fantastic
tackles on the left. However, following a series of short corners, Sudbury managed to
claw their way back into the game after an awkward bobbling strike crossed the line. The
visitors maintained the pressure for a further few minutes before the Dragons took
command of the game again. The forward movement and the feeding of the ball from
the midfield was much improved this week, and the team were rewarded with a further
three goals. Two came from penalty corners, with Kiera Goymour finding the net from
the left, and Shelly Seaman from the right. The final goal came after some lovely
movement off the ball around the pitch, finding Issy Wolfe on the left hand side of the D.
Wolfe crossed the ball on her reverse to a waiting Maddy Reynolds for a tap in goal. A
good performance from the whole squad.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v North Norfolk 1s:  3-4

Goalscorers:  Jess Bennett x2,  Lucy Morton
MOM:  Sarah Borrett

Dragons travelled to North Norfolk knowing they were going to be up for a hard game as North Norfolk had a 100% record at home.

Dragons had a good warm up and started the game at a fast pace. Within minutes of the start Dragons earned a short corner. The ball was put out by Harriet Green straight to Jess Bennett, who stopped the ball and fired it home to put the Dragons 0-1 up. This fired the Dragons up even further and they continued to press and put pressure on the North Norfolk defence. During this spell of pressure several shots were had, but saved well by the North Norfolk keeper. On one of these saves the ball fell to Lucy Morton who calmly slotted it into the goal. This but Dragons 0-2 up within 15 minutes of the start. Dragons had further chances, but unfortunately nothing came of them. Then just before half time and against the run of play North Norfolk got one back. When the whistle went for half time it was 1-2 to Dragons. Coach Ollie King was pleased with the first half and asked for the same again.

Unfortunately for the dragons North Norfolk started the stronger of the two teams and before long had managed to drew the game level at 2-2. After this a real battle ensued with both teams having several chances but neither scoring. North Norfolk continued to work hard and eventually managed to break the deadlock making it 3-2 to North Norfolk. North Norfolk were encouraged by this and not long after made it 4-2. The Dragons however did not give up and continued to try and fight their way back into the game. A piece of good individual skill from Jess Bennett saw her score her second to make it 4-3. Dragons continued to push to see if they could at least get a point from the game but ran out of time. The whistle went with the score at 4-3 to North Norfolk. Player of the match went to Sarah Borrett for some good goal line stops and good defending.

Thanks to Ollie King for his help and to all the supporters that travelled to Cromer to cheer us on. Thanks also to Dragons 8th team who tried their best to spur us on, but unfortunately on this occasion it wasn’t to be.


East League, Ladies 2NE

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Felixstowe 1s:  4-0

Goalscorers:  Hannah Ellis, Hannah Hardy, Harriet Rant, Sam Franklin
MOM:  Sam Franklin

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3 rd team this week welcomed Felixstowe Ladies 1 st team on a bright sunny Saturday morning to the Den. Dragons began the game playing positive attacking hockey, which was to set the tone for most of the game.

Dragons first goal was scored from their first short corner with a clean strike from Harriet Rant at the top of the D. Dragons energised by scoring an early goal and creating chances began to switch the ball at pace around the defence and midfield. Playing a short sharp passing game, the second goal came from a lay off by Hannah Hardy, which was fed up the left-hand wing with Catherine Matthews and Aditi Naik combining well to cross into the circle for Sam Franklin to sweep in style from the right.

The team continued to work hard defending from the front to maintain their lead at the beginning of the second half. Dragons 3 rd goal was confidently put away by Hannah Hardy on her return to hockey this season following injury. The fourth goal was scored from a favourite third team chuckle brother routine between Sam Franklin and slotted home by Hannah Ellis.
Dragons continued to play attacking hockey creating chances and the score could have been higher was it not for a superb performance by the Felixstowe keeper. Dragons defence remained focused throughout the match and kept any Felixstowe opportunities out and were awarded with a clean sheet. Player of the match was won by Sam Franklin for a super strike in the first half and tireless work in midfield up and down the pitch.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Pelicans 2s:  5-0

Goalscorers: Caroline Wolfe x3, Lilli Ballard, Lisa Harwood
MOM: Steph Samson

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Reepham:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Gemma Ballard
MOM:  Amy Forse

Another one of those ‘can’t believe this is November’ sunny Saturdays, and the 5’s were on the road to try and get back to their winning ways against Reepham.

Captain Han adjourned the changing room discussions of dingy white socks and athletes foot to lead us out for a dynamic warm-up (disco style) to ensure we were ready and enthusiastic for push back.

Both teams came out hard from the start but within minutes Dragons found themselves defending a flurry of short corners.  With the defensive line up of Amy Forse, Hannah Edwards, Jen Buskell, Georgia Butterworth and Beth  Elgood all dealing with these without fault, Dragons soon began to settle into the game.
The midfield of Anita Mancini, Amy Beadman, Jane Wells and Mel Widdows worked tirelessly to try and control the ball in the middle with great link up play to the rotating forwards, Lizzy McDonnell, Sue Cross and Gemma Ballard.  It was end to end play with both teams creating a number of chances from open play but both goalkeepers kept the score line goalless in the first half.
The second half began with the same intensity, with both sides determined to finish ahead. It was Reepham however who took control scoring first.  Dragons maintained composure and continued putting pressure on, when a shot from Crossy was saved, for Gemma to get the rebound off the keeper and tuck it away for an equaliser.
There was no time to tire in the final 10 minutes, with the home side throwing numbers forward our swift counter attacks were looking dangerous, but the result was to remain 1-1.
The whole team battled hard and man of the match was awarded to Amy Forse who played amazingly in goal, keeping us in the game a number of times and making some excellent saves.  Also a special mention should go to Lizzy for remaining upright throughout the whole game!

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Yarmouth 2s:  6-0

Goalscorers:  Kelly Mills x2, Amelia Keitley-Webb x3, Adelice Kraemer
MOM:  Gill Walker

After a couple of disappointing defeats, Ladies 6s were full of positivity ahead of their Yarmouth clash.

Moving the ball around well from the first whistle they scored early in the first half through Amelia Keitley-Webb. This just added to their positivity. With great linking play between Amelia and Charlotte Dowson, the Goals flew in!
Finishing the first half 3-0 up, the half time team talk called for more of the same. Amelia finishing the day with a hat trick, Kelly Mills bagging 2 and Adelice Kraemer getting her goal late in the second half, the 6s showed what they are capable of.
The midfield worked tirelessly, with Player of the Match Gill Walker as solid as ever with great distribution into the channels allowing the 6s to play some really intelligent hockey.
Really great work rate, lots of goals and lots of promise, sitting solid in the middle of the table as we approach the half way point.


Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Breckland: 2-4

Goalscorers:  Mia McGhee, Maisie Dearmer
MOM: Maisie Dearmer

Breckland turned over the ball after the second pass and raced away to score a goal inside a minute – unhindered by any tackles from Dragons. But Dragons then picked themselves up and battled courageously, with the defence turning in an excellent performance. Breckland have one very strong player, and after scoring a second goal from a well-struck penalty, it was perhaps fortunate for Dragons she was not available to the home side for the second half. For the 7s, another slightly rejigged defence saw Emma Meg Dyer growing in confidence in the centre, well supported by Bethan Greaves, Amy Hunter, Jessica Young and Erin Aldous. Briony Johnstone was awesome at the bottom of the diamond, full of running and tackles. The midfield was very impressive. Maisie Dearmer on the right, Paige Fisher on the left and Claire Fairhurst at the top of the diamond passed accurately and fast and got the ball into circle. The score was 1-3 at half time, with the Dragons’ goal coming from a melee after a penalty corner, when Maisie Dearmer (POM) showed the greatest persistence by forcing the ball home.

So in the second half it was 1-1, which just shows that the 7s are frustratingly close to the win they so desperately need. Dragons improved the accuracy and timing of their passes and looked as though they could push Breckland close. Playing out from the back, Emma Northie North kicked and cleared strongly as usual and the defence, playing well as a unit could find their mids at will, which led to Dragons having a lot of possession. But the forwards lacked the ability to finish. Breckland packed their circle, and Dragons could not find a way through. Mia McGhee, Bridget Le Good and Katy Cole need to build an understanding quickly, and learn when to pass, when to slip and when to hammer a shot home. Erin Aldous moved up to left forward, and showed she could match Mia for speed and skill, Generally Bridget’s shots lacked their usual  power and too many from the right went straight to the keeper’s pads. After a super move from the back through the mids and into the circle, Bridget passed the ball across the circle for Mia to sweep the ball home for a beautiful goal. Despite urging from Claire, who was having a great game in control at the top of the diamond, there was no further score.

7s remain upbeat and determined, and have a good idea of what they need to do in training in order to find the final piece of the jigsaw. Come on 7s!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v North Norfolk 2s:  0-6

MOM:  Chaniece Claxton

The Seeded Grape! 

It was going to be a tough game against top of the shop North Norfolk. It was a game that started with a 1 minute silence to remember all those lost and ended with the curse of the seeded grape!

North Norfolk proved their speed right from the off but great defensive play from the 8’s kept them at bay.

A rolling number of shorts kept coming but the defence held strong and Emma North In her second game of the day in goal was able to keep them from scoring. In quick succession North Norfolk slotted home some well worked goals from open play.

8’s worked hard to push North Norfolk to the wings and clear the ball wide to stop them from attacking the centre, with forwards and midfield working together to support the back line

A controversial goal came from the left hand side which saw the scoreline go to 3-0. The first injury of the game came just before half time, seeing some position changes for the 8’s.

After half time 8’s were ready to pick up the game once more and it was a half that saw the 8’s head more into the oppositions half with good defensive work and some great passing play. Shaniece out on the left wing never gave up and often came up with the ball, proving her player of the match status.

A lifted ball caught Sadie on the wing and a reshuffle was had once more. With many 8’s now playing out of position and a slight wariness 8’s fought on. 8’s continued to work hard, keeping sticks down and another goal was won with some hesitancy around a short corner.

2 more goals were to be won with a tired 8’s working determinedly to the end of the game showing how well they are working together and honing their skills.

A special shout out to the umpire who caught the ball one handed after a lifted ball to the sideline!

Final score 6-0 to North Norfolk. Several players were voted for in Player of the Match, with Shaniece hitting top spot for her untiring efforts out on the wing.

 

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v City of Peterborough 3s:  3-3

Goalscorers:  Rupert Snelling, Matt Jenkins, Jono Chaney-Baxter
MOM:  Rupert Snelling

After going 2 goals down in the space of the first ten minutes, things looked rather bleak. However, an inspired Dragons come back in a cracking spell of hockey gave them a 3-2 lead with come back kid Matt Jenkins and Rupert Snelling (p-flick – won by Patrick Gordon) and a naughty reverse from Jono Chaney Baxter bagging the goals. CoP hit back just before half time from a short to make it 3-3. An even second half but neither side could find the winner. An honourable mention to Olly Buck who charged down the last short on the whistle with his finger…

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Lowestoft Railway 1s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Alex Browne
MOM:  Peter Dickerson

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Ipswich 2s:  4-6

Goalscorers: Tom Vaughan x3, Mitch Smith
MOM:  Angus Blazer

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Norwich City 5s:  0-4

MOM:  Alex Brooks

Dragons unfortunately stated without a keeper despite City delaying the start. Dragons held there own until a miss control resulted in a goal before the keeper could get on. After that the game flowed both ways , with Dragons not able to convert their short corner chances. City capitalised on their chances with a flick and another goal going City way. The fourth City goal was a good short corner flick which James King manged to get to but couldn’t keep out. Half time looked bleak for Dragons at 4 down but the team knew they had had chances focused the team for the second half.  The second half opened up and unfortunately for Dragons they failed to finish again with the City Goalie blocking Rich Phillis from close range and Bobby Sheppard sending one over the bar. The defence held well with man of the match going to deserving Alex Brooks. So the game ended 4-0 to City and highlighted the need for Dragons to be more clinical in the D again. Thanks again to City for waiting for our late keeper and as always a nice curry and jacket potato.

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Norfolk Nomads 2s:  5-1

Goalscorers:  Will Bloom, Dan Ryan x2, Andrew Cross
MOM:  Dan Ryan

The game started with both teams standing in a circle to observe a minute’s silence to commemorate Rememberance Sunday and the 100 years since the end of the Great War.

Nomads opened the scoring in the first 10 minutes from a short corner, however Andrew Cross scored two in the next 10 mins. Dragons played very well playing a very good passing game. After half time it was all Norwich Dragons, Dan Ryan slammed home two shorts in, and was very much the play maker all game. Will Bloom got the last goal after a great run from centre back to stike making it 5-1 with 12 minutes left.

The Game was a fantastic team effort and very fun game to play.

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v North Norfolk 3s:  2-3

Goalscorers:  Mike Banham, Sam Nutt
MOM:  Luke Wilkinson

Development Leagues

Norwich Dragons Development Girls v Norwich City Girls:  0-4

MOM:  Mia Norris, Mia Rutherford, Honey Wells, tbc

Norwich Dragons Development Boys A v Norwich Dragons Development B:  3-0

Goalscorers for Dev A:  Ed Cross x2, Will Panter
MOM for Dev A:  Tom Jackson

 

Match Report – Ladies O45s

On Sunday  4th November Norwich Dragons O45s travelled out of the city to Taverham to take on Norwich City O45s in the Investec Women’s O45s Championship.

Dragons started brightly and they looked like a team that had played together regularly despite being made up from 6 separate Dragons teams.

Dragons broke the deadlock after a free hit from the top of the D found its way to Hannah Hardy who, after 8 months out with injury, wasted no time and calmly slotted home.

The Dragons defence of Kath Mares, Angela Murgatroyd and Karen O’Neill-Simpson switched the ball round well, protected GK Kat Spiers and assisted with the attack whenever they could.

In the second half Dragons doubled their lead with a sweetly struck short corner from joint player of the match Gail Thomas.

The forward line of Bridget Le Good, Hannah Hardy, Ally Windsor Waite, Claire Fairhurst and Caroline Wolfe created numerous chances including the third goal, a neat move between Wolfe to Windsor-Waite who finished well.

The midfield including joint player of the match Louise Brooks along with Trish Hagen, Vicki Earley and Jen Buskell worked tirelessly and supported the attack in tenacious fashion.

The final goal was a penalty flick, won by a Norwich City foot on the line after a good short corner strike, this was despatched expertly by Hannah Hardy.

An all round excellent team performance with lots of energy that did not allow Norwich City any time or space to threaten the Dragons goal.

Thank you to the management team of Lynne Price, Sarah and Ellie Wagstaff.
Round two here we come.

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 3rd November 2018

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sLow Ladies 1A0-7 (W)Sarah Jenkins x2
Issy Wolfe x2
Kiera Goymour
Olivia Thomas
Maddy Renolds
Sarah Jenkins
L2sUEA 1H3-2 (W)Jess Bennett
Lucy Morton
Donna Vaughan
Kath Mares
L3sN City 2A2-0 (L)Grace Brown
L4sN City 4A0-1 (W)Caroline WolfeCatherine Matthews
L5sMagpies 5H1-3 (L)Gemma BallardJennifer Buskell
L6sCarrow 1A4-0 (L)Emily Roper
L7sLoddon 2A3-0 (L)Emma North
L8sCarrow 2H0-1 (L)Issy Gale
M1sKettering 1H2-2 (D)Sam Avery
Jono Chaney-Baxter
Ed Murphy
M2sUEA 1H1-2 (L)Jason WolfePeter Dickerson
M3sLow Railway 1A1-1 (D)Matt JenkinsEd Smith
M4sIES 4H2-1 (W)Alberto Embarba
Angus Blazer
Isaac Diver-Hall
M5sN City 7A1-3 (w)Dan Ryan x2
Greg Reynolds
Dan Ryan
Greg Reynolds
M6sNo Fixture
BD AWattonH15-0 (W)Josh Cormack x3
Kit Scott x3
Ben Panter x2
Will Panter x2
Arjuna Puvanachandra
Tommy Chambers
Lawrie Williams
Vithu Baskaran
Sam Leeming
BD BDerehamA
GDDereham PanthersH3-2 (W)Freya Dolding
Rosie Sheppard
Lucy Courtier
Lucy Courtier

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Lowestoft 1s:  7-0

Goalscorers:  Sarah Jenkins x2, Issy Wolfe x2, Kiera Goymour, Olivia Thomas, Maddy Reynolds
MOM:  Sarah Jenkins

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s continue to build momentum in their Division 1 campaign, taking an emphatic 7-0 win on the road at Lowestoft. Seeking to work on a couple of areas of weakness over the last few weeks, the Dragons team came out focused and ready to make a statement. They were rewarded early on in the game, after Holly Setchell executed a perfectly weighted pass through the Lowestoft defence, into a wide and high position for Carmel Windsor-Waite to storm onto from the right back position. Picking the ball up strongly, Windsor-Waite crossed the ball into the D, to a waiting Issy Wolf. Wolfe managed to create enough space for herself in order to lob the keeper on her reverse, a beautiful piece of skill, putting the Dragons 1-0 ahead in the opening 5 minutes of the game. The visitors maintained the pressure upon the Lowestoft team, and after a tussle in the D, with several shots being saved at close range by their keeper, Liv Thomas got hold of the ball and made sure of the second goal. Whilst Lowestoft had a couple of attacking moments in the first half, none looked particularly threatening. The Dragons made more of their attacks, and before half time won a further two short corners. A virtual carbon copy of each other, these short corners saw the ball slipped left, first to Sarah Jenkins, and subsequently to Kiera Goymour, for the pair to slot the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal. The scoreline stood at 4-0 as the half-time whistle blew.

In the half time talk, the Dragons were told to up the intensity of play on the slow pitch, and to create more options in attack. However, the opening few minutes of the second half saw a brief period of Lowestoft possession, with the Dragons needing to keep composed in defence. Some excellent defensive work from Setchell, Windsor-Waite and Sophie Barrow, supported by the midfield line of Joanna Raymond, Liv Thomas and Kiera Goymour, and along with some composed saves from goal keeper Luisa Valentini saw off this period of pressure, before the Dragons went back on the attack. The second half saw a further 3 goals come from short corner chances. The first a straight strike from eventual player of the match Sarah Jenkins. The second followed a break down in the penalty corner routine, with the ball falling to Katy Hands towards the top of the D. Unselfishly, Hands passed the ball across the D to Piper Hempsall, who – on her first 1st XI debut – set Maddy Reynolds up for a tap in on the right hand post. The final goal came following another break down in short corner play; with the goalkeeper dragged out of position by the initial shot from the right, the ball was passed to Sarah Jenkins on the P-spot. A first time slap saw the ball directed towards the open goal, with Issy Wolfe – in classic forward fashion – making sure it crossed over the line! The Dragons did enough to win, and win comfortably on the day. However, there is much more potential in this team, and plenty of things to work on as they seek to maintain this momentum leading up to the halfway point of the season.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v UEA 1s:  3-2

Goalscorers:  Jess Bennett, Lucy Morton, Donna Vaughan
MOM:  Kath Mares

On yet another bright sunny morning Dragons welcomed UEA Ladies 1’s to the Den.

The game started at a quick pace, with both teams making a few unforced errors. UEA got into their stride before the home side and started to pressure the Dragons defence. Not long into the game UEA played a long ball through that fell to one of their forwards. UEA used their speed to out run Dragons defence and hit the ball into the goal giving the Dragons keeper, Izzi Mumbray, little chance of saving it, making it 0-1 to UEA. Full of confidence from this goal UEA continued to pressure the Dragons defence of Kath Mares, Karen O’Neill-Simpson, Donna Vaughan and Sarah Borrett, earning several short corners. However good keeping from Izzi Mumbray kept the score at 0-1. Just before half time another short corner was awarded. The first shot was saved and the ball ended up nearly in the face of defender Donna Vaughan, but play continued and UEA scored. Not long after this the half time whistle went with UEA 0-2 up.

At half time ‘coach’ Ollie pointed out to the team that they needed to up their game, whilst ‘manager’ Hannah encouraged the team to believe that they could still get something out of the game. With their words of advice ringing in their ears Dragons started the second half like a different team. Dragons played with much greater intensity and started to push higher and pressure the UEA defence. The midfield of Gail Thomas, Debs Smith, Harriet Green and Sam Franklin starting to work together and do what they do best, with lots of quick short passes around the opposition. It was from this build up play that a Dragons player was taken out in the ‘D’ and a penalty stroke was awarded. This was calmly taken by Jess Bennett to make it 1-2 to UEA. This made Dragons up their intensity even more and not long after this a quickly taken free hit by Karen O’Neill-Simpson was passed to Donna Vaughan, who found Lucy Morton in a great position and she calmly fired it home to make it 2-2. After this there was no stopping the Dragons and the hard work from the forwards of Jess Haw, Jess Bennett, Kate McKenna and Lucy Morton earned them several short corners, which the UEA did well to defend. With a couple of minutes to go Dragons won another short corner, knowing their chances were running out. Good play between Gail Thomas and Donna Vaughan saw the ball calmly slotted home by Vaughan. The final whistle went not long after this making it 3-2 to Dragons. Player of the match went to Kath Mares for some great defending.

They say it is a game of two halves and this game definitely was! A great come back from the Dragons, which showed their strength in character and fighting spirit. Thanks to Ollie and Hannah for their advice and encouragement and thanks to the supporters for cheering us on.


East League, Ladies 2NE

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Norwich City 2s:  0-2

Goalscorer:
MOM:  Grace Brown

This week saw Norwich Dragons 3 rd team travel to Taverham to play Norwich City 2’s. The play began with Dragons playing some positive attacking play, however City soon settled into the game and put the Dragons defence under increasing pressure. The dragons defence of Kat Speirs, Stella Windsor Waite, Angela Murgatroyd, Grace Brown, Esme Potter and Elsa Scott absorbed all of the open play pressure and only conceded one goal from a short corner in the first half.

Dragons managed to switch the ball more in the second half to play a wider game as requested at half time but unfortunately could not convert the few chances that were created. City maintained their attacking game and again managed to convert another short corner in the second half. The final score was 2-0 to City and player of the match was awarded to Grace  Brown.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Norwich City 4s:  1-0

Goalscorers: Caroline Wolfe
MOM: Catherine Matthews

The Ladies 4s played some great hockey today at Taverham, with clever first time passes and ‘fight’ to get to the ball first, all the way through the game.

The bouncy pitch caused us a few issues, however, that did not stop us, and we had the majority of possession for the 70 minutes. This was down to the determination of players, particularly midfielders Jemma Williams and skipper Trish Hagan, to be first to the ball.

The City team looked dangerous on only two occasions; our defence dealt with those easily with control and composure. Moreover, they did not concede a single short corner during the entire game.

We lost our shape for a spell as the half time break approached, but wise words contained in the team talk given by Lynne Price, and injured Sarah Wagstaff, were adhered to for the second half, resulting in Dragons having more space and passing options.

Despite controlling so much of the game, Dragons struggled to get decent scoring opportunities. More work is needed to ensure crosses are connected with, and opportunities created.

Dragons were getting visibly frustrated towards the end of the game, which looked every bit like it was heading to a draw. Caroline Wolfe returned up front for the last 4 minutes, having had a breather, and was unlucky to have a short corner strike saved by the City keeper.

Then, with just 30 seconds to go, Catherine Matthews (man of the match) took the ball along the right hand side back line, and played a simple lifted pass for Wolfe to volley into the back of the net at speed.

How good it felt to leave the Taverham pitch with all the points!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Magpies 5s:  1-3

Goalscorer:  Gemma Ballard
MOM:  Jennifer Buskell

On a beautiful crisp November afternoon, Dragons Ladies 5s came up against their toughest game yet against Magpies 5s. The big question was, could ‘age and experience’ of the Dragons beat the ‘pace and fearlessness’ of the Magpies? Dragons Capt Hannah Edwards began pre-match prep with an authoritative and motivational speech followed by carefully considered tic tacs to take on the mighty MagpiesFeeling confident and fired up, Dragons ladies welcomed the long awaited return of Kristina Smyth in Goal (congrats on baby no 2). The game began as expected with both teams fighting hard for every ball… so hard in fact that Lizzy McDonnell (aka stunt woman extraordinaire) within minutes of the game kicking off, was ‘swept off her feet’ literally by the Magpies defence. She was down but not out, rising gracefully to continue unfazed but a little grazed. Dragons moved the ball around well with Hannah E, Charlotte Dowson, Sue Brumby and Neet (aka Newt) Mancini moving the ball well from midfield to the devilishly dangerous forward line of Gem Ballard, Amy Forse, Sue Cross, Jane Wells and Lizzy. Before long, ‘on form’ striker Gem broke the deadlock with a stunningly delivered shot past the goalie after a cunningly concealed but well placed pass from Amy. Dragons were one nil up and all looked good for the home side. The young Magpies were unshaken and began to put pressure on the Dragons heroic and stoic defence of Georgia Butterworth, Beth Elgood, Jen Buskell and Katherine Hardwick who put up a great defence with some  precision tackling against the pacey and skilful Magpies forward line. Kristina made some fine saves and kept the Dragons in the game on many occasions. But alas Magpies were unrelenting and equalised mid way in the first half. Encouraged by the great support of our home crowd, Dragons continued to fight back with some great running from Sue B and Sue C along the wings, Dragons continued to fire balls across the Magpies defence but just couldn’t find the net. Before half time, Magpies sneaked home their second goal. After the half time team talk by Han E and nourished by some fine orange slices (thanks Jen) Dragons began the second half in a fighting mood  with Gem, Jane and Amy coming close to equalising. Second half saw some lovely free flowing passes by both sides but it was the pace of the Magpies forwards (yes the average age of the whole team was 19.7 years) that saw them extended their lead to 3-1. The Home team (average age 36.1) bravely fought on but it was not to be a happy ending. With the final whistle, the youthful yet highly talented Magpies ladies won the day. A hard fought game from both teams, played in a “good natured, free flowing, friendly atmosphere” (Umpires post match review) by both teams on a lovely November afternoon. What better way to end the game than with Pizza and chocolate brownies. MOM won by Jen Buskell who like our other nominees for MOM Beth, Newt, Han, Georgia, Katherine and Kristina – played brilliantly.

The final quote goes to Georgia who’s contribution summed it all up and could have saved you all from reading my very long report… “the attackers attacked, the defence defended” in a “game of two halves” where the Ladies “did a lot of running” and on this occasion, ‘the youth piped the oldies to the post’. Literally.

Thanks to Ed Cross ‘time keeper extraordinaire’, the umpires for their very good umpiring, Ma and Pa of Beth, Ma and Pa of Jane, Jane’s hubby and boys Harry and George… and anyone else watching today. Thank you.

 Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Carrow 1s:  0-4

MOM:  Emily Roper


Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Loddon 2s:  0-3

MOM:  Emma North

The three weeks since the last match showed in Dragons performance, especially when some had been unable to train and/or suffering from colds. The first 10 minutes of the match were encouraging and looked like Dragons could be a force to be reckoned with. It was then that they started to lose their shape and failed to mark, allowing Loddon to get the ball too easily. For long spells they had the upper hand over Loddon, getting the ball into the attacking 23 if not so much into the D. But it was Loddon who showed how to get first to the ball and make strong individual runs into the Dragons defence. Fortunately, Emma Northie North (POM) was in brilliant shot- stopping form. She led the way in grit and determination, and after her sliding tackle resulted in a penalty flick being given, she jumped straight up and saved the flick! Whoop whoop.

Dragons held out until the end of the first half, when Loddon got two breakaways, the defence not quite being able to keep their shape. Emma Dyer gave a strong performance at centre back, aided by Amy Hunter, Lilly Crew, Erin Aldous with Briony Johnstone at bottom of the diamond. In the midfield, Nat Crisp had a stand out game as a holding player, and also contributed to support in attack. Maisie Dearmer sparkled at right mid, tackling well and linking up with forward Mia McGhee who made some good runs. Becky Bowen and Paige Fisher made some good attempts to hold up Loddon. The forwards of Mia, Claire Fairhurst, Charlotte Carr and Bridget Le Good tried to get into good positions but didn’t really manage to ping the ball accurately between them.

There is lots for the 7s to work on, with one of the biggest issues is maintaining positioning. If this can be overcome then surely Dragons will be a force to be reckoned with. Come on, we want this long overdue win!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Carrow 2:  0-1

MOM:  Issy Gale

A strong performance was shown by the 8’s this weekly, albeit losing 1-0 to Carrow 2’s at the den, the team showed grit and determination.

Issy Gale was rightly awarded MOM for her amazing runs along the wing, continually fighting for possession of the ball and playing to the width. A special mention to Jess Lockwood for her save of the century, using sheer skill (and not luck!) to stop the ball approximately one millimetre from the goal line. Although this almost caused Lois Metcalfe’ heart to stop, Lois was still able to have some valiant runs, pushing the ball into the D throughout the match

The awesome 8’s were delighted to have Nic Harrison return this week, after some time out due to injury. She was a strong addition to the midfield team, integrating perfectly into the now ‘well-practised’ weekly team formation. She was well supported by BoD ‘Bondy’ (Louise Bond) and with the speedy runs from Katie Davidson, the second half of the game kept Carrows’ defence busy.

The 8’s defence team were kept busy themselves with the six short corners – one of which conceded to Carrows’ goal. Goalie Kat Speirs had a sterling performance and the 8’s were grateful to have her play with them this week. Together with Anna Chapman, Jess Lockwood, Jo Baker and Mouse (Emma Fielding), no further goals were scored.

Playing up forward, Emma Young, Johanne Steward and Sadie Jacobs made some excellent attempts at getting the ball into the D – hopefully as confidence and skills continue to grow those goals will soon come through.

Granted we didn’t accomplish a win this week the team remained sprightly, motivated and driven – keep going 8’s !

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Kettering 1s:  2-2

Goalscorers:  Sam Avery, Jono Chaney-Baxter
MOM:  Ed Murphy

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v UEA 1s:  1-2

Goalscorers:  Jason Wolfe
MOM:  Peter Dickerson

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Lowestoft Railway 1s:  1-1

Goalscorers: Matt Jenkins
MOM:  Ed Smith

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v IES 4s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Alberto Embarba, Angus Blazer
MOM:  Neil Shorten

Dragons started the game with a strong squad but fell behind to an early short corner rebound after the first shot was well stopped by stand-in keeper Lloyd Wade. Dragons rallied and constantly pressed forward with the mid-field and forward line pressing for chances. Dragons equalised before half time from a converted short corner from Alberto Embarda. The game opened up with youngsters on both sides playing well and causing turn overs. Dragons then went ahead after good work resulted in Angus Blazer finishing from close range. More chances followed but Dragons fitness and solid defence closed the game out whilst still creating chances. Man of the match for Dragons Isaac Diver-Hall worked relentlessly and caused numerous problems for IES who played well to create a good competitive game played in the right spirit.

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Norwich City 7s:  3-1

Goalscorers:  Dan Ryan x2, Greg Reynolds
MOM:  Dan Ryan, Greg Reynolds

Dragons 5’s continued their unbeaten start to the season with a well deserved victory over their closest challengers.  Two goals for Dan Ryan and one for Greg Reynolds sealed victory.

 

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s – no fixture

Development Leagues

Norwich Dragons Development Girls v Dereham:  3-2 W

Goalscorers:  Freya Dolding, Rosie Sheppard, Lucy Courtier
MOM:  Lucy Courtier

Norwich Dragons Development Boys A v Watton:  15-0

Dragons dominated the match from the whistle, playing some outstanding hockey throughout.

Goals were spread around the team, and Dragons passed the ball very well using all players to score a series of ‘team goals’.

Unfortunately our keeper didn’t have much to do, and neither did the defenders. So the coach said that all players must touch the ball before a shot on goal is allowed. This brought an extra element of fun to the match and ensured everyone was involved.

Goals from…
Arjuna P (1)
Josh Cormack (3)
Tommy Chambers (1)
Kit Scott (3)
Lawry Williams (1)
Ben Panter (2)
Sam Leeming (1)
Vithu Baskaran (1)
Wills Panter (2)

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 27th October 2018

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sBedford 2H3-1 (W)Jess Bennett
Issy Wolfe
Katy Hands
Mima Watson
Olivia Thomas
L2sN D 3A2-4 (W)Donna Vaughan x2
Lucy Morton
Jess Haw
Donna Vaughan
L3sNDHC 2H2-4 (L)Hannah Ellis
Harriet Marlee
Elsa Scott
L4sSlip Date
L5sSlip Date
L6sSlip Date
L7sSlip Date
L8sSlip Date
M1sBury 1A2-1 (L)Matt KnightsLewis Wilkins
M2sMagpies 3A3-3 (D)Cley Hamilton
Alex Browne
Ed Gould
Alex Brooks
M3sUEA 2H2-1 (W)Tom Vaughan
Mitch Smith
McCartney Aldous
M4sNewmarket 2A1-2 (W)Alberto Embarba
Joel Lawrence
Neil Shorten
M5sNDHC 6H7-0 (W)Greg Reynolds x2
Andrew Cross x2
Sam Echeverria x2
Dan Ryan
Dan Ryan
M6sNDHC 5A7-0 (L)
BD ANo Fixture
BD BCityA8-1 (L)Ben PanterKit Scott
GDNo Fixture

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Bedford 2s:  3-1

Goalscorers:  Jess Bennett, Issy Wolfe, Katy Hands
MOM:  Olivia Thomas, Mima Watson

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s continued their streak of good form with a 3-1 win over second-placed Bedford 2s. The opening minutes of the game saw the Dragons’ nerves show, as they struggled to hold possession in their campaign to close the gap between themselves and the top-3 promotion zone. The hosts absorbed some early pressure before capitalising on an attack down the right-hand side of the pitch after the 10th minute. A ball from Tabba Tabrett found Maddy Reynolds on the base-line; driving  into the D, Reynolds found Issy Wolfe on the penalty spot who slotted the ball into the back of the net with her first touch of the game. The remainder of the half saw the Dragons begin to control the game, working the ball well out of tight corners in defence, through Liv Thomas in the midfield, and creating opportunities in attack on the right through fellow player of the match Mima Watson. This pressure soon paid off when the ball was placed on the foot of a Bedford defender for a short corner. The Dragons took the opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the Bedford team, converting it through a textbook straight strike from Jess Bennett. The score remained 2-0 going into half time.

The second half saw Katy Hands put the Dragons another goal ahead as she reacted quickly to a save from the keeper and made sure of the goal. The remainder of the game, however, was a more evenly matched affair, as Bedford began to exert more pressure on the Dragons’ defence.  Despite some excellent defending from Bennett, Holly Setchell, Carmel Windsor-Waite and Watson, the visitors broke through the line and, in a 2 on 2 situation managed to find the back of the net. This period of play saw a number of short corners for the Bedford team, but these were dealt with calmly by the Dragons, with Jess Bennett making several saves on the line. The hosts managed to run the clock down and finish with the 3 points, taking them a step closer to the coveted top 3 position.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s:  4-2

Goalscorers:  Donna Vaughan x2, Lucy Morton, Jess Haw
MOM: Donna Vaughan

Dragons versus Dragons saw the first really wet miserable day of the season, with players getting soaked before the game even started! Dragons 2’s were excited to welcome Saskia Williams, Shelly Seaman and Lucy Morton to the 2’s for their first 2’s game of the season.

The game started with Dragons 2’s having a fair bit of possession, but the opposition didn’t make it easy for them and defended well, with the keeper making several good saves. Finally the pressure from Dragons 2’s paid off and they were awarded a short corner. The ball was put out well by Harriet Green and smartly stopped at the top of the ‘D’ by Karen O’Neill-Simpson. It was then fired home by Donna Vaughan, giving the keeper little chance and making it 1-0 to Dragons 2’s. The 2’s continued to pressure the 3’s, but a break away move saw a bouncy shot from the 3’s bounce it’s way into the goal making it very difficult for keeper Izzi Mumbray and drawing the game level at 1-1. Dragons 2’s then lifted their game a bit and soon after Jess Haw found herself on the ‘P’ spot and calmly forced the ball into the goal to make it 2-1 to the 2’s. Dragons 2’s continued to work hard with the midfield of Gail Thomas, Annabelle Phoenix, Sam Franklin and Saskia Williams feeding the ball to the forwards. The forwards of Piper Hempsall, Jess Haw, Lucy Morton and Kate Mckenna had several chances, before the ball fell to Lucy Morton, who fired the ball goal ward to make it 3-1 to the Dragons 2’s. Soon after this the whistle went for half time with the 2’s 3-1 up.

Not long into the second half the 2’s were awarded another short corner, which was once again struck home by Donna Vaughan making it 4-1 to Dragons 2’s. Credit to Dragons 3’s they did not give up or let their heads drop and they continued to work hard. They stretched the game well making the 2’s defence of Kath Mares, Karen O’Neill-Simpson, Donna Vaughan, Shelly Seaman and Harriet Green work hard. With not long to go the 2’s were awarded an unlucky short corner against them, which was volleyed into the goal to make it 4-2. The game ended 4-2 to Dragons 2’s and player of the match for the 2’s went to Donna Vaughan.

A well battled game by both sides with some promising performances from some of our young Dragons, who I’m sure will continue to move up through the teams. Thanks to Pete Thomas for running our sideline and for the supporters who stayed to cheer, even though the weather was miserable and they weren’t sure who to cheer for!!

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s:  2-4

Goalscorers:  Hannah Ellis, Harriet Marlee
MOM:  Elsa Scott

A cold and wet Saturday afternoon staged the match between Dragons Ladies 2’s and 3’s. The 2 nd team made a stronger start and created chances that lead to the first short corner of the match, which was struck into the bottom left hand corner by Donna Vaughn to give the 2’s a 1 0 lead. Dragons 3’s defended bravely, which was rewarded with a goal created down the right-hand side of the pitch calmly finished by Harriet Marlee to level the score.

Dragons 2’s continued to play attacking hockey and soon scored a second goal, slotted home by Jess Haw and a third goal from a well worked short corner, finished by Lucy Morton. The score was 3-1 at half time.

The second half saw good attacking hockey being played by both sides but with the 2’s creating
more short corner opportunities, which again Donna Vaughn neatly slotted into the bottom corner to score a 4 th goal for the 2’s. Dragons 3’s continued to battle all over the pitch and managed to secure a couple of short corners, of which the second was scored by Hannah Ellis, giving a final score of 4-2 to the 2’s.
Some great performances all over the pitch and player of the match was awarded to Elsa Scott.

Ladies 4s-8s – no fixtures

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Bury St Edmunds 1s:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Matt Knights
MOM:  Lewis Wilkins

An electric start from Dragons led to an early goal, scored by  Matt Knights after a well worked move.  However, a goal either side of half time from the home team frustratingly sent Dragons back down the A11 with nothing.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Harleston Magpies 3s:  3-3

Goalscorers:  Cley Hamilton, Alex Browne, Ed Gould
MOM:  Alex Brooks

Mens 2s finish an entertaining end to end game 3-3 against Magpies. A game we could have both won easily and both easily lost. Goals for Cley Hamilton, Alex Browne and Ed Gould. MoM to debutant Alex Brooks.

Dragons took the lead through a shot from Alex Browne to end first half one nil up. Magpies struck twice early in the second half only for Cley Hamilton to draw us level, but the home side edged in front courtesy of a well placed quickly taken shot.  However, thanks to an Ed Gould short corner Dragons departed Weybread with a share of the points. 

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v UEA 2s:  2-1

Goalscorers: Mitch Smith, Tom Vaughan
MOM:  McCartney Aldous

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Newmarket 2s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Alberto Embarba, Joel Lawrence
MOM:  Neil Shorten

This week Dragons travelled away to the cold and wet streets of Newmarket, who were 1 place above us at the bottom of the table. Dragons started well with a few position changes with Josh Bingham dropping into Right back to allow the skilful Isaac Diver-Hall to start in the middle of the park.

We started strongly with some good possession and a lot of through balls down the centre for Bobby Sheppard and Joel Lawrence to chase. We defended well too with some excellent tackles and interceptions from the in-form Neil Shorten, and always amazing Peter Davison, which denied Newmarket any good chances. The First half ended 0-0.

The Half time team talk was filled with jelly babies and inspirational speeches from Peter and Alberto Embarba. The second half was almost a repeat of the first with dragons making good progress in the midfield and chances came through some excellent dribbling from Bobby, Isaac and Angus Blazer. The first goal came from Alberto’s strike aftr an excellent injection from Adrian Kemp. The thunderbolt shot towards the goal took a deflection and went straight into the net.

Dragons looked to build on their lead with some more excellent passing play and eventually scored another. A powerfully struck ball from Josh Bingham took a defection from Tommy Chapman straight into the path of Joel Lawrence, who lifted the ball first time gracefully over the keeper. It was now 2-0 to Dragons. The opposition managed to get one back after a rare defensive error from our brick wall defence gifted them a short corner, which they put away to make it 2-1.  Dragons held on with a few more excellent pieces of play and good defensive performances from Harry Brown and Owain Diver Hall. Chris Millar also managed to put off one of the opposing strikers, forcing them to hit the ball wide in the closing few minutes.

The score finished 2-1 to Dragons, A superb performance from everyone on the pitch gave the dragons their first win of the season!  I would also like to say thank you to Newmarket as this was probably the friendliest game we have had so far this season. Neil Shorten DOD

Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s:  7-0

Goalscorers:  Greg Reynolds x2, Andrew Cross x2, Sam Echeverria x2, Dan Ryan
MOM:  Dan Ryan

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s:  0-7

 

Development Leagues

Dev Boys B v Norwich City:  8-1 (L)

Goalscorer:  Ben Panter
MOM:  Kit Scott

On a blustery and wet and wild day, the B team played City at Taverham in their re-arranged fixture.
In the first quarter, the boys went 1-0 down, mainly as a result of not marking at the back. We had out chances that tended to be created by Kit Scott bursting through the midfield.
In the second quarter, Tash Blyth arrived and played in defence as an adult. The boys took on board the team talk and ended up scoring a great short corner strike from Ben Panter after an excellent pull out from Lawry Williams. A second short corner was nearly converted, but Ben hit the side of the goal.
At half time the score was 2-1
The second and third quarters saw the boys leak 6 goals in total. That being said, Adam Jones in goal made some great saves to keep the score down. We also had our chances, but did not get the oomph behind them to convert them into goals.
City were deserved winners and our heads went down a bit when the goals started going in.
The boys kept going and should be proud of their attitude and determination.

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 20th October 2018

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sIpswich 2A0-5 (W)Tabba Tabrett x2
Maddy Reynolds
Katy Hands
Joanna Raymond
Olivia Thomas
L2sYarmouth 1H7-2 (W)Jess Haw x3
Sarah Borrett
Debs Smith
Sam Franklin
Kiera Goymour
Jess Haw
L3sBury 1A5-1 (L)Harriet RantStella Windsor Waite
L4sEvergeeens 1H2-3 (L)Lilli Ballard
Trish Hagan
Sophia Haehnelt
L5sLow Ladies 2A0-5 (W)Liz McDonnell x2
Gemma Ballard x2
Beth Elgood
Beth Elgood
L6sMagpies 5H1-6 (L)Kelly MillsEmma Merryweather
L7sL8 (f)H4-1 (W)Adelice Kraemer x2
Mia McGhee x2
L8sL7 (f)H4-1 (L)Karen DavidsonJess Lockwood
M1sN City 3H5-0 (W)Stu Leate
Will Main
Sam Avery
Jono Chaney-Baxter
Rupert Snelling
Will Main
M2sIES 3H2-1 (W)Eddie Gould
Jason Wolfe
George Wright
M3sNth Norfolk 1A4-1 (L)Mitch SmithTbc
M4sIpswich 3H0-1 (L)Neil Shorten
M5sUEA 4A1-1 (D)Will BloomDavid Pentin
M6sDereham 4H0-2 (L)Alex Wolfe
BD ASlip Date
BD BSlip Date
GDSlip Date

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Ipswich 2s:  5-0

Goalscorers:  Joanna Raymond, Tabba Tabrett x2, Maddy Reynolds, Katy Hands
MOM:  Olivia Thomas

The Ladies 1s rediscovered their form this week and were rewarded with a 5-0 win
against Ipswich 2s. The team set out with the goal of upping the intensity of play from
the previous two weeks. The increased focus was evident from the opening whistle, and
within two minutes, the Dragons had won a short corner. The game continued in this
vein, with the Dragons enjoying the lion’s share of possession. Lauren Laurie was making
some excellent runs up front, alongside fellow forwards Katy Hands, Tabba Tabbrett
and Maddy Reynolds. However, it took some time for the first goal to come, as the
Ipswich goalkeeper managed to keep our strikers at bay. However, the attacks kept
coming, and after a scramble in front of goal, Joanna Raymond managed to get hold of
the ball on the left post and slot it through the keeper’s legs to put the Dragons 1-0
ahead. The second goal came a few minutes later, and looked much the same; following
an initial short corner strike, confusion in front of goal saw the ball fall for Katy Hands
on the right post, and she tapped in to put the team 2-0 up. Despite being depleted by
illness and injury, the girls did not let the intensity drop and set out to close the game out
early. Having lost possession high up the pitch, the hosts looked like they were about to
attack on the break. But some hard leg work from the forward and midfield lines saw the
ball won back in the middle. Player of the Match, Liv Thomas then went on a mazy run,
driving the ball into the D and perfectly placing the pass to the left post, where teammate
Maddy Reynolds was waiting to put the visitors 3-0 up leading into half time.

The second half saw the Dragons begin to tire, and Ipswich began to test our defence.
However, their chances were calmly dealt with by some fine goalkeeping by Luisa
Valentini, a goal-line save from Jess Bennett, and some brave running from Liv Thomas
in the short corner defence to ensure another clean sheet. Mia Bartrum was tireless in
midfield, attacking and defending with enthusiasm and tenacity. After absorbing some
pressure and regrouping, the Dragons went back on the offensive, and Tabba Tabbrett
joined in the scoring. She slotted one into the back of the net from the penalty spot off a
pass from Liv Thomas, and scored a second from a strike from the top of the D,
bringing the final score to 5-0. This was a much better performance from the team after
a frustrating couple of weeks, and we look forward to maintaining our intensity as we
take on second placed Bedford 2s next week.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Yarmouth 1s:  7-2

Goalscorers:  Sarah Borrett, Debs Smith, Jess Haw x3, Sam Franklin, Kiera Goymour
MOM:  Jess Haw

Dragons welcomed Yarmouth to the Den on yet another warm sunny day! Dragons were also excited to welcome Izzi Mumbray for her debut as a Dragon and Jess Haw from the 3’s.

The game started at a fast pace with lots of unforced errors from both teams. Dragons had quite a lot of the ball but played slightly frantically and didn’t take advantage of their possession. After about 10 minutes Dragons started to settle and began to move the ball around much better. As a result of this Sam Franklin found herself on the edge of the ‘D’ and calmly swept the ball into the goal to give Dragons a 1-0 lead. This helped Dragons settle even further and they started to play some really good Hockey, moving the ball around the pitch with confidence. This lead to Dragons next goal as Jess Haw received the ball with her back to goal and did a skillful reverse hit into the goal to make it 2-0. The third goal came from a well earned short corner. Sarah Borrett injected the ball at pace, but the shot was saved, only for Sarah to smash the rebound into the goal.The fourth goal resulted from a bit of a battle in the ‘D’ involving several people, but determined Jess Haw managed to win the battle and popped the ball into the goal to make it 4-0 to Dragons. The final goal in the first half came from Kiera Goymour with a well worked short corner, that had been practiced in training the week before, to make it 5-0 to Dragons at half time. ‘Manager’ Hannah called for more of the same and encouraged the team not to let the intensity drop.

The second half started well with Dragons continuing to pile on the pressure. This pressure was finally rewarded with a 6th goal for Dragons as Debs Smith scored to the delight of the spectators! To Yarmouth’s credit they did not give up and this paid off when they found themselves in a great position on the edge of the ‘D’ and the ball was calmly swept into the goal, in a similar fashion to Dragon’s 1st goal. However Dragons were not done yet and continued to play good passing Hockey involving the whole team. As a result of some great teamwork to get the ball down the pitch the ball ended up being hit in the air by Yarmouth and Jess Haw volleyed it down into the goal to complete her hat-trick and make it 7-1. With seconds to go Yarmouth were awarded a short corner, the ball was lifted towards keeper Izzi Mumbray giving her little chance as it slipped in off her pads, making the game 7-2 at full time. Player of the match went to Jess Haw.

Even though I haven’t mentioned every player this was a great performance from the whole squad who should be proud of the good Hockey they played. It was proof that all the hard work in training is paying off. Thanks to all the spectators and to Hannah for running the sideline.

 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Bury St Edmunds 1s:  1-5

Goalscorer:  Harriet Rant
MOM:  Stella Windsor Waite

Another sunny Saturday and this week Dragons Ladies 3’s travelled to Bury St Edmunds to play their game in the tropical climates of the walled garden pitch. This week saw the team give East League debuts to Fiona Fletcher, Chloe Mikronis, Catherine Matthews and Stella Windsor Waite and involved six Dragons teenagers within the travelling twelve players.

The game started and continued at a very high tempo, with Bury St Edmunds having most of the possession within the Dragons half. However, the defence of Kat Speirs, Katie Franks, Ally Windsor Waite, Angela Murgatroyd and Stella Windsor Waite proved very difficult to break down, with Ally and Angela showcasing their strictly efficient defensive footwork in the centre.

The determined defence combined with the midfield trio of Harriet Rant, Elsa Scott and Hannah Ellis, who supported the enthusiasm of the forwards Harriet Marlee, Chloe Mikronis, Catherine Matthews and Fiona Fletcher, creating a couple of attacking chances for Dragons. Despite the quick attacking pressure applied by Bury St Edmunds they only managed to score one goal before the half time whistle. Dragons felt confident they could still score and stay in the game in the second half.

Unfortunately, the additional player to Bury and heat meant Dragons could not sustain the intensity of the first half and the Bury attacking pressure proved too much and two goals were fired home early in the second half. Dragons remained positive and managed to create a few more attacking chances, one of which fell to Harriet Rant who scored with a clinical shot from the middle of the D.

Bury continued to pressure the Dragons goal and managed to score two more goals before the final whistle. Some stand out performances given the many changes within the team, including Stella Windsor Waite who was awarded player of the match.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Evergreens 1s:  2-3

Goalscorers: Lilli Ballard, tbc
MOM: Sophia Haehnelt

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Lowestoft 2s:  5-0

Goalscorers:  Liz McDonnell x2, Gemma Ballard x2, Beth Elgood
MOM:  Beth Elgood

Ladies 5s travelled to Lowestoft for a sunny (and sandy) morning game. After some stellar pre-game music (yes please Queen) to get the team motivated, we took the game hard to Lowestoft, with some lovely linking play, making the ball work for us on a very slow pitch. For much of the first half, the ball was pinned in the attacking half. Dragons pressure was rewarded with a number of short corners, two of which were converted to points, with goals for Lizzy and Gemma.  Dragons worked well off the ball all match to ensure passing options and (following training advice) avoiding taking the ball into contact. Special commendations must be given to Sue, for soldiering on after taking an early ball to the head, and to Beth, who played pretty much every position (except for goalie – next week perhaps?) The bench was beautifully managed by Emma, who somehow managed to keep track of the multitude of positional changes, and kept Dragons focused with her off pitch instructions.

The second half followed much the same pattern, with Dragons keeping the ball pinned in the
attacking half. Lowestoft defended valiantly, their keeper making some incredible saves, often
appearing as if from nowhere to send the ball careering off the pitch. Ultimately, the pressure was too great, and Dragons slotted in three more – one more a piece for Lizzy and Gemma, and one for Beth with a beautiful strike from the top of the D. At this point, a shout-out should be given to Mia, who despite looking formidable in the warm-up, was not actually called upon to touch a ball for the entire 70 minutes, though I’m sure those half-time jelly-babies helped keep your concentration up!

 
 
 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Magpies 5s:  1-6

Goalscorer:  Kelly Mills
MOM:  Emma Merryweather

On a beautiful October day, the Ladies 6s prepared to take on a strong Magpies 5s side at the den. Coming off the back of two consecutive wins, the dragons were raring to go, with some new additions to the squad since our last match. We knew that the Magpies would be a young, fast and strong team, and Captain Hannah Woods motivated dragons to try to bring home the win.

Dragons took a while to get into the game and were caught napping to concede an early goal. Magpies’ pace and skill as a team overwhelmed our midfield, and a few breaks later Dragons were 0-2 down. Some fantastic work from our defensive line of Kate Atkins, Emily Grint and Hannah Woods, including a clearance from mid-air on the goal line from Emily, kept us in the game at this point. Special mention also to Emily Roper in goal, who not only pulled off some brilliant saves but was a constant vocal presence from the back of the pitch, when too often communication was lacking and led to mistakes. We gained in confidence however throughout the first half, with some excellent passing up the wing resulting in a short corner for Dragons. This was masterfully put away by Kelly Mills, bringing Dragons back into the game. Unfortunately, we could not hold onto this momentum, and finished the first half 1-3 down.

After a half-time pep-talk from Hannah, Dragons were ready to go again, however the fire had somewhat been extinguished and we reverted to a style of hockey that did not suit our game. Ultimately, we failed to pass the ball around and instead were trying to run the ball up the pitch, where time and again we ran straight into an opposing player. The final score of 1-6 was disappointing, and the dragons left with plenty to work on for the next game. Despite not quite coming together as a team, there were some fantastic individual performances, with Player of the Match going to Emma Merryweather, closely followed by Emily Roper and Kate Atkins. With no game next week, the 6s will train hard to come together as a cohesive unit and come back stronger and fighting in our next game.

 

Friendly
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Norwich Dragons 8s :  4-1

7s Goalscorers:  Mia McGhee x2, Adelice Kraemer x2
7s MOM:

8s Goalscorer:  Karen Davidson
8s MOM:  Jessica Lockwood

Ladies 8’s took on Ladies 7’s in a non-league game at home yesterday. We were treated to yet another beautiful Autumn day in Norwich. Push back was delayed due to an earlier match starting late and so it was 5pm by the time we were on the pitch, just as dusk was setting and revealing the most stunning skies and the flood lights were switched on ready for action.
Lois Metcalfe captained the 8’s and thrilled us all with our very own customised white board. It was not just a work of art though and we very quickly all agreed it was a highly beneficial aid to discuss and highlight tactics and players movement.

Ladies 7’s presented a strong side and with no substitutions on either team we all had to work very hard but it did stand out that the 8’s played with a vigorous team spirit and worked closely and constantly as a team. Working together in boosting team morale and showing a fighting spirit which rarely dwindled despite tired limbs.

Ladies 7’s had a strong set of forwards and confidently landed 4 goals in the net.
Esther and Emma North swapped at one point as goal keepers, effectively playing for both sides and both made some great saves and Esther in the first half was very busy and very brilliant.
Jess Lockwood did an amazing job in defence and could often be seen just getting her stick on the ball a nano second before the 7’s and clearing it away. Mouse also did a sterling job in defence. Fern, Izzy and Sadie playing in midfield showed an enviable vitality which did not seem to fade as they ran up and down the line chasing the ball. Johanne kept their defence on their toes with constant movement.

Our time came close to the end of the match when we were in the D at our end of the pitch, I (Emma Young) passed the ball to Lois at the P spot who then passed it to Karen on the post who neatly tucked it into the goal and as we all heard the reassuring klonk of the ball we all squealed with delight, shouting and cheering.
It was the first goal of the season for the 8’s! Well played Karen.
The final result was 4-1 to Ladies 7’s.

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Norwich City 3s:  5-0

Goalscoresr:  Rupert Snelling, Will Main, Sam Avery, Stu Leate, Jono Chaney-Baxter
MOM:  Will Main

This week saw the team come up against city which added extra incentive to turn our bad run of form around and after a rousing pre match team talk from captain Ollie Buck the dragons flew out the blocks with Rupert Snelling scoring a P flick after 10 mins (Sam Avery wants a mention for winning said P flick from a well worked corner routine). Jonathan Chaney Baxter, Sam Avery and Stu Leate added to the scoresheet putting the team 4-0 up at half time.
The second half was a quieter affair probably something to do with the fact someone forgot the half time refreshments! Despite this Will Main was able to add to the score with a reverse stick from the top of the D.
Man of the Match was awarded to Will Main for some great play and DOD was me… it’s a familiar occurrence.

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v IES 3s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Jason Wolfe, Eddie Gould
MOM:  George Wright

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v North Norfolk 1s:  1-4

Goalscorers: Mitch Smith
MOM:

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Ipswich 4s:  0-1

MOM:  Neil Shorten

Norwich Dragons started brightly against an experienced Ipswich side early in the first half. Once Ipswich midfield settled though Dragons found it hard to link play effectively within the final third of the pitch.  Most chances went Ipswich’s way but Dim Ives was up to the challenge and much appreciated by the Dragons defence. Ipswich though struck in the first half from a narrow angle taking a deflection into the goal. After half time the game opened up and chances at both ends where missed but Ipswich remained in control of midfield. Endless running and endeavour from Angus Blazer led to some of Dragons best chances to equalise linking well with Alex Brookes, Tommy Gale , Bobby Sheppard and Isaac Diver-Hall. It wasn’t enough for Dragons  and Ipswich closed out the good spirited game to take the slender victory.

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v UEA 4s:  1-1

Goalscorer:  Will Bloom
MOM:  David Pentin

The 5s Remain undefeated so far this season. A bare 11 manage to hold off the very energetic 16 of the UEA. Its fair to say it was a mostly defensive game. With UEA doing most the attacking threw out the game. UEA broke the deadlock 15 min from the end by scoring from a there 6th short attempt. However going 1-0 down seemed to bring a new wave of energy to a very tired squad. Straight after the restart Dragons had their best bits of play of play and had their first couple of real shots of  the game.

With 10 mins left Dragons got their second short of the game, Will Bloom, put the ball in the left corner of the goal with real power taking it back to 1-1. From then on it was batten down the hatches.  UEA began grabbed the game by the horns but failed to score.

David Pentin was a complete rock at the back today and awarded MOM.

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Dereham 4s:  0-2

MOM:  Alex Wolfe

Development Leagues

no fixtures

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 13th October 2018

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sCam Uni 1H1-2 (L)Joanna RaymondOlivia Thomas
Sarah Jenkins
L2sWatton 1A2-0 (L)Sam Franklin
L3sChristchurch 1A5-2 (L)Hannah Ellis x2Grace Brown
L4sDereham 3A0-8 (W)Trish Hagan x2
Victoria Earley x2
Niamh Somers x2
Lisa Harwood
Lilli Ballard
Niamh Somers
L5sBecclesH2-0 (W)Lizzy McDonnell
Gemma Ballard
Emily Smith
Anita Mancini
L6sLow Ladies 2A0-4 (W)Kelly Mills x2
Adelice Kraemer x2
Floss Andrews
L7sPelicans 3H2-6 (L)Mia McGhee x2Emma North
L8sPelicans 4A1-0 (L)Karen Davidson
M1sCam South 1A5-1 (L)Rupert SnellingDaumantas Matulevicius
M2sSudbury 2A4-3 (L)Al Browne
Cley Hamilton
McCartney Aldous
Tom McLean
M3sBury 2H2-0 (W)Matt Hull
Tom Vaughan
Rob Goodson
M4sWatton 1A9-0 (L)Tommy Gale
M5sWatton 2H3-0 (W)Dan Ryan
Tommy Chapman
Bobby Sheppard
Alex Brookes
M6sPelicans 4A4-1 (L)Rob LeeWhole team!
BD AN CityH1-4 (L)Edward CrossGabe Overton
BD BMagpiesH4-1 (W)Bertie Pinching
Harry Fuller
Raul Wigglesworth
Monty Patel
Bertie Pinching
GDMagpiesH2-8 (L)Evie Marley x2
Harriet Pymm

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Cambridge Uni 1s:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Joanna Raymond
MOM:  Sarah Jenkins, Olivia Thomas

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Watton 1s:  0-2

Dragons 2’s traveled to Watton knowing it was going to be a tough game as both teams had won their opening three games. Dragons were pleased to welcome Kath Mares to the 2’s and to also welcome back Sam Franklin.

The game got off to a fast start with Dragons struggling to get used to the sandy pitch. As a result Dragons gave the ball away cheaply at times, putting themselves under unnecessary pressure, as they just weren’t able to get enough pace on the ball.

Watton won a few early short corners which the Dragons defence of Kath Mares Karen O’Neill-Simpson, Donna Vaughan and Sarah Borrett managed to keep out of the goal, aided by keeper Amy Forse.

Dragons slowly managed to work themselves back into the game, helped by the arrival of Sam Franklin on the pitch, whose work rate was second to none! As a result of this hard work and through some skillful work from the forward line of Kate McKenna, Evie-Mae Thorpe, Piper Hempsall and Lauren Lawrie, Dragons managed to win several short corners themselves, but unfortunately couldn’t convert any of them.

As Dragons got used to the pitch the game started to even out with both teams having several chances. Just before half time Watton had another period of pressure and managed to convert this and went into half time 1-0 up.

At half time ‘manager’ Hannah, who is still recovering from injury, called for the Dragons to push up as a team more and to play with a bit more desire.

Dragons tried to listen to this advice, but unfortunately before they could really get into their stride, Watton managed to score form a rather lucky goal that put them 2-0 up. This threw Dragons for a bit and with the scorching temperatures, that would have been better suited to July, they struggled to work themselves back into the game.

With 15 minutes to go Dragons collected themselves and started to pile on the pressure, with some good short passing in midfield from Harriet Green, Gail Thomas, Debs Smith and Sam Franklin. Even though Dragons continued to have several chances and win more short corners it just wasn’t to be and the game ended 2-0 to Watton. Player of the match went to Sam Franklin for her tireless running.

Even though Dragons were disappointed to lose they have learnt a lot from this game and are determined to train hard and to get back to their winning ways. As always thanks to Hannah Hardy for her help and support.

 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Christchurch 1s:  2-5

Goalscorers:  Hannah Ellis x2
MOM:  Grace Brown

A sunny Saturday morning took Dragons Ladies 3’s down to Ipswich to play Christchurch, with a few last-minute changes due to illness, thank you Katie Franks and Esther Jacobs. The dragons took a while to settle due to all the changes but were having the majority of the possession, creating some promising attacking play.

However, Christchurch were direct in attack and converted a short corner to score the first goal
against the run of play. Dragons continued to push up the pitch and were unlucky not to score
despite several chances. Again, Christchurch took advantage of the high press of dragons and broke through to score the second goal.

After a half time break, dragons remained positive and play attacking hockey, but Christchurch’s long and hard hits up the pitch broke through again and they scored another two goals. Dragons kept the pressure on the Christchurch defence and after winning a third short corner in a row, persistence finally paid off when Lucy Buxton strike was saved and Hannah Ellis was within close range to put the ball between the keeper’s legs.

Dragons quickly reset and kept the pace and pressure on, which resulted in them scoring a second goal from open play. The ball was moved quickly down the right-hand side of the pitch and crossed into the middle of the D for Hannah Ellis to cleanly strike into the bottom left hand corner, bringing the score to 4-2 with ten minutes to go.

Dragons determination could not be questioned and they continued to play attacking hockey, which also resulted in Christchurch scoring one more goal in the final minutes of the game. Some great determination shown all over the pitch and the player of the match vote was deservedly won by Grace Brown.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Dereham 3s:  8-0

Goalscorers:  Trish Hagan x2, Victoria Earley x2, Niamh Somers x2, Lisa Harwood, Lilli Ballard
MOM:  Niamh Somers

On an unseasonably warm October day Dragons travelled to Dereham chastened after their defeat the previous week. Captain Trish Hagan motivated the team, demanding better and to bring home the win! With these words ringing in their ears Dragons started strongly and quickly went ahead with a well taken goal by Niamh Somers. Wanting to keep Dereham on the back foot Dragons kicked on and Trish Hagan converted a second. Coach Neeps Price had asked for the team to play with more width and Dragons stepped up playing neat triangles down the flanks and quickly brought the half to and end with a couple more neatly finished goals by Lili Ballard and another for Trish Hagan.

At half-time Coach Price asked for us to play with better shape and hold our structure and with
Hagan’s rallying words the team took to the pitch. Again the team responded to the leadership and were more able to switch play and maintain neat triangles through all areas of the team. This soon paid dividends as Dragons scored again, another for Niamh. With the rotation of players maintaining intensity, Dragons again converted through Lisa Harwood. Dereham kept playing high and trying to break out but this just played into Dragons hands who utilised the space behind with Vicki Earley converting the final two goals.

A great result for Dragons against an inexperienced Dereham team; patterns of play improved over the game and it was brilliant to see our youngsters continuing to develop so well with Niamh voted player of the match following Stella’s win the previous week! Well done everyone and thanks to those who supported.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Beccles:  2-0

Goalscorers:  Liz McDonnell, Gemma Ballard
MOM:  Emily Smith, Anita Mancini

Norwich Dragons ladies 5s took to the pitch on an alarmingly warm October morning, putting their thermals aside and opting for sunglasses instead! I know, we were all shocked as well!

Hoping to build on their winning streak and with the sweet prospect of orange slices at half time, Dragons made a storming start, attacking the ball, and taking the Beccles team by surprise. Gemma scored the first goal after only 3 minutes from a short corner with Lizzie adding to the score board another 3 minutes later, again from another short! Surely 3 was the magic number for the Dragons side and the team worked hard for that third goal.

Unfortunately, the sun got somewhat in the Dragons eyes for the remainder of the first half and Beccles won two short corners. Luckily, however, Steph’s superb pre-match advice was ringing in everyone’s ears and the defenders defended very well! Again, Beccles fought back, with Mia delivering a great kick save in the 13th minute. Dragons dominated possession, however, with Amy and Lizzy working beautifully in the D. The half ended with the first ice pack being used (not just to cool down from the heat….. we don’t think)

The longed for orange slices went down a treat at half time and with the Dragons going into the second half facing away from the sun, energy was renewed (despite Mia heading back towards the wrong goal at the beginning of the second half)

Unfortunately the Dragons side could not quite convert all their possession and instead most Dragons players decided they needed to kick the ball at least once each! The frustration peaked when a hit on goal was saved by the Beccles goalie. There was disagreement about whether the goalie was holding on to the ball, with the Umpire giving the foul against the Dragons.

The second half ended with the final score being 2-0 to Dragons, with the team feeling somewhat deflated as we could not convert our many chances into more goals. The Beccles goalie had her work cut out for her but made some brilliant saves and kept our illusive 3rd goal at bay. Nevertheless, a thoroughly enjoyable game was had by all with a decisive win in the end and about 3 million cups of water after the game to stave off the heat stroke.

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Lowestoft Ladies 2s:  4-0

Goalscorers:  Kelly Mills x2, Adelice Kraemer x2
MOM:  Floss Andrews

 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Pelicans 3s:  2-6

Goalscorers:  Mia McGhee x2
MOM:  Emma North

Three goals in the last five minutes sent the 7s spiralling into their biggest defeat of the season. Such a heavy defeat to Pelicans was baffling, because Dragons matched them all over the pitch at times and were only the odd goal down for much of the game.

Dragons had the best start to a match so far this season, being ready to go as soon as the whistle went thanks to attack vs defence practice in warm up. This proved worthwhile as Dragons opened the scoring when Mia McGhee got the first of her two goals through sheer persistence. After the ball did a couple of pings around in the circle, it was Mia who forced the ball home. However Pelicans retaliated, soon equalizing and then scoring their second. Dragons formation disintegrated towards the end of the first half which easily allowed Pelicans through. Thanks to GK Emma North (POM) the score line would have been higher as she stopped countless attacks.

After a stern talking to at half time by Captain Claire Fairhurst and some tactical words from Hannah Hardy, Dragons started the second half much the same as the first. Mia’s second goal just after half time was better than her first – a clean sweep past the keeper. Mia also made some excellent runs, as did Maisie Dearmer from the right mid position. Hatty Harrison-Mobbs, Paige Fisher, Becky Bowen and Amy Hunter all worked hard at getting the ball into the D, but too often the last pass was off target and Claire, Katy Cole and Mia got into excellent positions without having many chances to get away.

The 7s fell into their old habit of failing to be first to the ball, and this was where Pelicans really excelled. They turned the ball over and raced into the attack, and despite some good interceptions by the defence of Emma Dyer, Erin Aldous, Bethan Greaves and Bridget Le Good, the marking was not always tight enough or the tackling strong enough.  Briony Johnstone at bottom of the diamond was invaluable, getting into great positions and tackling with excellent energy and displaying all the GRIT that the whole team needed. Yet again Dragons lost their shape and drive and that’s when they watched Pelicans slot three balls home.

Dragons will have to remember what they practice at training, trust each other and work together. They know that they can get the results that they want but need to make more effort to achieve them.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Pelicans 4s:  0-1

MOM:  Karen Davidson

After travelling the length of Norfolk to reach Kings Lynn with a strong 14 players the 8s were excited about the prospects of playing hockey after last weeks cancellation. They knew it would be a tough game in the heat against a young Pelicans side with boundless energy.

The game started strongly putting into practice the key points from training of marking up, using the width and protecting the castle. Jess Lockwood, Issy Gale, Jo Baker, Emma Fielding (Mouse) and Anna Chapman all rotating in defence really improved their marking. Some excellent block tackles by Mouse and Jess with Issy weaving constantly around players to get the ball out of danger and Jo Baker really holding the sweeper position.  Throughout the first half Karen Davidson made some excellent saves when the pressure was on. What was really exciting though was the fact that within 10 minutes Dragons had had several shots at goal with Nat Crisp really holding her central position and firing in the goals and creating play in the middle. Her constant pressure and the work-rate of Sadie Jacobs and Johanne Steward meant that the Pelicans defence had to be on their toes. Pelicans continued to mark tightly throughout the game, however pressure in the D by Shaniece Claxton led us to our first of three short corners.  A good shot but sadly note quite enough from  Lois Metcalfe the keeper just stepped in to deflect it out of reach. As the first half ended 0-0 this was a truly exciting moment as it was all for the taking.

The second half continued with a similar level of pressure on both sides and quickly Pelicans took their chance to score. After an initial shot the deflection from the keepers pads was there for the taking. Sadly Dragons did not quite react quickly enough to clear the ball and the young Pelicans player had her moment of glory. Dragons did not give up though ! Sophie James an absolute driving force in the game pushed herself continually and created great opportunities in the second half working well with midfielders Sarah Lucas and Katie Davidson.  They continued to apply pressure up and down the pitch, wining more short corners and also with chances on goal. Johanne Steward took her chance close to the backline but sadly we could not quite get the angle. A special word for Sophie, who even came back on the pitch after crashing to the ground to continue to try and try again. Overall a fantastic game, lots of tenacity, getting better each week and really building on what we are learning. Man of the match a wonderful Karen Davidson in goal who more than held her own and to me the whole team showed grit and determination and never gave up!

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Cambridge South 1s:  1-5

Goalscorer:  Rupert Snelling
MOM:  Daumantas Matulevicius

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Sudbury 2s:  3-4

Goalscorers:  Al Browne, Cley Hamilton, McCartney Aldous
MOM:  Tom McLean

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Bury St Edmunds 2s:  2-0

Goalscorers:  Matt Hull, Tom Vaughan
MOM:  Rob Goodson

Dragons secured back to back victories with a comfortable two goal win against Bury at the Den.

Dragons dominated the first half with Matt Hull scoring a well worked opener, beating the keeper at the near post with a firmly struck shot.

The second half was much more even but man of the match Rob Goodson skilfully shielded the defence and kept Bury at arms length.

Tom Vaughan finished a flowing team move for the second goal, banishing any thoughts Bury may have had of snatching a draw.

4 league games in and the team are up to 4th and, as importantly, are playing some lovely hockey and having a great time doing it.

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Watton 1s:  0-9

MOM:  Tommy Gale

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Watton 2s:  3-0

Goalscorers:  Dan Ryan, Tommy Chapman, Bobby Sheppard
MOM:  Alex Brookes

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Pelicans 4s:  1-4

Goalscorer:  Rob Lee

Development Leagues

Dev Boys A v Norwich City:  1-4

Goalscorer:  Ed Cross
MOM:  Gabe Overton

A very tight first half saw City take the lead with virtually the last hit. Oh how the half could have looked differently if we had taken our chances and also, if the City keeper wasn’t in such fine form.

The second half was again very similar to the first. Unfortunately City’s strength proved too much for our boys as they eventually ended up winning 4-1.

Not all doom and gloom though, had we made better decisions in the final third, not been so wasteful in front of goal and come up against a keeper in such fine form, then we could have been talking about a fantastic victory.

There were some very promising performances yesterday, especially from Gabe Overton (player of the match) who caught the eye with some fantastic runs down the wing.

Eddie Cross scored our consolation goal with a fantastic individual goal.

 

Dev Boys B v Magpies:  4-2

Goalscorers:  Bertie Pinching, Harry Fuller, Raul Wigglesworth, Monty Patel
MOM:  Bertie Pinching

The match started off very evenly with no goals until the third quarter when the Harlseston Magpies scored from a short corner.
 
After a couple of minutes of nonstop chances for the Dragons, the home team scored the equaliser and used the momentum of the first goal to get two more. The Dragons went into the final quarter leading 3-1.
 
In the final quarter, the Magpies were pushing to get back into the game while the Dragons tried to defend their lead. The Magpies were very much in the game when they  scored to make it 3-2 setting up an exciting finish. Thankfully the Dragons scored with not long left to secure the victory. 
 
 
Dev Girls v Magpies:  2-8
 
Goalscorers:  Evie Marley x2
Harriet Pymm
 
 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 29th September 2018

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sWisbech 1H5-0 (W)Tabba Tabrett x2
Oliva Thomas
Lucy Morton
Katy Hands
Carmel Windsor Waite
Olivia Thomas
L2sN City 2A0-1 (W)Gail ThomasDonna Vaughan
L3sNth Norfolk 1H2-1 (W)Ally Windsor Waite x2Hazel Knights
Ally Windsor Waite
L4sMagpies 4A1-1 (D)Fiona FletcherLilly Sore
Catherine Matthews
L5sYarmouth 2H9-1 (W)Stephanie Samson
Lizzy McDonnell
Gemma Ballard x2
Jane Wells
Beth Elgood
Mel Widdows X2
Katie Hale
Katie Hale
L6sLow Railway 2A2-2 (D)Stevie Spencer
Adelice Kraemer
Louise Brooks
L7sN City 6H2-4 (L)Bridget Le Good
Katy Cole
Emma Dyer
L8sN City 7A1-0 (L)Emma Fielding
M1sCam Nomads 1A3-2 (L)Matt Knights
Jono Chaney-Baxter
Lewis Wilkins
M2sDragons 3A1-2 (W)James Cross
Tom Vaughan
Peter Dickerson
M3sDragons 2H1-2 (L)Will Kirby
M4sCity 4A3-0 (L)Chris Millar
M5sNth Norfolk 3H9-0 (W)Pete Latoy
Dan Ryan x3
Lloyd Wade
Andrew Cross
Tommy Gale
Matt Armstrong x2
Dan Ryan
M6sN City 7A5-2 (L)Ed Crosier
Shiv Kapur
Alex Wolfe
BD ANo Fixture
BD BNo Fixture
GDWattonA3-1 (L)Hattie StuartFreya Dolding

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Wisbech:  5-0

Dragons Ladies 1s built on the positives from last week to put in a dominant performance against Wisbech, winning the game 5-0. The hosts, welcoming Joanna Raymond and Holly Setchell back into the squad, opened the game strongly, putting into practice some of the principles they’ve been working on through the preseason. The first half saw some exceptional movement of the ball and patterns of play, as the Dragons put Wisbech under early pressure. The forward line of Katy Hands, Lucy Morton, Tabba Tabrett and Shelly Seaman made it tough for the Wisbech defence as their well-timed runs created plenty of passing options. This paid off within the first 10 minutes as a movement into the circle saw the Dragons win a penalty corner, and Tabba calmly slotted it into the net with a well-practiced drag flick. The rest of the half saw much of the same, with little pressure on the Dragons defence. Just before half time, some nice movement down the right hand side of the pitch from Carmel Windsor-Waite and Tabba Tabrett saw the ball slipped to Liv Thomas on the top of the D and she placed her shot perfectly to drift past the goalkeeper into the bottom left corner.

The Dragons maintained the intensity throughout the second half, winning a flurry of short corners and converting two of them through Tabba and Lucy Morton. Another goal came from open play as Shelly Seaman drew the goal keeper out and pulled the ball back for Katy Hands in front of the goal to put the Dragons 5-0 up. Wisbech had a few forays forward in the second half, but they were dealt with coolly by the defensive line, with youngsters Sophie Barrow and Carmel Windsor Waite making some important tackles and interceptions. Joint players of the match were Carmel Windsor-Waite and Liv Thomas, but this was a strong overall team performance and a deserved 3 points.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Norwich City 2s:  1-0

Norwich Dragons traveled across the city for the first local derby of the season on a bright sunny morning. Dragons were pleased to welcome  Annabelle Phoenix for her first Dragons league game and Sam Franklin for her first 2’s game this season.
 
The game started a bit nervously with both sides struggling to deal with the pitch conditions. Several balls were missed on the bouncy pitch which made it tough for either team to get into their stride. It was during this period of play that City had their best chance of the game. City were awarded a short corner which Dragons struggled to clear and in the confusion Dragons gave away a second short corner. Second time round Dragons were more clinical and managed to clear the ball.
 
Even though Dragons did not play their best Hockey in the first half they stayed strong in defence with Harriet Green, Sarah Borrett, Karen O’Neill-Simpson and Donna Vaughan making sure they held City at bay with the help of some great saves from keeper Emma Cleland. As a result the score at half time was 0-0 despite a few chances for each side.
 
The call from Hannah (who is unfortunately out injured) was for the Dragons to play with more belief and to stick to our key principles that we have been working on in training.
 
The Dragons started the second half much stronger, with nerves settled and everyone getting used to the pitch, Dragons started to push forwards. The midfield of Gail Thomas, Debs Smith, Annabelle Phoenix and Sam Franklin started to link really well together passing the ball at speed and making it difficult for City to get the ball off them.
 
As a result Dragons forwards, Jess Bennett, Kate McKenna, Lauren Lawrie and Laura Van Den Berg started to see a lot more of the ball and had several good chances and earn several short corners. It was from one of these short corners that Dragons took the lead. The short corner broke down hitting a City players foot, the umpire played advantage as he saw the ball had fallen to Gail Thomas at the top left hand of the ‘D’. Thomas took her chance well and smashed the ball into the goal like a bullet, giving the City keeper little chance.
 
Once ahead Dragons controlled the game and the score finished 0-1. A great start for Norwich dragons 2’s who as of yet haven’t conceded a goal!
 
Several players received votes for player of the match but the most votes went to Donna Vaughan for her great defending. Great thanks to all supporters and to Hannah Hardy for running our sideline.

 

 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v North Norfolk 1s:  2-1

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3rd team hosted North Norfolk 1st team on a warm September Saturday afternoon at The Den for their first home league match and were prepared for a tough game. The match began with North Norfolk maintaining the possession and looking to gain an early advantage from their quick wingers. However, the defence of Grace Brown, Kath Mares, Spike and Hazel Knights, well supported in goal by Kat Speirs maintained their composure and dealt with all the danger.

Norwich Dragons began to create some attacking chances following the early pressure from North Norfolk and opened the scoring with a confidently taken strike by Ally Windsor Waite into the bottom left hand corner of the goal.

Both teams had short corner and open play chances before the half time whistle but the score remained 1 0 to Dragons at half time. The half time talk called for Dragons to maintain their structure on the pitch and continue the hard work all over the field.

The second half was entertaining for the spectators on the sideline with the game going from end to end, with both attacks showing a good array of speed and skills. The Dragons midfield of Harriet Rant, Katie Lister, Elsa Scott and Hannah Ellis worked hard to support the attack and defence.

However, North Norfolk managed to level the score halfway through the second half from open play. Dragons maintained belief that they could still score and kept playing attacking hockey with chances being created by the forwards of Jess Haw, Harriet Marlee and Aditi Naik.

With ten minutes left on the clock Harriet Marlee made a run down the left wing, along the baseline and passed back for Jess Haw to have a shot saved, the rebound was received by Harriet Rant who shot from the top of the D that was again saved by the keeper, which was collected and fired home from close range by Ally Windsor Waite for Dragons to take the lead again.

Following the pattern of the game North Norfolk pressed forward to gain another equaliser and were awarded a short corner on the final whistle. Norwich Dragons managed to clear the shot and maintain the one goal lead and take the 3 points. A great team effort to build on in the next few weeks, with Hazel Knights and Ally Windsor Waite sharing player of the match.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Magpies 4s:  1-1

It was a sunny late afternoon game at Weybred for the Ladies 4s this week, with surprisingly warm conditions for the time of day. Magpies 4s came out quickly and with intent, scoring within the first five minutes. Rather than getting their heads down, this goal shook Dragons into action, and they started to put the pressure on the Magpies’ defence.

Dragons won several short corners in the first half, and despite exploring the full extent of their playbook, the ball just didn’t seem to want to go in the goal. There were a couple of very near misses on each post and credit must go to the Magpies’ keeper who was forced to make some good saves.

Finally, at the end of the first half, luck was on the Dragons’ side. Another short corner slipped from Amy Forse to Caroline Wolfe, whose shot was deflected clear by the goalie. Fortunately it was kicked into the path of Fiona Fletcher on the right of the D, who got some air beneath her sweep to get the ball past the keeper and into the bottom left corner of the goal.

The equaliser fired up the visitors for the remainder of the match, but sadly the second half ended up being similar to the first. Dragons had many more short corner opportunities, but the Magpies side put on plenty of pressure at the other end too.

The home team were very strong, getting low to the ground and stopping any attempts by Dragons’ midfield to carry the ball. At times the Magpies’ passing pace made them look very dangerous, but Dragons managed to close them down and protect their D.

In the last five minutes of the match Dragons were on the back foot, with continuous pressure and a couple of shots being set loose from the Magpie forwards. However Dragons covered well and managed to keep the score to 1-1 at the whistle for that all-important point.

Plenty to work on for the Ladies 4s, but some positive signs for the season ahead. A welcome back for Lucy Buxton and Catherine Matthews who brought their usual youth and pace to the team. Catherine also shared player of the match with Lilly Sore.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Yarmouth 2s:  9-1

Luckily the final score line did not reflect the score line in my dream from the night before, which if you want to know, resulted in an 8 – 2 loss. Thankfully for us, the real score line was almost the opposite. Phew!

From the the starting whistle, Dragons put heavy pressure on the Yarmouth goal seeing a lot of shots on target, which were defended well by the Yarmouth Team. At one point there were 6 consecutive shots on goal, the last being stopped by a foot (not Lizzie’s) on the line. This resulted in the Umpire awarding a penalty flick which Beth Elgood confidently stepped up to take. It was a great flick matched by a great save (one of many) from the Yarmouth keeper.

Shortly after we were awarded a short corner. A great injection from Gemma Ballard resulted in a fantastic straight strike and our first goal from Steph Samson. 1-0 up.

Dragons inflicted further pressure on the Yarmouth Defence, so much so that Mia Somers even had time to have a little rest (no one saw you sitting down – honest!). The defence worked tirelessly with some great switch arounds between the back line of Stella Windsor Waite, Steph and Emily Smith. Much of the attacking play stemmed from their hard work at the back, getting the ball up to our fab midfield of Chloe Mikronis, Mel Widdows, Kate Hale, Hannah Edwards and Lizzie McDonnell. The second goal came from Jane Wells at 20 minutes from a straight strike at the top of the D, which hit the left post and went in. 2-0.

As the half drew to a close, Dragons switched off a little, losing their intensity and allowing Yarmouth a rare break, in which one of their players managed to squeeze the ball in between Mia and the post. 2-1. Luckily 3 minutes later, Lizzie, with another assist found Gemma who made it 3-1.

At half time with some useful feedback from Amy (thanks for running the bench) and a target of 10 goals, we went out with more intensity and structure to our game. It paid off. The fourth goal coming after 4 minutes with a long ball across the D to Katie Hale who calmly swept it into goal. 4-1. One minute later saw more great work from Katie (POM), with a shot on target which was saved by the keeper, the rebound being put in by Gemma. 5-1.

Two more goals were to follow, both from tenacious midfielder Mel. Again Kate’s distribution of the ball leading up to the goals. 7-1. The Dragon’s relentless force continued with our 8th well deserved goal for Beth, skinning her knees in the process. Further shots continued, with Jane’s high shot being parried away by the Yarmouth keeper’s hand. Our final (well almost final) goal was scored by Lizzie who had worked hard in the D to make the score 9-1 (definitely scored with a stick).

We could have had a 10th, from a fantastic short corner and straight strike from Steph, but it was disallowed due to the final whistle being blown during the strike, and putting off the Yarmouth defence. Dragons agreed to replay the short corner, but sadly we could not make it 10. Luckily Amy was reasonably pleased with our result, and was only a little bit cross that we did not make it to her target. Maybe next time Amy. (Thanks also to Amy for her helpful notes: “Who scored? What happened?” “Bench were nattering”)

It’s safe to say, this was a game dominated by Dragons, with A LOT (Lily counted 19) of short corners going our way. Perhaps the take home is that we need to work more on converting short corners into goals! Nonetheless, a great team effort and a really enjoyable game!

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Lowestoft Railway 2s:  2-2

Ladies 6s played away to Lowestoft 2s on a slow and sandy pitch. Only playing 3 of last seasons 6s, the new look 6s worked hard to together and as a unit in division 1.

 
Taking the lead through a well worked short corner breakdown, finally put away by Stevie Spencer. Extending that lead with Adelice Kraemer just after half time.
 
Railway upped the pressure on the Dragons defence to concede two late goals. However, this Dragons 6s team showed lots of promise and with each week are growing with confidence and team spirit. With a challenging season ahead, the 6s are ready!
 
 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Norwich City 6s:  2-4

Dragons haven’t quite hit their stride yet, and if they needed an excuse it was that four players were suffering from heavy colds/chest infections. Having gone end to end with City for most of the match they tired in the last 10 minutes and City looked the better team with their strong runs.

The Dragons squad individually all contributed, but as a team there is some work to be done. Emma ‘Meg’ Dyer was POM with some excellent tackling and blocking and from her position at the back she urged the Dragons to get first to the ball and onto the posts. City’s right forward was a skilful handful but Meg contained most of the threat with Nat Crisp and debutante Bethan Greaves also catching the eye for their defence.  Briony Johnstone ran herself into the ground in the centre of defence, despite being under the weather. Maisie Dearmer was full of energy and pace at right mid and Paige Fisher showed some nice touches at left mid. Mia McGhee was also keen to pick up the ball and run with it and got some shots away. Mia came into battle in the centre, and the City keeper blocked her shot for Katy Cole to pounce on the rebound and sweep the ball home. The goal was a sweet reward for Katy who has worked hard on her fitness and ball control to get a chance in the 7s. Her goal brought the score back to 1-2, and despite Sophie James getting onto the post as required, Claire Fairhurst charging in from the left, and Becky Bowen tackling ferociously at the top of the diamond and spreading the passes accurately, Dragons didn’t always have the grittiness to control the midfield and the City attack. City got their goals when Dragons failed to smother them on the edge of the circle, leaving Emma Northie North to face the onslaught.

7s have been practising their penalty corners, though not with everyone in the same place or even on the same night! Doesn’t sound too promising… But with Captain Claire taking responsibility for injecting, she slid an inch-perfect ball to Bridget Le Good who slammed the ball (along the floor) into the far corner to bring the ball back to 2-3. Unfortunately Dragons tired more than City but they have a plan to tackle their areas that need improvement which they will put into practice on Wednesday – colds and sneezes permitting – as they press on for their first win.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Norwich City 7s:  0-1

Captain Lois Metcalfe had very kindly spent much of her free time this week devising a new team formation which proved to be very beneficial and with the chance of a goal within the first 7 minutes had team morale on an all time high, which continued throughout the match.

And together with the added help from Mike and Hannah on Wednesday evening, it was clear that the players in defence were armed with a few extra tools to keep the ball out of the oppositions D.

Both Anna’s in defence were quick to clear the ball off the pitch and away from the goal proving to be a simple but very effective technique.

Emma ‘Mouse’ Fielding deservedly was awarded man of the match. She fought tirelessly to defend the goal and displayed some text book hockey skills from all the Wednesday night training. We all cheered when she made a perfect block tackle and took possession of the ball!!!

New to the team and playing her first match for Dragon 8’s was Izzy Gale,  who although confessed to nerves at the start proved to be an invaluable player, making some excellent tackles.

Johanne Steward, Sadie Jacobs and Lois had some very near goals and  every one of us waited to hear the reassuring klonk of  the ball hitting the back of the net. Sadly for us it was not to be today but we certainly all agreed how much we enjoyed the match. Communication was very much in evidence as was team spirit and smiles on faces.

Thanks to Shanese Claxton for organising all the subs and diligently keeping her eyes on the timer.

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Cambridge Nomads 1s:  2-3

Goalscorers:  Matt Knights, Jono Chaney-Baxter
MOM:  Lewis Wilkins

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Norwich Dragons 3s:  2-1

Goalscorers:  James Cross, Tom Vaughan
MOM:  Peter Dickerson

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Norwich Dragons 2s:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Will Kirby

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Norwich City 4s:  0-3

Dragons headed to Taverham for a late afternoon game in the sunshine. The game started quickly with early City pressure reflecting the fact this team had been in the league above last season. Despite having possession and field position City failed to convert this into goals mostly in part to great work from Pete Davison , Neil Shorten and good work rate from the returning Rich Phillis.  Dragons had a few decent first half attacks but most of the game was played in the midfield and turn overs made the game open to breaks. Dragons unfortunately did concede just before half time but still felt as the game wore on chances would come. The second half did seem more open but Dragons went two down to a nice move that finally found a cool finish in the circle. Chris Millar had another solid performance in goal frustrating most of the City shots on target. Dragons forwards worked extremely hard with Bobby Shepard and Garnett Jones linking well to cause some concern and a few short corners. Unfortunately a third goal close to the end made things comfortable for City and Dragons knew  they needed to convert their chances. Despite the score line the mid field work of Isaac Driver-Hall, Alberto Embarta , Josh Bingham and Owain Hall was a credit to the never say die spirit the team played with. Onwards to next week and some points. MOM obviously Chris MIllar

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v North Norfolk 3:  9-0

Dragons eased to a comfortable win over North Norfolk.  Dan Ryan controlled the middle of the pitch with Connor Adams.  Man of the match Ryan , help himself to a hat trick whilst fit again Matt Armstrong weighed in with two. The scoring was completed by Andrew Cross, Tommy Gale, Pete Latoy and Lloyd Wade.

East League, Men’s 5NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norwich City 7s:  2-5

A new group of Dragons played together for the first time and it showed. The lack of communication early on let the door open for the opposition who took full advantage in the first half. The dragons were down 0-4 going into the sencond. The Dragons team took on the constructive criticism of the half time talk and with better shape and more completed passes held City back and the Dragons were able to push forward. It led to a short corner which was put away by Shiv Kapur after multiple passes within the D. Another late flourish of quick passes allowed Ed Crosier the opportunity to take one last shot at the goal which was put away to bring the final whistle. Dragons won the second half 2-1 to the overall score of 5-2.

Girls Development League
Dragons Dev Girls v Watton:  1-3

Goalscorer:  Hattie Stewart
MOM:  Freya Dolding

 
 
 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 22nd September 2018

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1sDereham 1H2-5 (L)Kiera Goymour
Tabba Tabrett
Mima Watson
Tabba Tabrett
L2sDereham 2H1-0 (W)Kate McKennaKaren O'Neill Simpson
Donna Vaughan
L3sUEA 1A0-3 (W)Jessica Haw x2
Ally Windsor Waite
Kath Mares
L4sLoddon 1H1-3 (L)Caroline WolfeKatie Franks
L5sLow Railway 2A0-3 (W)Gemma Ballard
Beth Elgood
Chloe Mikronis
Emily Smith
L6sN City 5H1-3 (L)Charlotte DowsonCharlotte Dowson
L7sHerlingsA4-1 (L)Adelice KraemerBecky Bowen
L8sThetfordH0-11 (L)Emma Fielding
Sadie Jacobs
M1sDereham 2H2-6 (L)Lewis Wilkins
Daumantas Matulevicius
Pedro Goss
M2sUEA 2H3-3 (D)Jason Wolfe
Eddie Gould x2
Chris Simmonds
M3sUEA 1A4-1 (L)Mitch SmithJon Goodson
M4sThetfordH1-4 (L)Nick TurnerNick Turner
M5sNDHC 6(f)A3-2 (L)Sam Echevarria x2Shiv Kapur
M6sNDHC 5(f)H3-2 (W)Rob Lee
Adam Bowles
Charlie Creasey
-
BD ADerehamH7-0 (W)Ed Cross x3
Will Panter x2
Harry Fuller
Oli Ruding
Arjuna Puvanachandra
BD BN CityAP-P
GDPelicansAP-P

East League,  Ladies 1N
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Dereham 1s:   2-5

After a promising pre-season, the Ladies 1s went into their first game hoping to replicate
some of their earlier performances. Dragons immediately took control of the game,
dominating the early possession and moving the ball around well. Unfortunately, nothing
was to come of these early chances, and in a rare foray forwards, the Dereham side won
a short corner and converted it with a tricky drag flick.

The Dragons lost a little bit of composure during this period of the game, and a few
moments of disorganisation in the defensive circle saw Dereham put away two more
goals from open play. However, the Dragons began to fight back. A skilful, mazy run
from Liv Thomas into the circle pulled the Dereham goalkeeper out of position; Thomas
slipped the ball back to Kiera Goymour on the penalty spot who slotted it into the open
goal. The team went into half time 3-1 down, but still in the fight.

The second half saw a number of chances for both sides, but the comparative experience
of Dereham next to our younger, more recently-formed squad began to show. Another
open play goal, and another awkwardly levelled drag flick saw two further goals for
Dereham. But, Dragons were not finished, and the team kept fighting right to the last
whistle. They were rewarded for their efforts with a goal from a fantastic strike over the
keeper’s head from Tabba Tabbrett. The game finished 5-2, but the scoreline certainly
does not reflect the quality of some of the hockey on display.

There was a lot of promise and potential shown in this game, with some strong
performances across the board, but especially from joint players of the match Tabba
Tabbrett and young Mima Watson on her league debut. The Dragons will regroup and
continue to work hard in training, ready to build upon this week’s performance.

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Dereham 2s:  1-0 

Norwich Dragons were excited to welcome back Maddie Denman to the Den who has been away at university. Several other Dragons were either welcomed back to the 2’s, or made their 2’s debut, but a special mention must go to Piper Hempsall, who had her first Ladies game having just come up from the girl’s development team.

 

 
 
Dragons started the best of the two teams with some good early pressure. The midfield of Gail Thomas, Debs Smith, Piper Hempsall and Katie Lister were working hard to control the middle of the pitch and ensure the forwards were seeing plenty of the ball. They worked well as a unit moving the ball on quickly making it tough for the opposition.

 

 
The forwards of Kate McKenna, Jess Bennett, Lauren Lawrie and Laura Van Den Burg were making some excellent runs and creating some good chances. It was from this good early pressure that Norwich Dragons went ahead with Kate McKenna opening the scoring making it 1-0 to the Dragons.
 

 

Dragons continued to play well, especially considering how many players have only recently joined the squad and the team is still getting used to playing together, however the score remained 1-0 to Dragons at half time.
 

 

In the second half Norwich Dragons continued to press but Dereham never gave up and with 10 minutes to go started to put the Dragon’s defence under a bit more pressure. However the defensive line up of Maddie Denman, Karen O’Neill-Simpson, Donna Vaughan and Sarah Borrett dealt with the pressure well and stayed alert to any danger. On the occasions when the ball did get through keeper Amy Forse dealt with it calmly.
 

 

The final score was 1-0 to Norwich Dragons, with the newly formed team showing lots of promise for the future. Player of the match went to both Donna Vaughan and Karen O’Neill-Simpson.
 

 

Thanks goes to all the supporters, especially the more vocal ones and to coach Pete Thomas.
 

East League, Ladies 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v UEA 1:  3-0

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3rd team were determined to make a good start to their East Division 2NE debut following promotion from Norfolk Premier last year. Their first league match was away against UEA 1’s and the game began with both teams creating chances whilst settling into the game.

However, patient play from the defence into the midfield and forwards created an opportunity for Hannah Ellis to shoot from the top of the D that hit the post and the rebound was quickly put away by Ally Windsor Waite for Dragons first goal of the game.

The second goal for Dragons was scored from a short corner which was struck by Harriet Rant for Jess Haw to deflect into the goal from close range. The team continued to work hard for each other all over the pitch, maintaining pressure on UEA to finish the first half two nil up.

Dragons tried to maintain the intensity after half time despite going down to 12 players (we hope you make a speedy recovery Sam) and won a few of short corners in quick succession. However, UEA started to increase the pressure on the Dragons forcing some great defending and excellent saves in goal from Kat Spiers.

Dragons managed to score their third goal mid-way through the second half from some strong build up play down the right and back into the middle for Harriet Marlee to have a shot, which was confidently slotted home by Jess Haw in front of the keeper for her second goal of the game.

Dragons found themselves under increasing pressure in the final quarter of the match having lost another player due to a late start. However, some excellent defending from Kath Mares, Spike, Grace Brown and Hazel Knights including some goal line clearances saw Dragons maintain a clean sheet.

A great team performance from start to finish, with Kath Mares winning the vote for player of the match.

 
 

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Loddon 1s:  1-3

Dragons Ladies 4s started their home match against Loddon 1s well, with plenty of fast game play and linked passing. Unfortunately, the Loddon side managed to capitalise on an early break, with a cross from the right hitting the foot of one of our defenders before going in.

Despite Dragons having plenty of the ball, and holding Loddon in their half for the majority of the game, the visitors managed to score again on an opportunistic break, with a hard strike from the top left of the D.

However, Dragons continued to force their opposition onto a defensive footing, and finally managed to convert their third short corner with a straight strike from Caroline Wolfe, which just clipped the keeper’s pad on the way in.

Loddon continued to live up to their physical reputation in the second half, and after some eye rolling at the umpire, one of their players was shown the green card. However, yet again they took their chances, surging at the Dragon’s D on yet another quick break. After pulling keeper Esther Jacobs left, their 2-on-1 attack managed to slip the ball in at the right post.

Dragons had several more opportunities the other end, with plenty of gameplay in Loddon’s D – including an awkwardly trapped ball under the goalkeeper and some near misses from the posts – but it wasn’t to be, and the score finished 1-3 to Loddon.

The whole team showed a great work ethic throughout, which was reflected in the widely spread votes for player of the match. However Katie Franks became the second recipient of Dave the (sparkly pink) Dragon this season, due to her unflinching calm at left back, even when faced with some tricky 1-on-1 situations.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Lowestoft Railway 2s:  3-0

Dragons travelled to Lowestoft with renewed optimism following the previous weeks’ defeat. Returning to our trusted formation, the 5s were able to focus more on what we do best: playing good hockey!

The first goal was a lovely finish from Chloe Mikronis, threading through defenders and the keeper to start Dragons off in the lead. The second goal came from a joint effort from Lizzy McDonnell and seen clear over the line by Beth Elgood. Dragon’s third and final goal came from goal-scoring pro Gemma Ballard, confirming our dominance and giving the final score of 3-0.

Dragons played with respect for each other and our opposition and were commended by the umpires on our attitude. It was an enjoyable game (despite the ability to build sandcastles with the amount of sand on the pitch) and the 5s can certainly say the cobwebs were blown away.

Solid and calm defending from Stella Windsor-Waite and Jen Buskell kept most of the action away from GK Mia Somers, who’s agility whilst grounded was rather entertaining. Katherine Hardwick produced lots of energy to support Anita Mancini, Mel Widdows, Emily Smith and Chloe Mikronis, ensuring that play was constantly pushing forward keep the pressure on Railway.

Needless to say, Lizzy McDonnell was grounded several times but jumped up to valiantly carry on. Gem Ballard made life hard for their defence and prowled the D to await her goal-scoring opportunity.

A special mention to Lilli Ballard who was sadly unable to play due to injury for her side-line management and support.

Player of the Match went to Emily Smith who stormed her debut adult match with conviction and energy.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Norwich City 5s:  1-3

Goalscorer and MOM:  Charlotte Dowson

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Herlings:  1-4

Making their debut in Division 2 on the grass pitch at Herlings, this was a good match to get out of the way. Herlings are usually at their best at home, and know how effective tanking the ball can be. Reading the bounce of the ball was more a question of luck than judgement for both teams, but with two goals in each half, Herlings deserved their win. This was a gutsy performance by the 7s. They had a purple patch at the start of the second half when Adelice Kraemer forced the ball home after a lot of activity in the circle involving Beth Coates, Claire Fairhurst and Mia McGhee and this brought the score back to 1-2. But Herlings were generally stronger in both Ds, and this is an aspect of their game that the 7s will work on.

There was lots to like about the 7s performance. Emma North made loads of good saves. Mrs Becky Bowen was POM for a solid performance at bottom of the diamond, she tackled well and also moved up to support the attacks. The 7s had a right side that caught the eye. Mia had a very good game at right forward and Maisie Dearmer played both the attacking and defending roles of right mid to good effect. Erin Aldous impressed in her first outing at right defence. Erin, like Paige Fisher at left mid, showed how quickly intelligent players can adapt to difficult conditions. They both covered a lot of ground. The 7s had a few players missing and appreciated Flori Smith’s steadying influence. Lily Crew made some brave tackles in defence, and Bridget Le Good’s ability to hit the ball at least half way up the pitch and usually to a Dragon was an asset. Capt Claire has a new tattoo – ‘Grays’ surrounded by 100 dimples on her inner quad – and also got DoD for not being able to spell ‘Fairhurst’.  Onwards and upwards 7s – Division 2 promises to be a lot of fun.

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Thetford:  0-11

Dragons 8s started their 2018-2019 season league campaign at home to recently relegated Thetford Town. Dragons starting line up consisted of 13 players including debutants Emma Tarn-Dyson, Ella Handy, Sarah Lucas and Hatty Harrison-Mobbs who were all ready for some hockey action!

Thetford Town brought a strong and experienced team to the den. Johanne Steward. Jo Baker, Maddie Gibbs and Jess Lockwood made up a great defence line-up and did not make it easy for Thetford. GK Emily Roper doubled up this week and made some cracking saves throughout the game showing Thetford that she wouldn’t be broken either even though she was carrying an injury from training earlier in the week.

After half time saw #Awesomeeights come out even stronger. Sarah Lucas, Hatty Harrison-Mobbs and Emma “Mouse” Fielding commanded midfield by pressing hard, showing great skills and speed up the wings. Forwards Katy Cole, Sadie Jacobs and Lois Metcalfe were able to put pressure on Thetford with a lot of the play staying near Thetford’s D, a couple of attempts on goal were unfortunately thwarted by their experienced defence and goalie. It was just not meant to be during this game.

The score line doesn’t show the game that the 8’s played, all players showed determination and resilience though-out the whole game showing Thetford that they wouldn’t make it easy. Man, of the Match nominations where across the whole team but the final award was split between Sadie Jacobs and Emma “Mouse” Fielding.  Everyone worked hard, and all came off with a smile on their face. Onwards and upwards for this season Dragon’s 8’s!

East League, Men’s 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Dereham 2s:  2-6

Goalscorers:  Lewis Wilkins, Daumantas Matulevicius
MOM:  Pedro Goss

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v UEA 2s:  3-3

Goalscorers:  Jason Wolfe, Eddie Gould x2
MOM:  Chris Simmonds

East League, Men’s 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v UEA 1s:  1-4

Dragons faced a tough opening fixture of the league season against UEA I, who had been narrowly relegated from the league above last season.

UEA pressured from pushback and forced a succession of short corners early in the game which they were unable to convert. Dragons began to get into the game and began to launch their own spell of pressure only for UEA to disappointingly score the opening goal from a quick counterattack. UEA added a second shortly afterwards to give themselves some breathing space.

Dragon’s strong work ethic and organisation began to force UEA backwards, with Mitch Smith pulling one back after pushing the ball past the keeper to finish a well worked team move.

The match remained at 2-1 for the majority of the second half, with UEA having most of the ball but Dragons occasionally threatening on the break. With the final whistle imminent, Dragons began to push forward in numbers but were unable to force an equaliser.

Eventually the c20 year age gap between UEA and our average age told, with UEA scoring two late goals on the break. A thoroughly deserved win for UEA but with a slightly flattering scoreline.

Man of the match was Jon Goodson, although the award could have gone to any of defenders (Jon plus Stu Kelly, James Goodson and Phil Good) who kept a strong UEA side at bay for the majority of the game.

East League, Men’s 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Thetford 1s:  1-4

Norwich Dragons 4s lost the opening league match in an entertaining encounter.  Early exchanges reflected teams still working out each other’s tactics but Thetford opened the scoring after a few easier chances hadn’t been converted. Dragons persisted though, reflected in the tenacity of Nick Turner’s determined run and strike into the far corner. It ended 1-1 at half time with both teams in contention but early in the first half Dragons failed to make some short corners count. This proved costly as Thetford converted a good short corner flick which meant Dragons started to chase the game. Despite hard work upfront from Adrian Kemp , Bobby Sheppard and Jones chances didn’t come Dragons way as the stretched game suited Thetford’s fast counters resulting in two very good individual goals. Dragons have plenty to reflect on but the performance of the young players was outstanding.  Goalscorer and MOM:  Nick Turner

FRIENDLY – Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s:  2-3

Goalscorers for 5s:  Sam Echevarria, MOM:  Shiv Kapur
Goalscorers for 6s:  Rob Lee, Adam Bowles, Charlie Creasey

Boys Development League

Dragons A  v  Dereham:  7-0
Goals by Edward Cross (3), Will Panter (2), Ollie Rudling (1), Harry Fuller (1)
M.O.M. Arj   PuvanachandraDragons were quick off the mark to take control of the ball and found the back of the net midway through the the first quarter.
 
Great runs by Gabe Overton and Arj  Puvanachandra  down the wing but Dereham did well to intercept the ball back, but Dragons came back stronger and more goals were scored.
Dragons played and marked their opponents well to secure a 7-0 victory, over a younger developing Dereham team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: Saturday 15th September

This Week’s Results

TeamOppositionH/AScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1s/L2sBlueharts 1A1-2 (W)Lucy Morton
Maddy Reynolds
Olivia Thomas
L2s/L3sNth Norfolk 1A
L4sLow Railway 1A1-2 (W)Caroline Wolfe
Lisa Harwood
Harriet Rant
L5sDragons 6H0-1( L)Stella Windsor Waite
Steph Samson
L6sDragons 5A0-1 (W)Emma MerryweatherEmma Merryweather
L7sCity 6Habandoned
L8sCity 7H0-5 (L)Maddy Gibbs
M2sCity 3A3-1 (L)Ed GouldJason Wolfe
M3sCity 4A2-0 (L)Stuart Kelly
M4sLow Railway 2A1-2 (W)Josh Bingham
Adrian Kemp
Tommy Chapman
M5sDereham 4H8-0 (W)Sam Echeverria x5
Dan Ryan
Alberto EMbarba
Andrew Cross
M6sNflk Nomads 2H0-1 (L)Matt Knights
BD ADragons BH3-1 (W)Gabe Overton
Ed Cross
Will Panter
Will Panter
BD BDragons AA3-1 (L)Josh CormackTom Jackson
GDYarmouthH3-0 (W)Hattie Stuart x3

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Lowestoft Railway:  2-1

Ladies 4s headed off to the ‘most Easterly town’ in England to face Low Railways 1s in their first league match of the season. With a new starting formation, the 4s were quick off the mark at the start of the game, making some impressive runs up both wings and putting pressure on the Low Railway defence. A foot in the D resulted in a short corner for the 4s, pushed out well by Amy Forse and taken by Caroline Wolfe with a straight shot into the back of the goal. The game began to even out and Low Railway made some good attempts for goal but were kept out by a strong and well coordinated Dragons’ defence. A ball taken quickly from the Dragons’ half led to a good drive up the pitch by Amy before she crossed it into Lisa Harwood for 4s second goal of the match.

The start of the second half saw Dragons start strong again, with more attacks made on the Low Railway D, however, Low Railway also picked up their pace and put a lot more pressure on the 4s defence and another foot in the D meant a short corner to the home side, which was kept out by the Dragons defence. Low Railway came back stronger, broke into the D and took advantage of the overlap to score. But the 4s held on to their lead to win 2-1. It was a great game, with good communication, some excellent runs and passes made by all, and an exciting start to the season for a team who have only started playing together. 

Goalscorers:  Caroline Wolfe and Lisa Harwood
MOM:  Harriet Rant

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 1
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s:  0-1

Ladies 5s played the 6s in the first league game of the season.  Both teams came out ready for a good game and pushing each other from the first whistle. The first half saw good pressure applied by the forwards and some strong defending especially in the three unconverted defensive short corners which came close to the end of the half.  Lots of talking and supporting saw the ball moving quickly from defence to attack and both teams shared the pressure.
 
In the second half a change in formation saw the 5s come out and dominate the first 10 minutes, putting lots of pressure on the 6s goal and pulling some good saves from their defence. After a flurry of unconverted attacking short corners a quick break from the 6s saw them drive up the left at speed and score at the right hand post despite lots of commitment from the defenders. Good distribution from the back saw several fast breaks down the right and on another day we could have had lots of goals but it wasn’t to be. The 5s played hard and look to build on this for the next game.
 
 
 
Goal scorer:  Emma Meryweather
MOM:  5s:  Stella Windsor Waite and Stephanie Samson
MOM:  6s:  Emma Merryweather

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: 21st April 2018

Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v Dereham:  1-3

The last game of the season and what a way to end it!  One of the best that that 8’s have played, determined to give it their all and end on a high. Everyone worked their absolute green and red socks off and attacked from the beginning, wasted no time in showing Dereham who was boss. It was one of the hottest days of the year so far and they were probably the only 2 hockey teams in Norfolk that played a league match that day.  The 8’s do love to take on a challenge…

 

Final score was 3:1 to Dereham 5’s.  POM was Captain Katy Cole. Despite being pretty even in the first half and holding them well for the first 33 minutes, Dereham flukily scored their first goal in the last 2 minutes of the first half whilst their second and third came form short corners, of which they had about 15!  Dragons successfully managed to defend nearly all of them and get the ball back down the other end.  The score line does not reflect the 8’s efforts. They really held their own and should be proud, despite the loss.  It certainly was one of their best games to watch.

 

Goal Keeper Emma ‘Noble Northy’ North continued her successful run of being on fab form, saving too many goal shots to count, particularly those close ones from from the many short corners they had fouled against them, she made she great clearances and looked cool, calm and collected in her goalie kit even in the 18 degree heat!

 

Vice Captain Jo ‘The Strategiser’ Baker made another noteworthy performance as centre back – calculatedly took dozens of amazing hit outs in to some lovely spaces, she really held the defence and the rest of the defenders responded excellently to her direction.  Jo was fierce in the D and worked super hard to distribute the ball out whilst they were under attack.

 

Anna ‘Silent Achiever’ Chapman as left back.  Anna was her usual stealth-like strong and reliable self, she played some lovely balls along with the wing, did some great passes to the waiting midfielders and was on top form in this match.

 

Johanne ‘Sassy’ Steward as right back.  Johanne was her enthusiastic self and she worked really hard to tackle the opposition and take possession of the ball.  Johanne made some excellent passes to open spaces ready for the players to ‘post-up’ just like they have been learning in training.

 

Maria ‘No-Milling-Around’ Milititsky as right back and covered Jo B as centre back.  Maria is a fabulous new talent in the making, she is tenacious and fearless, she drops back to support GK Emma when she pushed up to make a clearance.  This is no mean feat!

 

Emma ‘Fearless’ Fielding was brilliant again as bottom of the diamond.  Emma’s great speed and fitness mean that she is easily able to run up and down the pitch like all good midfielders do!  Emma takes direction well and she made good use of her strong hits to distribute the ball out of the defending danger zone.

 

Nic ‘Tenacious’ Harrison, left mid and covered as top of the diamond.  As ever a reliable player who never gives up!  Nic tackled tirelessly as always and demonstrated her super work output level!  Made some lovely runs down the wing and passed accurately to the forwards.

 

‘Tricky’ Tracy Stuart Sheppard as right mid, fierce and fast paced, worked hard to gain possession and was always quick to take side line hits.  Communicated well with the rest of the team and definitely was a force to be reckoned with during this game.

 

Kim ‘The Bruiser’ Brenchley continues to improve each time she plays and had one of her best games yet. Kim made some lovely tackles and passed accurately up the wing to the forwards.  Kim worked super hard to attack and didn’t give up!

 

Captain Katy ‘The Optimiser’ Cole as top to the diamond – probably her best game ever for the 8’s. Katy did some impressive tackles, intercepted the ball and managed to drive the ball all the way up the other end of the pitch, passed a defender and into the goal, GK deflected and then she got the rebound!  A cracking goal.

 

Fern ‘Dancer’ Daly – Fern may be small but she is mighty!  She has great speed and grace, almost dances on the pitch chasing the ball with ease, so confident once she gets going and a has a fair whack on her – one to watch definitely!

 

Olivia ‘The Devil’ Dickson – played right forward and lived up to her nick name, devilishly fooled the Dereham defenders who were too slow to keep up with her pace and grit.

 

Lois ‘The Legend’ Metcalfe – after a 3 week break away from hockey, the 8’s were pleased to have her back in the forward line!  Lois gave excellent direction to the other forwards, was always in the best positions to receive the ball and tackled with determination.

 

Sadie ‘The Joker’ Jacobs – there was no clowning around from this little super star.  Sadie got in to some brilliantly placed spaces, passed the ball around well, was demonstrably desirous to win and fought hard to get in the D and strike!

 

So the 8s may have lost but they didn’t go down without a fight!  The most enthusiastic of teams who have come a long way since their inception last season.  The 8’s have learned lots and are keen to continue their well honed skills into next season!  They have really gelled as a team and have maintained a consistent core set of players who love to play and are eager to win!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: 7th and 8th April 2018

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1s07/04/18SevenoaksH12.002-2 (D)Holly Reding
Shelly Seaman
Sophie Mullan
Luisa Valentini
L4s07/04/18City 3A12.155-0 (L)
L5s07/04/18City 4H10.301-4 (L)Liz McDonnellStephanie Samson
Harriet Rant
L6s07/04/18Broadland 3H10.006-1 (W)Gemma Ballard
Charlotte Knight
Jane Wells x3
Anita Mancini
Jane Wells
L7s07/04/18Loddon 2H11.300-6 (L)Emma North
L8s07/04/18Pelicans 3A14.302-1 (L)Emma YoungEmma North
Mehnaz Shammy
M1s07/04/18Horncastle 1A13.003-4 (W)Rupert Snelling x2
Henry Laming
Andy Saunders
Henry Laming
M2s07/04/18Newmarket 1H14.302-3 (L)Jono Chaney-BaxterJono Chaney-Baxter
M4s07/04/18Felixstowe 2H13.005-0 (CW)
M5s07/04/18Magpies 5A10.155-1 (L)Tommy Gale
GD07/04/18City BH10.300-6 (L)Emily Smith
L1s08/04/18Canterbury 2H12.300-2 (L)Gina Hunt
M2s08/04/18Ipswich 2A11.003-2 (W)Rupert Snelling
Chris Simmonds
Jono Chaney-Baxter
Jono Chaney-Baxter

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Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Sevenoaks 2:  2-2

At the tail end of a very long season, both teams were able to take the opportunity to bring up some young players into their first teams and welcome back some old faces! The result was a positive match which enabled our younger members to build on their experience.

In the first 15 minutes, the Dragons team were put under fairly consistent pressure by the visitors, but with the steady hands Sarah Jenkins and Holly Reding controlling the defence, Dragons were able to repel advances. Luisa Valentini made her debut for the first team in goal and was outstanding throughout the match, eventually sharing the player of the match award. In these earlier moments of the game, a series of flying saves kept the visitors from scoring and the score at 0-0.

Dragons found their stride though; Lara Taylor was dominant down the left hand side and combined well with Issy Wolfe and Shelly Seaman up front. Maddy Reynolds, on her debut for the first team, found herself in plenty of space on the right and showed great determination and promise up front. After a sustained period of excellent, attacking play the home team won a penalty corner.  Having worked hard on the routine in training, a new line up took their place at the top of the D. The ball found its way to Holly Reding who calmly slotted the ball home to take Dragons to 1-0.

Unfortunately, the opposition quickly counter-attacked and a well taken penalty corner found its way into the back of the goal to level the score at 1-1 at half time.

Once again in the second half, Dragons dominated and enjoyed several periods of fantastic, linking play. Sophie Mullan was everywhere and thoroughly deserved the joint player of the match honour that she later received.

Issy Wolfe harried her opposite number and won the ball around the half way line. She drove into the opposition half and into the D where she attempted a shot on goal. The shot was deflected but Shelly Seaman was lying in wait and expertly converted to take the Dragons to 2-1 up.

Sevenoaks did not give up though and in the remaining 10 minutes, they fought hard to equalise. An injury to stalwart Reding meant that the Dragons had to reshuffle the defence and the opposition capitalised, managing to break through the defence and score, taking the full time score to 2-2.

 

 

Sunday 8th April

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Canterbury 2:  0-2

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s – no fixture

 
 
 
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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s – no fixture 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Norwich City 3:  0-5

For the 4’s the game didn’t really get going for us, City had the speed and well drilled players from the start. We all tried very hard to come out of our slumber but couldn’t quite get there. There were some moments where we played good hockey but unfortunately for the 4’s it was short lived.
The final score ended up by City winning 5-0 and our two MOM were Kat Speirs and Sarah Wagstaff

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Norwich City 4:  1-4

It was warm for the first time in forever! Dragons stepped out into weather that was vaguely reminiscent of spring. The learning objective for today was to have fun and enjoy a game of hockey and this is what we did. Every player worked hard throughout and displayed high levels of energy and tenacity.

 

 

Early breaks on the attack resulted in a goal being scored in a ‘two-footed-shovel’ – aptly described by Sue Cross and expertly executed by Lizzy McDonnell from a cross by Jenna Inglis. Fuelled by the rare experience of being in the lead, Sue Cross continued to press the play high and keep the opposition on their toes by chasing down every ball with strong midfield performances from Elsa Scott, Sue Brumby and Sophia Haehnelt.
 

 

City, unused to being on back foot, fought back hard to make it 1-1 at half time.
 

 

Movement of the ball throughout defence was good, which saw Lilly Sore making her debut in defence whilst guided by the experience of Steph Samson and Grace Brown. Esther Jacobs commanded the D well and committed herself to some excellent saves. Despite this, City were able to put 3 further goals past us in relatively quick succession in the second half.

 

 
The mids and forwards continued to work hard to keep on the attack, with more attempts at goal in this game than any other. Hannah Edwards managed her highest calorie burn during this game, suggesting some effort was exerted!
 

 

A special mention to a couple of 6s superstars: Harriet Rant completed some excellent 3D skills and was fantastic at getting first to the ball whilst constantly putting pressure on the City defence. Jade Blanchflower ran out 1 on short corners with bravery and stopped City’s big hits from the top of the D and transferred the play from defensive to attacking.
 

 

The side-line was governed by Pete Thomas and Amy Forse, whose presence was missed on field but between gave words of advice and encouragement to keep the Fives running like a well-oiled machine.
 

 

“The score line did not reflect how you played” – quoted by several supporters and a true testament to the work-rate and passion to win the ball today.
 

 

Player of the Match was once again spread across several players and split evenly between Steph Samson and Harriet Rant.
 
Happy players and happy captain.
 
 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Broadland 3:  6-1

The end of the season is approaching and Ladies 6s are making sure they do everything in their power to finish the season on a high.

Their 6-1 win against Broadland 3s is a great example of this.

This was a fantastic team performance where every single player in the squad gave 110% effort.

Dragons took the lead early in the first half but Broadland broke straight back to bring the score to 1-1. Dragons then worked as a unit to penetrate the Broadland defence. The forward line of Jane Wells, Gemma Ballard, Charlotte Knight and Amelia Keitly-Webb worked hard running in behind the Broadland defence, getting into some great positions.

The midfield of Anita Mancini, Floss Andrews, Coco Brown and Gill Walker worked hard to support both the defence and attack.

Defensively, Hannah Woods, Kate Atkins and Jen Buskell stood firm making some wide runs to pack the attack.

Emily Roper made a stunning save at 1-1 which allowed the Dragons to build up and press Broadland.

A special mention must go to the Broadland team who fought hard until the end, creating chances of their own. But what ladies 6s proved this week is that they can settle into a game, work out the weaknesses of their opposition and use them to their advantage.

Player of the match going to Jane Wells for her hat-trick and impressive display up front!

With just one game left and promotion in the bag, will Ladies 6s become division 2 champions? Find out Saturday 14th 11.45am as they take on their top of the table rivals Lowestoft Railway

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s  v Loddon 2:  0-6

In the topsy-turvey world of Division 3, Loddon sealed the number one spot with a comprehensive win over Dragons. It was a far cry from the gutsy draw the Dragons achieved on the Loddon ground earlier in the season. Dragons knew they would have their work cut out because lack of availability left them without key players, notably an out and out striker. Loddon on the other hand fielded a team with speed, stick skills and physicality – they were definitely the best team on the day. But Dragons stuck to their guns. Perhaps a little slow to implement the marking and tackling game they knew they would have to use, they also let themselves down by their old weaknesses of failing to get first to the ball and by ‘hiding’. But that was only in the first half, when Loddon raced to a 4-0 lead.

In the second half, Dragons were definitely on it. Emma Northie North was unanimously voted POM for her super saves and prodigious kicking. She also achieved some excellent ‘second phase’ saves too – blocking the hard shots and then getting her hands up to clear the high rebounds. Inspired by Northie, Emma Dyer, Lily Crew and Becky Gallagher all made their tackles tell while Esme McKinnon-Evans was a little dynamo at the bottom of the diamond. Bridget Le Good made enough use of the hit-outs to keep Loddon guessing, and there were some flashes of the very best Dragons can produce when, starting from the back, swift and accurate passing using Stevie Spencer, Maisie Dearmer, Amelia Keitley-Webb and Claire Fairhurst really pinged the ball around and worked the ball up to the 23. Alice Bishop and Mia McGhee made some promising runs, but the Dragons had few shots. They gave it everything they had, with Claire, Alice and Mia sacrificing their attacking moves to sensibly help out the mids, where Amelia, Becky, Stevie and Maisie were doing their best to contain the rampant Loddon forwards. Even though this was their heaviest defeat of the season, every Dragon on the pitch today gave it everything. One more shout out to Northie! Whoop whoop!

The Super Sevens final game is against City, and in the topsy-turvey world of Division 3, City recently crushed Loddon 3-0. Dragons are all too aware that you can only play what the opposition put out, and are looking forward to a brilliant training session and a strong team selection to set them up for a fabulous fun (winning) finale.

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v Pelicans 3:  1-2

POM jointly between Emma North and Mehnaz Shammy.

On a hot (well 18 degrees) Spring day, 12 Dragons set out to win against the very young Pelican 4’s (average age 14) team.

Dragons took a while to find their shape, with some of their regular players unavailable, a few players stepped up to play in different positions which caused a delay in their attack.  The fast Pelicans played on their strong side pushing against their Dragon’s weak side, particularly in the first half where they scored 2  goals.  In the second half the Dragons really raised their game and scored.  It was a very close match and it really looked like they would equalise having been awarded several short corners. Dragons dominated the second half with the play mostly being in the attacking end.  But they were unable to equalise despite their valiant attempts.

Goal Keeper Emma was fab as always and managed some excellent saves, demonstrated some brilliant ball clearances and gave great direction which helped the defenders.  A well deserved POM.

Jo ‘Vice Captain’ Baker was her usual strong self as centre back and lead by example by making giving great vocal direction and some lovely passes right up the other end of the pitch into some great spaces and also to the mid fielders

Anna ‘flexi player’ Chapman, played left back, right back and left forward!  Anna was great, the silent achiever that she is.  She was strong in defence, showed off her speed and has really developed her hits so that she was successfully able to pass the ball down to the mids. Anna was tenacious as a forward too, with a couple of close shots to goal – well done Anna for your flexibility and attitude.

Johanne Steward as right back (and covered as left back) – each game she grows more confident and she worked really hard to pass to the midfielders by passing down the line with success.

Jess Lockwood – left back.  Jess is also another player that gains more confidence and speed in each match.  Jess took some fab side line hits and was not afraid to tackle the opposition.

Emma Fielding as BOD – she has tenacity to tackle and has a nice strong hit on her. Is another speedy player who successfully managed to run up and down the pitch and kept up with the young Pelicans.

Nic Harrison as right mid.  Nic played with strength and confidence as always.  Nic made some lovely drives into to the D and set up some excellent passes which resulted in our goal by Emma Young.

Tracy Stuart-Sheppard as right mid.  Played solidly in this position.  Always quick to reset and take side line hits. Made some fabulous tackles and great passes down to the eagerly waiting forwards.

Captain Katy Cole – top of the diamond.   She worked hard to ensure that she ‘protected the castle’ and didn’t drift out to the wing.  She made some good tackles and managed to intimidate the young Pelicans. Her speed ensured that she was able to push up and attack, as well as drop back and support the defence when required.

Emma Young as right forward – scored her fist league goal!  As a high forward she eagerly awaiting the ball.  Listened well to instructions, determined and enthusiastic and struck at the right moment – well done Emma!

Mehnaz Shammy as centre forward – went confidently in for every tackle, fabulously demonstrated her honed stick skills, even the quickest young Pelicans were no match for her speed and versatility.

Sadie Jacobs – left forward.  Her confidence has come on leaps and bounds and this really showed against the Pelicans.  Sadie got stuck in, put herself in some excellent positions and showed the opposition that she may be small, but she is a force to be reckoned with.

What next for the awesome 8’s?

2 more matches to go, we continue to work on previously acquired training skills, mark the most dangerous players and post up!  Go to the player and don’t wait for the ball to come to come to you!  Our final match is on the day of the awards night – a momentous occasion for Dragons and also for the 8’s – a victory is on the horizon.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Horncastle 1:  4-3

Goalscorers:  Henry Laming, Rupert Snelling x2, Andy Saunders

MOM:  Henry Laming

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Newmarket 1:  2-3

A lacklustre mens 2nds lost their penultimate league home match of a seemingly never ending season 3-2 (HT 1-1) to Newmarket. Scorer and MOM Jono Chaney-Baxter.

Sunday 8th April

Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Ipswich 2:  3-2

Resurgent men’s seconds travelled to Ipswich 2nds for their last away game with the end of the season in sight winning 3-2 (HT 0-1). Rupert Snelling equalised with a drag flick short corner with Chris Simmonds finishing a move putting dragons into the lead. The home side pegged us back with five minutes remaining, only for Jono Chaney-Baxter to break their hearts with the winner. MOM again JCB.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s – no fixture

 

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Felixstowe 2: 

Felixstowe conceeded

 
 
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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Magpies 5:  1-5

Goalscorer:  Tommy Gale

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s – no fixture

 

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys A 

 

 

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys B

 

 

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Girls v  Norwich City B:  0-6

MOM:  Emily Smith

 

 

 

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NDHC League Match Reports: 27th – 31st March 2018

31st March 2018
 
Norfolk Women’s League Premier Division
 
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5 v Lowestoft Ladies 1s:  0-3  
 
Finally we got to play our home match against Lowestoft Railway 1s, it having been previously cancelled on more than one occasion due to the wintery weather. Well the Easter weather wasn’t perfect today with rain and sleet trying to bring our spirits down. However, in true Dragons style, we embraced the typical hockey weather and carried on fighting.
 
The first 10 minutes of the match was a very defensive period and we spent most of our time defending our goal. The defence and midfield did this perfectly and Lowestoft were unable to convert their chances. This gave us the encouragement we needed and we got the ball out to be received by Elsa in the middle, Ellie in the midfield and Harriet on the wing who all made some good runs and passes into the D. Unfortunately we were unable to convert the chances we had and Lowestoft were able to intercept our passes and drive the ball back down the pitch using their youth and speed. Their first goal game from open play and a one on one with goal keeper Esther, unfortunately they won on this occasion. Esther secured many saves from several short corners and the defensive skills of Katie Franks, Lou, Jemima and Ginny ensured the ball was safely hit out of the D.
 
Halftime came and we hadn’t lost our spirit. We went back on the pitch determined to level the score and try to slow down their central line, unfortunately we remained unable to convert the crosses delivered by Lilly or the long passes down the pitch by Lou and Ginny. Although we had the chances, so did Lowestoft and their second goal came from a short corner. The ball took an unfortunate deflection off a defender’s stick and over Esther’s head. 
 
A ball directly to Ginny’s knee took her out for the remainder of the game but Elsa stepped in to bottom of the diamond, Katie Lister to top of the diamond and they continued to distribute the ball out to Mel and Ellie in left and right midfield. Unfortunately the forward line of Sue Cross, Lilly and Lizzy remained unable to get the ball past the oppositions defence to score a goal, although it was close on a few occasions, and the game finished 3-0 to Lowestoft.
 
A well played game by everyone and the POM was well distributed but was awarded to Esther for her great saves and determination not to give up.
 
 
27th March 2018
 
Women’s East Hockey League Div 2NE 
 
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2 v Bury St Edmonds:  4-0  
 
The final game of the season saw Dragons travel to Culford for their 3rd game in just 4 days. Whilst there were some weary limbs, the squad were raring to go and continue their excellent run.

Bury were a strong, youthful team, and they started the game brightly, dominating the early possession. Dragons had Gina Hunt in goal once again and she was in outstanding form from the off, making some commanding early saves. The defensive unit of Karen O’Neill Simpson, Harriett Green, Carmel Windsor Waite and Shelly Seaman knew they were going to need to be at their sharpest to keep Bury at bay.

With Emma Tabrett returning to the squad, having been unavailable for a few weeks, adding her usual fire and energy to the forward line, supported by the pace of Laura Ward and the skills of Kate McKenna. The game started to level out, with Dragons getting in behind the Bury defence on a couple of occasions. In midfield, Gail Thomas, Sophie Mullan, Lucy Morton and Kiera Goymour were starting to win the 50/50 battles and were feeding the forwards with some excellent through balls. With one such attack, Gail Thomas found Emma Tabrett, whose powerful drive and square pass found the willing run of Lucy Morton on the back post, for the lead. Before halftime this was doubled, this time Morton squared to Tabrett who found the backboard.

Bury had a number of opportunities to get back into the game before half time – there was some excellent defensive work by Dragons though and the score remained 2-0 at the break.

The second half saw Bury change their formation a little but the game still remained pretty even – both teams playing at high pace and having decent opportunities. It was Dragons however who took their chances, Tabrett claiming her second to make it 3-0,  whilst the fourth came from Kiera Goymour, her first for the Club, which was well deserved. Whilst 4-0 sounds a convincing scoreline, this was only achieved with some outstanding defensive work and some top saves from Dragons Player of the Match Gina Hunt – one instinctive save high to her right which was gloved away nonchalantly.

The final whistle was blown by two of the most impressive umpires we have seen this season and Dragons, playing some of the finest hockey of the season, took another 3pts, temporarily taking them to top of the table, however teams have games in hand to overcome their points tally. A fine end to a hugely competitive and enjoyable season in Div 2NE.

Great credit goes to the team for their commitment and dedication. Huge thanks go to Captain Karen O’Neill Simpson – its been a tough season in many ways, none more so than because of all the injuries the team have had to contend with, but her belief, passion and commitment for the team is unrelenting!
 

Dev Boys A v Norwich City:  0-1  

For this re-arranged fixture, on a damp Tuesday evening, it was City who came out of the blocks fastest. Sustained pressure from them lead to a number of short corners but these were all repelled with a number of great saves from Alex Wolfe in goal. Dragons gradually worked their way back into the game with some good passing and runs from Sam Hancock and Kit Scott, but no clear cut chances were coming. Once again good defence kept City at bay so honours were even at halftime.

The second half started much the same as the first with City pressure but this time it resulted in a well worked goal for them. This seemed to be the kick that Dragons needed and they began to put together some good inter play in the midfield between Isaac Diver Gall, Tommy Chambers and James Cross with tireless running from Harvey Nkrumah and Casper Lind up front. But again, for all the great build up play, no equaliser could be found. City always looked dangerous on the break but great defence from Freddie Royall and Tom Jackson kept them at bay, and so the game ended 1-0 to City.

Although the result didn’t go Dragons way this was a really enjoyable game, played in the right spirt.

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: 24th and 25th March 2018

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L2s24/03/18Yarmouth 1H11.002-0 (W)Maddy Reynolds
Laura Ward
Sophie Barrow
Harriet Green
L3s24/03/18City 4A10.450-4 (W)Aditi Naik
Debs Smith
Ally Windsor-Waite
Jess Haw
Esme Potter
Jess Haw
L4s24/03/18Lowestoft Railway 1H11.302-1 (W)Lynne Price
Caroline Wolfe
Ellie James
L5s24/03/18City 3H10.000-9 (L)Stephanie Samson
Hannah Edwards
L6s24/03/18Pelicans 3H13.0011-1 (W)Jennifer Buskell
Gemma Ballard x5
Floss Andrews
Flori Smith
Charlotte Knight
Jane Wells x2
Stella Windsor- Waite
L7s24/03/18Dereham 5A14.151-4 (W)Adelice Kraemer x4Louise Brooks
Mia McGhee
Adelice Kraemer
L8s24/03/18Watton 3H16.000-6 (L)Nicola Harrison
M1s24/03/18Magpies 2A15.001-0 (L)Olly Buck
M2s24/03/18City 4sA15.151-13 (W)Ed Gould x4
Alex Browne x4
Jono Chaney Baxter x4
Ed Murphy
Pedro Goss
M3s24/03/18IES 3A15.002-1 (L)Tom VaughanAndy Carver
M4s24/03/18Ipswich 3H14.000-5 (L)Will Ives
M6s24/03/18NomadsH12.302-1 (W)Thomas Helfer
Tommy Chapman
Tommy Chapman
BD A24/03/18WattonH14.3017-0 (W)Ben Panter x4
Sam Hancock
Casper Lind
Alex Brooks
Tom Jackson
Will Bowman x3
Jack Blackham
Tommy Gale
Charlie Crease x4
BD B24/03/18DerehamA16.301-7 (W)Josh Cormack x3
Lawrie Williams x2
Archie Grieg
Jake Reynolds
The team!
GD24/03/18DerehamA15.002-2 (D)Issy Gale
Mima Watson
Mima Watson
Mia Somers

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Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s – no fixture

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Yarmouth 1s:  2-0

With Dragons eagerly looking forward to 3 games in 4 days, the squad of 13 welcomed Yarmouth to the Den. Laura Ward returned to the squad, as did Amy Forse in goal.
Dragons had the lions share of the early possession, with Gail Thomas and Shelly Seaman strong in the middle of the pitch, feeding the busy forward line of Laura Ward, Maddy Reynolds, Kate McKenna and Jess Bennett. Whilst Dragons had the bulk of the possession, they struggled at times to find their passes, and were a little frantic at times, giving the ball away unnecessarily. Eventually deadlock was broken, from a free hit on the right, Gail Thomas and Hannah Hardy combined, feeding Maddy Reynolds, who forced the ball in from the tightest of angles.

 

Yarmouth earned a number of short corners, one full blooded strike hitting youngster Carmel Windsor-Waite, just below the shinpad, forcing her off the pitch for the rest of the game.

 

The early lead enabled the home team to settle and they started moving the ball better. The lead was then doubled, when a quick break down the left through Harriet Green and Deb Painter saw the ball fed to Laura Ward, who picked up the ball in the D and calmly smashed the ball into the corner, for a 2-0 lead at the halftime break.

Yarmouth threatened through their long hard smashes down the middle of the pitch, but the backline of Sophie Barrow, Karen O’Neill Simpson and Harriet Green, who had once again stepped into defence for the team, defended excellently and ensured Amy Forse was kept reasonably quiet, especially as she was far from 100%, but she expertly dealt with everything that was asked of her. Yarmouth earned a significant number of short corners in the second half, but none were converted, again thanks to some excellent defending.

 

Whilst Dragons had further chances (but just the one short corner), none were converted, and the score remained 2-0. Player of the Match went to Sophie Barrow and Harriet Green, who both had fine games in the defensive unit. A strong team effort and 3 more points – the team headed home for an early night to be ready to go again first thing Sunday v Framlingham.

 

Sunday
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Framlingham:  8-1

 

Part 2 of 3 games in 4 days, saw the Ladies 2’s head down to Framlingham for an early start, despite the loss of a valuable hours sleep! Unfortunately Amy Forse had succumbed to illness (get well soon Amy), so some last minute phone calls saw Gina Hunt kindly step up to the plate in goal. The game saw Deb Painter’s last for the Club, with her move away imminent – the team and Club wish her well.

 

The hard surface did little to sooth any weary limbs in the warm-up, but once the game got underway, Dragons were quickly into their stride. The pitch took some getting used to, with hitting the ball proving slightly troublesome! An early goal saw Jess Bennett square to Hannah Hardy, who slotted under the outrushing GK. The home team reacted the stronger and following a bit of ping-pong in the Dragons’ defensive D, the ball somehow found its way to the back post and was forced home for the equaliser.

 

The visitors continued to try to move the ball, which had more effect than trying to run through players. Before the break 3 more goals were scored; Hannah Hardy neatly deflected home Kate McKenna’s firm strike, Jessica Bennett found herself in space in the D and smashed the ball into the corner, whilst the goal of the game came from a textbook drag flick by youngster Maddy Reynolds, expertly finding the roof of the net from a short corner.

 

Dragons knew they needed to keep focussed and composed, and this they did, to once again take full control of the game. Maddy Reynolds scored her second drag flick of the game from another short corner. Harriet Green made her way into the D to take advantage of some quick play from a free hit, forcing the ball past the keeper via a defender’s stick. Gail Thomas and Hannah Hardy combined with a one – two from a short corner, with Hardy completing her hat-trick. The final goal came following some tenacious work by Kate McKenna, squeezing the ball in at the far post, for Dragons eighth of the game.

 

Framlingham had a succession of short corners in the 2nd half, which provided some a good test for the defence and for Gina in the Dragons goal, who was more than up to the challenge making some smart stops.

 

Another 3pts for Dragons and a strong performance by the team. Man of the Match was tight affair again, with Maddy Reynolds and Shelly Seaman taking the lion’s share of the votes. One league game left on Tuesday evening which will complete a most enjoyable and competitive season, despite the inclement weather!
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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v City 4s:  4-0

This week saw a very late push back for the Ladies 3rd team against Norwich City 4th team, knowing that a point would be enough to be crowned champions and gain promotion to the east league.

The tension around the team was building as we waited for the game already on the pitch to finish, however Ally’s Circle of Friends ensured the team were on their toes from the start and the 80’s aerobic session definitely worked for Jess Haw. Two minutes into the game, Jess Haw made a great run from the left wing, passing many defenders and scored the first goal from a strike at the top of the circle.

Dragons were on fire with positive passing play throughout the field, which soon lead to the second goal being scored from a short corner, calmly tapped over the line by Aditi Naik. The high intensity of play continued from Dragons and the third goal of the game was driven home from Debs Smith again from a short corner to end the first half 3-0.

The second half saw Norwich City create more opportunities as Dragons intensity dropped, but the defensive combination of Kat Speirs, Bella Capps, Angela Muragtroyd and Esme Potter dealt with all City attacks to maintain another clean sheet this season. Dragons remained patient and managed to convert a third short corner of the game for the fourth goal of the game, this time scored by Ally Windsor Waite.

The final score was 4-0, joint POM for Jess Haw and Esme Potter and a champagne celebration at the end for winning the Empressa Norfolk Premier League and gaining promotion with one game to spare!

Thank you to Sophie Barrow, Kate Mckenna, Carmel Windsor Waite and Hannah Hardy for coming to support us and enjoy the mini party at the end!

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Lowestoft Railway 1s:  2-1

 

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v City 3s:  0-9

With the weather considerably milder than the past few weeks we took on Norwich City 3s.  It turned out to be a tough match against skilled opposition with the final scoreline reflecting this at 0-9 against.

Although we went out fighting from the start City scored in the first 5 minutes, they then proceeded to score from short corners they were awarded and also in open play.
In the second half we had our best chance, Sue Cross received the ball in front of the keeper from Lizzy McDonnell, laid it off to Harriet  who took a shot at goal but unfortunately it skimmed past the post.
We had set up in a defensive formation but even so often felt outnumbered in the D and had little time in midfield to move the ball forward.
We did have a number of breaks against the run of play but unfortunately were unable to capitalise on these.  Our work rate remained strong throughout the match.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Pelicans 3s:  11-1

Fielding 12 players this week with lots of illnesses, there was one clear message from Captain Woody this week…HAVE FUN!

The 6s had already achieved so much throughout the season, this game was about supporting each other, working together and enjoying it.

I think it’s safe to say that the 6s grew into the game. Finishing the first half at 2-0 and with Pelicans upping the pressure, Dragons knew that they needed to continue to pile on the pressure.

They definitely did!

The forward line of Gemma Ballard, Jane Wells and Jess Vernon were spectacular. They worked as a unit, pre-empting passes and knowing where each other were going to be, the goals really started to fly in. Gemma getting 5 and Jane 2.

The mid-field worked hard to support them. Floss Andrews, Charlotte Knight and Flori Smith all making it onto the score sheet.

Jen Buskell’s inspired run from defence saw a cracking shot from the edge of the D. Casually dribbling the ball up herself through several player.

Jade Blanchflower held the centre of the pitch at bottom of the diamond to distribute out.

Hannah Woods, Kate Atkins and Stella Windsor-Waite dealt with the Pelican’s attacks well.

A special mention should go to POM Stella. She was aggressive in defence, putting in some fantastic covering tackles, supporting the midfield, stepping in front of her player and commanding the left. A very mature performance from someone so young!

A top 2 finish is guaranteed for the 6s BUT its close at the top. Lowestoft Railway are on equal points but with a better goal difference, they play each other in the last game of the season. 14th April – 11.45am – the Den will be the place to be. The 6s will be grateful of lots of Dragon’s fire in the race for the championship!

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s  v Dereham 5s:  4-1

The 7s kept up their promotion push with a win that was comfortable enough, although the match never reached any great heights. Dragons left Dereham feeling that they had got away with some pretty rubbishy play, and were later astonished to find that results elsewhere had gone very much in their favour. So perhaps over the season the luck really does even out. After an excellent training session midweek, the 7s were hoping to build with some good ball speed, fast accurate passing, tight marking and sharp shooting. Oops! It didn’t happen, or rather not until the last 10 minutes of the game. On any other day we would have been raving about Adelice Kraemer’s four-timer. And indeed Addi did show the benefit of being a big strong forward making a nuisance of herself in front of the goalie. But truth to tell we coulda/shoulda had half a dozen more and the penalty corners were disappointing too.

In the first half, the 7s lost possession too many times and the passing was poor – and none worse than the DOTD pass by Bridget Le Good that let in the Dereham forwards to score and bring the score back to 2-1. It spoilt Emma Northie North’s chance of another clean sheet when she didn’t look like being beaten by anything. There were another couple of occasions when the entire defence missed a through ball, and if the young Dereham forwards had had the stick skills to match their speed Dragons could have been in trouble.

However, gradually the defence asserted their superiority. Bridget almost redeemed herself with a reasonably high percentage of accurate hit outs, and there was some determined tackling from Emma Dyer and Lily Crew. Louise Brooksy Brooks gave her usual full on performance at the bottom of the diamond and picked up her usual quota of smacks as a reward. When Brooksy had to take a break, Mads Gibbs provided some excellent cover on a very sprightly centre forward. Lily Crew again showed she can be a competent defender and a creative midfielder.

The mids did not make a confident start. They were not first to the ball and the passing was poor by their standards – and there were times when they were robbed because they tried to do too much. But as a unit, they will never give up. With Stevie Spencer in the centre, and with Amelia Keitley-Webb and Maisie Dearmer on either side, Dragons have three quick, determined mids more than capable of the hard work that gets you through the tough spells. In the second half they did some excellent tackling back as well as setting up the forwards, and Mads, Lily and Brooksy were also involved in some nice linking moves.

With only 12 players, the forwards also had to up their work rate in order to allow Addi to play high and demo how well she can shield that ball. She really is untackle-able! Captain Claire Fairhurst was at her best wide left, linking nicely with Amelia and Stevie. On the right, Mia McGhee injected some real pace in her runs, frequently coming from deep and making some excellent crosses. Both Mia and Claire went close with their follow ups, and Amelia had some good shots which somehow found the goalkeeper.

Dragons know their promotion fate is now in their own sticks and they know they can perform far better than they did today. Several players got one or two POM votes. But the real star of the day? Step forward Lilly Sore, who umpired her first league match. Calm, authoritative and confident, Lilly showed excellent judgement on when to penalise the footballers and when to let the game flow. Well done Lilly.

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v Watton 3s:  0-6

 

Ladies 8’s player of the match – Nic Harrison

Following the euphoria of after winning the previous match, the feeling going into this match was that “anything was possible.”

This game was always going to be a hard one as the opposition are a team that was relegated from the league above at the end of last season. The #awesomeeights started slowly and struggled to find their grove. There were glimmers of hope, especially when encouragement and pointers were offered from the side-lines (thanks Mike Hardy).

Positioning, on a whole, was good but like the eights, enthusiasm slipped at times. When we were on point the play was fluid and the ball quickly found its way into the oppositions D. When the eights remembered what we have been practising, played the ball wide, with short direct passes or passes into space we easily had the upper hand. Unfortunately, this wasn’t maintained consistently throughout the match giving Watton the chance to get the ball to the top player who went on to score four of their six goals. Slip ups in marking also gave them opportunities which they shouldn’t have had.

The second half showed a massive improvement in the eights game, with the team working closer together, posting up and good communication from the defence team. Special mentions must go to Nic Harrison who yet again gave an enthusiastic, tenacious performance earning her the man of the match award. Also, to Sophie James who despite a nasty knock to the elbow which required some attention from an ice pack, dusted herself down and returned to the pitch to keep fighting on and driving the ball up the field. Special thanks to Esther Jacobs for doubling up and manning the goal for us, your encouragement, knowledge and communication was brilliant and went a long way to getting us back on track when heads dropped.

So, as we enter the last bit of the season, thanks to the trio of re-scheduled matches, #awesomeeights need to remember to;

  • Work as a team – Communicate with each other
  • Don’t crowd
  • Try to keep to the 3-pass rule (it really works)!
  • MARK players, especially the dangerous ones
  • Post Up
  • HAVE FUN – after all this is why we play hockey.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Magpies 2s:  0-1

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v City 4s:  13-1

There was to be no dragon slaying for Norwich City 4ths this day: for they were put to the sword 13-1 (HT 3-0) by a rampant dragons 2nds! Eddie Gould got the ball rolling from a short corner strike and the visitors never looked back. Dragons mix of youth and experience ran amok putting ten second half goals past the hapless home keeper. City scored a consolation making it 5-1 but this only spurred the away side on to greater things. Scorers were Eddie Gould 4, Alex Browne 4, Jonathan Chaney-Baxter 4 and Ed Murphy. Tireless work from Pedro Goss got him MOM.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v IES 3s:  1-2

 

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Ipswich 3s:  0-5

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s – no game

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norfolk Nomads:  2-1

This was the final game of the season for the mens 6th team and was, once again, a postponed match from earlier in the season. The approach to this game was very much the same as others, that being short, accurate passing and retaining the ball as much as possible. The first half was a very tight affair with neither side making a significant breakthrough. In reality we were very evenly matched. There were very few penalty corners awarded to either team and it was a close battle in midfield to retain possession.

 

At half time, the team talk was to continue playing in the same style and we would eventually make the breakthrough. Within 10 minutes of the re-start Dragons made the breakthrough with a clean strike on goal from Rob Lee being turned into the Nomads goal by Thomas Helfer right on the near post. A lovely taken goal. It didn’t take long for Nomads to strike back when they managed to break into the dragons final third and managed to get a clear shot into the Dragons net.

 

With the game slipping away, a draw looked the most likely outcome, but in the dying minutes Bobby Sheppard broke though into the Nomads circle and took the shot which was initially blocked but Tommy Chapman was on hand to turn the ball into the Nomads goal. Shortly after, the whistle blew for the end of the match with another win for Dragons 6.

 

As it was the final game of the season we had an individual vote by each team member for Man of the Match. A clear winner was Tommy Chapman for great play up front and scoring the winning goal.

 

As captain this season, I would just like to publicly record my appreciation to every player who has turned out for the mens 6th team this year. It has been a tough season with the league reorganisation, and we effectively went up a division when the two bottom leagues were split geographically. Because of this we didn’t get the results we all hoped for during most of the season, but at no time did anyone give up or throw the towel in. In fact everyone dug deep and kept trying their individual hardest to improve themselves and the team results. As a consequence, we finished the season winning 3 out of the last 5 games and the final two consecutively. This showed how much everyone kept the right approach and desire to succeed, right up to the final whistle of the season. Well done everyone and I am proud to have been your captain this year.

 

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys A v Watton 17-0

 

 

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys B v Dereham 7-1

In great conditions for hockey a strong looking Dragons B took on Dereham away from home

Initial early pressure led to an excellent solo goal from Lawrie Williams. This allowed us to start to play the open attacking game we wanted to.

We continued to press but there was always a threat from Dereham on the break.

Some driving runs from midfield bought a short corner, which came to nothing and an excellent save by the Dereham keeper.

Second goal eventually came and it was another solo by Lawrie after pressure had bought other chances in the preceding 5 minutes.

Despite dominating we remained vulnerable to counter attack. Dereham subsequently  forced an excellent save from Adam Jones in goal and well disciplined defence from Will Mares and his back line.

Our 3rd was an excellent well worked goal from Josh Cormack and the 4th  came just before half time from Jake Reynolds to leave us looking very comfortable at the break.

Ht

We started the 2nd as we finished the 1st half with a great goal for Josh almost straight from push back.

Tenacious defending and good save by Adam followed by deserved Dereham goal to make it 5-1. Despite the score line Dereham never gave up and continued to make a great game of it.

Game more stretched both sides opportunities with Will having a breather with Bertie Pinching and Harvey Nkrumah filling in well and some great shielding play by Daniel Shirley kept Dereham attacks at bay.

Dragons worked the Dereham keeper and a dogged Dereham refused to give up and chances at both ends

As Dereham tired a sweeping move bought the 6th from Archie Grieg who scored his first ever Dev goal.

The scoring was completed with the Dragons 7th coming from Josh who completed his hatrick

World class save at the death from Adam who had busier afternoon than score would suggest.

The game finished 7-1. It was an excellent performance and a thoroughly enjoyable, good spirited game.

Tommy Chambers

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Girls v  Dereham:  2-2

 

Sunday
Dragons Dev Girls v Pelis:  3-0

 

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NDHC League Match Reports: 17th and 18th March 2018

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1s17/03/18Cam Uni 1H13.15P-P
L2s17/03/18Bury St Ed 1A12.00P-P
L3s17/03/18Evergreens 1H12.15P-P
L4s17/03/18UEA 2H9.45P-P
L5s17/03/18Broadland 1H10.30P-P
L7s17/03/18City 7H11.30P-P
L8s17/03/18Dereham 5A14.15P-P
M1s17/03/18City 2A13.00P-P
M2s17/03/18IES 3H14.00P-P
M3s17/03/18Bury St Ed 2A16.003-1 (L)Jono Chaney-BaxterJoel Lawrence
M4s17/03/18Ipswich 3H15.00P-P
M5s17/03/18Ips Cranes 1A14.00P-P
BD A17/03/18CityA16.45P-P
BD B17/03/18MagpiesH15.455-0 (CW)
GD17/03/18City AA16.00P-P

 

Saturday 17th March

All fixtures were postponed except Men’s 3s.

Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Men’s 3s v Bury St Edmunds 2s:  1-3 

Goalscorer:  Jono Chaney Baxter

MOM:  Joel Lawrence

 

Sunday 18th March

Empresa Norfolk Women’s League, Premier Division

Ladies 3s v Lowestoft Railway:  2-0

Following all matches being cancelled in Norwich on Saturday, Norwich Dragons Ladies 3rd team could not believe the message from Lowestoft from the comfort of their warm beds early on Sunday morning, ‘no snow or frost in Lowestoft, so the game should be on’!

We all arrived in Lowestoft at 9.15am on a Sunday morning with thermometers reading 0 degrees, most players with many base layers in disbelief that we were actually going to play hockey. Despite the pitch being a bit solid in places the umpires deemed the pitch playable.

Dragons began the game positively despite the wind chill from the East, creating some positive attacking play down both wings from Sam Franklin, Lucy Buxton and Elsa Scott (making her 3rd team debut). Dragons were soon awarded with a short corner that was deflected past the Lowestoft keeper for the first goal by Hannah Ellis.

The forward combination of Maddy Reynolds, Jess Haw and Ally Windsor Waite were combining well with Hazel Knights in centre of midfield to cause the Lowestoft defence problems, which soon resulted in the 2nd goal calmly slotted over the goal line by Maddy Reynolds.

At half time the team grouped together mainly to keep warm and called for more positive play in the second half. The second half saw the majority of the play in the Lowestoft half, but the defensive combination of Sophie Barrow, Sarah Wagstaff, Angela Murgatroyd and Kat Speirs were on their toes for the full game and maintained a clean sheet in difficult conditions.

Despite many opportunities for Dragons in the second half we were unable to score more goals and the game ended with a 2 0 win for Dragons and many blue knees and arms! Hazel Knights and Hannah Ellis shared player of the match.

A big thank you to all our dedicated supporting parents and Mike Hardy who braved the sub-zero temperatures to cheer us on and a special mention for Tracy who managed the substitutions brilliantly despite being given the teamsheet for Saturday not Sunday by the captain!

 

 

NDHC League Match Reports: 10th March 2018

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1s10/03/18Canterbury 2A12.452-1 (L)Lucy MortonStacey Lee
L2s10/03/18Christchurch 1H12.156-0 (W)Shelly Seaman
Debs Painter
Kate McKenna
Maddy Reynolds
Jess Bennett
Laura Ward
Shelly Seaman
L3s10/03/18UEA 2A10.000-3 (W)Ally Windsor-Waite
Jess Haw
Fiona Fletcher
Catherine Matthews
L4s10/03/18Broadland 1A10.455-3 (L)Caroline Wolfe
Gina Hunt
Lisa Harwood
Elsa Scott
L5s10/03/18Loddon 1A12.302-0 (L)Kat Speirs
Sue Brumby
L6s10/03/18Thetford 1A11.000-0 (D)Gill Walker
L7s10/03/18UEA 4H11.301-2 (L)Bridget Le GoodLouise Brooks
L8s10/03/18City 7H9.452-1 (W)Mehnaz Shammy
Sophie James
Emma North
Emma Merryweather
M1s10/03/18Dereham 2H15.001-3 (L)Rupert SnellingOllie Buck
M2s10/03/18UEA 2A14.301-5 (W)Elliot Jones
Eddie Gould
Jono Chaney-Baxter
Pedro Goss
Jono Chaney-Baxter
M3s10/03/18IES 2H13.150-6 (L)
M4s10/03/18IES 4A11.304-0 (L)Alberto Embarba
M5s10/03/18IES 5H14.001-0 (W)Andrew Cross
M6s10/03/18City (f)A10.002-4 (L)Edward Crosier
Bobby Sheppard
Angus Reid-Edwards
BD A10/03/18MagpiesH15.455-3 (W)Charlie Creasy
Freddie Royall x2
Will Bowman x2
Edward Cross
Charlie Creasy
BD B10/03/18WattonA16.002-1 (W)Tommy Chambers
George Wilson
Sam Hancock
GD10/03/18MagpiesH10.301-2 (L)Nellie OngNellie Ong
Hannah Marjoram

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Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Canterbury 2s:  1-2

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s embarked on the long trip down the M11 for the last time this season to take on mid-tabled Canterbury 2s. The game started off relatively evenly, with the Dragons forward line of Stacey Lee, Hayley Toleman, Issy Wolfe and Lucy Morton stringing some nice passes together and putting pressure on the host’s goal. Canterbury also had their own chances, finding gaps in the Dragons’ press on a number of occasions and creating opportunities through overload situations. The defensive unit remained cool under pressure, however, and kept Canterbury at bay. Special mention to Sophie Thomas for saving a ball virtually on the line and calmly clearing it wide after a 2 on 1 situation. However, a scrappy situation in the D subsequently led to the hosts scoring a soft goal putting them 1-0 up going into half time.

The second half began the way it ended, seeing Canterbury extend their lead through some effective movement in front of the goal and a simple push into the back of the net. Following this, the Dragons managed to lift their level of intensity. After a period of sustained pressure, the Canterbury defence was split by a silky piece of individual skill from player of the match Stacey Lee. While her shot on goal was initially saved, a follow up from Lee saw her pass to well-positioned Lucy Morton, and the youngster slotted the ball home to score her first goal for the Ladies 1s. Unfortunately, the visitors had left the revival too late, and the score ended 2-1 to Canterbury.

 

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Christchurch 1s:  6-0

Dragons welcomed Sophie Barrow back into the team, following good performances for the 3’s and her continued hard work in training. Also Laura Ward made a welcome return as did Debs Painter, with Kiera Goymour and Lucy Morton again moving up to the 1st Team. The warm up was good and Dragons were ready to continue their strong end to the season.

 

Dragons had all the early pressure with Laura Ward, Maddy Reynolds and Jess Bennett linking up well from the start and threatening with early opportunities. The pressure told with the opening goal coming after around 8 minutes from a ball fired in from the wide left, finding Kate McKenna who bravely nipped infront of the GK for a fine deflection into the corner. The home team continued to apply the pressure. The midfield of Gail Thomas, Debs Painter and Hannah Hardy were picking up any loose balls and feeding the willing forward runners. The second goal came midway through the half following good link up play with Laura Ward and Maddy Reynolds, the youngster Reynolds was cool and calm and slotted the ball past the Keeper.

 

Before half time, Christchurch had a couple of good breaks and earned short corners which were well dealt with by the Dragons defence of Carmel Windsor-Waite, Karen O’Neill Simpson, Sophie Barrow and Shelly Seaman. The home team had short corners of their own, which they didn’t quite execute, but they did add a third before the break moving the ball swiftly from right to left, Harriett Green again in a great position fired the ball across the D, finding Laura Ward who got a perfect deflection ahead of the keeper to glance the ball into the net (obviously inspired by Kate McKenna’s earlier effort).

 

Knowing Christchurch would come out hard after the break, Captain Karen called for concentration and to continue a high workrate. Whilst dominating possession the play wasn’t quite so slick or clinical and it took some time to add to the scoring. Eventually the goals came, having earned a number of short corners firstly Debs Painter fired firmly into the corner from a sharp short corner strike, then in the last 10 minutes, Jess Bennett did similar, firing into the corner from a short. The final goal, also from a short corner, saw great work by Harriett Green finding Laura Ward, who all but scored, but with Dragons Player of the Match Shelly Seaman making 100% sure on the back post to bundle the ball across the line, to seal the points with an emphatic 6-0 scoreline.

 

Credit to Christchurch who always battled and fought for every ball and who had a couple of fierce efforts on goal in the second half, smartly saved by Dragons GK Luisa Valentini. With 3 games to go, there’s still plenty to play for in this tight league.
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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v UEA 2s:  3-0

This week saw Dragons Ladies 3’s travel to UEA to play their ladies 2nd team keen to continue their winning run following a week off last week for the snow. Dragons were determined to have a good start from the first whistle following a few slow starts in the month of February. Dragons made a positive start creating too many opportunities to count, which were either saved by a solid UEA defence or narrowly missed either side of the post. Despite the positive attacking start the score remained 0-0 at half time.

The call at half time was to continue with the good passing play from the team and remain patient and the goals would be scored. However, UEA maintained a strong defence until half way through the second half when Jess Haw managed to score our first goal with a composed touch over the line. Dragons soon scored their second goal from a short corner which was calmly completed by Ally Windsor Waite. The third goal came from some good passing play down the pitch from Debs Smith to Lucy Buxton for Fiona Fletcher to finish from the penalty spot.

A great team effort with strong performances for Bella Capps, playing her first game for the third team this season and Catherine Matthews who won the player of the match award.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Broadland 1s:  3-5

It was a tough physical game ahead of us so we were ready for an energetic game.
Broadland worked well together and very much in our half most of the game, but we broke free and found our pace to execute the first goal which was crossed to Gina Hunt who hit it into the far corner.

With Broadland’s team working well and their ability to know exactly where to pass the ball to their players we soon found things difficult only to be met with a goal from them to equal the score. Another two goals went their way finding ourselves 3-1 down. Our defence Sarah Wagstaff, Jemima Williams, Katie Franks tried so hard but were not able to stop the clever play by Broadland.

Vicki Earley and Hannah Edwards worked tirelessly down the middle with Ellie James, Elsa Scott and Gina working the mid to wings. This paid off as we found ourselves with another goal by Lisa Harwood from a short corner who sneakily lifted it over the defences’ feet.

They went on to score another one making the score 4-2.

Another amazing goal was scored by Caroline Wolfe with an amazing hit from a short corner.
Esther Jacobs tried her hardest in goal but Broadland were a force to be reckoned with and they went on to score another making the final score 5-3.

Broadland played a very well constructed game but our team worked so hard and we should be pleased with our work rate.
MOM Elsa for learning her position getting better and better as the match went on. Thanks to Elsa and Hannah for their first appearance in Dragons’s  4’s.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Loddon 1s:  0-2

Ladies 5’s were raring to go this week after all the snow in what felt like positively tropical temperatures in comparison. A thorough warm up was expertly led by Lou Davis ensuring all players were ready for the match ahead.

The first half was end to end, each team pressing the other eager for a goal. Loddon played a strong game in the centre of the pitch keeping the midfielders Sue Brumby (POM), Ginny Simkin, Niamh Somers and Lizzy McDonnell working hard. Each midfielder tried to create opportunities for the forwards, but true to form Loddon’s defence were fast and were not making it easy.  There were several opportunities created for Dragons with Amy Forse, Sue Cross and Jenna Inglis working hard to send balls towards the D and into the attacking space with Lilly Sore sending in some lovely crosses from the right side. The half time score was 0:0.

The second half maintained intensity and Loddon pressed hard but the defenders, Steph Samson, Lou Davis and Mel Widdows kept their cool, clearing numerous balls. Eventually Loddon using their speed and hunger for a goal broke through and made it 1:0. Dragons pressed back quickly looking for an equaliser but found that Loddon had gained more confidence and were intercepting balls and quickly on the counter. Loddon were awarded a penalty flick which saw Kat Speirs (POM) having already made a number of cracking saves, rise to the challenge causing the shot to go wide.

The game remained end to end and the work rate from all players showed the hunger for an equalising goal. However Loddon had other ideas and managed to sneak another goal past us in the last few minutes of the game making the final score 2:0. Every player gave it their all this week and we were unlucky not to get a goal but the work rate and good linking play is a great positive to take forward to our next game.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Thetford 1s:  0-0

Dragons knew they were in for a different type of challenge against Thetford. Their position in the table does not reflect their resilience and team work for a side struggling to get 11 players each week.

Dragons dominated possession throughout the whole match. Keeper Emily Roper was never really put under any pressure. However, Dragons just could not make the breakthrough they deserved.

Welcoming Joanna Jennings into the team this week, she proved to be a valuable asset in midfield, picking up a few POM votes. It was Gill Walker that came away with the landslide majority. She worked tirelessly at top of the diamond, creating chance after chance and never giving up.

Flori Smith was also a great addition, missing lots of games due to school, her regular training attendance really showed, making some great runs up the left of the pitch and getting some great crosses in.

The 0-0 scoreline did not reflect the pressure that Dragons put on Thetford, however, it does reflect the resilience of the 11-strong Thetford squad with a keeper who made some cracking saves.

With 3 games left, only goal difference separates Dragons and rivals Lowestoft. Are we setting ourselves up for a title decider on 14th April? If we are it will be a game not to be missed!

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s  v UEA 4s:  1-2

The 7s suffered a dent to their promotion hopes, with UEA completing the seasonal double over them. The 7s had a plan, based on the training session, but it seemed as though the students had the same plan – and were executing it just that bit better in every department. They had three fast forwards, with speed on the wings and plenty of tricksy skills from their centre forward. The Dragons’ defence had to work really hard, with a lot of last ditch tackling and not so much of their usual poise. Fortunately, Louise Brooksy Brooks (POM) was in outstanding form and there were not too many clean shots for Emma Northie North to deal with, but she remained calm and competent. It was UEA who were constantly first to the ball, and they also showed admirable persistence coming back time after time to tackle back. It was well into the second half before Dragons began to match the visitors for determination and energy. In this game, Dragons didn’t have a big strong forward to impose herself in front of the goalkeeper. All the forwards worked hard, but the crosses went begging and no-one chased down the rebounds.

UEA opened the scoring in the second half with a neatly taken penalty which just went past the keeper and behind the post guard. Their second was a reward for their determination to keep chasing back and working the ball through. Dragons did then up their game, but lacked a cutting edge. Their goal came when they won a penalty seconds before the end of the match. So there was no reason to prevent Bridget Le Good from coming up from the back. With no pressure, she smashed the ball home but it was no consolation.

Although Dragons were disappointed, it was no disgrace to be beaten by such a good team on the day. It serves to remind them that nothing less than 100 per cent effort will get them promotion and probably what they need right now is a bit more physical positivity and in most cases a lot more bravery to match the skills and game understanding they have. And it can be done!

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v City 7s:  2-1

WE WON! WE WON! WE WON! (Not out of the system yet but will get on with the rest of the report!)

So, before the match started hopes were high and there was a buzz in the air despite another early-ish start. Luckily all that mother nature had left to throw at us was a quick sprinkling of the wet stuff. Both teams were eager as they warmed up alongside each other, so keen we managed to start the match a whole five minutes early.

From the start the #awesomeeights were gunning for that long-awaited win. Following some really positive training sessions with Mike and Shelley, pre-match email reminding us of what was taught and then moral boosting pre-match chat, the eights turned knowledge into action and attacked the game. Following advice from Amy Forse and conversations between Captain and Vice-Captain a few strategic tweaks were made to positions and subbing, resulting in getting the very best out of every single player.

Once again goalie Emma North put in a feisty performance dominating the goal mouth and making sure the opposition knew who was boss with some fantastic clearances and saves. She once again provided valuable communication and being the eyes in the back of the defences heads. Vice-Captain Jo Baker again produced some spectacular sling-shots to the opposite end of the pitch and drove the defence team to push from the back. Even when she was tripped and winded (following a brief stint off the pitch to recover) got back on the pitch and fought back. Emma “Mouse” Fielding offered fantastic cover when Jo was off the pitch, her speed and fast feet meant that she is quickly become a threat to anyone that tries to attack and was fantastic at backing up and supporting her team mates. Anna Chapman’s confidence increases with every match, her energy, endurance and speed means she has the ability to push high (which scares the opposition). Her ability to read the game is brilliant and free hits and clearances improve week on week. The fourth member of the defence team Johanne Steward tackled bravely and worked hard throughout, meaning there was no easy way in for City.

Captain Katy stepped up into her new role as bottom of the diamond tackled well, cleared the ball up the pitch and provided a great back up to the defence team despite being elbowed consistently by the opposition. Tenacious-N Nic Harrison and Tracy S-S proved that age is just numbers as they provided drive and speed down the wings and providing width to the game, keeping the game moving and City battling to keep up! Nic’s excitement and enthusiasm goes a long way to motivate the #awesomeeights and continues to be a massive asset to team.

A lot can be said about Emma Merryweather! But firstly, mend quickly Merry we need you back asap! Her speed is relentless, and City found that she was hard to mark because of this. Her reverse stick skills also contributed to confusing the opposition which gave us another advantage. Unfortunately, due to an injury, she was missing from the pitch for the last 20 minutes of the match. By this time, she had already more than earnt her MOM award alongside Goalie Northy. Youngsters Sophie James and Mehnaz “M” Shammy provided the legs up front, they worked well as pair and their persistence paid off with a goal a piece for the pair. Once again Lois Metcalfe provided stability, experience, knowledge and direction up front, moving the attacking forwards around, threatening the goal and getting numerous short corners awarded to us. Shaniece Claxton also gave a stellar performance and her strength and spirit showed throughout the game, tackling and distributing the ball. Sadie Jacobs once again showed an increase in confidence, made regular calls for the ball and got ahead to make early threats in the D, she is increasingly becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Summing up, well we are going to enjoy this, so the celebrations may (will probably) continue into training, we are learning to re-set quicker and to face the ball. The fighting spirit has never left the team this season, but this win means the world to us and will bolster us for the last four matches of the season #awesomeeights never give up! We need to continue to work as a team because it brings the results, use every player and every inch of the pitch and to continue to really want this!

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Dereham 2s:  1-3

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v UEA 2s:  5-1

Captain fantastic, Richard Mouslon managed a selectorial master stroke this week. Jettisoning experience for youth meant for a perfect blend that would ultimately defeat UEA 2s convincingly. The Dragons managed a comfortable victory, keeping their promotion hopes alive, ahead of 4 vital games in 8 days.

A very poor start to the first half, which luckily did not set the tone for the rest of game gave UEA the lead. The Dragons got all of their calamitous defending out of the way in the first 30 seconds and UEA took the lead. Thanks to some good saves, especially from short corners, by Joel Lawrence, the lead stayed at 1-0. The Dragons eventually managed to maintain some more possession and some excellent work from all four of the youngsters: Jonathan Chaney-Baxter, James Cross, Elliot Jones and Pedro Goss meant the score at half time was 2-1 to the Dragons, thanks to a deflection from Elliot and trademark thunderbolt from The Plumber, Eddie Gould.

The second half soon became a very much one sided affair, with further goals from Eddie Gould again, JCB on debut and Pedro Goss smashing home into the bottom corner from an acute angle.

All in all a pleasing result ahead of a clash against the “best team in the league” IES 3.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v IES 2s:  0-6

 

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v IES 4s:  0-4

On Saturday the 4s visited Ipswich and East Suffolk which was expected to be a tough game.
We started well but after 15 minutes they won a short and their clinical striker shot powerfully into the bottom corner. We started to get back into the game but soon enough they had doubled their lead. Our defence were playing very well but all their chances were coming from short corners.  After Jon’s very inspirational half-time talk we went back out onto the pitch hoping to get something from this game. Early in the second half Angus Blazer made a great run down the line and crossed it to Jordan Hambling who finished it neatly but sadly it was disallowed. By this point in the game we were starting to get mesmerised by Alberto ‘olé’ Embarba’s skills, twisting and turning around the IES players. IES soon enough scored another short corner and then made it 4-0 when their very tricky winger scored a great solo goal. Chris Millar made some great saves throughout to keep us in contention.
Man of The Match went to Alberto who had a wonderful game with his new stick.
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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v IES 5s:  1-0

Dragons Men’s 5’s recorded their 4th win of the season. A 1-0 victory over IES 5. The goal was scored by Andrew Cross midway through the fist half. The victory was thanks to the sterling work in defence and tireless running in midfield, especially Greg Reynolds who the team voted as player of the match.  The ever reliable James King in goal stopped any half chances IES managed to get.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norwich City:  2-4 

It is a complement to M6’s when the opposition walking off say ‘ Can’t believe those guys are bottom of the league’.

On the subject of  Dev Boys, well done Angus Reid Gordon who played his first adult game in goal & with excellent saves(including a Penalty Flick) earned Man of the Match.

City scored first but M6 equalised when Bobby Sheppard put Ed Crosier free to place his shot delicately past the Keeper. City scored again to lead 1-2 at half time. M6 hit back through a fine reverse shot from the top of the D by Bobby. As the game moved into the final quarter, M6’s could not capitalise on a short & as all 11 started to flag without any bench & City scored a further 2 goals

Stephen Holland again showed how much progress he has made in his first season, Andy Key was so good he was not really noticed, Josh Bingham & Rob Lee ran themselves into the pitch(Josh finishing on one leg). In defence Ray Hansell, Rich Davis, Harry Brown & Mike Banham were solid against a table topping attack. Sometimes it is easier to play with 11 but that last 15 minutes is the killer.

Sunday

Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v UEA: 

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys A v Magpies:  5-3

Report by Lawrence Williams

Saturday’s afternoon’s fixture at The Den proved to be a very close encounter with the result coming down to the last 10 minutes of play. There was very high-quality hockey from both sides before Dragons broke the deadlock and opened a lead. This was followed up by a second goal only 5 minutes later, with Dragons going 2-0 up. Magpies pulled a goal back just before half time to bring the match closer.

Magpies were re-energised after half time and increased their tempo and possessional play into the second half. The pressure paid off for Magpies and they turned the game around to take a 3-2 lead. It looked at this point that the match could go anyway. Some tactical rolling substitutions from the Dragons coach, injected more energy into the Dragons play and they began to open holes in the Magpies defence again, with some great right and left-wing play. Dragons made this pressure count and scored 3 times in the last 15 minutes of the match to close off a very entertaining fixture and a successful 5-3 home victory.

Goalscorers:  Will Bowman x2, Charlie Creasy, Freddie Royal x2

MOM:  Charlie Creasy and Edward Cross

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys B v Watton:  2-1

Goalscorers:  Tommy Chambers and George Wilson

MOM: Sam Hancock

The B team over came all odds being out-numbered and out- aged to pull off a great 2-1 win against Watton! Will Mares, the captain, led by example with many forward runs leading to the Dragons winning several short corners in the first half. Dragons were unable to convert these short corners though due to good defending from the Watton team. Dragons had their own defending to do with Watton always quick to break with the long ball forward. Will Sexton, Will Mares and Bertie Pinching all worked hard to be in the right place at the right time to make important tackles and blocks throughout the game. Watton took the lead after one of their quick breaks but Dragons equalised before half time with Sam Hancock getting a cross in from the right wing for George Wilson (u12 boy on dev league debut) to slot it home.

The second half saw the Dragons in attacking form with great breaks down the wings from George, Bertie Pinching and Alex Marjoram setting up Archie Grieg and Josh Cormack in the ‘D’. Watton were defending in numbers though. Tommy Chambers was on fire in the second half, forcing the Watton goalkeeper to pull off a great save. His fantastic work rate was rewarded with Tommy scoring the second goal! Thanks to a point blank save from the Dragons’ keeper Adam Jones towards the end of the match, the B team were victorious. Well played all of you.

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Girls v  Magpies:  1-2

Goalscorer:  Nellie Ong
MOM:  Nellie Ong and Hannah Marjoram

 

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NDHC League Reports: 24th and 25th February 2018

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1s24/02/18Old Loughts 1A13.003-2 (L)Emma Tabrett
Hayley Toleman
Olivia Thomas
L2s24/02/18IES 1H14.002-2 (D)Hannah Hardy
Maddy Reynolds
Hannah Hardy
L3s24/02/18Magpies 4H11.005-2 (W)Jess Haw x3
Ally Windsor Waite x2
Sophie Barrow
L4s24/02/18Evergreens 1A10.00P-P
L5s24/02/18UEA 2H9.301-2 (L)Jade BlanchflowerHannah Edwards
L6s24/02/18Magpies 6H11.456-0 (W)Anita Mancini
Gemma Ballard x2
Harriet Rant x2
Gill Walker
Coco Brown
Stella Windsor Waite
Gill Walker
Harriet Rant
L7s24/02/18Pelicans 4A14.300-6 (W)Claire Fairhurst
Adelice Kraemer x4
Mia McGhee
Madeleine Gibbs
L8s24/02/18Magpies 7A16.303-0 (L)Emma Merryweather
M1s24/02/18UEA 1H14.452-1 (W)Rupert Snelling
Alex Browne
Ali Smyth
M2s24/02/18Ipswich 2A14.00P-P
M3s24/02/18Pelicans 2H12.300-1 (L)Joel Dennis
M4s24/02/18Low Railway 1A14.305-0 (L)Alberto Embarba
M5s24/02/18Newmarket 2H13.151-2 (L)James CrossJames King
M6s24/02/18UEA 4A13.005-0 (L)Stephen Holland
BD A24/02/18Dragons BA15.453-9(W)Mac Beaumont x4
Kit Scott x2
Tommy Gale
Gabe Overton
Edward Cross
BD B24/02/18Dragons AH15.453-9 (L)Jake Reynolds
Will Mares
William Sexton
GD24/02/18WattonH10.152-0 (W)Becca James
Grace Pank
Amy Beadman
Piper Hempsall
Lara King

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Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Old Loughts 1s:  2-3

Dragons Ladies 1s made the trip down the M11 to face already-relegated London side, Old Loughtonians in a desperate bid to maintain their status in the East Prem. With Captain Sarah Jenkins still side-lined by injury, the game saw defensive duo Lou Murray and Holly Reding taking command in the centre of defence, and managing the young Old Loughts side effectively.

The opening 10 minutes of play were relatively evenly matched, with neither side breaking through the other’s defences. The midfield trio of Marie James, Issy Wolfe, and player of the match Liv Thomas, were working well together, and following a well-timed tackle in defence, and some great movement of the ball through Thomas, the ball was threaded behind the Old Lought’s defence. A nicely placed pass from Stacey Lee in front of goal put Hayley Toleman in a great position to slot home and put the visitors 1-0 up.

The Dragons dominated the next patch of play, creating a number of chances in and around the attacking D, and eventually winning a short corner. Tabba Tabrett cooly put her drag flick in the back of the net, making the score 2-0. Despite going 2 goals up in first half, a rough patch in play and a 5 minute lapse in concentration saw the hosts draw the score level to 2-2 going into half time.

The team were called upon to step up the intensity in the second half, and the majority of this half saw Dragons dominate the play. However, with all 11 of the Old Lought’s team camped out in their 23 the Dragons struggled to break through. Another lapse in concentration from the visitors in the last 5 minutes saw a long ball played right through the middle of the pitch from the Old Loughts defence. Their two forwards working effectively together split the Dragons defence and allowed them to slot the ball in the net. While the Dragons won a short corner as the whistle went for half time they were unable to convert, and the girls left the pitch disappointed by a 3-2 loss and almost certain relegation.

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v IES1s:  2-2

Despite the low temperatures and biting wind, the sun shone and the games at the Den survived early pitch inspections. With the Ladies 2’s welcoming league leaders IES, the team knew they were in for a tough afternoon. The home team were pleased to welcome Katy Hands into the team following long term injury, and Maddy Reynolds also returning from illness and injury.
 
Dragons started strongly attacking the IES goal early on and earning a couple of short corners in the first 5 mins, then 2nd of which saw a neat one-two between Jess Bennett and Gail Thomas, with Thomas firing the ball goalwards, with Hannah Hardy on the goalline to make 100% sure – one for the dubious goals panel, but a deserved early lead. Unfortunately within minutes, Dragons were then reduced to a bare 11 players, following a nasty injury to influential defender Ismay Whitaker, who was forced to depart for A&E with what turned out to be a fractured thumb  – get well soon Ismay! Undoubtedly one of the worst seasons for injuries for the team.
 
During the reshuffle of the pack, Dragons lost a bit of concentration, allowing the visitors back into the game and then to take the lead, with Dragons just not being able to clear the D. The score at halftime 2-1 to IES, but Dragons knowing they were very much in the game.
 
With no subs available, the home team needed to dig deep – especially as Katy Hands return from injury was proving to be a little premature, however she bravely battled on with her dodgy ankle. The injury to Katy was a shame as she and Maddy Reynolds were starting to combine well upfront in their newly formed partnership. It was through these two that the equaliser came mid-way through the half, a loose ball was picked up by Hardy and fired into the D, Katy and Maddy combined well to get in behind the IES defence, with Maddy forcing the ball home.
 
Both teams had their opportunities, but the defences held firm. Gail Thomas, Jess Bennett and Shelly Seaman were combining well in the middle of the pitch and breaking down IES attacks. There were a number of strong performances in Dragons shirts, with players playing out of position – Harriett Green asked to slot back into left defender broke down a lot of play in the 2nd half, combining well on the left with Dragons Player of the Match Hannah Hardy, who had slotted in at Left Midfield. All in all, given the fact that Dragons were down to a bare 11, (not all of whom were fully fit), for 60 minutes of the game, it was a fine team performance against top of the league.
 
 
 
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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Magpies 4s:  5-2

This week Dragons ladies’ 3rd team welcomed Magpies’ 4th team to the Den on a bright but fresh February morning. The first goal was scored by Ally Windsor Waite with a strike from the top right-hand side of the D in the left-hand corner of the goal. The second goal was calmly completed by Jess Haw who was perfectly positioned in front of the keeper for the incoming cross from Debs Smith. Harleston Magpies then got a goal back from a second shot at goal which was initially saved by Dragons Keeper Kat Speirs from a short corner. The first half finished with Dragons leading 2 – 1.

The second half continued like the first half with opportunities being created by both teams, however Dragons managed to increase the lead with a second goal from Jess Haw and a converted penalty from Ally Windsor Waite. Magpies continued to stay in the game by scoring a second goal from open play. However, Jess Haw completed a great game on the forward line to gain her second hattrick of the season and score Dragons 5th goal of the game.

The defensive combination of Kat Speirs, Sophie Barrow, Angela Murgatroyd and Esme Potter made a significant contribution to the game, with Sophie Barrow winning the Player of the Match vote for her great defensive and attacking play at right back.

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Evergreens 1s:  P-P

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v UEA 2s:  1-2

It was a cold and early start for the Ladies 5’s with a 9:30am push back. An early pitch inspection revealed that despite the forecast the pitch was only partially frozen and improving by the minute in the beautiful winter sun. As the opposition were UEA they were happy to travel the short trip down the road as both teams were keen to play. This was a key game for the 5’s.

After a thorough warm up Dragons begun with the sun behind them hoping to take advantage of this and gain an early lead. Each team pressed hard eager to score, our defenders Steph Samson, Grace Brown and Georgia Butterworth worked as a cohesive unit clearing the ball from the D. UEA took a few early shots on goal with Amy Forse demonstrating, as ever, that she is a very nimble goal keeper and a force to be reckoned with. After a consistent stretch of pressure on our goal UEA managed to score putting them 1-0 up at half time.

The half time talk centred around intensity of play which we have been focussing on in training over recent weeks. With this in mind we began the second half utilising speed and skills. Hannah Edwards (MOM) worked hard to keep the ball out of our half and push play towards Mel Widdows, Sophia Haehnelt and Lizzy McDonnell, using width and connecting play to try and maintain possession and move forward. UEA hungry for another goal pushed back out of their half and made it 2:0. With everything still to play for Dragons increased the intensity gaining a short corner and eventually after a few rebounds the ball made it over the line off the stick of Jade Blanchflower. This demonstrates that with high intensity play and good linking and communication between our forwards and midfielders we can score goals and this is something we need to remember moving forward. Ginny Simkin moving to top of the diamond late in the game tried to create opportunities for Sue Cross, Sue Brumby, Lilly Sore and Niamh Somers to get us another goal. As a team we pressed hard until the end of the game looking for that equalising goal but sadly we were unable to convert with the game finishing 2:1 to UEA.

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Magpies 6s:  6-0

Ladies 6s hosted their Magpies counterparts on a not so frosty morning at the Den. Following a late call off, Captain Woody donned the goalie pads for the first time as a Dragon. Her pre-match team talk short and sweet – “do not let the ball get to me!”

Taking this on board her team did exactly that!

Dragons dominated the possession from the first whistle – after last weeks grass game they were able to play the pretty supportive hockey they are used to. The forward line of Harriet Rant, Amy Forse, Gemma Ballard and Jane Wells working as a unit to put pressure on the Magpies defence.

The forward line well supported by the midfield. Anita Mancini play making at top of the diamond with Maisie Dearmer, Gill Walker, Coco Brown and Emma Gillard offering lots of support in the attack.

Defensively Kate Atkins, Jen Buskell & Stella Windsor-Waite dispatched any Magpies challenge with assertiveness, being able to push up and support the attack too.

With 6 goals being scored there was lots to celebrate from ladies 6s performance. Gemma Ballard and Harriet Rant getting two a piece. Anita Mancini making it onto the scoresheet and Gill Walker scoring too (expert post play following her short corner injection).

Great teamwork this week ladies and lots of great performances. The 4 way split (Harriet, Stella, Coco & Gill) for POM just goes to show what a great team performance it was!

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s  v Pelicans 4s:  6-0

The 7s showed good form in every department as they completed a comfortable double over a young Pelis team who themselves have gained in confidence and skill over the season. Dragons’ win was very much related to the fact that they had most of the strongest members of their squad available to them. Before the match, they committed to come out with all guns blazing and putting the plan into action helped dispel any lingering memories of the unfortunate defeat last time out.

Dragons pressed from the outset, and moving Adelice Kraemer to centre forward brought rewards. Pelis never really came to terms to her neat touches in front of the keeper, and with a liberal supply of excellent crosses and passes she rattled off a hat trick in the first half and got one more in the second. Addi’s move to high forward left Mia McGhee free to rove the wings and she used her speed to good effect and got on the score sheet. The scoring was completed by captain Claire Fairhurst whose goal was the cheekiest of them all – a very carefully placed low lift with all the pace taken off the ball to beat the keeper. The Pelis keeper, Molly Gromett, once again proved she is an excellent shot stopper and with some brave defending around her did really well to keep the score down. Claire Stuart had a memorable shot saved; Amelia Keitley-Webb peppered the goal from every angle and distance; Stevie Spencer was perhaps under-used for shooting from the top of the circle.

Dragons worked hard to keep a high press on and to keep hold of the ball. Pelis had to work the ball up from the back, and the 7s know where they have a ‘little hole’ which will remain their guilty secret until they can put it right in training! The defence (this time with Lily Crew on the left, Bridget Le Good in the centre and Madeleine Gibbs on the right) were pretty solid, and they have the confidence not to get in the way of keeper Emma Northie North when she is in position to block and clear. So Northie got another nicey Northie cleanie sheetie. Hooray! A great confidence booster for her and the team.

With several players getting POM votes, the contribution of Mads Gibbs was rewarded – she did not miss a single tackle all afternoon. Louise Brooksy Brooks was again outstanding at the bottom of the diamond, making a solid contribution in defence but even more importantly linking her distribution beautifully to the mids. How good it was to have regular 7s players back in the midfield working hard and playing creatively. Amelia and Stevie showed great stick skills and some lovely passes. Sophie James had some nice touches, particularly on the right. Becky Gallagher continues to improve every week and plays solidly when in defence – and gets some excellent penetration when she moves into midfield. The flexibility of players like Becky, the two Claires, and Brooksy’s ability to turn defence into attack is adding another dimension to the 7s play. They have added versatility to their team lineup which enables them to cope with different game challenges.

Solid defence, creative midfield and forwards developing a much-needed cutting edge meant this was a most enjoyable game for the 7s. They know they have a ‘couple of little things’ to work on, but they are well up for the top of the table clash with Loddon next week. Unfortunately, the weather may have a say on the play, but the Super Sevens are definitely ready.

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v Magpies 7s:  0-3

What a game!  The score line really doesn’t reflect this game as the 8’s continued to demonstrate that they are a force to be reckoned with and were even complemented by the infamous magpie Shirley on how good the game was and how she felt that the 8’s had really improved and given them a run for their money.  With no less than 4 new players to the 8’s this week, the optimistic team were super keen to beat the Magpies and improve upon their 1 nil loss from the last time they played them.  A late start of 4.35PM, the sun had already just about gone in and it one of the coldest matches of the season.  From the off set the 8’s battled hard in the wintry conditions on the opponents’ pitch.  Anita Mancini had stepped up to play in goal got 8’s and what a performance she had!  With a close second for POM, she made some cracking saves and did her self and the team proud.  Great communication from the back provided fab and well-needed support to the defence line.  Some excellent clearances and dives stopping many of the fast and hard balls form the well-versed magpies who showed no mercy from the word go.

Jo Baker as centre back once again proved her worth with using many of her amazing slap hits out to the defenders and mids on the wing.  Working well with Anita and the other defenders, Jo helped to maintain the strong shape of the 8’s defence whilst keeping many shots at bay.

Johanne Steward as right back, made some lovely passes with her free hits and got into some excellent spaces, she called well for the ball and you could see that she had definitely been outing into practice what she had learned in training.

Anna Chapman as left back also took some great hits and continued to push up to support the mids, and drop back when needed, her hockey brain is definitely developing and you can see her increase in confidence in every game.

Tracy Stuart-Sheppard as BOD and also on the wing was her usual strong self.  Quick to reset and determined as ever, Tracy provided integral strength in the middle of the pith and distributed the ball well to the other waiting 8’s.

Newcomer Emma Merryweather started off on the wing but the sideline support soon realised that with her speed, she was versatile enough to swap positions and also play TOD.  This girl has speed!  New to Dragons but you could tell from her performance that she already has a honed hockey brain, made great tackles, got into some good positions and distributed the ball well to the other mids and down to the forwards.

Another newcomer Fern Daly fought hard against the tough magpies, called for the ball well and made some great receipts, managed to end the ball up the other on many an occasion and was another new and great asset the awesome 8’s.

Nic Harrison was again her strong and intelligent playing self.  Nic made some lovely tackles and passed the ball down the line with some brilliantly accurate passes that gave the 8’s several opportunities at getting the ball in the D.  Nic also made some note-worthy injections to the receiver in short corners.

Another newcomer Mehnaz Shammy, she may be quiet but she is not to be messed with. Mehnaz fearlessly tackled the opposition and intercepted the ball several times with such ease and accuracy, another new asset to the team.

Katy as TOD and a new position as BOD, turns she can defend as well as attack!  Again after the sideline support switched some players around, Katy’s speed helped to ensure that the Magpies did not concede more than one extra goal in the second half by vehemently attacking the Magpies fast forwards.

Sadie Jacobs left and right forward, continues to earn her place as a high forward, positioning herself well and pouncing on the ball at the right moment, Sadie made some lovely runs into the D and some great shots at goal.  However, the Magpies titanium defence line was just too hard to crack.

Another newcomer Florrie Beck as left and right forward, tackled well, intercepted many balls and made some grand passes to her fellow forwards to make some great shots on target at the goal.  Another one to watch who fitted in really well to her new team.

Lois Metcalfe as centre forward worked tirelessly to receive the ball from the mids and send it into the D.  Lois tackled well and demonstrated some excellent ball control whilst continuing to communicate brilliantly to the forwards and support them when she could.

All in all, some excellent play and the 8’s should be proud.  They really are coming together well despite often having different players each week, they have put into practice what they have learned at training and most of all they love playing!!!  With 4 games to go, they are itching for that second win and they are oh so close to it happening – onwards and upwards for the awesome 8’s.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v UEA 1s:  2-1

This game was Dragon’s second 6 pointer in a row. After coming from behind to beat City of Peterborough last week, confidence was high in the Dragon’s camp. However, the first half was pretty edgy with both sides feeling the nerves of such an important game. UEA were probably the better team in the first half, but there were few clear cut chances for either side. Tom McLean managed to make a couple of good saves, and some outstanding defending from man of the match, Ali Smyth, kept the scores level at half time.
 
Dragons were determined to improve their performance in the second half and put the pressure on UEA, and they did exactly this. A lovely attacking move ended abruptly when Rohan Kaushal was fouled whilst having a clear goal scoring opportunity. This resulted in a penalty stroke for Dragons, which was calmly slotted in by Rupert Snelling. UEA now had to bring the game to Dragons, which left them vulnerable on the counter attack. Matt Knights took advantage of this with a powerful one-handed run down the right wing, leaving many UEA players in his dust. A thumping cross to Alex Browne in the D was controlled perfectly, allowing Alex to turn his defender and slam the ball home. With only 10 minutes left on the clock, UEA won a short corner which they managed to convert after a powerful drag-flick into the bottom left hand corner. The pressure was now really on Dragons, but some great team defending and another super save from Tom allowed them to take all 3 points. Final score 2-1 to Dragons.
 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Ipswich 2s:  P-P

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Pelicans 1s:  0-1

Dragons men’s 3’s took on Pelicans 2’s on a cold but sunny day at the den. Dragons needed some points from this game after losing to Sudbury the week before. However it was Pelicans that scored first with a decent strike. Dragons worked hard to create chances and had most of the attacking play in the second half, but even with several short corners could not find the goals. The end result was 1-0 to Pelicans. Top of the table IES 3’s next week.

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Lowestoft Railway 1s:  0-5

Another bitterly cold Friday evening has all the clubs teams waiting on Saturday
morning in anticipation for that pitch inspection to see whether they can continue that lay in. No such luck for the Men’s 4s who head to Lowestoft (2nd in league) with the icy Siberian winds blowing from the east. With the normal scurrying around trying to locate goal keeper kit, our convoy embark to the Suffolk coast.

Offering up our captain to officiate the game,  its in the hands of birthday boy Andy Kemp (happy 60th) to captain a youthful team.

The 1st half saw some outstanding teamwork with Dragons on the attack and most of the possession. An unfortunate breakaway and superb finishing from Lowestoft took them to 2-0 at half time. Goal keeping finesse by Joel kept Dragons in the game.

With no glucose overload (lack of jelly babies) at half time and some inspirational tactic analysis we commenced part two awaiting  the arrival of some icy showers.

Game came to end seeing 3 more goals for Lowestoft but I feel the
final score is definitely not a true reflection of the game. Fantastic effort from all . 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Newmarket 2s:  1-2

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v UEA 4s:  0-5 

A disappointing performance against UEA 4 who were a beatable side on paper but we were very restricted in availability and I am grateful for the players who were coming back from long term injury and/or are not regular league players, who came along to give us 11 plus one substitute. Once again your captain and scribe played in goal due to lack of keeper availability and our lack of strength in depth showed in open play. We lacked options for keeping possession and allowed UEA too much space to play their own game. They were fortunate to have one or two good strikers of the ball who capitalized when they had the chances close up in the D.

 Their goals were well taken and unfortunately, I am not as flexible as I used to be, so when the ball was heading to the corners of the goal, I was unable to keep them out. I did manage an ‘up and under’ (ask your dad who Eddie Waring was) in a goal mouth clearance which would have taken some poor players head off it had connected, but luckily it sailed off to the half way line and we had a penalty corner awarded against us instead….

 The back four plus one of Mike Banham, Harry Brown, Ray Hansell, Richard Davis and John Butler battled away, along with Sam Nutt, Darryl Robinson, Bobby Stewart-Sheppard and Stephan Holland in midfield but unfortunately it wasn’t our day. There were some bright points shining out of the gloom, with Sam Nutt continuing to impress with his growth as an adult hockey player this year, and new to hockey this season Stephen Holland has also made great strides in getting to grips with the finer points of the game. Especially considering he hadn’t even picked up a hockey stick at the beginning of this seasons campaign.

 Overall, the stand out player and the one receives a deserved Man of the Match was Stephen Holland, who showed the way in effort and application to win everything he could and not give up.

 

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys A v Dragons Dev Boys B:  9-3 

On Saturday the Dragon A’s played the Dragon’s B’s at home at the Den on a particularly cold afternoon.

The first half of the game was dominated by the stronger A team and by  half time were ahead 6-0, with Mac Beaumont and Kit Scott each scoring goals. .

At half time, to make it a more even game, the coaches decided to mix players from both teams. More goals were scored, one from Edward Cross, and the game ended with a final score of 9-3

A team

Mac Beaumont 4

Kit Scott 2

Tommy Gale

Gabe Overton

Edward Cross

B team

Jake Reynolds

Will Mares

William Sexron

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys B v Dragons Dev Boys A:  3-9

 See above

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Girls v  Watton:  2-0 

 

Sunday 25th February 

Dev Girls v City:  0-8

First quarter 0-2
Second quarter 0-4
Third quarter 0-7
Fourth quarter 0-8
 
A tough first quarter for dragons with city scoring 2 goals but we still kept going. Second quarter was even worse but we were trying our hardest, with the ball going from end to end.
Another 2 goals for city.
Third quarter was so much better, but still no goals. Fourth quarter we played the best. We got into the D several times but just couldn’t get a goal.
 
Final score 0-8.
 
Well played girls, we pushed through.

 

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NDHC League Match Reports: 17th February 2018

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1s17/02/18Cam City 2A12.303-1 (L)Hayley TolemanLucy Ripman
L3s17/02/18Broadland 1H15.302-1 (W)Debs Smith
Maddy Reynolds
Kat Speirs
Kath Mares
L4s17/02/18City 4H10.453-0 (W)Caroline Wolfe x2
Lynne Price
Tricia Hagan
Katie Franks
L6s17/02/18Herlings 1A14.000-1 (W)Gemma BallardHarriet Rant
L8s17/02/18Carrow 2H10.00P-P
M1s17/02/18City of Pboro 3H14.004-3 (W)Tom Vaughan
Alex Browne x2
Josh Wiggins
Alex Browne
M2s17/02/18Bury St Ed 2A14.002-2 (D)Rich Gill
Eddie Gould
Pedro Goss
M3s17/02/18Sudbury 2H15.002-4 (L)Jon Goodson
Will Kirby
M4s17/02/18IES 4H11.302-4 (L)Jordan Hambling
Phil York Smith
Paul Keating
M5s17/02/18Bury St Ed 4H13.150-4 (L)Chris Millar
BD B17/02/18MagpiesA14.001-0 (L)Alex Wolfe

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Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Cambridge City 2s:  1-3

The Dragons headed to Cambridge this weekend to replay a match cancelled before Christmas. It was a key match for the Dragons, and a win would allow them to have control over their hopes to stay in East Prem.

The team once again welcomed Shelly Seaman, Lucy Morton and Jess Bennett into the squad, but were missing some key members, including Captain Sarah Jenkins who was on the side-line due to injury. Dragons looked slow to start and were quickly under pressure from Cambridge City. The defence of Cleeve in goal and Reding, Thomas, Seaman and Ripman held tight though and managed to dispel attacks throughout the majority of the first half. Unfortunately, just before half time, a Cambridge player found space in the D and managed to score, putting the home team 1-0 up as the half time whistle went.

After a stern talking to at half time, Dragons started the second half with renewed energy and resolve. Unfortunately, a penalty corner was awarded to Cambridge City and a strong strike from the top of the D pushed the home team 2-0 up.

Dragons didn’t give up though and some good passing between Lucy Ripman and Issy Wolfe led to some promising attacks down the right, feeding into Lucy Morton, Stacey Lee and Hayley Toleman up front, who all worked hard to create chances. It was one such period of play that led to the goal, scored by Toleman, to bring the score to 2-1.

Unfortunately, Cambridge City maintained the pressure and Dragons were unable to find the form they had enjoyed in previous weeks. Lucy Ripman kept the Norwich ladies in the game on several occasions, making goal line saves, and went on to win player of the match. The forwards created several chances for themselves, but it was not to be this week and no equaliser came.

In the final 10 minutes of the game, the opposition scored again, putting the final score at 3-1. A disappointing game for the Norwich Dragons.

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s – no fixture 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Broadland 1s:  2-1

An almost spring like afternoon at the Den this weekend saw a top of the table clash between Norwich Dragons 3’s and Broadland 1’s. This game was always going to be a close encounter and the first half began cautiously from both teams.

Dragon’s attack came from some great crosses created by runs down the left wing by Lucy Buxton and the right wing by Sam Franklin, which Harriet Marlee and Maddy Reynolds in the D narrowly missed wide of the posts.

Broadland put pressure on the Dragons defence of Kat Speirs, Esme Potter, Kath Mares, Angela Murgatroyd and Hannah Ellis who maintained the upper hand despite Broadland coming close a few times and having plenty of short corners. Unfortunately, with the score at 0 0, on the stroke of half time Dragons lost Kath Mares to A&E following a ball to the face to receive dental care.

After a strong half time team talk Dragons were determined to up their game intensity and the midfield of Hazel Knights, Debs Smith, Sophie Barrow and Aditi Naik worked tirelessly in the second half to support both the forwards and defence.

Broadland managed to score first in the second half from an attack down their right wing. However, Dragons responded positively and managed to win a couple of short corners, which led to a penalty stroke being awarded to Dragons, which Maddy Reynolds confidently converted to level the score.

Dragons maintained pressure on the Broadland defence and managed to score a second goal shortly afterwards following the combination of Sophie Barrow and Sam Franklin down the right wing, Sam crossed the ball back to Hannah Ellis at the top of the D, whose shot was deflected into the goal by Debs Smith.

Broadland continued to attack right up until the final whistle, which saw Kat Speirs make some great saves in goal, earning her joint player of the match with Kath Mares. A great team effort right up to the final whistle by the team, consisting of six under 16 year old players, which earned Dragons the win and another step closer to promotion. The whole team would like to wish Kath Mares a speedy recovery.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Norwich City 4s:  3-0

After a frosty start to Saturday the sun shone down on the Ladies 4s, they were looking forward to this rematch against the City 4s.  City won the toss and selected to play with the sun on their backs.  Caroline Wolfe pushed back to Lynne Price who slipped it out right and off we went against a youthful City squad.  The 4s who have a weekly consistent team of players have over the season gelled and work great together. The first 15 minutes were spent pressing the opposition D and City couldn’t clear the ball as it was picked up by Lynne and Vicki Earley.  Caroline, Fiona Fletcher and Gina Hunt were moving around in the D picking up the ball and forced some short corners which weren’t converted.  City looked dangerous when they managed to make the break and had some speedy forwards, but they were closed down quickly on the wings by Jemima Williams and Katie Franks.  Sarah Wagstaff was in the centre defence keeping everyone aware of the opposition play and protecting Kat Speirs in goal.  Trish Hagan, Catherine Matthews and Ellie James were showing their skill and speed to take the ball wide down the wings and create triangular passes down the wings with Lynne.  The first goal came from a short corner passed out by Fiona to Caroline who struck it into the left side where it deflected off the keepers pads into the back of the goal.  First half complete.

After Rob Wagstaffs words of wisdom the 4s were ready for the 2nd half.  City’s frustration was showing and Vicki cut off a lot of their play through the centre.  The 4s kept up the speed and pressure and another goal came.  Ball played into the D by Caroline and picked up by Lisa Harwood rebounds off the keepers pads and slotted through Lisa’s and the keepers legs by Lynne.  The high intensity continued with City trying to force the ball through the press.  Katie and Jemima were able to push higher and support the midfield.  Kat working on her tan was called into action a few times and cleared the ball.  The 3rd goal game from an injection by Trish, deflected by Gina to Caroline who slotted it past the keeper.  Final score 3-0.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s – no fixture

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Herlings 1s:  1-0

On a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon the Dragons headed to the Herlings home pitch which, wait for it… is GRASS. However, the Dragons kept a level head and didn’t let it faze them even though some had not played on grass for over 10 years or ever. The game started with the dragons heading downhill so it was thought best to put maximum pressure on from the get go. Within the first ten minutes Dragons quick passing play saw the ball to Amy Forse who demonstrated skill in the D to make a shot on goal which Herlings goalie saved however the rebound found Gemma Ballard’s perfectly positioned stick to find the back of the goal. 1-0 to Dragons. Incredible as this was Gemma first time on grass. The Dragons forwards made up of Harriet Rant, Amy Forse, Gemma Ballard and Louise Brooks had many more attempts on goal and a few near misses.

Harriet made some excellent low tackles keeping the ball in the attacking end of the pitch she suited playing on grass.  Amy, Jen Buskell and Jade Blanchflower consistently used strong hard hits to move the ball with speed along the grass.  Coco Brown worked tirelessly in the midfield putting in strong tackles and interceptions to switch play. Jane Wells and Maisie Dearmer made themselves a strong option on the wing to pass the ball out wide.  Anita Mancini was solid at the top of the diamond and a crucial part of holding a press on many occasions stopping the ball leaving the attacking 25.

The defence of Kate Atkins, Hannah Woods, Jen Buskell, Emma Gillard and goalie Emily Roper made up the dream team. Emily saved multiple shots on goal including a cracking save with her stick. Jen smacking the ball with some cracking hits to send it up for the forwards to collect. Hannah and Kate both covered the wings well often taking on lone runners and turning the ball around.

Although we kept our game strong no more goals came, and the second half seemed to go on forever but when the final whistle blew dragons cheered in unison.

A special shout out to our traveling supporters and Claire for running the subs.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s  – no fixture 

 

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v – Carrow 2s:  P-P

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v City of Peterborough:  4-3

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Bury St Edmunds 2s:  2-2

Twelve not so hardy men (including a hamstrung Jason Wolfe and prosecco lover – “no it was gin last night”-  Garnett Jones) of the mens 2nds travelled to Bury St Edmunds 2nds for a rearranged game hoping to get back to winning ways and put their promotion push back on track – but unfortunately it wasn’t to be drawing 2-2 (HT 1-1).

On a very mild – some might say warm – day and on a particularly dry, slow pitch dragon’s should have been out of sight by halftime – creating numerous chances but with the home side’s goal living a charmed life and remaining inviolate. Indeed the home side struck first with the pitch’s lack of pace confounding dragon’s keeper resulting in them taking the lead totally against the run of play. An immediate response followed with dragons equalising courtesy of an Edd Gould short corner strike. Sadly, due to a pre match vehicular altercation the usual halftime jelly babies were absent – which may have had implications regarding the result; however we shall never know!

Despite second half ascendancy similar to the first, dragons couldn’t find the net and Bury again took the lead. Dragons kept to the task and finally some exceptional interplay resulted in a well worked goal by Richard Gill. Looking for the winner dragons were denied all three points by the post and some good saves.

Big shout out to MOM Pedro Goss, joint DOD Chris Simmonds and Giles Brooks, Jason’s hamstring holding out and Garnett not requiring oxygen or intravenous prosecco /gin!

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Sudbury 2s:  2-4

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v IES 4s:  2-4

On the third time of asking we welcomed IES 4s to the Den on what was a fantastically sunny day and hopefully the first day of Spring! Two debutantes joined us, Tom Hudson and Mark Walmsey, who will greatly add to our club and are most welcome.
The game was the classic ‘game of two halves’. We lost the first and won the second. IES were quick out of the traps and scored 4 goals without reply! Slightly taken aback we rallied and pulled a goal back from a well worked short corner scored by Andy Carver.
After a half time rallying cry we were determined to at least win the second half. Much better play orchestrated by Mark in defence resulted in some great patterns of play and the Dragons taking the initiative.  Our increased pressure resulted in another short corner scored by Phil York-Smith with a rasping drag flick to the bottom corner. Unfortunately we couldn’t increase our tally but finished the game happy that we had played nearer to our abilities. Man of the Match goes to Paul Keating as does Dragon of the day for tripping himself up and floundering around like an upturned tortoise…
Sunday 18th Dragons
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v North Norfolk 1s:  0-5
Some very tired bodies made the trip up to Cromer for our second game of the weekend against the runaway leaders and already promoted North Norfolk first team. Bolstered by young Angus Blazer and even younger James Cross Dragons were determined not to roll over and try and take the game to a very strong NN. We held out for most of the first half  in fact we asked many questions of the champions elect, much to their frustration. A well taken goal meant we hit half time only one goal down.
Second half started and unfortunately we began to tire and loose a bit of shape. North Norfolk, who hadn’t played the previous day, started to increase the pressure and took the game away from us with four more goals.
Great credit must go to all our team for their commitment and energy and what was an enjoyable weekend of hockey. Man of the match goes to Sol Blazer who commanded our midfield.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Bury St Edmunds 4s: 0-4

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s – no fixture

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys A – no fixture  

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys B v Magpies 0-1

On cold, crisp and sunny day at the Den, one second half goal was enough for Magpies to beat the Dragons development boys team.

In the first half Magpies had more possession but a combination of Dragons’ solid defence and hard-working midfield play meant that Magpies rarely converted possession to shots on goal. There were good counter attacking breaks from Dragons but at half time the score was goalless.

Shortly after the break a miss-hit Magpies shot bounced past the Dragons goal keeper to put the visiting team ahead. Despite increasing Magpies pressure Norwich continued to look dangerous on the counter attack. Kit Scott and Jack Blackham worked hard in midfield and Ben Panter put in a solid display sweeping at the back. In the last 10 minutes however, Magpies continued pressure created a number of shots on target for the visiting team, but a man of the match performance by Alex Wolfe in the Dragons goal kept the lead to just a single goal. Despite more counter attacking from Dragons the home team were unable to score and equalise.

Norwich Dragons can be proud of their effort and must look forward to getting back to winning ways in the next game.

Adam Bowles

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Girls v  – no fixture

 

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NDHC League Match Reports: 10th February 2018

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1s10/02/18West Herts 1H13.302-3 (L)Emma Tabrett
Stacey Lee
Sophie Mullan
L2s10/02/18Nth Norfolk 1A13.002-3 (W)Harriet Green
Kate McKenna
Jess Bennett
Kiera Goymour
L5s10/02/18Low Railway 1H10.45P-P
L6s10/02/18Breckland 1H12.306-0 (W)Amy Forse x2
Gemma Bullard x2
Harriet Rant
Jane Wells
Anita Mancini
Jade Blanchflower
L7s10/02/18Magpies 7A10.303-1 (L)Mia McGheeJoanna Jennings
M1s10/02/18St Ives 1A14.004-2 (L)Rupert Snelling
Josh Wiggins
Patrick Gordon
M2s10/02/18Newmarket 1H11.45P-P
M3s10/02/18UEA 2A13.003-3 (D)Al Browne x2
Matt Hull
Matt Hull
M4s10/02/18Nth Norfolk 2H15.155-0 (W)Jon Price
Will Ives
Rich Phillis
McCartney Aldous
Adrian Kemp
Neil Shorten
M5s10/02/18Low Railway 2A14.303-0 (L)James King
M6s10/02/18City 7H10.00P-P

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Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v West Herts 1s:  2-3

 

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v North Norfolk 1s:  3-2

The horizontal rain and near freezing temperatures came earlier than forecast to North Norfolk, to greet the teams during their warm-up! Dragons welcomed Hannah Ellis to the squad for the second time this season, for this 3rd v 4th battle, in what is turning out to be a tight and intriguing League.

The early possession was with the visitors, with Gail Thomas, Shelly Seaman and Jess Bennett all linking up well in the middle. Kiera Goymour on the right of midfield and Harriett Green and Hannah Ellis on the left, were breaking down play well and setting up the attacks, however despite the possession, Dragons couldn’t create many clear cut chances.

North Norfolk always threatened on the break, particularly through their quick right forward, however the back line of Ismay Whitaker, Sophie Barrow, Shelly Seaman and Karen O’Neill Simpson were making strong, low tackles to frustrate their opponents. The home team earned short corners of their own, one of which was converted at the far post, giving Dragons Keeper Luisa Valentini no chance; giving the home team took a 1-0 lead. Undeterred Dragons continued to apply the pressure, with Jess Bennett going on one mazy run beating a number of players before firing a cross / shot to the far post, which went inches wide. Other attacks  saw Kiera Goymour fire some excellent balls down the line, which the forwards couldn’t quite get on the end of.

Dragons knew they needed to improve in the 2nd half, with words of wisdom from their freezing sideline support, they set out determined to turn their possession into goals. This they did, with their first goal coming following good work between Jess Bennett and Gail Thomas, Thomas found Hannah Hardy in the D, whose initial shot was saved by the GK, however Kate McKenna was in prime position to slot the loose ball home for the equaliser. This spurred the visitors forward, Player of the Match Kiera Goymour found Hannah Hardy on the right, who waited (and waited) for Jess Bennett to make her late run into the D, where she picked the pass up on the run and still with plenty to do, smashed the ball past the GK for a 2-1 lead.

As the clock ran down the game got tighter, both teams at times giving away cheap possession, possibly understandable in the freezing conditions. Both had short corner opportunities, but with around 7 minutes to go, Dragons scored a 3rd goal, following a strike by Goymour from a short corner, which was initially saved, however this time Harriet Green was in the perfect position to pick up the rebound, and with composure turned and slotted home.

North Norfolk weren’t about to give up though and with the clock running down, they stole possession from Dragons just beyond the 25 yard line and following a good move, the ball was picked up in the D and clinically fired in on the reverse into the corner, a fine goal. Sadly for the home team it was too late to change the result, as Dragons didn’t have time to restart the game and so took the 3 points. Another excellent competitive game by both teams which was played in good spirit and very well umpired.

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s – no fixture

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v – no fixture

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Lowestoft Railway 1s:  P-P

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Breckland 1s:  6-0

Ladies 6s started their top of the table clash with Breckland with much confidence. Moving the ball and playing possession Hockey was going to be te key in this game.

The forward line didn’t give up. Amy Forse, Gemma Ballard, Harriet Rant and Jess Vernon made sure they chased down every ball, really putting the pressure on Breckland.

This came with great support from mid-field. Anita Mancini proved pivotal at top of diamond, picking out some great passes allowing the forwards to fill the D and earning joint POM with bottom of the diamond Jane Blanchflower. Jade filled the centre of the pitch, putting in some great covering tackles.

Dragons made some great wide attacks – the wider midfield players of Jane Wells, Louise Brooks and Maisie Dearmer were gutsy and fought hard for every ball.

Defensively Hannah Woods, Kate Atkins and Stella Windsor Waite dealt with any pressure calmly and also managed to join in the attack.

Goalie Esther Jacobs giving some great for direction for movement of the ball and general play. She remained untested.

The final score of 6-0 represented Dragons determination. Any Forse and Gemma Ballard both getting two, Harriet Rant and Jane Wells getting one a piece.

Some huge strides forward in terms of team performance- some well worked short corners and excellent pressing of the ball. Special mention goes to Sarah Wagstaff whose guidance from the dugout meant that dragons were always on top!

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s  v Magpies 7s:  1-3

Once upon a time 13 enthusiastic Dragons – including two playing their first and second games for Dragons – agreed to play a match on a very cold and frosty slip date. Sportingly they even agreed to delay the pushback so that the match could take place. Unfortunately, there was to be no happy ever after ending. The collection of individuals doing their best got a bit of a smacking from the well-drilled Magpies on their home ground, thus avenging the 6-0 win the 7s scored earlier in the season.

There were some bright Dragons periods of play from midway in the first half onwards, as players began to find their team mates. This is the advantage of using the Dragons single system – players who attend training regularly have that basic understanding of how to get the ball from defence to attack. They know how to press a defence and understand the importance of passing smartly. However, the Dragons needed to do better in all departments. The defence fluffed more tackles than they usually do, and the nippy Magpies made more progress than they should have been allowed. Emily Roper was as busy as her opposite number and made some strong clearances, The Magpies opened the scoring with a very smart penalty corner – a defender got her stick to it with the keeper beaten, but it was so powerfully struck that it whistled in. That was a model penalty that the Dragons could not emulate at the other end in three attempts. Magpies other two goals were the results of the Magpies running strongly and the defenders not covering.

Joanna Jennings, making her debut and playing left mid was Dragons player of the match. She displayed quick thinking, quick feet and some quick neat passing. Emma Gillard at left back was close in the voting, and made a high percentage of her tackles. Emma North was back outfield for the first time for several games and notably made one lovely clean block followed by a low lift pass as her confidence grew in the game. The defence looked stronger in the second half when Becky Gallagher dropped to bottom of the diamond and encouraged the unit to stop ball watching and leaving the gaps in the middle.

Unfortunately, the midfield had to be virtually completely changed from the dominant unit of last week so it was not surprising that it took some time to rebuild the understanding of passing and control. Dragons scored when Bridget Le Good took a free hit from about half way. Mia McGhee dummied it and it went through to Katy Cole who collected and sent it across the D to Addi Kraemer who played an accurate cross for Mia to sweep home. As the game progressed, Dragons were able to string two or three passes together, but that wasn’t enough. The Magpies defence was too experienced and too wily to be beaten in the D by anything that was not spot on. Helen Mann, another new player, had some nice runs down the right. Tracey Stuart-Shepherd was a strong presence when she moved to the top of the diamond and Sophie James worked hard.

The 7s should have made much more use of Claire Fairhurst, who like Katy, ran her socks off and did a lot of useful collection on the left.  The 7s rely on getting a lot of ball into the circle and then in their percentage game any number of players can score – but again the wily Magpies managed to make the Dragons look slow to shoot.

This result was a dent to Dragons promotion hopes, but all is not lost. It just emphasises the importance of team play and understanding. The game gave a number of players the chance to show what they can do and everyone did her best and at least had the pleasure of getting the game on. The Super Sevens will get back to their super best again soon.

 

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v – no fixture

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v St Ives 1s:  2-4

Dragons 1s headed to high flying St Ives with some new faces in the squad.

The game panned out as the league table would suggest as St Ives dominated possession and Dragons looked to soak up the pressure and counter attack. The host’s frustration started to show as wave after wave of attacks were held back by the away team.

The game plan played out perfectly as from two quick counter attacks, Dragons found themselves in front courtesy from goals by veteran Rupert Snelling and a first goal for Josh Wiggins for the men’s 1s.

Dragons went into half time two goals to the good. The half time team talk focused on carrying on the positives from the first half and taking the chances that would come our way.

Unfortunately, St Ives, a team renowned for their strength in short corners, were able to win a succession of them in the second half, scoring four, two of which were unstoppable top corner rockets.

Dragons came away from the game being able hold their heads up high as it a good performance, especially considering there were a few new faces in the team.

Man of the match was Patrick Gordon (who won rock, paper, scissors against Josh Wiggins after a tie) with another powerful display in defence.

The next three games are crucial as the men’s 1s are playing teams all within a few points of us as we look to secure division 2N hockey next year.

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Newmarket 1s:  P-P

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v UEA 2s:  3-3

Men’s 3’s were away to UEA 2’s who sit one above in the league. Dragons still need some more points to guarantee safety for next season. Unfortunately UEA scored in the opening minutes which put dragons on the back foot. Dragons started passing and got back into the game through an Al Browne reverse strike. It was an up and down game and UEA managed to find the net again however a cross into the UEA D saw Matt Hull execute a lovely finish to make it 2-2 at half time. Second half dragons were on top however UEA again managed to pull back a goal. But dragons passed well and pressed and Al Browne took it to a 3-3 finish. Unlucky not to win but a decent point with bottom of the table Sudbury next week at home.

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v North Norfolk 2s:  5-0

As we watched the previous game conclude there was a sense of foreboding as the wind picked up and the dark clouds rolled ominously in. Our vigorous warm up was mainly conducted in the dugout where Jones furnished the look of a apprehensive patient awaiting the dentist’s chair. The pre-match huddle was more akin to an attempt to find warmth, like penguins with their backs to the elements, rather than an analysis of any great tactical acumen.

The opposition came at us with vigour and aggression but the defence looked solid, Chris Millar confidently repelling the Northern marauders, with the familiar throaty refrain of the long absent David Pentin commanding and controlling with great effect. Our forward line was as sharp and incisive as a correspondent awaiting the Editor’s stinging knife. Will Ives soon benefiting from a fast, skillful, direct attack which he finished with cool aplomb. As half time approached Dragons had assumed control of the game when our beloved leader Jon Price pounced on a deflection to score a wonder goal at the far post with athleticism the belied his advancing years. Questions were asked whether or not a man wearing a comedy attire should be allowed on a hockey pitch, when it was pointed out that a player calling himself Paul Keating looked as though he had come directly from a low budget remake of Deliverance.

The half time team talk did not contain any Mourinio like pearls of wisdom as one would expect, but centred around the incredulity of witnessing Andy Carver’s sunburnt legs, and his ability to find yet more bizarre ways to fail to score from a short corner. Dragons began the second half in complete control and a fluky goal from the mercurial Adrian Kemp finished the game as a contest. With space opening up, and the opposition starting to fade, Dragons added two further goals from the extraordinarily skillful McCartney Aldous, whose stick;  apparently whittled from the same branch as Potter’s elder wand;  must surely be illegal, and the hard working and dominant Richard Phillis. Man of the Match was unanimously awarded to Neil Shorten, whose form since visiting Trump’s brave new world has been exemplary. Special mention must go to Isaac Diver-Hall whose progress since being forced to play with us has been a pleasure to witness, with his performance today surely deserving praise. Keen to learn about the history of the game he wondered if the game would have gone ahead on a traditional grass pitch. He asked if us older players preferred astro turf  to grass when Kemp who was not paying attention, was heard to mutter that he didn’t know as he had never smoked astro.

Our thanks must go to North Norfolk who played the game with spirit and sportsmanship and especially to the umpires who had to endure terrible conditions, did an excellent job, and without whom we would have been able to enjoy our pizzas and the rugby without having to thaw out first.

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Lowestoft Railway 2s:  0-3

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norwich City 7s:  P-P

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys A – no fixture  

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Tuesday 13th February

Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys B v Norwich City:  4-4

We scored first with a goal from Ben Panter. The first half was going well, we defended well until Norwich slipped one past us. A short corner saw us come back with a tap from Tommy Gale- 2:1. Dragons were enjoying this game. Finn Pond played a great game and saw off a potential goal in the top corner. Great save Finn. We were 3 :1 up at half time with Charlie Creasy getting it past the Norwich keeper.  The game wasn’t the same after half time. Norwich City changed their tactics and the ball just didn’t seem to flow for us. It was soon 3:3 and after what seemed a long second half and an end to end match, Tommy Gale scored 4:3. The game was back on and Norwich City upped the antic, but again Finn did an amazing save. One minute from the end, Norwich City scored and leveled with a 4:4 draw. Good game.

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Girls v  – no fixture

 

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NDHC League Match Reports: 3rd February 2018

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1s03/02/18Wapping 1A14.002-1 (L)Sarah JenkinsSiobhan Cleeve
L2s03/02/18Colchester 2H12.155-1 (W)Lucy Morton
Jess Bennett
Kate McKenna x2
Gail Thomas
Shelly Seaman
L3s03/02/18Dereham 3A14.150-9 (W)Hannah Ellis
Sam Franklin
Hazel Knights
Maddy Reynolds x2
Nat Beal x4
Sam Franklin
L4s03/02/18Magpies 4A15.000-1 (W)Caroline WolfeKatie Lister
L5s03/02/18Evergreens 1H10.301-1 (D)Amy ForseHannah Edwards
L6s03/02/18Nth Norfolk 2H11.300-2 (L)Coco Brown
L7s03/02/18Carrow 2A13.000-4 (W)Jane Wells
Sophie James
Alice Bishop
Claire Fairhurst
Jane Wells
L8s03/02/18Loddon 2H9.450-5 (L)Anna Chapman
Helen Mann
M1s03/02/18Pelicans 1H14.005-1 (W)Rupert Snelling
Ollie King
Tom Vaughan x3
Tom Vaughan
M2s03/02/18IES 2A11.303-0 (L)Rich Gill
M3s03/02/18City 4H15.002-3 (L)Rob Chaney Baxter
Jono Chaney Baxter
Rob Chaney Baxter
M4s03/02/18Magpies 4A16.303-0 (L)Issac Diver Hall
M5s03/02/18Dereham 3H13.151-2 (L)Will KirbySol Blazer
Greg Reynolds
M6s03/02/18Dereham 4A15.002-4 (W)Dan Orsborne
Darryl Robinson
Sam Nutt
Peter Latoy
Sam Nutt
BD A03/02/18WattonA16.000-6 (W)Casper Lind x 2
Jake Reynolds x2
Tommy Gale
Grabe Overton
Arjuna Puvanachandra
BD B03/02/18DerehamH15.451-8 (L)Xander WimmerAdam Jones
GD03/02/18PelicansA12.155-0 (CL)

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Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Wapping 1s:  1-2

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s travelled down to the Olympic park to take on Wapping in the East Prem division. With several weeks of good training behind them, and improvements in match-play coming every week, the squad were confident of a good game against third-placed Wapping. In the early stages of the match, the Dragons gave Wapping a little too much space in the middle of the pitch, and with their fast-paced forwards they were able to capitalise and take a number of shots on goal. Player of the match, Siobhan Cleeve, however, continued to display the fine form that has marked her season, making a number of crucial, sliding and diving saves that kept the Dragons in the game.

The visitors became more disciplined as the half went on, and some good distribution from the defensive unit of Lou Murray, Holly Reding and Sophie Thomas, gave the forwards the space to put pressure on the Wapping goal. Unfortunately, shortly before half time the very wet pitch slowed the pace of the ball as the Dragons sought to switch it around the back. Wapping capitalised on the error, making the interception and getting a shot away from the top of the D. After a number of classy saves from Cleeve, and a scramble in front of the goal-mouth, the ball dribbled over the line to put the hosts ahead as the whistle went for half time.

The second half saw a return of dominance for the visitors, with some strong play in the midfield from Lucy Ripman and Lara Taylor. The forward line of Emma Tabrett, Issy Wolfe, Hayley Toleman and Stacey Lee continued to put pressure on the Wapping defense, winning a flurry of short corners. Unfortunately, the Dragons just couldn’t find the back of the net, and Wapping managed to put themselves 2-0 up with 10 minutes to go after a breaking play.

The Dragons kept their heads, pulling together and embarking upon a sustained attack in the final stages of the game. A short corner in the last five minutes saw Liv Thomas demonstrate a nice bit of individual skill at the top of the D, beating several defenders before slipping the ball to Sarah Jenkins on the penalty spot.  Despite rarely finding herself so far up the pitch, Jenkins managed to lift the ball over the keeper and clutch a conciliatory goal for the Dragons, making the score 2-1 at full time.

Another very close game and another disappointing loss for the team. However, the strong team spirit and determination shown – as well as the continued improvement week by week – demonstrate that we’re still in the fight. We’ll be back stronger next week.

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Colchester 2s:  5-1

With no frost at the Den a full set of league fixtures took place, with the Ladies 2’s welcoming Colchester. Again illness and injury hit the squad with Sarah Borrett likely to be out long term and Ismay Whitaker absent through illness. Sophie Barrow made a welcome return to the team.

Dragons Captain Karen O’Neill Simpson called for the team to take heart from a great team performance the previous week, and take that forward into this game, and that they did with a goal in the first 3 minutes following some fine work by Jess Bennett driving into the D and setting up a relatively straight forward opportunity for Lucy Morton to force the ball home. Dragons piled on the pressure and won a number of short corners, with Jess Bennett and Gail Thomas combining well and coming close on a couple of occasions.

The goals continued to come as Dragons were dominant – Bennett stole the ball from Colchester and drove towards the D, with Lucy Morton making a fine supporting run, however Bennett smashed the ball into the top corner. The third came from some great work by Gail Thomas, smashing the ball into the left corner. The fourth a powerful run down the right by Kiera Goymour, getting to the baseline and passing to Kate McKenna to calmly slot home. Dragons 5th on the stroke of halftime, with a short corner passed back to injector Hannah Hardy, whose shot was saved, but Kate McKenna was once more in the right position to slot the ball home.

A dominant first half by the home team, was followed by a reshuffle by Colchester in the 2nd half to try to calm the storm. This the visitors did well, whilst Dragons ran out of steam a little and whilst they had chances the Colchester keeper did well. Defensively Dragons needed to be strong and that they were – Carmel Windsor-Waite playing out of position was assured as ever, whilst Sophie Barrow looked strong and confident at right defender. Karen O’Neill-Simpson was dominant in the centre and Shelly Seaman earned a deserved Player of the Match for her strong tackling and great distribution.

Colchester earned a fine consolation goal through some good team play, with youngster ‘Holly’ sliding in on her reverse stick to fire home – certainly one for the future!

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v  Dereham 3s:  9-0

Dragons 3rd team started as they meant to go on for the rest of the match scoring their first goal in the first 5 minutes that was calmly finished by Natalie Beal. Dragons maintained the pressure on Dereham 3rd team and were soon rewarded with their second goal this time scored by Maddy Reynolds.

Dragons continued to play an effective passing game throughout the team to put pressure on the Dereham defence. The third goal was a successful lob of the keeper by Natalie Beal, who within the first half an hour of the game scored the fourth goal of the game to complete her hattrick. The fifth goal was driven home by Maddy Reynolds for her second goal and end the first half 5 – 0.

The second half continued with Dragons having the majority of possession, which resulted in a fourth goal for Natalie Beal, the sixth of the game. The seventh goal of the game came from an excellent individual run up the wing and shot to slot the ball home past the keeper for Sam Franklin. The eighth goal came for Hazel Knights from a well-rehearsed short corner and the ninth and final goal of the game, again came from a short corner scored by Hannah Ellis.

Throughout the game the defence of Amy Forse, Esme Potter, Kath Mares and Angela Murgatroyd kept their concentration to deal with the few chances Dereham created and keep another clean sheet. The team all worked hard for each other with notable performances for Lucy Buxton, Ally Windsor Waite and Aditi Naik, which meant the player of the match vote was tight but deservedly taken by Sam Franklin.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Magpies 4s:  1-0

The game started well with physical battles but it soon calmed down as the game went on and we found our style of play.

Magpies were a very organised team but we broke them down very quickly and we had the ball in their half most of the game.

After a couple of short corners Caroline Wolfe hit a lovely ball ending up in the left corner of the goal. Even though we managed to break down their short corners we couldn’t score again, then the half time whistle blew.

We came out in the 2nd half very strong and organised. Our style of play worked very well and everyone in the team held their position brilliantly.  We held the game again this half preventing Magpies taking charge of their game.

Again we had our chances but unfortunately we weren’t able to score anymore goals. But at least our goalie had a good rest this game.

The game ended 1-0 to us.

MOM was Katie Lister for a fabulous performance playing up from 5’s

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Evergreens 1s:  1-1

It was a relatively early start for the ladies 5’s this week, with everyone hoping there would not be a frost overnight and we would get to play some hockey! We were keen to improve on our last result against Evergreens and learn from our last few matches. With a strong pre-match talk about positioning and defending free hits we set out to show Evergreens that this would be far from an easy game.

Evergreens had first pushback and pressed from the very beginning using strong and fast players down the centre of the pitch to push far into our half. Their efforts on goal were slowed by our tenacious defensive line up of Lou Davis , Steph Samson, Ginny Simkin and Esther Jacobs. The defensive unit worked well together with lots of vocal encouragement from each player and good communication about picking up players. Unfortunately Evergreens were persistent and after several attempts successfully scored. Keeping their spirits up and with lots of sideline encouragement the 5’s were determined to have their own chance on goal. Hannah Edwards (POM) worked tirelessly breaking down the play in the middle and distributing balls to Mel Widdows and Niamh Somers on the wings and worked cohesively with Sue Cross at the top of the diamond. This hard work meant that our forwards Jenna Inglis, Lizzy McDonnell, Amy Forse and Lilly Sore had several opportunities to work the ball into the D and start pressing the Evergreen defence.

Eventually this hard work paid off and Amy scored a cracking goal from the right hand side of the D in open play. With the score now 1-1 we were keen for some points and kept up the pressure winning a number of short corners. The game remained equal with both sides hungry for another goal but it was not meant to be for either team. We therefore happily came away with a point and lots of positives to take forward to our next match. The work rate as ever was second to none and it was a pleasure to play with such a positive and hard working team.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v North Norfolk 2s:  0-2

Ladies 6s knew they shouldn’t take North Norfolk’s league position for granted – they have not had the luck they deserve this season and have been giving the teams at the top some troublesome games.

The game was end to end from start to finish. The defensive line of Stella Windsor-Waite, Hannah Woods and Jen Buskell dealing with the pressure well but mid-way through the first half North Norfolk had their breakthrough and went 1-0 up.

POM Coco Brown worked tirelessly at bottom of the diamond, a position that’s suits her well. She moved the ball from side to side well.

Gill Walker and Anita Mancini both held the centre of the pitch with command never giving up.

The second half mirrored the first. Dragons were getting the run of play but could not capitalise. Maisie Dearmer and Jess Vernon linking up well.

North Norfolk pressed with a run of short corners, that were defended well – Stella expertly running out and dispatching several wide. However, under so much pressure something had to give. A solid hard strike to the bottom corner could not be stopped.

2-0 to North Norfolk and definitely some things to work on for ladies 6s.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s  v Carrow 2s:  4-0

This was a comfortable win for the Dragons, with a better goal difference than the 3-1 they achieved against Carrow earlier in the season. Though perhaps to put a cherry on the icing on the cake, they would have liked to have turned even more of their chances into goals in order to keep pace with Loddon at the top of the division. However, this was a very enjoyable match in many respects with all the players making a good contribution.

Captain Claire Fairhurst used her subs very cleverly, giving all the players with ambitions to play forward a chance in the rotation. This helped Dragons to keep up the pressure on the Carrow goal, with the different combinations playing well together. Every player who came on added something to the game. Sophie James scored early, a reward for individual persistence in the circle. The second goal was an absolute cracker from Jane Wells, a true shot taken way out and wide on the right. Jane was POM for plenty of hard work in the circle where her positivity made the defenders back off. She set an excellent example of determination. Alice Bishop was on target just before half time and it looked as though Dragons could cruise to a big score.

In the second half, Carrow came back strongly. The home team showed why they have been an improved side since Christmas with several breakaway moves. Fortunately, Dragons young defenders Hattie Gale and debut player Madeleine Gibbs were very secure at the back, with Louise Brooks also doing some important rescue work. This left Emma Northie North to keep calm and keep out the occasional shots – this was a very nice Northie cleanie sheetie!

In past matches it has been the Dragons defence that has provided the basis for the drive forward and the wins. This time, it was the midfield who shone. Amelia Keitley-Webb played slightly more conservatively on the left this week, and recorded far more clean pick ups and passes completed. Stevie Spencer was a ball of fire at the top of the diamond and distributed well to the left, centre and right. Alice, Sophie and Becky Gallagher kept on forcing the ball through and creating chances.

The pitch had an impact on the game. Dragons couldn’t achieve the ball speed they have managed recently and the surface managed to be both sticky and slippy. It was the same for both sides of course, and the game felt quite slow, although both sides were making every effort.

Dragons took their mission to be first to the ball with great enthusiasm, and frequently found themselves penalised for crossing and stick tackling. They learned to play very carefully. The fourth and final goal was scored by Claire, who has this happy knack of scoring when her side needs it most. Addi Kraemer sent over a beautiful cross and Claire swept in from the left – our only conversion of a sweep, though Addi herself was unlucky a few times. Addi played a most unselfish game, laying on deflections and reverse sweeps throughout the game. As the forwards gain even more understanding of each other, and start chasing the follow-ups, the Dragons will start scoring even more freely again. Again this week, credit to the opposition for defending their circle with determination.

The 7s very strong midfield of Amelia, Sophie, Stevie, Alice and Becky with Brooksy pushing forward, demonstrated in this match that they can play a high press very effectively, especially when the ball moves slowly. But they are aware that this is not a tactic they can use every week against every team! We hope to have a strong squad for next week’s rearranged match against Magpies, and we hope the weather will let us play because the 7s are starting to move up through the gears again.

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v Loddon 2s:  0-5

Yet again the #Awesomeeights had another frustrating match, so near yet so far! Silly mistakes and blips in concentration crept in allowing Loddon to get a couple of easy goals.

Goal Keeper Emma North once again gave a stellar performance, with both her experience and confidence growing which clearly shows in her game. Kicks are getting stronger, clearances are getting more inspiring and her guidance is invaluable. (She even managed to keep the cussing under control)! Centre defender Jo Baker continued to hold the defensive lines, offered much needed support and encouragement and hiapped (Hit-slaped) the ball into good spaces created by the Mids. Fellow defenders Jess Lockwood and Johanne Steward provided much needed support on the wings and the line, as a whole, pushed up behind the mids to put much needed pressure on the opposition. A special mention must be given to our first newbie of the match, Maria Millititsky who not only made her debut for Dragons but played in her first ever hockey match! It was a fantastic debut and Maria is a welcome addition to the team with her natural attacking ability and skill in driving the ball clear of the danger zone and up the field.

Bottom of the Diamond was commanded by stalwart Tracy S-S who once again ran fearlessly across the width of the pitch and supported the defence when under attack, we would definitely be lost without her. Bolstering the wall this week was Anna Chapman who stepped up from the defence line and gained herself a share of the MOM award with a performance in both D’s and somehow seemed to never tire! The gazelle that is Captain Katy, once again ran her bottle green socks off in top of the diamond position, distributing the ball to both sides of the pitch and ably supported forwards, mids and defence equally.

Wingers Nic, Shanice and 2nd debutant Helen Mann proved to be a fantastic, formidable matching, driving the ball tirelessly up and down the pitch. Helen proved to be another great addition to the team and with her pace and quick eye earnt her joint MOM award!

Lois Metcalf was another invaluable player both with support, advice and game-play. When Nic H took a nasty blow to just below the left eye minutes before half time, Lois stepped up to provided much needed cover, so others could catch their breath.

Forwards Emma Young and Sadie Jacobs continue to grow in confidence and soak up any advice given to them which only benefits their games, their positioning is brilliant – surely it won’t be long until the goals will come.

So now we have a couple of slip weeks (Feels like we’ve only just got going again with all the postponements) With 6 matches left we still have time to convert all we have learnt and continue to learn into some much-wanted wins. Eights are a determined bunch, yes we get frustrated (and this can come out in the wrong way occasionally) but its only because we care, we are proud of the players we play with and the club we play for and because we just want to have a dam good game of hockey that every now and again goes our way!

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Pelicans 1s:   5-1

As an evil imperial force journeyed deep into the heart of darkness, hellbent on the conquest of our fine city Norwich, only a small yet staunchly fierce force stood to oppose it.

The avaricious conquerors from King’s Lynn were met by the Dragons, and a quick paced showdown began.

Committed to the thorough destruction of the Pelicans, the Dragons remained obdurate in the face of what seemed like interminable defensive pressure. Wave after wave of attacks were soaked up by the back line under the command of Olly ‘King Leonidas’ Buck who, in what was shaping up to be a brutal last stand, held the Hot Gates to deny any prize for the Pelicans.

Some way into the first half, the pitch opened up for Rupert ‘The Silencer’ Snelling to slam home the first goal of the game – an unapologetically ruthless execution. The Silencer, hardly the forgiving type, soon perplexed the enemy defence once again in a hideously skilful exhibition, making space for Oli ‘The Judge’ King to condemn the Pelicans keeper to oblivion. Tom ‘Heavy Artillery’ Vaughn had the final say of the half, by discharging a shot which fizzed into the goal to consolidate the verdict.

The second half was a half of smooth interplay and confidence in both attacking and defensive formations. Whilst the opposition daubed the game with impatience and incompetency, Sam ‘The Artist’ Avery painted a masterpiece of precision, fluidity and composure in the midfield, with many a perfectly-weighted pass to supplement attacking plays. Hungry for destruction and seemingly devoid of empathy, Tom Vaughn also slammed home two more goals to claim a hat-trick of brutal proportions.

Pelicans also scored in the second half; well done!

Final score: a crushing 5-1 victory for the Dragons to repel the invaders back to the hellfire from whence they came.

Special recognition goes to Paddy ‘The Martyr’ Gordon who ended up on the bench following some extreme on-pitch moralising.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v IES2s:  0-3

Men’s 2nds recorded only their third but biggest loss of the season 3-0 away to IES2 in a combative match (1-0 HT). Dragons found chances hard to come by against a strong opposition who were quick and incisive. Against the usual pattern of short  corners the home team took the lead from a well finished shot after a home forward found himself free at the top of the D. Some good saves from the dragons keeper plus goal line interventions at short corner dragflicks from Andy Hipper and Glenn Masterson kept the arrears down to the single goal. Unfortunately the IES penalty corner dragflick maestro found his form in the second half converting two, but despite this dragons still took the game to the opposition but were unable to convert and ended the game failing to record a goal for the first time this league season. MOM Richard Gill and DOD Glenn.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v City 4s:  2-3

Dragons Men’s 3’s started slowly going two goals down in 9 minutes to what was a much stronger than previous Norwich city 4’s. However after the first 15 minutes Dragons started to pass well and made plenty of Attacks resulting in Rob Chaney Baxter’s first goal for the 3’s. Then city caught us on the break for their  third. Another dragons attack saw Jono Chaney Baxter score with a lovely finish. Dragons were piling on the pressure for the entire second half and looked like scoring however it was not to be Dragons’ week.  MOM:  Rob Chaney Baxter.

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Magpies 4s 0-3

It was a late start for the fours today at 4:30. We drove to Harleston where we faced the Magpies 4’s. We had a very different squad from last week with a new and young player, Issac Diver Hall making his debut. The sky was dark and the flood lights were turned on.

We did not get off to a good start when a hard hit into the D was tapped in by their forward. However, we were working hard and creating some chances and by half time we thought we had a real chance of pulling it back to win the game. Shortly into the second half they scored their second goal which was very unlucky for us since we had been playing good hockey. Ten minutes to go and they slotted away their third goal but we still did not give up. We won a short corner in the dying minutes and Andy Carver narrowly missed the bottom right corner.

The game finished 3-0 to Magpies.

The Man of the Match went to Issac who had a great debut.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Dereham 3s: 1-2

Men’s 5s lost 2-1 to Dereham 3s. Opposition were very direct and took us a bit of time to adjust. 2-0 down just after half time, we pulled one back through Will Kirby following up Greg Reynolds shot after good work down the right. Dereham were hanging on but we couldn’t find an equaliser.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Dereham 4s: 4-2

AT LAST, WE WON!!!!!!!

Not much more to say really. Final score 4-2 to Dragons. Top job from all the team who have plugged away all season, never giving up and never doubting themselves. Hats off to our goal scorers Pete Latoy, Dan Orsborne, Darryl Robinson and Sam ‘Man of the match’ Nutt.

 From a proud Captain.

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys A v  Watton: 6-0

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys B v  Dereham: 1-8

We started off quite slowly with constant pressure on our keeper and defence resulting in Dereham scoring five goals in the first quarter. As the keeper I found it rather busy!
In the second quarter the midfield dropped into deeper positions. This strengthened the defence but unfortunately it still resulted in a further three goals for Dereham.
On a more positive note we won the second half. Xander Wimmer put a nice shot between the goalie’s legs to score our only goal. Ending on a high the team improved throughout the match and managed to keep a clean sheet in the second half. The final score being 8-1 to Dereham.

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Girls v  Pelicans:   0-5 

Dev Girls unfortunately had to concede this fixture to Pelicans

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NDHC League Match Reports: 27th January 2018

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1s27/01/18St Albans 2H12.304-3 (W)Issy Wolfe x 2
Emma Tabrett x2
Emma Tabrett
Olivia Thomas
L2s27/01/18Ipswich 2A14.003-4 (W)Jess Bennett x 3
Kate McKenna
Jess Bennett
L3s27/01/18Loddon 1H11.452-0 (W)Hannah Ellis
Sam Franklin
Ally Windsor Waite
L4s27/01/18Dereham 3A12.450-4 (W)Fiona Fletcher
Caroline Wolfe x2
Lisa Harwood
Bella Capps
L5s27/01/18Magpies 4A13.303-0 (L)Grace Brown
Hannah Edwards
L6s27/01/18Hornets 1H10.159-0 (W)Jennifer Buskell x2
Anita Mancini
Gemma Bullard x2
Jemima Dorman x3
Amy Forse
Jemima Dorman
L7s27/01/18Watton 3H11.001-1 (D)Adelice KraemerBridget Le Good
L8s27/01/18Carrow 2H9.30P-P
M1s27/01/18Magpies 3H14.001-1 (D)Rupert SnellingPatrick Gordon
M2s27/01/18Pelicans 2H15.306-4 (W)Rich Gill
Alex Browne x3
Cley Hamilton x2
James Cross
M3s27/01/18City 3A14.304-0 (L)Ed Smith
M4s27/01/18City 5A11.302-1 (L)Jordan HamblingWill Ives
M5s27/01/18Nch Exiles 1H13.152-3 (L)McCartney Aldous
Owain Hall
Owain Hall
M6s27/01/18Nflk Nomads 1H14.451-2 (L)Josh BinghamBobby Sheppard
BD A27/01/18CityH16.155-7 (A)Tommy Gale x2
Will Bowman
Ben Panter
Lawrie Williams
Tommy Gale
BD B27/01/18MagpiesA10.159-1 (L)Kit ScottKit Scott
Tommy Chambers
GD27/01/18YarmouthA10.001-1 (D)Piper Hansall

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Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v St Albans 2s:  4-3

After a week off, the ladies were raring to go and well aware of the need to secure 3 points from the game. Saturday saw the welcome return of Sophie Mullan and Lucy Morton to the squad and their energy was a boost to the team.

The Dragons started strongly, passing the ball around the back between Holly Redding, Sarah Jenkins, Sophie Thomas and Lou Murray. Murray started to find space and some fantastic linking play between her and Lara Taylor and Sophie Mullan on the right drove the opposition back throughout the match.

The first goal came from a fantastic piece of individual skill from Stacey Lee, resulting in a short corner. The ball found Hayley Toleman at the top of the D, who flicked it right to Lee and then received the ball back and found Issy Wolfe who managed to slip it past the keeper.

After a quick break, St Albans won a penalty corner of their own and a well taken strike beat Cleeve in the Dragons’ goal to take the score to 1-1. Dragons fought back straight away though, and were strong in attack again. Liv Thomas who went on to share the Player of the Match award, was strong in the middle of the pitch, driving forwards and often being the lynch pin for the excellent switching of play that Dragons demonstrated throughout the game. It was through a fantastic period of interlinking play from the Dragons that the second goal came. Strong play down the right from Murray and Taylor found Toleman at the top of the D, she then passed it on to Issy Wolfe who slipped it past the keeper to take the score to 2-1 at the break.

St Albans started the second half with strength and determination, but some fantastic defence from Jenkins and Redding meant that they were unable to break through for large periods of the game. Unfortunately, another penalty corner was awarded to them and they converted with another well taken strike to take the score to 2-2.

At this point in previous games, Dragons have sometimes lost their way, but on Saturday a great show of team strength took the ladies forward. Slick passing and moving off the ball allowed the Dragons to maintain pressure on St Albans and another penalty corner was awarded. Luckily, Emma Tabrett was on hand to step up and a fantastic drag flick found the back of the net with ease. Tabrett was on great form throughout the match and another penalty corner awarded shortly afterwards was converted with similar precision. Tabrett went on to win the joint player of the match award for these two splendid goals and her unstoppable energy throughout the game.

Whilst St Albans did manage to pull a goal back around 5 minutes from time, Dragons didn’t falter this week and they marched home with a very well deserved 3 points.

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Ipswich 2s:  4-3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 2’s traveled to Ipswich determined for in. Dragons 2’s were excited to welcome back Amy Forse in goal, who has been playing out field and not really put on her goal keepers kit for a good 18 months! They also welcomed back Sarah Borrett who has been out with a foot injury.

>The Dragons knew they were going to have to dig deep as once again due to injuries and illnesses throughout the teams they had to travel with a bare 12. However as is often the case this brought out the Dragons’ fighting spirit and everyone in the squad was determined to give it their all and fight to the end.

From the start the game was a close fought contest with both teams playing some good Hockey and having their chances. Unfortunately for Dragons Ipswich broke the deadlock first and went 1-0 up. Not to be out done though, soon after this, some good work from the midfield of Gail Thomas, Debs Painter and Kiera Goymour, Dragons got the ball to Jess Bennett, who then went on an amazing run beating several players and shooting into the top corner to make it 1-1. Ipswich responded well and attacked in numbers, however great goal keeping from Amy Forse kept them out. Then with just minutes to go before halftime a miss hit by Ipswich fooled everyone and the ball trickled into the goal to make it 2-1 at half time.
The call at halftime was to be more confident and push up as a team and be more attacking. From the start of the second half it was clear that Dragons were determined to do this. Dragons pushed forward and the front line of Kate McKenna, Harriet Green and Jess Bennett started to cause trouble for the Ipswich defence. As a result of this pressure the ball fell again to Jess Bennett, who once again through some great individual skill hit the back of the net to make it 2-2. Dragons barely had time to celebrate before one of the Ipswich players hit the ball like a rocket into the goal, giving the defence and the keeper no chance, to make it 3-2. Once again the call for Dragons was to keep pushing forwards and this paid off with Jess Bennett getting her hat trick to make it 3-3. Dragons were determined at this point not to let Ipswich take the lead again so kept the pressure on. A powerful ball across the D found Kate McKenna in a great position who calmly slotted the ball home to make it 4-3 to Dragons,giving them the lead for the first time in the game.
It was at this point that Dragons really showed their fighting spirit prepared to do anything to keep the lead that they had worked so hard to get. The defence of Ismay Whitaker, Sarah Borrett, Karen O’Neill-Simpson, Shelly Seaman and Carmel Windsor Waite, literally put their bodies on the line and refused to let the lead slip. At this point Captain Karen O’Neill-Simpson called a switch to 4-4-2 and asked Jess Bennett to drop back……however even Captain Karen was surprised to see her so far back that she was actually behind the goal keeper!!
When the final whistle went Dragons were in high spirits and proud that they had managed to come from behind on three occasions and go on to win. An excellent effort from all and proof that if you work as a team, stick together and encourage each other you can achieve anything.
Player of the Match deservedly went to Jess Bennett who was on fire, but a special mention also to Amy Forse who was awesome in goal. That being said a great team effort that Dragons should take confidence from going into their next game against Colchester 2’s.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v  Loddon 1s:  2-0

Dragons 3rd team started positively putting Loddon 1st team on the backfoot from the start. Many chances were created by the forward line of Ally Windsor Waite, Jess Haw and Marcy Windsor Waite, with near misses at both posts and over the cross bar. The midfield line up of Sam Franklin, Tash Falzon, Hazel Knights and Aditi Naik worked hard to maintain possession and release the forwards for attacking opportunities.

Dragons managed to score their first goal from open play which saw a strike from Ally Windsor Waite deflected over the line by Sam Franklin. Despite many opportunities the score remained at 1 0 mainly due to a great performance from the Loddon keeper.

The second half again saw Dragons on the attack, which eventually saw Hannah Ellis convert one of their many short corners and make the score 2 0. The defensive line up of Esme Potter, Kath Mares, Angela Murgatroyd and Emily Roper, who were rarely troubled calmly dealt with any threats to gain another clean sheet. Player of the match went to Ally Windsor Waite, however many players received votes highlighting a good team performance.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Dereham 3s:  4-0

Another cold breezy start to this hockey match, much like we’ve experienced in the later weeks so we were up for a good challenging game ahead of us.

Dragons started strong and a very well organized structure to our team.  We caused worry on the faces of our opposition with our ‘presses’ in every hit out that they had. The wall would not be broken. Ellie James had a beautiful game on the wing driving with the ball with no one daring to tackle her, supported by Fiona Fletcher and Lisa Harwood ready to take the ball into the circle – and soon after a cross allowed Fiona to push it into the goal.

We were soon on their heels after the push back, with Trish Hagan and Neeps Price pushing forward with their slick skills only to be unfortunate this half not to get another goal – then Trish was kindly asked to take a break from the umpire for a few minutes, I think she planned that to get her breath back for a while.

The second half started much like the first but with more goals. Lisa lovingly pushed the ball into the goal after a lovely cross from Neeps, making it 2-0 so far. Not to be left out Caroline Wolfe  scored an accurate goal – pushed not hit! She was not happy with 1 so she aimed for another after a short corner into the side of the goal this time by a ‘hit’.

The mid field were ‘trouble’  in their performance scuppering their forwards, and the team work between Vicki Early  and (defender) Sarah Wagstaff made the tremendous difference. Jemima Williams and Katie Franks didn’t give up with their precision stick work and strength to stop them scoring a goal.

Our goalkeeper (Kat Speirs) deserves a mention – she takes control of her area and no one argues with her as that’s how much confidence we have in her.

Our MOM Bella Capps deserves a special mention as she was playing a different position this week and deserves her votes from us. She put herself in the right positions and ran into the correct areas very cooly and calmly. Bella made a big difference to our game, as we all did.
We won 4-0

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Magpies 4s:  0-3

Dragons started the match on the backfoot and conceeded within the first few minutes.  A flick awarded to Magpies saw another goal and before half-time, Dragons were 3-0 down.
Despite Dragons being loud and moving the ball across the pitch in excellent triangle fashion, Magpies were very strong and fast and dominated the middle of the pitch.
A second half pep talk from spectator, long-time fan and Ladies 6s star player, Anita Mancini, put the fire back in the hearts of the deflated 5th team. The second half was a different game – more 50/50 balls were won by Dragons and possession in our attacking half dominated. Once again Dragons failed to score, despite strikes and attempts from Sue Cross, Lily Sore with persistent presence from Harriet Rant and Niamh Somers.
The weather was miserable but the Dragons spirit was not dampened.
As a result of this game, we learnt to have coffee before the game to overcome our infamous drowsy starts, wear base layers in such icy temperatures and to watch dangerous players rather than just the ball.

Player of the Match was split between Grace Brown and Hannah Edwards, with each taking a Dragon home. Votes were split between 7 players, highlighting how hard EVERYONE worked.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Hornets 1s:  9-0

With it being Jemima Dorman-Carrott & Clara Dorman-Carrott’s last game for Dragons, we wanted to make it a good one.

It was a cold start to the morning and there was a worry that the match might be called off. But Hornets showed good spirit and headed over to the den anyway with only 10 players. Everyone was determined to make a go of it.

The rotating forwards of Jemima, Gemma Ballard, Jessica Vernon and Mia McGhee pushed forward hard and, within 5 minutes, we were awarded our first short corner, of many. A great strike from Amy Forse hit Gemma’s stick for the ball to then find Jemima’s and into the goal.

Short corners and goals then started to flow, with one from Gemma and a 2nd for Jemima.

Hornets kept trying to push through but, with our defence of Kate Atkins, Coco Brown, Jen Buskell and Amy staying strong and blocking Hornets hard hits, we soon had it back up trying for another goal. After a bit of foul play from Hornets, we were awarded a penalty flick. Amy stepped up to take it and made a perfect flick to the back of the goal (all that practise at training must’ve done some good!)

Our 4th goal come from Jen who, picking the ball up in defence, made a run for it. Without any hesitation she got to the top of the D and took a strike that found it’s way through the crowd and passed the goalie.

The second half was more of the same with Emily Roper in goal having a quiet time at the back. Hornets began to tire but they never gave up. Coco worked tirelessly at bottom of the diamond pushing the ball out to our midfield of Anita Mancini, Clara Dorman-Carrot and Maisie Dearmer, who all had great runs getting the ball up to the forwards. Another couple of short corners, with goals from Mia, a 2nd for Gemma and a 3rd for Jemima. Our final goal came from Anita, sealing another well-deserved win for the 6’s. In the last minute of the game, Hornets made a break for it but Emily saw to it that a goal wasn’t conceded and kept a clean-sheet.

A good game played by all, with some great teamwork and hockey!

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s  v Watton 3s:  1-1

This was a tough match with both sides showing plenty of skill and after opening the scoring midway through the second half, Dragons just couldn’t close out the game and had to settle for a 1-1 draw. Dragons had possibly their strongest squad available, but after a couple of weeks without a match we tended to lose our shape and width in the final 23, and then fire impatiently in the D.

All credit to Watton for being consistently first to the ball and we should have remembered from our first match against them that their keeper is an excellent shot-stopper. There is no point in trying to batter the ball straight through her. Watton proved that their recent run of form is no fluke, and did a very good marking job on our forwards and mids. Alice Bishop in particular was tightly marked and did well when taking the ball out wide to create some space. Jane Wells was also given no chance to get in her hard crosses, but her shots on target indicate she is soon due for a hatful. Addi Kraemer’s rapier skills were blunted by the defenders, but thank goodness she had the machete in hand to whack home a pen corner follow up just when the Dragons needed it.

Stevie Spencer is developing into a real powerhouse at the top of the diamond, but the ball was not pulled back to the top of the D often enough.  The 7s defence is still playing well and frequently it takes just three passes to get the ball to the edge of the attacking circle. Emma Dyer made loads of tackles and hit one glorious ball across the pitch from the left back position. Becky Gallagher put in a good shift at the bottom of the diamond and at right mid – where Lily Crew also showed her stick skills. Louise Brooksy Brooks is the calm playmaker at the bottom of the diamond and had another excellent game. Esme Mckinnon-Evans was available after a long absence and really bossed the right back position, plus bravely running 1 at pen corners. In a game where all the 7s were keen and determined, most of the players got a POM vote, but centre back Bridget Le Good just edged it with a good display of powerful hitting and even a couple of tackles. But sadly it took just one slip and no cover to let Watton through on goal and give Emma North no chance, after she had showed good positioning skills in the little that she had to do. Sometimes it is easier for the keeper to have to stop a few shots to get her eye in!

Amelia Keitley-Webb, Stevie and Claire Fairhurst (plus Alice when she moved across) showed so much ability on the left and in the attack that the 7s must hope they can practice and play together to build their understanding, because they are potentially unstoppable. Combine these skills with Jane’s hard crosses from the right and Addi’s clever slips and Dragons will have their cutting edge –  in front of a very solid defence. They are determined to push on from this point, train hard and look forward to another enjoyable match next week. Go Super Sevens!

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v Carrow 2s:  P-P

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Magpies 3s:  1-1

After a recent poor run of form the Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s were determined to stop the rot. The first half was pretty even with both sides winning several penalty corners and having a couple of good chances to take the lead. The deadlock was broken by Magpies after smashing home a short corner. This could have easily caused heads to drop but Dragons remained resilient and hungry for success. This was personified when Patrick Gordon managed to acrobatically clear a shot above his head from going in the roof of the goal after Magpies had worked the ball around the goalkeeper.
The second half saw Dragons dominate a tiring Magpies side, but unfortunately Dragons just couldn’t find a way to put the ball in the back of the net. The Magpies goalkeeper made some good saves.  But Dragons continued to fight, and 10 minutes from time they eventually got an equaliser. Ollie King received the ball in the D and managed to shake off 2 defenders to play a simple reverse pass to Rupert Snelling who slotted home first time into the bottom left corner.
The last few minutes continued with Dragons pressuring the Magpies goal with no success. Full-time score 1-1. Dragons probably did enough to win the game but overall it was a very good performance and could be a very important point come the end of the season. Man of the match was Patrick Gordon for some quality defending and outstanding goal-line heroics.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Pelicans 2s:  6-4

A rusty men’s 2nds beat pelicans 2nds 6-4 (HT 3-3) at the den. The first half to and froed consisting of Dragons taking the lead but with the opposition promptly pegging them back, with goals by Cley Hamilton, Richard Gill and Alex Browne . A step over of strictly proportions by the home keeper at a short corner put pelicans in the driving seat for the first time, but dragons responded with three quick goals, which included another brace from Alex and a second for Cley, saving his embarrassment and getting him off the hook. MOM young debutee James Cross and DOD unanimously a not so young Giles Brooks.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v City 3s:  0-4

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v City 5s:  1-2

Mens 4s travelled the short journey up to Taverham Hall, to face Norwich City 5’s. With a sprinkling of youth blended with experience, and also a full squad of 14, morale was  high in the dragons camp. With stand in captain Paul Keating on the right side today, what could possibly go wrong.

A stale mate first half an hour occurred, before an aerial from the city fullback found their youngster in behind. The youngster squeezed the ball around Joel Lawrence in goal, and tapped the ball into the open goal. HT 0-1.
At half-time, despite being behind, the 4s felt confident and that the game was still for the taking. However about five minutes into the second half, another city youngster had the ball in the corner of the D, right near the touchline, and fooled us all with a cross that was expertly guided into the near post of the goal. Expertly meaning a complete fluke; even the opposition umpires were quick to say that the goal was bad luck. However the response was fantastic, our dynamic duo upfront of Adie Kemp and young Angus Blazer, or Kemp’s protege we shall name him, and along with THE Garnett Jones on the pitch too, hopes were high for a resurgence. However, the goal came from Jordan Hambling, who expertly guided an Andy Carver sweep into the corner of the goal. Unfortunately an equaliser never came, but a fantastic performance from all involved.
MOTM went to Will Ives for a solid defensive performance against some more than useful attackers, and a mention to Connor Adams for being everywhere on the pitch. Several fantastic performances and on to next week for Magpies away for a chilly 4:30 start.

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Exiles 1s:  2-3

A well organised team performance kept the game close until the final few minutes before Dragons failed to clear the ball allowing Exiles to win a short corner which they ultimately converted into a penalty flick to win the game.

Dragons goals came from Owain Hall & a well taken drag flick by McCartney Aldous.  MOM Owain Hall

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norfolk Nomads:  1-2 

This was one of the best performances by the Dragons 6th team all season, even if we still didn’t manage a win…or draw. Mike Banham shared his long experience with some suggestions on substitutions and keeping the spine of the team on the field for the first half while rotating the subs around them. This gave the team a consistent shape and meant that we were able to compete with the team sitting second in the Division.

 

Nomads scored first with a roll in of the ball over the line after a very good first save by Freddie Rouques. He was very unlucky that the ball didn’t clear as far as it should have and sat up for the Nomads striker to put it in the net. The second Nomads goal came shortly after from a penalty corner, a well struck ball sliding in through an almost non-existent gap between a defenders stick and the near post. Not to be outdone, Dragons pulled back to 1-2 with a clean and powerful strike by Josh Bingham. A lovely goal.

 

The second half was all Norwich Dragons with numerous shots on goal cleared by a very experienced and skilled Nomads defense. What it showed though, was an ability for Dragons to dictate the play, retain the ball for more of the time and put pressure on a defense that, if less skilled, would have let in goals. Everyone, once more, put in 100% effort and a cohesive team performance. If we can repeat this level of commitment in the run in to the end of the season, the teams we will be playing from the bottom half of the league, won’t be able to resist and we should finally pick up some wins.

 

For great effort and application playing in the striker position, the man of the match was voted to Bobby Sheppard.

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys A v  City: 5-7

Dragons came flying out of the blocks to take an early and well deserved 1-0 lead.
City hit back and put the dragon goal under continuous pressure and scored an equaliser.
This spured  Dragons into life, coming back with a 2nd goal and re-taking the lead.
Straight from the restart, City went on again to equalise 2-2 at half time.
During the 2nd half, City started strongly and scored 3 quick fire goals, taking the lead 2-5.
Dragons rallied back, with the final score 5-7 to City.

An entertaining game with lots of goals.

2 goals for Tommy Gale & one each for Will Bowman, Ben Panter and Lawrie Williams. Mom Tommy Gale

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys B v  Magpies:  1-9

This proved to be a tough game for the boys against a competent Magpies team.

The first quarter was closely fought with Magpies opening the scoring after a period of intense pressure. The Dragons equalised after a fine sequence of passing involving Theo Korn and Tommy Champers and culminating in a well executed goal from Kit Scott.

The second quarter started well for the Dragons with some good interplay between Bertie Pinching, Theo and Will Sexton. However the Magpies counter-attacked and ended up scoring a soft goal.

A further goal from Magpies followed shortly afterwards with an unchallenged shot on goal.

The Dragons did not give up and pushed forward with some good passing and use of the width of the pitch. However the Magpies back line was strong and we found it difficult to break it down. As the quarter progressed the Magpies pressed time and again with several short corners. Despite a couple of good saves from Alex Wolfe, Magpies scored again going into half time 4-1 ahead.

The third quarter started badly with an early goal from Magpies. The Dragons looked rather demoralised by this stage and on several occasions we either were caught in possession trying to dribble out of defence when a simple pass would have been a better option or our passing was not good enough and we gave the ball away too easily. Magpies on the other hand were passing the ball around very well and were pushing forward with numbers.

Kit was unlucky however not to score again after a good break involving Bertie, our Number 11 and Number 8 (sorry guys not knowing your names).

Magpies scored three goals in quick succession, before the Dragons had one last surge up the field just before the break with Archie, Theo and Kit passing the ball well to each other. The 8-1 scoreline at the end of the quarter was harsh on the Dragons team who had deserved more to this point.

The final quarter saw the Magpies putting in attack after attack. Our boys however did not crumble and despite letting in one final goal, the defence in the quarter was a lot more robust, Alex making some good saves and Alex Marjoram and Max Linford putting in some good tackles.

In summary, we never gave up but were beaten by the better team on the day. Magpies passed the ball around well, had good movement of players off the ball and maintained their shape as a team. Our passing could have been better, and our defence at times looked a bit frail when under pressure. We needed to try to be a bit firmer in the challenges and not to panic when we had the ball. We sometimes gave the ball away too easily.

Well done to everyone and better luck next time.

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Girls v  Yarmouth:  1-1

On Saturday 27th January Dev girls played against Yarmouth and drew 1-1, our Man of the Match was Piper Hansall. Within the first quarter Piper scored a brilliant goal, which deflected off the other team’s stick straight into the net. In the third quarter Yarmouth got a penalty shot and passed it straight along the floor into the left hand corner. Despite all of our best efforts Dev girls didn’t manage to get another goal and before long the game finished at 1 all. Even though it ended with a draw it was a good, entertaining game and hopefully the Dev team will continue to win and draw in our following matches in the future.

 By Issy Gale (Dev Girl)

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NDHC League Match Reports: 20th January 2018

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1s20/01/18Ipswich 1A13.00P-P
L2s20/01/18Dereham 2H11.30P-P
L3s20/01/18Broadland 1H10.30P-P
L4s20/01/18Loddon 1A11.001-1 (D)Sarah WagstaffSarah Wagstaff
L5s20/01/18Dereham 3H12.150-3 (L)Elsa Scott
L6s20/01/18Broadland 3H9.45P-P
L7s20/01/18Magpies 7A10.15P-P
L8s20/01/18UEA 4A11.305-0 (L)Maddie Gibbs
M1s20/01/18Horncastle 1A13.00P-P
M2s20/01/18City 4A10.45P-P
M3s20/01/18Sudbury 2H13.15P-P
M4s20/01/18Pelicans 3H14.004-1 (W)Adrian Kemp x2
Angus Blazer x2
Andy Carver
M5s20/01/18Watton 1A14.306-0 (L)Will Bloom
M6s20/01/18Nth Norfolk 3A15.004-2 (L)Darryl Robinson
Tommy Chapman
Graham Muff
BD A20/01/18MagpiesA10.300-5 (CW)
BD B20/01/18WattonH15.452-4 (L)Harry Fuller
Will Sexton
Adam Jones
GD20/01/18DerehamH15.002-0 (W)Issy Gale
Nicky Dawson
Emily Smith

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Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Cambridge:  P-P

 

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Dereham 2s:  P-P

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v  Broadland 1s:  P-P

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Loddon 1s:  1-1

So after a quick warm up we started the match. Loddon clearly thought they have the upper hand after they performed a good warm up and skills practice – but they were so wrong!

We got off to a good start and held Loddon in their place with some good passing and skilled work by our forwards. Unfortunately we underestimated the power of Loddons defensive press and they stopped a lot of our through balls. But we held them off and the half time score was 0-0.

The second half started with even more determination and grit by the Dragons defensive team and Loddon didn’t know how to play after we managed to scupper their plans of breaking through.

Unfortunately on one such occasion that they did break through to score.  We didn’t let that stop us and as the final whistle blew we were awarded a short corner – there was no way we were going let the ball out of the ‘d’ – we had to score!  Low and behold Sarah ran to take the ball from a series of rebounds and ricochets and scored in the far corner – To say the team was elated was an understatement – we were drunk with happiness 🙂

The final score was 1-1
The team had their best match so far this season

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Dereham 3s:  0-4

The 5’s were eager to play after an uncertain morning due to the frost. The game against Dereham earlier in the season had been a tough one but had ended 1:0 so Dragons were hopeful that all was to play for in this match. The game begun with some wonderful linking play from Sue Brumby and Elsa Scott (POM) using Hannah Edwards and Katie Lister on the wings to work the ball around, giving Dereham few opportunities to play. Dereham then began to use their speed to intercept our passing play and begun to advance on our defensive line up. Steph Samson was supported well by Grace Brown and Lou Davis who constantly provided options to pass the ball wide from hit outs and create play along the wing to Mel Widdows so that we could go around Dereham’s strong press. Sue Cross and Ginny Simkin tried to put balls into space in the direction of our waiting forwards Amy Forse, Lilly Sore and Niamh Somers. They all worked hard to meet the ball and make the most of these opportunities with several shots on goal saved by Dereham’s experienced keeper. Dereham continued to use their speed and strong central play to press our goal and gain short corner opportunities. Esther Jacobs stopped a number of shots on goal but Dereham were quick to contain these deflections and maximised their chances in the D. There were definitely positives to take away from the game and the work rate of all team members continues to be extremely high every week.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Broadland 3s:  P-P

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s  v Magpies 7s:  P-P

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v UEA 4s:  0-5

POM Maddie Gibbs.

Knowing that this team were the only ones to have beaten top of the league Dragons 7’s, they were well prepared with a bolstered defence.  10 minutes before half time it looked as though it was only going be 1 nil then 2 cheeky goals came from nowhere after short corners were awarded against them.

Seeing how the 8’s had been fairly even against the young students with a couple of really close goals, they decided to changed formation at half time thanks to a fellow non-playing Dragon’s observations and management on the side lines.  There had been several chances of panging the ball up the wing but, with only 2 forwards being marked very closely, it meant that there were not enough Dragons to pass to in the D and take more shots at goal.

The Dragons raised their game in the second half and only conceded 2 goals. It was great to have Emma North back as usual GK, she made some fab saves, was keen to get back into the swing of things with the 8’s. She really does get better each week and is really coming on as a keeper.

Vice Captain Jo Baker, the trusty centre back.  Had some awesome strong and accurate hit outs as per usual, communicated well to balance and support the defenders, continues to put in a hardy performance each week.

Anna Chapman as left back.  Anna made some good tackles and got stuck in, has definitely increased in confidence this season.

Johanne Steward as right back – was determined as ever and took some lovely hit outs resulting in the mids being able to pass the ball up to the other end and gave good opportunities to the attackers to make headway.

Maddie Gibbs, BOD but moved positions in the second half to a forward.  Maddie made some lovely passes up the wing and some fab runs with the ball along the side lines on many occasions – the team were definitely glad to have her as part of the 8s this week, she had a great balance of attacking and defending and complemented Tracy well.

Jess Lockwood – another strong defender who made some accurate passes up the pitch and put in some good tackles against the speedy UEA players.

Tracy Stuart-Sheppard BOD – worked super hard especially when the formation changed in the second half and she was alone as BOD.  Made some lovely note-worthy tackles and distributed the ball well using the width.

Louise ‘Bondy’ Bond – BOD, she was her usual strong performance, whacked the ball from one end to the other several times almost effortlessly.  She got stuck in made some valiant attempts at marking some of the key UEA players (there were lots!)

Olivia Dickson, right mid and second half was a forward.  Great communicator, called for the ball really well and got in to some fabulous spaces, a fast player and another asset to the 8’s.

Nic Harrison, left mid (and also subbed as TOD). Made some good tackles and had a couple of great runs up the wing, was so close to a goal after couple of great passes for the mids to her in the D.  Another great week for her.

Captain Katy Cole – TOD, finally starting to understand the position and getting into it!  Made some great tackles and had lots of good stints running with the ball getting it up to the other end.  Switched to a forward in the second half and had a lovely run with the ball all the way into the D. Had her work out for her marking one of the most dangerous players (the swift UEA Captain.)

Sadie Jacobs – stepped up as a mid, she marked well, got in to some good spaces for passes, ran rings around the opposite with her speed.

Lois Metcalfe – hard worker, communicated well to the team, gave great direction to the other forwards as she always reads the game well and has well-tuned hockey brain, got into some good positions ready to receive the ball and get ready to strike.

Emma Young – proving versatile played as a mid as well as a forward in this game.  Emma worked hard to get in to a space and make herself available to other players, she was hanging high ready to be passed to, had good movement to confuse the opposition defenders.

All in all, another great game who’s score line does not reflect the quality of play.  A continuation of the back to basics for the 8’s who are improving each week but not quite fast enough for the likes of the top league team.  They must continue to keep their sticks down but their heads held high!  Better communication is needed from all players to call when being passed to or once they have secured a good space.  Don’t be afraid to attack, go to the player, not wait for the ball to come to them.  Defence to trust each other more and continue to listen to the GK who can see what they can’t!

 

Onwards and upwards for the awesome 8’s.

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Horncastle 1s:  P-P

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v City 4s:  P-P

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Sudbury 2s:  P-P

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Pelicans 3s:  4-1

This chilly Saturday afternoon saw 15 dragons of all shapes and sizes meet at the Den to play what was likely to be a high scoring game. We started strongly in the first half, having a lot of early possession up and around the Pelicans’ D. The first goal came from Adrian Kemp who tucked away a beautiful move down the right wing between Jordan Hambling and Connor Adams. However that was all the action of the first half as we couldn’t find our way past a determined Pelicans defence.
 
 

We had a shaky start to the second half with Pelicans playing some nice link up play to win themselves a short corner about 5 minutes in. A powerful strike found its way into the bottom left corner of the Dragons’ goal and we found ourselves at 1-1. This lit a fire in us and we were soon back on top, controlling all of the play. All the pressure on Pelicans goal earned us a short corner.  Which once again found Adrian in the right place at the right time to catch the rebound from McCartney Aldous’ drag flick. At 2-1 up and controlling the game nicely we could’ve grown complacent but we remained strong and we were rewarded when young gun Angus Blazer managed to squeeze a ball past the keeper to go 3-1 up.

It was more of the same for the rest of the game with Angus and Adrian working together to find us our fourth and final goal of the match. Man of the Match was closely contested between McCartney for his work down the left, Angus for his 2 goals and great composure, and Andy Carver for his defensive work and build up play. It was won out by Andy Carver in the end. All in all, a superb result which we can hopefully carry forward onto next week, away to local rivals Norwich City.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Watton 1s:  0-6

Dragons lost a tough game six nil to a strong Watton team.    Thanks to the sterling work of the defensive team the score remained respectable.

Will Bloom was named as man of the match.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v North Norfolk 3s:  2-4

Another tough game in a tough season. Without a recognised keeper available, Graham Muff stepped forward to go between the sticks. Unfortunately, NN 3 started strongly and went ahead 10 minutes into the first half. This was quickly followed by a second NN 3 goal. Dragons didn’t give up and through a combination of dogged determination and skill managed to pull two goals back by half time. These scored firstly by Tommy Chapman and then Darryl Robinson.

 The second half was much more even with more action at both ends with Dragons missing at least three good chances to take the lead of the match, but NN 3 continued to press forward and in the end scored two more goals to take control of the game. At full time the final score was 4 -2 to North Norfolk 3.

 The team voted the man of the match to Graham Muff for efforts in goal.

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys A v Magpies: P-P

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys B v  Watton: 2-4

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Girls v  Dereham:  2-0

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NDHC League Match Reports: 13th January 2018

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1s13/01/18City of Pboro 1H13.151-2 (L)Hayley TolemanEmma Tabrett
L2s13/01/18City 2A14.303-1 (L)Gail ThomasKaren O'Neill Simpson
L3s13/01/18City 3H11.453-1 (L)Debs SmithLucy Buxton
L4s13/01/18Dragons 5H10.153-0 (W)Gina Hunt
Lisa Harwood
Trish Hagan
Aditi Naik
L5s13/01/18Dragons 4A10.153-0 (L)Grace Brown
L6s13/01/18City 6A10.000-2 (W)Anita Mancini
Mia McGhee
Stella Windsor Waite
Jennifer Buskell
L7s13/01/18Dragons 8A9.300-6 (W)Stevie Spencer x2
Adelice Kraemer
Claire Stuart x 2
Claire Fairhurst
Stevie Spencer
Sophie James
L8s13/01/18Dragons 7H9.300-6 (L)Lois Metalfe
M1s13/01/18Bury St Ed 1H12.300-4 (L)
M2s13/01/18Sudbry 2H11.003-0 (W)Johnny Taylor
Alex Browne
Eddie Gould
Johnny Taylor
M3s13/01/18Ipswich 2A14.004-1 (L)Andy SaundersRob Goodson
M4s13/01/18Thetford 1A14.303-0 (L)Angus Blazer
M5s13/01/18UEA 3H14.000-0 (D)Chris Orme
M6s13/01/18City 6H14.452-2 (D)Dan Orsborne
Robert Lee
Issac Diver-Hall
BD A13/01/18DerehamH15.459-1 (W)Tommy Gale x3
Kitt Scott x2
Casper Lind x2
Edward Cross
Freddie Royal
Alex Wolfe
Kit Scott
BD B13/01/18CityA16.45P-P
GD13/01/18City AA16.005-1 (L)Erin AldousEmily Smith

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Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v City of Peterborough 1s:  1-2

 

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Norwich City 2s:  1-3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 2’s traveled across the city to Taverham knowing it would be a well fought game. Unfortunately due to various injuries and illnesses the 2’s were still missing several of their usual squad. However this gave the 2’s the chance to welcome Livvy Ripman into the squad for her 2nd team debut and also see the welcome return of Jess Bennett and Sophie Mullan.

 

Dragons started really strongly with the midfield of  Sophie Mullan, Jess Bennett, Kiera Goymour and Gail Thomas working well together and winning the battle in the middle of the pitch. They moved the ball around quickly making it difficult for City and had several great runs up the middle of the pitch into the oppositions D.

 

City however started to work their way into the game and put pressure on the Dragons defence. Captain Karen O’Neill-Simpson in CD was again flanked either side by teenagers Ismay Whitaker and Carmel Windsor Waite. Both girls continue to improve every week, playing with great composure even when under pressure. As a unit the defence worked well together dealing with most of City’s attacks calmly. However unfortunately a quickly taken free hit caught them out and keeper Luisa Valentini couldn’t get a foot to it and Dragons went a goal down. Shortly after this and just before half time City made it 2-0 by converting a short corner.

 

The call at half time was to play with more belief and this is exactly what Dragons set out to do. From the whistle Dragons piled the pressure on and earned several short corners. One of these saw a great bit of play between Gail Thomas and Jess Bennett before Gail Thomas calmly slotted the ball in the goal to make it 2-1.

 

Dragons continued to pressure City’s goal pressing forward as a unit. There were several great runs by the forwards, Livvy Ripman, Harriet Green, Kate McKenna and Lucy Morton. Through their hard work we got the ball into the D on several occasions but just couldn’t get the ball in the goal again. Then unfortunately against the run of play City broke away and through a really well worked goal made it 3-1

 

As the clock ran down Dragons never gave up and continued to press but the game ended 3-1 to City. A well fought close game where the main difference was that City took their chances and unfortunately Dragons didn’t. However as always there were lots of positives and it was great to see the Dragons battling to the end and playing some great Hockey. POM went to Karen O’Neill-Simpson.

 

Thanks to the supporters who braved the cold and to Hannah and Mike Hardy who helped on the sidelines.

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Norwich City 3s:  1-3

This week saw Norwich Dragons 3’s host Norwich City 3’s at the Den, which promised to be a close encounter if the previous match was to go by. The game started with both teams creating opportunities, however it was City who capitalised on the early chances and scored both the first and second goals from open play for a 2 – 0 lead. Dragons also took another blow as they were down to 11 players following an injury to Ally Windsor Waite half way through the first half.

However, Dragons showed great team spirit and determination and Debs Smith converted their first short corner to bring the score back to 1 – 2 at half time.

The defence of Kat Speirs, Sophie Barrow, Kath Mares and Angela Murgatroyd combined well to stop further attacking opportunities and short corners from the young and skilful City attack. The midfield of Catherine Matthews, Debs Smith, Hannah Ellis and Katie Hale worked tirelessly to support the defence and forward combination of Lucy Buxton, Jess Haw and Hazel Knights who continued to create chances but unfortunately without success. City confirmed the 3 points with their best goal of the game with a clean strike on goal from an attack down their left side with ten minutes of the game remaining.

Dragons continued to put pressure on the City defence up to the final whistle, but the 14 strong squad of Norwich City 3’s proved too strong this week for Norwich Dragons 3’s leading to their first defeat of the season. Player of the match was awarded to Lucy Buxton.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Dragons Ladies 5s:  3-0

After having a game iced off the previous week the 4s were in need of a run out and Lou Davis gave us her left leg in left leg out warm up.  Last game against the 5s, the 4s couldn’t seem to get the ball in the goal.  But we had been putting into action tips from training getting the ball out wide and pressing the ball.  The 5s took first push back and the 4s set off for the chase.  At bottom of the diamond speedy Vicki Earley was ready to halt any advancing movement, and linked the ball up with Lynne Price who threaded the ball up the pitch.  Trish Hagan and Aditi Naik were on the wings looking for free play and the opportunity to pass the ball into the D.  The 4s were pressing the opposition D and forced a short corner, injected quickly by Fiona Fletcher into Caroline Wolfe who struck the ball, which rebounded off the keepers pads into the path of Lisa Harwood who swept it into left corner.  The 4s kept up this pressure for the next 20mins.  The 5s began to read our game and were quick to intercept the ball and got the ball out to their forwards.  With Sarah Wagstaff controlling the centre of defence, she linked up well with Jemima Williams and Lou, to clear the ball and protect newly kitted out Kat Speirs.  The second goal was from Gina Hunt lurking in the D, picked up a ball in from Caroline and popped into right post.

At half time and with Rob Wagstaff’s words of wisdom in our ears, the 4s needed to regain the pace they had the start of the game and increase the pressure.  The 4s play linked up well in the second half through the pitch and they continued to press the D.  The third goal came from a scrabble in the D with Trish finally slotting the ball in.  There was a wide range of votes for POM and winner was Aditi for her continued effort throughout the game.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Dragons Ladies 4s:  0-3

Ladies 5’s were all ready to reignite their battle with the 4’s for the second time this season. Unfortunately the 4’s were much quicker out of the blocks and put 2 goals in, in the space of the first 4 minutes. At this point the 5’s stood firm and regrouped keeping the 4’s out for the rest of the half despite lots of pressure and a number of short corners. Hannah Edwards ran out strongly on each occasion forcing the 4’s to change their plans. With increased pressure in the closing 10 minutes the 5’s gained a short corner at the end of the first half but unfortunately could not convert and the half finished 2-0.

 

A bright start to the second half saw the 5’s continue to build as their confidence grew.  Grace Brown, Georgia Butterworth and Steph Samson held strong in defence with strong support from the midfield, especially Ellie James who chased every ball. After a close call (clearance off the line sorry I don’t know who by!) the 4’s gained a short corner and converted. 5’s continued to work hard and made some good inroads in to the 4’s D but were unable to put the ball in the back of the net. Another hard fought game with everyone giving their best. POM Grace Brown

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Norwich City 6s:  2-0 

Ladies 6s made the short trip to their City counterparts. After a useful training session, the focus of the game was communication and off the ball awareness.

 

Dragons started strong with some great midfield work from Gill Walker, Clara Dorman-Carrott, Jade Blanchflower and Emma Gillard. We created lots of chances down both flanks with some beautiful crosses going in.

 

As ever, our rotating forward line of Mia McGhee, Gemma Ballard, Jemima Dorman-Carrott and Harriet Rant were goal hungry, chasing down passes and looking for crosses. They didn’t have much luck with several saves made by the city keeper. Their breakthrough came 20 minutes in when a scrambled D saw Mia McGhee take the final touch.
Half time 1-0.

 

Dragons knew city would come back at them so they had to start strong. The defensive line of Hannah Woods, Kate Atkins and joint players of the match Jen Buskell and Stella Windsor-Waite worked tirelessly to support Keeper Emily Roper. Jen making some crucial cover tackles and Stella really growing into the bottom of the diamond role – prowling the 23 making it difficult for city to get through.

 

Dragons upped the pressure and with short corner after short corner their breakthrough came again. Anita Mancini receiving the ball from Jemima Dorman-Carrott and catching the defence off guard she dribbled the ball past 2 defenders to slot the ball Home through the keepers feet.

 

A promising display after 6 weeks without a game. The cobwebs have been dusted off their sticks and the 6s are marching on with promotion in their sights!

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s  v Dragons Ladies 8s:  6-0

The Super 7s despatched the Awesome 8s quite comfortably, with both teams pleased to get into a match after the long Christmas break. Unfortunately, the trickle-down impact of availability throughout Dragons’ Ladies meant that the 8s lost three players, but they can be very pleased with the way they organised their defence to keep the score down and proud of Lois Metcalfe’s brave effort in goal with no recent practice. She saved loads of shots.

For the 7s, the high points were the increasingly positive play from Stevie Spencer, who scored two goals – one a very nicely-placed conversion of a penalty corner. She carefully lifted the ball past the keeper and into the corner. Stevie shared the player of the match vote with debut player Sophie James, who grew in confidence during the game and distributed the ball well in midfield. Claire Stuart also hit a double, typically working persistently at close range to force the ball home. Perhaps the most valuable goal was the first one, scored by Claire Fairhurst from that classic poacher’s position just off the near post. It was valuable because it came after three consecutive passes pushed with good ball speed, and its effect was to settle the whole team who then had some very good passages of play. Adelice Kraemar completed the scoring and was notable in the later stages of the game for some very neat bunts across the circle, which were not picked up today but will be in the future.

The 7s were pleased that they were able to put some of their training into practice. They mostly kept the width and took every opportunity to win penalty corners. The mids, who included Louise Brooks, Lily Crew and Becky Gallagher as well as Stevie and Sophie, were full of running and bold tackles and dominated the opposing attack. In defence, goalkeeper Emma North was very pleased to have kept a clean sheet, even though she was not actually required to touch the ball during the match. The defenders were Louise, Hattie Gale, Emma Dyer and Bridget Le Good (with Lily also taking a turn on rotation) and they did what was required of them. They also did a few cheeky high presses in the opposing half, reminding themselves they won’t necessarily have the same luxury next week.

An enjoyable game for both teams, very sporting and with plenty of encouraging aspects of play to take forward to next week.

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  v Dragons Ladies 7s:  0-6

The score line really does not reflect the play of this game.  The 8’s played their absolute hearts out and proved that they CAN play the top of the league team well, suffer a loss against them and still maintain a positive attitude. Having lost 2 of their key players AND their normal goal keeper to their opposition, they were keen to give the 7’s a run for their money and to improve on their last game with them, despite the odds being stacked against them.

 

Lois Metcalfe as Goal Keeper – what a performance!  A well-earned Player of the Match winner, she proved that as well as being a  feisty forward, she can also defend excellently.  Not having donned the kit for over three years, she made some cracking saves and managed to stop numerous goals from going in with her determination and grit. Once she ditched the stick in the second half, and made the most of her kicks, she really came in to her own, her confidence grew and the 8’s only conceded 2 goals.

 

Jo Baker had another fabulous performance as centre back with some excellent and accurate hit outs, lovely core defensive leadership and pivotal see-saw movement.

 

Johanne Steward as right back, continues to grow in confidence, had some head-strong tackles and made some lovely passes along the wing and up to the mid fielders.

 

Emma “no fear” Fielding as left back.  Despite still being very new to the game, Emma used her great speed to push up the pitch and ‘attack’ the forwards and drop back when required.  She was a real asset during the many short corners awarded against them as she went straight out to the opposition without hesitation.

 

Louise ‘Bondy’ Bond played right bottom of the diamond, (also covered left BOD and TOD.)  A formidable force, back from several weeks of not playing but you couldn’t tell from her performance.  Bondy got stuck in, she clearly loves playing, tackled frequently, managed some great hits down the middle as wells out to the wing.  Bondy worked very well with Tracy Stuart-Sheppard, a winning combo!  A similar player to Bondy, Tracy worked really hard to stop the 7’s entering the danger zone, got to the ball quickly, marked players well and was an excellent communicator under pressure.

 

Shanice Claxton stepped up and played a different position during this match as a right midfielder.  She grew in confidence throughout the match, got into some good spaces and tackled well.

 

Nic Harrison – possibly the most enthusiastic player in the club!  She played right and left mid and a short spot covering BOD.  Tackled with confidence, had endless energy, made some lovely passes to players in appropriate spaces and took some great free hits.

 

Kim Brenchley as left and right mid field.  Kim has had quite a long break from hockey but this did not affect her enthusiasm and desire to win.  Kim was quick to the ball, tackled well and worked hard to pass the ball to her fellow 8’s.

 

Katy Cole – top of the diamond.  Got stuck in and tackled, marked a few of the most dangerous players on the pitch with the help of the other core midfielders.   Katy got very excited when she had to do an old fashioned bully-off against Claire Stuart to win possession, which disappointingly resulted in a draw, immediately after, it was all systems go again!

 

Sadie Jacobs worked as hard as she could as right forward but the game was very defensive and both her and fellow forward Emma Young did not get as much a chance to shine in this game.  Sadie made some accurate, strong push back passes, and worked really well with newbie Emma, communicating with each other well and sticking together as there were only two of them in this game.  Emma showed great promise in the 8’s as a wiling and dedicated team member and pounced on the ball when given the opportunity.

 

Moving forward, the 8’s will maintain their love of the game and dedication to playing, and always remember to incorporate their learning from training including getting low to the ground and keeping their sticks down so the opposition do not win possession.  Their marking has improved but they must not get complacent with this and continue to stick to the more dangerous players.  To refine the basics such as getting into a space, pre-scanning before passing and communicating better.  They are always improving and this game demonstrated that they were able to prove to the 7’s they would not go down without a fight!  Onwards and upwards for the awesome 8’s.

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Bury St Edmunds 1s:  0-4

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Sudbury 2s:  3-0

Dragons started the first half brightly dominating with possession and creating several chances. Unfortunately, conversion of these chances was proving difficult with the Sudbury keeper making some good saves. The game then settled down, with an evenly fought mid pitch battle. It seemed like Sudbury were happy to park the bus and go away with the single point. After a motivational speech at half time from skipper and vice, it managed to focus the team into creating more chances in the 2nd half. The breakthrough came with a deflected shot into the roof of the net from Johnny Taylor in his debut game. This settled the team and were soon on the attack again and two converted short corners from Alex Browne and Ed Gould made the 3 points certain.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Ipswich 2s:  1-4

Norwich Dragons men’s 3’s travelled to Ipswich to take on Ipswich men’s 2’s. Ipswich looked particularly strong from the start and capitalised early with a goal. They then added to this with a fairly unstoppable  reverse strike. Dragons worked hard and creating a break, Jono Chaney Baxter drove into the d and then slipped it left to Andy Saunders to pull a goal back although by half time the score was 3-1 in Ipswich favour.  Positive half time chat resulted in better passing and more chances were created in the 2nd half, everyone worked hard but unfortunately it was not to be and dragons lost 4-1 to what on the day was one of the strongest opposition they have faced all season.

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Thetford Town 1s:  0-3

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v UEA 3s:  0-0

Dragons 5’s played probably their most organised and disciplined game of the season.  Knowing that we were giving away 20-30 years to the opposition in some positions, players realised they needed to stay in place & not make extra runs forward.   With Ali Smyth keeping the left sown up & James Cross & Lloyd Wade patrolling the middle UEA were restricted to very few clear cut chances & I don’t recall any short corners being conceded.

Dragons game was based on soaking up the UEA pressure and trying to catch them on the break.  Through Owain Hall down the right & Rob Chaney Baxter & Connor Adams up front we managed to create a number of chances.  Short corners looked dangerous through a James flick or an Ali strike – sadly UEA defence held firm.  Overall a draw was probably about the right result.

MOM:  Chris Orme

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norwich City 6s:  2-2

In a week where several players could not be offered a game, and the captain was detained at work, M6 have a perfect mix of youth & experience but more importantly a squad of mid-field players who worked for each other & passed their way around the field. M6 were unlucky on the first City goal from an intercepted clearance & have only themselves to blame for not reforming their defensive marking duties after a temporary suspension. The early first half was a period of pressure & the M6 defence were indebted to Peter Dickerson doubling up in goal. Still towards the end of that half with MOM Isaac Diver-Hall making penetrating runs on the right & Tommy Chapman running everywhere, that a slick move down the right saw Rob lee pull a goal back before HT. 

 

Second half reorganisation of the middle was rewarded when M6 recovered a short corner clearance & worked the ball to Dan Orsborne to equalise. Toby Drake at right midfield made some excellent incursions while in defence Harry Brown found time from making the only City youngster to add weight to the left. Chances were there to beat the 2nd team in the league but the post kept Josh Bingham out.

 

This is the team that will if selected for next few weeks get M6 their first win of the season in a competitive league where most games like today were a joy to play. Everyone is up to travel to Cromer next week so bring it on.

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys A v Dereham:  9-1

Dragons started the first half strongly passing the ball well and applying pressure in the D earning an early short corner, Ed Cross shooting just wide.  Dereham were set up and trained to hit long to their fast forwards but their first attempt to counter-attack was blocked by Tom Jackson in defence and the attacking continued.  Again Dragons broke into the D, and with a sensible pass across the goal, Casper Lind tapped in at the far post for the opening goal.  Very soon after the Dereham pushback, Dragons found themselves back in the D and with another short corner.  This time Ed Cross’s shot was on target but saved.  Pressure continued, and with another clean pass in the D across the goal, Casper Lind scored a second.  Dereham then came back into the game but the Dragon’s defence refused to let the ball past with Tom Jackson, Will Mares, Ben Panter and Alex Marjoram blocking, passing wide and clearing to ease the pressure. One of the last attacks saw the opportunity to pressure the Dereham goal and when Kit Scott’s shot was saved, Tommy Gale quickly picked up the loose ball to score.  End of first Half, 3-0 to Dragons.

The second half saw Dereham start quickly out of the blocks, and with the Dragons back pedalling, Dereham slotted home their first goal.  Dragons then reacted and started some relentless pressure on the Dereham goal, with 3 hard shots saved by the goalie (our very own Alex Wolfe), one short corner saved, one shot over the bar and another saved by the goalies helmet.  Finally a reverse stick shot from Kit took the Dragon’s tally to 4.  There followed a period of end to end hockey with chances for both sides but shots and passes missing their targets.  Finally the Dragon’s passing game returned and in the last 15 minutes sustained pressure saw Tommy Gale score two goals, a screamer of a short corner from Ed Cross, a tap-in from Kit and the last goal from Freddie Royall.  Final score 9-1 to Dragons.

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys B v  Norwich City:  P-P

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Girls v  Norwich City:  1-5

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NDHC League Match Reports: 6th January 2018

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match
L1s06/01/18Maidstone 1H14.002-1 (W)Emma Tabrett
Stacey Lee
Emma Tabrett
Sophie Thomas
L2s06/01/18Magpies 3A13.301-0 (L)Kiera Goymour
L3s06/01/18Dragons 5H12.157-0 (W)Hannah Ellis
Hazel Knights
Debs Smith x3
Harriet Marlee
Fiona Fletcher
Debs Smith
L4s06/01/18City 4H11.30P-P
L5s06/01/18Dragons 3A12.157-0 (L)Ginny Simkin
L6s06/01/18Herlings 1A14.00P-P
M1s06/01/18Cam Uni 3A10.30P-P
M2s06/01/18Dragons 3H15.004-1 (W)Jason Wolfe
Pedro Goss
Alex Browne
Eddie Gould
Pedro Goss
M3s06/01/18Dragons 2A15.004-1 (L)Jono Chaney-BaxterJohn Ives
M4s06/01/18Felixstowe 2H13.15P-P
M5s06/01/18Felixstowe 3A13.005-0 (CL)
M6s06/01/18Pelicans 4H15.450-5 (CL)James King
BD B06/01/18MagpiesH10.00P-P
GD06/01/18MagpiesH10.30P-P

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Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Maidstone 1s:  2-1

After a Christmas break, prolonged by the wintry conditions before the holiday, the 1st team hosted Maidstone on Saturday, stronger in numbers and ready to take 3 points from a team that they should have beaten in the first half of the season.

The Norwich ladies quickly found their form and were starting to play some good hockey, passing the ball around nicely and maintaining possession.

Dragons looked like the dominant team and took control of the match with some slick passing around the back between player of the match Sophie Thomas, Sarah Jenkins, Holly Redding and Lou Murray. With Dragons moving to a formation of 3 up front, Murray managed to find space on the right wing and used it to her advantage, finding the forwards in space or driving forwards herself. The forward line of Hayley Toleman, Stacey Lee, Tabba and Katy Hands found space and drove at the D, skilfully winding their way past the defence, but the final pass or movement just wasn’t finding the target. Despite this, Dragons won several penalty corners in the first half and were pushing for the goal. Some quick thinking from Lara Taylor outside the D led to a penalty corner being awarded just on the stroke of half time, and the dragons surrounded the D, eager to convert the pressure of the first half. A fabulous drag flick from Tabba found the back of the goal with ease and Dragons went into the second half 1-0 up. The goal and her energy throughout the game earned Tabba the joint player of the match award.

Dragons dominated the second half and wave upon wave of attack peppered the Maidstone D, with excellent linking play from Liv Thomas, Lucy Ripman and Marie James, who all fought hard throughout the game. 15 minutes in to the second half, Sophie Thomas found herself in space on the left-hand side. She passed to Liv Thomas who skilfully passed her opponent and found Hayley Toleman who was alongside Stacey Lee in a 2 on 1 situation. Toleman drew the defender and slipped the ball forwards to Lee who, with trademark flair, slotted it past the keeper: A fantastic team goal made to look simple by the Dragons.

In the 20 minutes that remained, Maidstone counter attacked and were awarded a penalty corner which they converted. Whilst the Norwich ladies held their nerve and played well throughout, if it weren’t for a commanding performance from Cleeve in goal, the opposition may well have equalised. At the final whistle, it was 2-1 to Norwich Dragons and a well deserved 3 points.

 

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE
Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Magpies 3s:  0-1

Norwich Dragons Ladies 2’s traveled to Harleston excited to be back playing Hockey after the Christmas break. Unfortunately due to various injuries and illnesses the 2’s were missing several of their usual squad, so had to travel with a bare 12, not ideal for a game straight after the Christmas break! However this did give the 2’s the chance to welcome Ismay Whitaker into the squad for her well earned 2nd team debut and also see the return of Lauren Lawrie and Luisa Valentini. The squad were also pleased to welcome back Maddy Reynolds who has been missing from the team due to Glandular Fever.

The main message to the Dragons was to work hard and be confident and to stick to their game plan. Dragons had a great warm up, even winning the toss, which was reflected in how well the 2’s started the game.

From the start of the first half the Dragons moved the ball around well and had the majority of the possession. Captain Karen O’Neill-Simpson in CD was flanked either side by teenagers Ismay Whitaker and Carmel Windsor Waite. Both girls showed great understanding of positional play and composure beyond their years. As a unit they were not greatly troubled and dealt with any attack calmly. On the odd occasion when Magpies did manage to get a shot on target it was easily dealt with by keeper Luisa Valentini.

In front of the defence the midfield of Shelly Seaman, Debs Painter, Kiera Goymour and Gail Thomas were working like Trojans,definitely winning the battle in the middle of the pitch. Their work rate was second to none and they both helped protect the defence and aid the forwards. The Dragons saw several powerful runs down the right side of the pitch, by POM Kiera Goymour, leading to a few near chances. Unfortunately even though Dragons had the majority of play in the first half the score at half time was 0-0.

Magpies started the second half strongly and put Dragons defence under far more pressure than they had in the first half, attacking in numbers. Unfortunately 15 minutes into the second half there was a missed tackle and the defence were too slow at closing down the danger player and Magpies went a goal up.

From this point Dragons switched on again and looked the most likely side to score. The 2’s pressed forward as a unit and we saw several great runs by the forwards, Maddy Reynolds, Lauren Lawrie, Kate McKenna and Lucy Morton. Through their hard work we got the ball into the D on several occasions but just couldn’t get the ball in the goal. As the clock ran down Dragons managed to win several short corners but the Magpies defence were on good form and managed to block the shots well and the game finished 1-0 to Magpies.

Even though Dragons lost their first game back it was a great team effort and the positives far outweighed any negatives. At the start of the game Captain Karen asked the team to give it their all and not leave anything in reserve and pleasingly the whole team undoubtedly did this. Dragons 2’s would also like to thank Ollie King for running the sideline for them and making several good pointers that the team can continue to work on.

With the great mix of youth and experience that this team now has, along with their great attitude, the future is bright for the 2’s, who are already looking forward to their next game away at City.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Dragons Ladies 5s:  7-0

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Norwich City 4s:  P-P

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Dragons Ladies 3s:  0-7

After an icy start to the day the pitch eventually thawed sufficiently for the match to proceed. Following a thorough warm up we were ready to start.  Dragons 3s came out strong, scoring after just a few minutes, they continued the pressure through to half time scoring 4 goals in total, three of which came from short corner routines.

Our opposition were awarded numerous short corners scoring a further 3 goals early in the second half.  We then held our own, pressing well and kept them at bay until the final whistle. Final Score 0-7.

There was some excellent play in all areas of the pitch, superb runs by the forwards, tireless work in midfield and the defence battled well in open play.  We played a good passing game working the ball up the pitch.  We kept focused throughout the match and worked as a team to mitigate advances by their key players.  A well spirited game between two Dragons teams.  Player of match was Ginny Simkin for her solid performance in central defence.

Thanks to Sarah and Anita for there valuable advice and support from the sideline.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Herlings 1s:  P-P

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s  – no fixture

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3
Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s  – no fixture

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N
Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Cambridge Uni 3s:  P-P

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Dragons Men’s 3s:  4-1

A crisp winter’s afternoon set the scene for another dogged intramural encounter of Dragons. Marvel and DC universes collided with a standoff between Captain Moulsica and Jon ‘Superman’ Ives eagerly awaiting the toss. As they looked tenaciously at each other, the fateful coin fell end over end before gracing the plush Den surface; sticks gripped tighter in anticipation, a serene smile started to cross Captain Moulsica’s face as the Avengers had won the initial battle and selected to push back.

With the clocks striking fifteen hundred hours, the intergalactic battle commenced. The Avengers resuming their natural flowing style of play with ‘IronGill’ inventing and invigorating their play. Sharp passing and movement to run off the festive gluttony of the previous month. Soon enough, the ‘Wolverine’ Al Brown started inflicting his efforts towards goal with venom. Chances became frequent, as the Avengers grew with confidence. After another Wolverine onslaught, Spider’Wolfe’Man sprang into action at the Justice League goalmouth to convert a short corner from close quarters. The Avengers’ celebrations were cut short as the Justice League immediately returned with a coolly taken goal from a routine short corner, the Green Arrow ‘Jono Chaney Baxter’ with some trickery beating the Avengers backline before slotting to even the scores at Half Time.

As the floodlights now shone brightly over the battleground, the Avengers came out in the second half with pomp and purpose. Knowing there persistence would pay off, they continued the high tempo press to cause further problems at the Justice League’s gate. Pedro ‘Quicksilver’ Goss unrelenting runs allowed further pressure on the Justice League Goal, himself eventually managing a deft touch from an IronGill drive into the D making the score 2-1. The Wolverine was next to strike, managing a frontal squeeze shot that looped over the Justice League keeper at full stretch. Finally, Eddie ‘Deadpool’ Gould finished the contest with a reaction strike late on leaving the Justice League defeated. The Justice League Fought valiantly to the death however, the Avengers proved too much for them on this encounter finishing the war 4 – 1.

Quicksilver awarded MoM for the Avengers for his impressive display.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Dragons Men’s 2s:  1-4

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Felixstowe 2s:  P-P

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE
Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Felixstowe 3s:  0-5 (CL)

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)
Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Pelicans 4s:  0-4 (0-5 CL)

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys A v P-P

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Boys B v  P-P

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club
Dragons Dev Girls v  P-P

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NDHC League Match Reports – 23rd December 2017

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match

Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Men’s 3s v Newmarket 1s: 3-1

Twas the night night before Christmas, when all hockey players were resting.

apart from the men’s third team ready for a Newmarket testing

the pre-match warmup hopping

was much better than family Christmas shopping

Newmarket look like they were up for festive cheer

Joel Dennis meanwhile looked like he needed a beer

When what to my wondering eyes did appear

But an Elven like John Ives and 10 men, who could have eaten reindeer

Two early goals from Jono CB did the trick

I knew in the moment he could be St Nick

more rapid than eagles the attacks on their goal came

the Elven whistled and shouted and called them by name

now Kelly, now Goodson, now Ali, now Pedro

to the top of the D! To the edge of the goal as they face a brick wall

now smash away! Smash away! Smash away all

the second half began, they all fancied a jolly ride

James Goodson floated in the air and clattered a player in a graceful dive

A smash and grab from Eddie Gould

the midfield of ed and bob did marshalled and mauled

Newmarket players lost a bit of festive cheer

unfortunately, in front of umpires that could hear

with numbers reduced, Newmarket slumped

with only Ali being sent off , third’s got gazumped

they scored from a short

did the third team have a report

no, but they held on all right

but heard Ives exclaim, as he ran out of sight

happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

NDHC League Match Reports: 16th December 2017

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match

Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Cambridge City 2s:  P-P 

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE

Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Christchurch 1s:  P-P

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Evergreens 1s:  5-0

A freezing but not frozen Saturday morning in Holt meant that Dragons Ladies 3rd team were called at the last minute to make the journey. Following a fragmented arrival and warm up, the game started in much the same manner with uncharacteristic errors all over the pitch but with Dragons still remaining the dominant team.

The first goal was scored by Ally Windsor Waite from a short corner and the second goal also came from a short corner finished by Hannah Ellis. The third and final goal of the first half came from open play down the left-hand side of the pitch, to be taken from the air on the baseline by Lucy Buxton and passed back to the centre of the goal for Lauren Lawrie to put over the line.

The second half continued to see a dominant performance from Dragons, however Evergreens proved difficult to break down. Dragons increased the score line with a second goal for Ally Windsor Waite and the final goal came from Jess Haw calmly slotting the ball past the keeper. A couple of notable performances during the game included a confident debut in the 3rd team for Catherine Matthews and Lucy Buxton was unanimously voted plater of the match.

A great first half of the season for the ladies 3rd team, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v UEA 2s:

The match started late due to an umpire arriving late which gave us an opportunity to practice some skills/routines. What with these skills/routines, and the help of Rob Wagstaff, as our manager it all helped to give us the confidence in the game.

We started very strong against a very youthful UEA team, with some very strong passing along the left from Sarah Wagstaff to Katie Franks then Fiona Fletcher, unfortunately the opposition didn’t pick this up throughout the whole game so we used this to our advantage each time we had a 16 yard hit out.

Although the defense didn’t have too much to do, the trio Sarah, Bella, Katie F managed their area superbly, great communication and wise tactful movements between the three, each covering their area and each other. Katie managed her own space and was always ready for the next stage for the defense to pass out to.

Up front with Lisa Harwood, Caroline Wolfe, Trish Hagan, Gina Hunt was a force to be reckoned with. They worked tirelessly to create 4 goals between them and all of them deserved a medal for their perseverance.

The second half however became much more organized between the mid field, we lost our way and positions slightly in the first half and our castle because under threat at times. But with the help of Robs wise words and with us willing to comply the mids gave a big change to the second half.

Trish and Vicki Earley worked together backwards and forwards so the area was covered at all times, cutting out anything in our way. It was very difficult for the youthful UEA girls to pass us. Aditi Naik was superb on the right in all the right places backing up enabling her to receive or pass the ball at all the correct times.

And we can’t forget our wonderful goalie Amy Forse, who gives us so much confidence, and she completes our wonderful 4’s team.
Gina Hunt 1 goal
Caroline Wolfe 1 goal
MOM Trish Hagan2 goals

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Lowestoft Railway 1s:  P-P

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s  – no fixture

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s  – no fixture

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Dereham: – Dereham conceded this fixture

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N

Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v City of Peterborough:  P-P

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v UEA 2s:  2-0

On a cold and frosty morning Dragons 2s moved back into promotion contention with a 2-0 victory over UEA.

Christmas is a time of tradition and in the spirit of this Dragons took an early lead via a Wolfe drag back and an Alex Browne sweep into the bottom corner. The rest of the 1st half was as bleak as any midwinter with very few chances.

The second half became open and more exciting with a festive festival of end to end hockey. Dragons extended their lead with a close range effort from Josh Wiggins.

With no more incidents, other than a Simmo landmine that secured him DOD on his birthday, the game ended and the Christmas celebrations could begin. Jason Wolfe deservedly won man of the match narrowly beating Garnett and Katy Moulson.

Merry Christmas one and all.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s – no fixture

 

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v IES 4s: P-P

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s – no fixture

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)

Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v UEA 4s:  P-P

 

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys A v Watton:  6-0

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys B v  Norwich City:  1-0

The ice thawed in the nick of time and Dev Bs game v City at Taverham started as scheduled in sunny conditions at 11.30. We were captained by Harry Fuller.

The 1st quarter saw us soak up a lot of city pressure but good defensive work prevented clear City scoring opportunities.

We slowly started to play more hockey in City half but failed to take advantage of late arrival of the city keeper.

We started the 2nd quarter brightly  stretching city thanks to direct running from Ben Panter.

The match was turning into good even contest but clear chances remained few and far between.

The play did eventually become more open which allowed the chance for counter attacking hockey. We defended the first 2 short corners of the match well.  Half Time arrived with the game locked all square at 0-0.

The 3rd quarter finally saw the breakthrough. An incisive move brought the chance which was converted by Casper Lind following good work from Tommy Gale. The lead was immediately preserved thanks to  a great save by Alex Wolfe who pushed the ball onto post and was scrambled away.

As expected the final quarter was tense and we came under concerted pressure. Some great tackling from Will Pank and Xander Wimmer, who were solid all game kept City at arms length.

2 quick City Short corners were well defended as they piled on late pressure and dominated possession and territory.

We were forced to ride our luck but city squandered some good chances and we held out for an excellent 1-0 win.

Well done all!

Tommy Chambers

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Dragons Dev Girls v  Pelicans:  P-P

 

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NDHC League Match Reports: 2nd December 2017

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match

Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Cambridge Uni 1s:  0-2

Cambridge Uni sat just 1 point ahead of the Dragons ladies 1s going into the match on Saturday, and a win for the Norwich team would see them catch up with the middle group in the table and set them up well for the second half of the season. It was an important match but with numbers depleted yet again, it was going to be a tough battle.

Despite Dragons keen start, Cambridge quickly gained possession and early on in the first half, the defence faced a sustained period of attack. Sarah Jenkins and Lucy Ripman in the centre commanded the Dragons though and they were able to repel Cambridge’s efforts. Kiera Goymour, coming up from the 2s, looked solid in defence too and looked comfortable in this league.

Dragons welcomed back Stacey Lee after a period of injury this week and after 15 minutes, she came on to give the Dragons a burst of her trademark skill. Issy Wolfe made some surging runs in the first half, driving at the opposition goal, but unfortunately, she couldn’t quite convert. The midfield line up of Olivia Thomas, Lara Taylor and Hannah Philips looked strong throughout and all three worked hard throughout the game to close down the opposition and create chances for the Dragons.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be Dragons’ day. Early on in the second half, a loss of possession in our defensive 23’ allowed a Cambridge player to drive into the D and pelt a great shot past Cleeve in goal to take the opposition to 1-0. The Dragons defence continued to face a barrage of attacks and it was often Captain Jenkins, who went on to win Player of the Match, who cleared the lines and helped the team to regain its composure.

A period of attacking play from Dragons looked like it might bear fruit, with some great combination play from Issy Wolfe, Hannah Philips and Lara Taylor, but when the ball found its way to Lee in front of goal, she was taken out by the keeper and Cambridge cleared their line.

A counter-attack down the right-hand side of the pitch and a cross in found the Cambridge players in front of Cleeve and the Dragons’ defence and they put the ball away neatly to move to 2-0.

A dejected Dragons team regathered after the match and focused on the areas we need to work on in training in the forthcoming weeks.

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE

Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Bury St Edmunds 1s:  1-1

Dragons gave a very warm welcome back to Shelly Seaman who returned to the team following long term injury, and slotted in like she had never been away! In this tight league, this was always going to be a tight game against a team with fairly similar record.
 
With Sarah Borrett away this week, the defence needed a slight reshuffle, with Natasha Falzon slotting in at Centre defence, well supported by Karen O’Neill Simpson and Carmel Windsor-Waite. The defensive unit looked strong and worked well to cover each other, whilst Kristina Smyth in goal was also alert to anything that came her way.
 
Dragons didn’t make their best start, looking a little unsettled on the ball and giving it away too cheaply at times, however they settled and started to use their width better as the half went on. Some strong play by Deb Painter on the left and Harriett Green on the right, was well supported by Shelly Seaman and Gail Thomas providing strength in the middle of the pitch. Emma Tabrett was working extremely hard as always to support the forwards and help in midfield, whilst up front Kate McKenna and Mary Alexander were linking up well.
 
Dragons earned a short corner midway through the half which was executed to perfection, a smart drag out, stopped dead by Deb Painter and Emma Tabrett let rip with an awesome drag flick to the GK’s left, flying into the top of the back board, for a 1-0 lead.
 
At the break, the call was to move the ball on slightly quicker and to look to switch play and use the width, which Dragons achieved, however Bury were also very much in the game, moving the ball well and were defensively strong. The visitors earned themselves a number of short corners and from one they executed a smart routine to beat the Dragons defence.
 
With the score at 1-1 and the clock running down, Dragons continued to press and were in the ascendancy especially in the last 10 minutes. Debs Painter had a great effort on goal, from a high ball flying across the D following good work on the right from Mary Alexander, Painters’ first time volley at the back post was excellently saved by the keeper. With time running out, Hannah Hardy had a late opportunity, however she made the wrong decision to force a pass at a narrow angle, rather than take the shot on goal. The final whistle went with a point a piece, which was probably fair on the balance of play.
 
Carmel Windsor- Waite and Karen O’Neill-Simpson deservedly shared the honours for Player of the Match. A good competitive game, in an enjoyable league where just 5 points separate the top 6 teams; all to play for as the reverse fixtures commence next week.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Norwich City 4s:  6-0

An early push back at the Den on a fresh December morning saw Dragons Ladies 3rd team host Norwich City Ladies 4th team. Dragons began the game strongly, pressing City high up the pitch, which created the first goal within the first 5 minutes of the game, Ally Windsor Waite intercepting a city hit out and striking a strong clean shot from the top of the D, which nearly broke the backboard.

Unfortunately, Dragons were down to only 11 players after 15 minutes of the first half due to a stick in the face to Jess Haw. However, Dragons maintained the pressure on City and soon created a tap in second goal for Ally Windsor Waite from a floating cross along the baseline.

Dragons continued to keep City in their own half with some confident patient transfers across the pitch between Ismay Whitaker, Sophie Barrow and Esme Potter, creating more space for the team to attack the opposition circle. The third goal came on the stroke of half time from an aerial shot at goal by Hazel Knights that was reverse stick deflected by Lauren Lawrie across the front of goal for Sam Franklin to push home from close range.

The second half saw Dragons score their fourth goal from a short corner routine calmly completed by Ally Windsor Waite, player of the match, to gain her hattrick. The fifth goal also from a short corner routine scored by Debs Smith for the best ever chuckle brother! The sixth goal was scored from a short corner awarded on the stroke of full time deflected into the goal by Lauren Lawrie. Another strong team performance together with another clean sheet for a composed defence.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Lowestoft Railway 1s:  0-4

Off we toodled for chips and ice cream.  But first some hockey on the green carpet, Lowestoft won first push back and weaved their way through us and we quickly saw their agility.  Katie Franks was on hand to stop the approach and passed the ball back through to Trish Hagan, who found Lynne Price in space in the middle.  The Lowestoft whipper snappers were quick to close us down on the ball and space became limited.  Catherine Matthews and Lucy Buxton were working tirelessly up and down the wings moving the ball on and then often chasing back.  Defenders were a rare breed for us this week and Fiona Fletcher stepped into the breech under the watchful eye of Sarah Wagstaff.  Lowestoft were putting a lot of pressure on our defence and they were on full alert, tracking back, intercepting and preventing the ball from reaching Esther Jacobs.  After a lot of to and fro-ing Lowestoft took a chance with a strike across the D which pinged off Sarah’s toe up and over Esther into the goal.  Undeterred the 4s reset and with a pass out wide to Catherine and then up to Gina Hunt, Caroline Wolfe and Lisa Harwood moved the opposition defence around to get a chance on goal.  A short corner was forced with an injection from Lucy to Caroline a strike in but intercepted by the opposition and cleared.

After half time we came out with more grit and determination to get the ball first and pass it on before we got intercepted.  Vicki Earley was keeping the pace of Lowestoft players and pushed them wide into the path of the defenders. Lowestoft gained more short corners and increased the score to 4-0.  Unfortunately goals were not forthcoming for the Dragons even though they put in a last surge on goal.  Man of the match was Fiona who managed to stretched out go go gadget arms to catch the ball on the line and prevent another goal.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Norwich City 3s:  0-1

The ladies Fives headed off to Taverham on a rather warm Saturday morning eager to play City 3’s. Due to limited availability captain Amy Forse had to return to her old position as keeper while Liz McDonnell joined at the last minute to bring our numbers up to 12.
 
City came out fighting form the start and put in some ominous runs but the defence were able to keep them at bay with resilient clearances from Grace Brown, Steph Samson and Louise Davis. The defence faced a number of short corners throughout the game and managed to save all but one, a strong strike from top D halfway through the first half. This was the only goal City managed to score.  After conceding the goal the fives rallied and managed to hold City off for the remainder of the first half with some good running from Lilly Sore and Sue Cross.  We ended the first half 1-0.
 
One goal down and with no substitutes, the fives went into the second half with renewed energy after a positive and uplifting team talk from Amy Forse. Sue Brumby unfortunately injured her calf in the first half and so was unable to continue playing but she did support and encourage the team enthusiastically from the side line.  The fives started the second half fighting with Hannah Edwards and Ginny Simkin working together to get the ball into the opposite D.  There was some great supportive play from the team which provided a few good goal scoring opportunities for Sue Cross and Lilly Sore that sadly, were unsuccessful.  City tried their best to score more goals but Amy Forse put in some big saves to stop them.  The second half ended 0-0, with a compelling effort from all players but this sadly did not negate City’s goal from the first half. Although we lost, the fives played a strong game and were happy with the result.
 
Katie Lister and Mel Widdows played well in the mid field with Katie making some crucial tackles Mel working back to help the defence when needed. The team was able to put some of the space creation techniques from training this week into use to get past the solid City defence and create some spectacular passes. Well done to the fives for an outstanding effort.
 
POM: Amy Forse
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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s  v Pelicans 3s:  3-1 

Ladies 6s had a long trip to Pelicans this weekend welcoming Charlotte Knight, Stella Windsor-Waite, Amelia Keitley-Webb, Clara Dorman-Carrott and Katy Saide into the squad this week for the first time this season. After seeing the work rate and progression of these players in training, captain Hannah Woods was delighted to welcome them into the 6s fold.
 
As always, the emphasis for the 6s was on communication and working together. The first half started well. Dragons pressed the pelicans defence hard. The forward line of Jemima Dorman-Carrott, Mia McGhee and Charlotte Knight worked tirelessly as a unit. They interchanged and moved as a team making it really difficult for the opposition. A goal came when PoM Charlotte Knight put a fantastic cross in from the edge of the D for Mia McGhee to score.
 
Pelicans equalised mid way through the second half just adding fire into the dragons fight. The rotating defensive line of Georgia Butterworth, Kate Atkins, Jen Buskell and Katy Saide held strong, clearing with pace through to the midfield.
 
The wide midfield players of Hannah Woods (who is slowly moving further up the pitch in terms of starting position!) and Clara Dorman-Carrott were tenacious and played so great balls through for the forwards. For the second goal Charlotte Knight was again play maker. Her ball in saw Jess Vernon, Amelia-Keitley-Webb and Jemima Dorman-Carrott set a press around the keeper for Vernon to sneak Home the goal.
 
A mention has to be given to Jess Vernon who is a forward by trade but has been playing a vit role for the 6s at the top of the diamond. Her work rate is fantastic and she is doing a great job learning this new position.
 
Going into the break Dragons were 2-1 up but knew they needed to consolidate this week. The sticks-in chant called for dragons to be hard out from the first push. That was exactly what happened. Vernon intercepting a Pelicans pass to push the ball out to Woods who played a perfectly weighted pass to the corner for Knight to run onto – she played a fantastic cross in to goal bound Mia McGhee to score her second 42 seconds into the second half!
 
Dragons were dominant in the second half. A particuar mention should go to debutant Stella Windsor-Waite for the key role she held at bottom of the diamond. Throughout the match she grew in confidence and played some very mature Hockey. Her ability to shadow players and not dive into a tackle until the time is right shows Hockey maturity well above her age.
 
A goal keeping appearance from Anita Mancini for the first time this season is also worth a mention. She commanded the D making some crucial saves and communicated well with her defensive line. Just missing out – by a single vote – on PoM.
 
PoM went to Charlotte Knight who in her first appearance for the 6s was involved in every goal. She tracked players back and supported defence well but also showed some great individual skill out on the right wing.
 
I couldn’t have been prouder of every single player who donned a 6s top this weekend. The effort in training and during matches in really paying off!

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Dereham 5s:  5-0 (Dereham conceded this fixture)

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Watton 3s:  0-6

Ladies 8’s Match Report .02/12/2017 – Vs Watton

Ladies 8’s player of the match – Sophie James

Best way to describe this match? MASSIVELY FUSTRATING!

The entire team exited the pitch knowing and feeling that they had given it their all! The half time Haribo and post-match sandwiches, chips and cake were gratefully received and much needed to revive energy levels and post-match mood!

From the outset the #awesomeeights knew they had a job on their hands with Watton joining the league from the one above at the beginning of last season. From the first to the last whistle the eights dug their heels in, fought hard and gave the home team an end to end, side to side match.  The dynamic defence fought hard and continually cleared the record breaking number of short corners awarded against them (over twenty but we lost count so can’t confirm the exact number).  The midfield team of Nic Harrison, Sophie James, Emma Fielding and Katy Cole used every ounce of energy including any reserves they had driving the ball wide and high up the pitch and then pulling back to battle with the defenders.

Goal keeper Emma North showed once again that she has benefitted from the specialist goal keeping sessions with some fantastic long clearances and dives to clear the ball away from the danger zone. Her support and guidance proved invaluable throughout the match.

Left defender Anna Chapman continues to thrive as the “silent achiever” a fantastic, enthusiastic player who just keeps getting better and better. Centre defender and Vice-Captain Jo Baker once again belted out some cracking (literally, poor stick) hits to the waiting wingers or into clear spaces allowing them to run onto them. Her vocal chords also got a good airing with Jo providing some much-needed encouragement, guidance and instruction throughout the match. Fellow defenders Jess Lockwood and Johanne Steward both battled hard tirelessly moving out to provide the width and coming in to protect the D.

Following a strategic pre-match decision bottom of the diamond stalwart Tracy Stewart-Sheppard teamed up with visiting #awesomeeights Louise “Brooksy” Brooks to provide a concrete core to the midfield. Brooksy proved to be an awesome last-minute addition to the team who tackled bravely and effortlessly passed the ball up the pitch to the waiting mids Tracy continues to be quick to the ball and a real fighter who just doesn’t give up, her enthusiasm is infectious! Last but by no means least the ferocious forwards courageously lead by Lois Metcalf whose experience and great communication was invaluable. She worked tirelessly to drive the ball towards the D whilst supporting the other players alongside her. Sadie Jacobs grows in confidence and is nearly un-recognisable to the beginning of the season, Sadie listens and takes direction brilliantly. Her passes are getting stronger and more accurate with every match she plays. The last mention must go to our debutant Emma Young who has finally been rewarded for her training efforts since the beginning of the season and proved she had earnt her place in the team. Emma proved to be the perfect goal-hanger, her resilient performance showed that she had soaked up every piece of advice given to her, is a natural at meeting the ball and stayed high to separate the Watton defenders away from their midfielders.

So summing this game up, well a lot could be said but we are true Dragons who are gracious in defeat. We learn from what didn’t quite work for us and will be back next week fighting once again. It is very frustrating that we fight as hard as we do, and the results really don’t reflect the play on the pitch, but all are confident that the wins will come we just have to dig our stubborn little feet in and keep battling on!

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N

Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Norwich City 2s:  1-5

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v IES 3s:  2-3

Good King Moulson looked out
On the pitch of Ipswich East Suffolk leaven
When the pitch lay round about
Blue and Pink and even
Brightly shone the pitch that day
Though the low sun was cruel
When the Dragons came in sight
Spectators began to dro’oo’ol

“Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know’st it, telling
Yonder Dragons, fight with me
Play our game, true beguiling!”
“We are, in a good league hence
We must use our metal
Passing against the pitches fence
The win should be ele’men’tal”

Two goals lost in no good time
Dragons on the back foot
Ed Gould striking quite sublime
Scoring a short corner crash bandicoot
Goss and Hull charged up the flanks
Forth they went together
Through the IES defensive ranks
Half time comes to stir the we’ea’ther

“Team, the night is darker now
And the game won’t last much longer
We must try much harder now,
And come out the stronger”
Dragons started with guile, and gaze
Passing the much brazenly
Chances came with floundering haze
Goalmouth frenzies became the go’oo’dly.”

IES were next to strike
Dragon’s Gould followed gamely
End to end the contest strived
Fulltime approaching hastily
In the end, the Dragons lost
Three – two to their victors
Bring on Bury in next weeks fight
Ed Gould Dragons Match Cham’pi’on

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Bury St Edmunds 2s:  2-1

On a cold December day,
Dragons were home not away.
But how would they do,
With Goodson’s numbering just 2?

Rob is chock full of dismay,
Attending his in laws birthday,
He’s torn between a home win,
Or his team missing him.

Dragons started with pace,
Mystic wearing his game face.
Immediately a goal came,
Ali Browne achieving 3s fame.

Just like London buses,
3s goals come in rushes,
The finish by Digger,
He’ll only get bigger.

Bury started to play,
Their midfield making hay,
The ball broke loose,
Great save by Joel Moose!

Dragons were on top,
The high press didn’t stop,
Lots of chances were missed,
Were our forwards all £&*^|£?

Our one slip Bury did finish,
Were we due a grandstand finish?
But with a crowd in full song,
Our brave Dragons held on.

Formerly the size of a hoose,
Man of the match was Joel Moose.
Now a slip of a lad,
His goalkeeping ain’t bad.

We’ll welcome Rob back,
And not give him the sack,
But he must remember we won,
When we were ditched for his wife’s Mum!!

 

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Ipswich 3s:  1-3

 
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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Ipswich Cranes 1s:  6-0

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)

Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norfolk Nomans 2s:  0-3

Unfortunately the 6s suffered from a combination of player injuries prior to the match, players being called up at the last minute to higher mens teams and a no show on the day which meant we started with a bare 11 lineup. This led to a number of people having to play seriously out of their normal position. From the start Nomads imposed themselves by playing to their strengths and within 10 minutes were 2-0 ahead. Both of their goals coming from balls driven in from the edge of our D and picked up on the far post by a loose player. Although this really wasn’t the start we wanted, the team made the best of it and there were some brighter moments, notably Tommy Chapman hitting the Nomads post and Bobby Sheppard being blocked close in by the experienced Nomads keeper.

Because of the lack of substitutes there was no real chance to make any changes at half time and it was more a case of digging in to minimise the goals against, which our defence made a sterling effort at. The work rate was kept up by the whole team but the lack of substitutes and options told in the end, when Nomads scored a third goal. Stephen Holland had been metaphorically thrown in the deep end for his first ever full hockey match and credit goes to him for giving it his all. Try as we might we couldn’t make the breakthrough and the game ended a disappointing 0-3 loss.

For his efforts in attack and perseverance Tommy Chapman was awarded Man of the Match A big thinks also to Freddie Roques for doubling up in goal for the 6s and 5s at late notice. All in all, I think these days are called ‘learning experiences’ in modern parlance…..

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys A v Watton:  6-0

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys B v  Dereham: 3-0

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Dragons Dev Girls v  Watton:  8-0

Dev Girls have their first win of the season beating Watton 8-0 Goals from Piper Hempsall x 2 Amy Beadman x 1 Hattie Stuart x1 Honey Wells x 2 Isabelle Harris x 2. POM for a dominant display in midfield goes to Piper Hempsall. Onwards and upwards!!

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NDHC League Match Reports: 25th November 2017

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match

Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Caterbury 2s:  P-P

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE

Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Christchurch 1s:  P-P

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Evergreens 1s:  P-P

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v UEA 2s:  P-P

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Broadland 1s:  

With all games at the Den having been cancelled, the Fives set off to Taverham cautious of the conditions (and the cold!) but keen to face Broadlands 1st after a good show against Loddon the week before.
 
Broadlands were quick off the mark and the Fives conceded a short corner early in the first half, although it was extremely well defended and cleared. After that, fewer mistakes were made in the D and the Fives were able to make some strong attacks. Niamh Somers and Sophia Haenhelt made some brilliant runs on the left wing and some strong hits on goal by Sue Cross seemed to shake the Broadlands defence. Hannah Edwards and Fiona Fletcher worked well at top and bottom of the diamond to intercept the Broadlands hard cross pitch hits. Fletch suffered a hard lifted hit to the arm, but managed to rally to come back for the second half. The first half ended 0-0.
 
Unfortunately, a messy goal at the beginning of the second half left the Fives 1-0 down. The defenders had been succeeding in cutting down Broadlands straight hits at goal and Esther Jacobs made some crucial saves, however, a lack of communication and a scramble for the ball meant Broadlands were able to take the opportunity and find the back of the net with a well placed flick. A series of short corners put a strain on the defence but the rest of the Fives did well in getting back to support. Broadlands took the opportunity from a weak 16 to make another attack at goal, and made some quick short passes to loop around the defence and score again. Fives were awarded a short corner in the latter part of the half and although Steph Samson was able to make a hard hit at goal it was well defended by the Broadlands players. Despite a final attack from Fives in the last two minutes of the game it wasn’t to be, and a short corner for Broadlands before the whistle ended as the last play of the match. It was well defended and Dragons were able to keep the score at 2-0.
 
Lou Davis had an incredible game, clearing the ball, keeping communication up, and saving more than one ball from the goal line. Katie Franks returned as left back and helped, with Mel Widdows, to slow a lot of the Broadlands attack. Sue Brumby made some great runs on the right and cut in amongst the Broadlands players during hit outs to create space, something we had been focusing on in training. Katie Lister, in her first match for Fives, proved quick and skilled on the wing and put pressure on the Broadlands defence. Amy Forse, as captain, kept morale up with an attentive team talk at half time and good communication on the pitch.
 
POM: Lou Davis
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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s  – no game 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v City 7s:  4-1

The 7s have got their mojo back! They scored a solid 4-1 win over City at Taverham with two goals in each half on a pitch that was hard but definitely safe for play. The 7s were well fired up for this game and from the push back Alice Bishop scored the first of her three goals inside the first two minutes. This smart start settled any nerves Dragons may have had, and the result shows how much they have improved from their friendly draw against the same team at the start of the season.

Dragons as usual built a lot of their attacks from the back, but there were some critical differences in their play this week. Jane Wells proved to be a cracking crosser of the ball from the right, and can claim two assists to Alice. Alice herself, player of the match, is developing into a deadly finisher, very brave in front of goal. The whole team is starting to improve their ball speed and just as importantly, is able to pick up hard passes and make more use of the ball on the pitch.

So in the first half, the Dragons were attacking freely and using their nice passing game to work the ball into the circle. Charlotte Knight, Amelia Keitley-Webb and Alice Bishop ghosting in from midfield gave City plenty to think about. Adelice Kraemer again did some lovely flick ons, and her goals will come. Jane was taking no prisoners in front of goal, and when she gets one, she will get a hatful.

The Dragons plan was starting to work. Addi and Claire Fairhurst were always available and in the second half Claire scored a beauty from that little space off the near post that she works so well. The Dragons young and nippy mids (Charlotte, Amelia and Alice) were doing an excellent job carrying the ball and getting back to intercept or tackle when needed. But, special praise for top of the diamond Stevie Spence and bottom of diamond Louise Brooks who are developing a fine understanding of each other’s play and position. They both distribute the ball well to either side and will run all day and are as solid defending as they are in attack.

The defenders, Stella Windsor Waite, Bridget Le Good, Katy Saide, Lily Crew and Emma Dyer dealt with the City raids well. Louise, Bridget and Stella did some good intercepts to restrict the City forwards, but City showed what they could do with a sloppy hit out by ramming the ball past Emily Roper. Emily was more than equal to everything else, and one of her great assets is the increasing confidence with which she is marshalling her defence. If Emily says get back and mark, you do it.

The 7s thoroughly enjoyed their win as a team, and the subbing routine coped well with 14, with several players taking up more than one position to fox the opposition. The post-match analysis over a yummy City lunch was all about how we can push on and challenge ourselves to do even better. Undoubtedly the sweets were essential!

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Dereham 5s:  P-P

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N

Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Dereham 2s:  

Lost 6-1 against Dereham 2s. A much improved second half performance but it was a big ask being 5-0 down at half time. Sam Avery christened his new stick with his with a back hand screamer to score the only Dragons goal.  Player of the Match was Lewis James Wilkins after beating Max Laming at rock, paper, scissors. (Always choose scissors). 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v UEA 2s:  P-P

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v IES 2s:  1-2

Just like their cricketing counterparts, the mighty 3s were only able to partake in their favoured pastime due to a trip down south, away from the Den towards Ipswich to take on IES 2s. Whilst missing a few key players to their 21st Centre Parks trip of the year, (and other more legitimate reasons) the last-minute additions of Ali (Stuart Broad) and PC Piers (Kevin Pieterson) helped bolster the defensive complement. 

The saying goes “all roads lead to Rome” but it helps to be on those roads in time to reach Rome (or Ipswich in this case) by pushback, and once again many players’ warmup was the swift jog from the car to the pitch. With Captain Ives (Kruger Van Wyk) deciding to bat first, it was the home side which got off to the better start, bowling fast and straight, pinning the visitors on the back foot. It was a harsh introduction to a higher league for 3s debutants Mccartney (Jimmy Anderson) and Sol (Alistair Cook) facing a team with more aerial options than the West Indies 20/20 team but they quickly settled in. Aside from a IES short corner flick hitting the post, the best chance of the first 30 minutes fell to Jonno C-B who’s first touch was more beautiful than a Paul Collingwood catch but then decided to swap the willow for a pitching wedge and transform into Paul Casey, launching his shot onto the neighbouring field. And so it seemed, for the first 34 minutes, that a mighty rear guard action led by Ed Smith (Think Graham Onions in 2010 vs South Africa) would lead to Dragons going in equals at half time but alas it was not to be. A last minute IES short corner flick into the top left gave the home team a slender lead at drinks. 

With the dynamic duo of Andy Saunders (Marcus Trescothick) and Will Kirby (Freddie Flintoff) leading the chase, the Dragons started the second half brightly and soon won a short corner from which Ali managed to force over the line after a flurry of goal-mouth activity. 1-1 and all to play for heading into the final session of the day. IES responded with more fury than a despondent Shane Warne and soon forced a series of short corners which resident wicket keeper Jos Buttler (Tom McLean) kept at bay until finally the IES flicker scored leaving Dragons 2-1 down and little time to spare. Unlike Ben Stokes, the Goodson gang managed to refrain from a fight (for once) but a late push was unable to break through the IES defence. A special mention must go to resident injury specialist Phil Good took a short ball lifted to the chest, akin to those bouncers Joe Root saw last night from Mitchell Starc. Nothing a few words of “soft” encouragement from Jim Goodson couldn’t sort out thankfully. 

All in all, Dragons left Brisbane, sorry – Ipswich, with no points but heads held high by a fantastic performance to build on in the boxing day test. Man of the Match goes to Tom McLean for keeping Dragons in it, including one fantastic drag flick save (not usually one to toot my own horn). Dragon of the Day goes to Jonno C-B for the aforementioned sky-high shot.

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v IES 4s:  P-P

 
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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v IES 5s: 

Lost 1-2 away to IES 5. Goal from James Cross & Player of the Match Keeper James King.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)

Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v UEA 4s:  P-P

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys A v City: 0-5

On a very cold November Evening

It was the first loss of the season for Development Boys A Team beaten 6-0 away to a very strong  Norwich City team.  After a slow start, 2-0 down after the first quarter, the young Dragons gave a good account of them selves in the middle of the game with some stout defence, and good end to end hockey, just not being able to get the goal their play deserved, and conceding just 1 goal in each of the middle quarters. More stout defending, but tired, and cold, legs started to show in the final quarter, 2 more goals conceded with the final score being a 6-0 defeat.

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys B v    : P-P

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Dragons Dev Girls v    :  P-P

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NDHC League Match Reports: 18th November 2017

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match

Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Sevenoaks 2s:  0-3

On a dark and wet afternoon in Sevenoaks, a depleted Dragons team looked to narrow the gap between themselves and the middle of the table.

U18 star Lucy Morton had kindly stepped into the team to ensure we had a full complement of Dragons for the journey and her debut for the first team was a positive one. Her ability to get into the right positions and cause problems for the opposition in the D was impressive and almost resulted in a goal.

Sevenoaks piled on the pressure from early in the game and despite sterling work from the defence, they scored in the second phase of an attack to go 1-0 up by half time.

At no point in this game did Dragons’ heads go down though, and the Norwich team fought back with some marauding runs from Holly Reding, who went on to win the player of the match award for fantastic distribution throughout the game. Lara Taylor, playing out of position, was a tower of strength throughout the game and made several piercing runs down the left wing and made life tough for her opponents with her crunching tackles.

Despite creating several chances, the Norwich side could not find the back of the net and unfortunately, Sevenoaks scored on the break. Sarah Jenkins and Siobhan Cleeve were commanding at the back and if it weren’t for their controlled and confident performances, the score line would have been very different.

Dragons kept fighting throughout the second half but despite some lovely periods of play, the elusive goal would not come. Sevenoaks again broke away and scored to take the final score to 3-0.

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE

Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Framlingham 1s: 11-2

With availability issues once again, Dragons gave welcome returns to Marcy Windsor-Waite, Laura Ward and a deserved 2nd Team debut to Kate McKenna. With Marie James unable to travel away, she was welcomed into the middle alongside Jess Bennett, who had recovered from illness.
Things started well for Dragons, who quickly found their sharp passing game. Marcy Windsor-Waite played like she’d never been away, scoring the first Dragons goal after just 4 minutes (possibly the goal of the game), having beaten a number of players, she drove into the D and fired a smart strike to the back post, which nestled into the far corner. Dragons continued the pressure, and earned a short corner, which Jess Bennett fiercely dispatched into the corner to double the lead. Further pressure lead to more short corners, one of which was broken down, but fell to Gail Thomas who calmly lifted past the keeper for a 3rd after 14 mins.
Whilst Dragons were dominating the play, Framlingham to their credit look dangerous on the break and the defensive unit of Kristina Smyth, Karen O’Neill Simpson, Sarah Borrett, Carmel Windsor-Waite and Natasha Falzon were needing to keep their shape and high levels of concentration. Carmel in at right defender was having a fine game, both in terms of mopping up in defence, but also linking up with the attack. Framlingham hit with a break away goal midway through the half to make it 3-1, however Dragons extended the lead further just before the break, through a goal by Hannah Hardy.
The call at halftime was to keep their shape and keep their passing game going. Dragons were down to 12 with the speedy Marcy Windsor-Waite needing to depart. Fortunately the goals continued to come – the forwards were making good runs, notably Kate McKenna on her debut was linking up well with Laura Ward, who as ever, was putting the Framlingham defence under pressure with her pace and skill.
A penalty flick was awarded early in the half, which Hannah Hardy scored to make it 5. Laura Ward scored a return goal through her usual tenacity in the D. Jess Bennett showed strength and skill to lift a rebounded ball over the keeper. To their credit, Framlingham kept going and a break away saw a smartly taken reverse strike give the visitors a 2nd. There was another scare for Dragons late on that needed Kristina Smyth to react smartly and come off her line to smother a break on goal.
Following this Dragons pushed on once again and were awarded another penalty flick following good work from Jess Bennett, Hardy stepped up and placed it into the other corner. Kate McKenna then scored her well deserved debut goal, getting into a great position in the D to glance in a firm cross. Hardy then scored another from open play, following link up play between Jess Bennett and Gail Thomas and Harriett Green completed the scoring and opened her 2nd team account, with another rebounded effort following good work from Laura Ward.
The final whistle went with the scoreline at 11 – 2, an emphatic win by Dragons, and some good expansive passing hockey played. Camel Windsor-Waite was deservedly Player of the Match, showing maturity in dealing with a strong opponent, and linking the defence and attack on the right. As always, there are things the home team can do better, but ultimately a victory to be enjoyed.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v UEA 2s:  7-0

This week saw Dragons Ladies 3rd team host UEA Ladies 2nd team to the Den, looking to continue their unbeaten run. The game started positively for Norwich Dragons creating plenty of opportunities and short corners early on in the game, which were not capitalised on due to panic passing around the pitch.

The first goal of the game came from a short corner converted by Debs Smith and the second goal was calmly slotted over the line by Jess Haw. Sadly, Lucy Buxton on her debut, who created some great attacking runs down the right into the circle had her game cut short due to a back injury at half time.

After a constructive and positive team talk at half time, the second half continued with Dragons maintaining a high percentage of possession and creating goal scoring opportunities. The third goal was confidently finished by Sam Franklin and Jess Haw scored the fourth goal.

Lauren Lawrie on her return to hockey after becoming a mum added to the goal tally next for Dragons. The sixth goal was a perfectly rehearsed deflection from training by player of the match Jess Haw for her hattrick and the seventh goal came from the final stroke of the game by Sam Franklin.

Dragons defence confidently dealt with any threats from the UEA attack to maintain their third clean sheet in a row. Another strong team performance inspired by the lack of padding in the changing room!

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v  Broadland 1s:  1-1

The chilly air sucked into your lungs was a refreshing way to start your day! Broadland 1’s positioned at 2 in the league table was going to be another challenging game but after a win the previous week of a top table team, we knew we were women enough for the job! The team had the same players as the previous week, so we were comfortable with positions and supporting each other.  Broadland had first push back so we could feel the sun on our backs and not in our eyes.  The 4s started lively attacking from the off, chasing the ball down, with Lynne Price and Vicki Earley hunting the ball down in the midfield.  Running the wings were Fiona Fletcher, Catherine Matthews and Trish Hagan, who managed to maintain the pace and effort the whole duration of the game.  Broadland defence were packing the D and the ball was pushed in on many occasions with Caroline Wolfe and Gina Hunt weaving around the opposition trying for the chance on goal.  A couple of short corners were denied and then a penalty flick given with Caroline stepping up, flicking low right the keeper managed to get a shin on it and clear it.  The 4s felt their chance would come and continued to work the ball but found it increasingly difficult to penetrate the Broadland midfield.  The opposition held up and channelled by our defensive foursome Bella Capps, Jemima Williams, Katie Franks and Sarah Wagstaff, managed to work a ball round to the edge of the D, the ball was struck from the back line and as we all watched it seemed to curve round and into the goal! After a moment of disbelief, we reset.  Score maintained at half time.  After some words of Waggy (Rob) Wisdom and a method of attack for the 2nd half we came out more invigorated and there was less for Kat Speirs (keeper) to do.  With Robs guidance we closed Broadland down and gained further attack on the goal, finally another flick was given.  This time Waggy no 2 stepped up, limbered up and a flick into the backboard, a draw!  With some more battling in the final minutes of the game the score remained 1-1, another point to help us creep up the table.  Man of the match was a close run thing between Trish and Sarah, but top scoring skills for a defender meant Sarah got it.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Loddon 1s:  1-2

 It was a very cold morning and the sun was low in the sky when the whistle blew 9.30 at the Den. The ladies were feeling positive after a splendid performance the week before, and a good training session mid-week. It was an exciting game, with attacking play in both ends, and the ladies were again left feeling a little disappointed that we did not take any points away today.

Dragons took the lead in the first half, from a short corner. We have reviewed our short corner routine at training this week.  We decided that a direct hit from the big hitting Steph Samson would set the tone. Captain Amy Forse pushed the ball out to Steph, who stopped and blasted it wide of the left post. Amy had scampered across to the post. Where most of us would have shut our eyes, she used her keeping experience (and her stick) to deflect the ball across the centre of the goal and in at the far post. This is a goal we will be talking about all season.
Loddon countered back with two goals. Dragon’s ladies were a little quiet this morning, and perhaps these goals could have been prevented with more communication.  The two goals were similar. The Dragons lost the ball in the middle of the pitch, and while everyone was picking up players, nobody had a chance to stop the player with the ball, who ran into the D unchallenged, and took a shot. Credit to the Loddon ladies; the strikes were hard and clean. Esther Jacobs was unlucky, but did make numerous saves during the game to keep the scores close. She fully deserved her player of the match award.
Ginny Simkin had a very good game. Hannah Edwards, Sophia Haenhelt and Sue Brumby all having to work very hard to keep Loddon at bay. Loddon were very good at closing players down quickly making it difficult for the mid field crew. The attack also found it frustrating the Loddon defence were quick, and managed to get back to tackle even when we thought we were clear on goal.
Louise Davis defended the right very well, we could hear her all over the pitch.  The defenders also had numerous corners to deal with, and they all kept a calm head. Sophia had a heavy fall, and we were all very pleased to see her recover play the second half.
A big thanks to Anita Mancini for helping run the side line today.
POM : Esther Jacobs
Final score 1 – 2, scorer Amy Forse
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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Thetford 1s:  2-1

By no means a perfect performance, however, the 6s hard work in communication and commaradery is definitely paying off. They looked a completely different machine to the team they were last week.
Starting strong, dragons were a lot more alert from the first push putting immense pressure on the Thetford defence. The forward line of Harriet Rant, Gemma Ballard, Jemima Dorman-Carrott and Mia McGhee working tirelessly to chase down the ball and react to some slick crosses.
Mid way through the first half Dragons burst up the right side of the pitch, the ball ending with Mia McGhee poaching the edge of the D. She fired a clean, firm shot away that was fumbled by the keeper for newly wed Jemima Dorman-Carrott to bury in the back of the goal.
Gill Walker (with the cheering and clapping support of Edith and Nell from the sidelines) worked tirelessly at top of the diamond. Her calm head and unquestionable work rate meant that Thetford found it very difficult to penetrate the centre of the pitch. She was a great option for the wide midfield players, rotating between debutant Coco Brown, Maisie Dearmer (who has settled seemlessly into the 6s, moving up from the 7s) and Jess Vernon. All 3 wide midfield options supported both attack and defence and held a high work rate throughout the game.
The first half finished 1-0. Captain Hannah Woods’ team talk at half time focused around 2 key areas. Communication and transferring the ball from right to left.
Starting the second half, Thetford managed to get a goal back in open play. An unlucky deflection meant the ball ended up on a Thetford stick in the D which was dispatched in the corner of the goal.
This inspired Dragons to work harder. With the attack starting from the defence. Hannah Woods, Kate Atkins and Georgia Butterworth all moved the ball well out to the wings for phase 1 of the attack. Rotating bottom of the diamonds Jade Blanchflower and Jen Buskell offered stability in the centre of the pitch to stop any Thetford attack before it arrived in our defensive 23.
A winning goal came when Harriet Rant picked up the ball from a well executed press on a Thetford hit out. She poached the ball and drive at goal. In a fantastic piece of individual skill she fired a precise shot away to give Dragons 3 points.
The match was tinged with sadness as Tilly Conners-Beckett donned her 6s jersey for the final time before she heads off to start her new adventure in New Zealand! I’m sure all the 6s will join me in wishing Tilly every success in finding a new Hockey club in her new home!
Finally, for the 6s to choose a POM was a difficult task! It ended up going 4 ways! Coco Brown, Harriet Rant, Jemima Dorman-Carrott and Gill Walker getting 3 votes each!
A very promising display from a hard working 6s side!

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v UEA 4s:  0-1

Dragons 7s were well aware that the away match against top of the division UEA 4 was going to be a challenge, and they were proved right with the hosts winning 1:0.

Dragons were slow to get going although managed to hold off UEA, keeping them away from the Dragons D.  The defence dealt resolutely with the speedy raids from the UEA forwards. Stella Windsor Waite was her usual competent self at left defence, Katy Saide and Lily Crew worked hard on the right. Keeper Emily Roper had a few shots to deal with and was particularly good at clearing out the dangerous second phase shots that bounced near her feet.  UEA thought they had scored when a high hit shot from a penalty corner was deflected even higher into the top corner, but the goal was disallowed. Bridget Le Good did her usual strong hits and getting the ball away from the danger zone. Louise Brooks once again proved to be the asset to the team that she is, working hard in her bottom of the diamond position, getting the ball out left and right to the wingers Sophie Drew, Clara Carrott and Charlotte Knight, or straight through to Stevie Spencer who once again had a great match making a nuisance of herself at top of the diamond, a position she is slowly starting to make her own. Charlotte made her debut for the team, and showed the potential to be a great asset, earning herself the Player of the Match for her tackles and skills. The forwards of Claire Fairhurst, Adelice Kraemer and Esme McKinnon-Evans waited for the ball, driving into UEA’s D, keen to make their mark, but UEA’s defenders were all to ready to stop any attack in its tracks.

 The first half finished 0:0 and captain Claire urged the team to wake up, be first to the ball and to stop hiding behind the defenders. Credit to UEA, they were spot-on with their marking, something Dragons could learn from. Although Dragons were managing to halt UEA’s attacks, eventually they succeeded in getting through, sneaking a ball past Emily’s feet. Dragons were fired up, put wave upon wave attacks on UEA’s goal. Unfortunately they were unsuccessful and UEA got another win. Dragons were disappointed with their first loss of the season, but should take heart that they were UEA’s first real challenge and only conceded the one goal. Heads up ladies, if we work hard from the start, being first to the ball and put into practice what we learn in training we will be back on top form.

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v City 7s:  0-3

Ladies 8’s player of the match – Becky Gallagher

A huge improvement on last week’s game, the awesome eights worked harder and had more determination but it still wasn’t quite enough.  A tough team talk was given and the team revved up their work rate a gear or two and from the very first blow of the whistle they got on it!  For the first 30 minutes the game was very even and looking like it would be a nil nil draw, however, the city 7’s have clearly honed their skills since they last met with the awesome eights, and they very cleverly began to predict the 8’s play.  GK Emma North continued to make some brilliant saves, cleared the ball far and wide and communicated well to the defenders.  Johanne Steward made some great tackles and passes down the side lines to the likes of Becky Gallagher (POM) who worked super hard as a right mid and also covered as BOD.  Becky tenaciously tackled and received the ball well, made some fabulous long passes to the forwards resulting in a couple of close shots in the D.  Jess Lockwood gave another great performance as left back, and covering Jo as centre back she has increased in confidence and made some great hit outs received well by Nic Harrison who fiercely received the ball and drove it with determination up to the forwards.

Frustratingly, this was still not enough.  The city 7’s who are one below the awesome 8’s in the league, had a couple of very strong hitters in their middle section, managed to win the ball from the 8’s, took 3 fast paced passes down the middle and a scored a ‘blink-and –you-miss-it’ goal.  Feeling victorious, and taking advantage of the 8’s vulnerability, within 3 minutes they scored another sneaky goal in almost exactly the same way with a minute to go to half time.

Half time talk consisted of some getting back to basics, stick to your position, and  keeping the centre ‘castle’ strong.  Communicate better, improve the marking and stay in front of the player!  The second half was fought even harder than the first, Vice Captain Jo Baker continued to take some excellent 16’s and held the defensive core strongly with her communication and her will and determination.  Anna Chapman fought hard in her dual role of left back and also as a mid fielder, she was not out place despite a new position for her, she took some great side line hits and tracked back to her fellow defenders when required.  Tracy Stuart-Sheppard battled well as bottom of the diamond, fending off the forceful mids and some very speedy city 7’s forwards. Captain Katy Cole as top of the diamond made some good tackles, fed some good passes to the forwards, made herself available in some excellent spaces but must be mindful of calling out to receive the ball and stick to the middle to protect the castle along side BOD and her centre forward team mates. Lois Metcalf continued to tackle well, also got into some great spaces, communicated well and held the forward line strongly giving support and encouragement to Kim Brenchly who worked hard to get the ball into the D and made some good, accurate passes to the other forwards.

With a couple of short corners being awarded, it seemed so close that the 8’s would score but, with the ball bouncing back and forth in the 25 meter zone for what seemed like forever, the 8’ fought tirelessly to try and score until the city 7 defenders took control of the ball once again and seemingly effortlessly drove the ball up the other end managed to score a third goal so close to the end of the match.  The dragons did not give up though and at this point, Emma Fielding made some great drives up the wing and had some fabulous passes to Sadie Jacobs who increases in confidence every week and made some great tackles and passes back to her fellow forwards.  The dragons fought to the end and did not give up.

So onto next week, we will get there!  We will have that elusive 2nd win!  We get closer each week and we come back more determined.  We are working well as a team and each week we have many players nominated as player of the match which goes to show how hard everyone is working.  We want to win and we can!  We will not give up.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N

Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Magpies:  0-2

Dragons faced a very tough game against Magpies who have won all their games so far this season, and who won 16-0 last week! However, Magpies were frustrated by a well drilled and stubborn Dragons side. Many teams may have sat back and tried to play for a draw from the outset but Dragons set up with an attacking formation of 3-2-3-2 and tried to take the game to Magpies from the off.  However, the deadlock was eventually broken by Magpies on the stroke of half time with an unstoppable reverse strike that hit both posts before flying in. Dragons managed to regroup and played another outstanding half of hockey to prevent Magpies from creating much, until tired legs resulted in a mistake at the back that allowed Magpies to pinch a second goal. Final score 2-0 to Magpies. Overall a great performance from Dragons who showed that they can compete with anyone in this league and should be full of confidence for the next match.
Mom – captain Olly Buck with an outstanding defensive performance.
Dod – Peter Dickerson for forgetting keepers are allowed to kick the ball.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Norwich City 3s:  1-2

First loss of the season for Men’s 2nds as they are beaten 2-1 (1-0 HT) away to Norwich City 3rds in table topping clash.  City went 2-0 up converting a pf with Jack O’Meara halving arrears with eleven minutes left. Unfortunately dragons were unable to force an equaliser and the home side leap frog them in the table. MOM Giles Brooks after three way tie decided by paper airplane flight distance competition and DOD Matt Hull for exuberant vault over fence to retrieve ball which culminated in abject failure!

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v IES 3s:  1-1

 

 

 

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Bury St Edmunds 3s: 0-0

Dragons 4s travelled to Bury for a late pushback with both teams looking for points to consolidate mid table positions.
Despite the 0-0 scoreline, the game was an enjoyable one to play in, with both teams working hard and playing some good hockey.  Dragons arguably carried the greater attacking threat with Johnny Taylor showing off his array of tricks up front allied with the pace of Rob Chaney Baxter and Connor Adams.  Sol Blazer (MoM), Rob Jenkins, Nick Turner and Rich Phillis worked hard in midfield to close down the Bury playmakers and limit their attacking opportunities.  The Dragons defence of Andy Carver, Neil Shorten, Will Ives and Peter Davison also tackled and marked superbly.  Joel Lawrence had relatively little to do in goal, but did this well, notably denying Bury with a double save from a short corner.
The tension rose as the game went on with each team feeling a single goal could seal the points, however it ended goalless, which was a fair result.
A very satisfying performance from Dragons who once again demonstrated their team playing ethos and put in high levels of effort.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Magpies 5s:  1-2

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)

Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norwich City 7s:  1-2

Another tough game against quality opposition for the Dragons Mens 6 team this week. We took a full squad of 15 players to Taverham for this match, hoping to build on last weeks hard won draw. The City team was very much their youth team with a few experienced adults in the line up to tie it all together, but it was clear from the start why they were near the top of the table with a third of the season gone.The game started with end to end play and this was to be very much the story for the whole match. City made the break through after 20 minutes with a well worked goal and struck again minutes later. This left the Dragons 6s 2-0 down and at that point we could have folded but held on until the half time break at this scoreline.

During the first half, the midfield of Dan Orsborne and Josh Bingham had been playing some great hockey and with the defensive line of Banham, Davis, Brown, Hansell and Butler (in rotation) the wingers and strikers had been getting some really good service, to keep the attacking play moving. We had been winning a number of penalty corners and had a goal disallowed as Josh Bingham lifted his strike above the back board, from the corner put in. There had also been some good saves from the City keeper to deny Dragons a goal. James King in the Dragons goal was also having a good game, despite the goals against, and made some crucial saves when needed.

The team reflected on the first half during the break and all agreed that we needed to just keep on doing more of the same and the goal would come. Stephen Holland had made his Hockey debut during the first half and Joe Beadman replaced him for the second half in the forward line to make his 6s debut. The combination of continuing attacking midfield play and crash balls into the D from the wings finally opened up the City defence and allowed Joes Beadman to score on his 6s debut. There has been a number of other chances and Dan Osborne had come tantalisingly close with a subtle touch close in on goal, only to be denied by the City keepers foot. With the score pulled back to a one goal deficit, Dragons 6s continued to pile forward and pressures the City defence and nearly scored with the final penalty corner of the match. Unfortunately it was not to be and Dragons 6s ending up being beaten by Norwich City 7 by 2 – 1.

Although it keeps us at the bottom of the league it was agreed by all that we are constantly improving as a squad and all we can look to do is keep improving week on week. It is great to be part of a group with that attitude and willingness to keep the work rate up. For a strong performance in the midfield, Josh Bingham was awarded Man of the Match. Our goal scorer being Joe Beadman.

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys A v Magpies: 1-1

 The first quarter saw strong defence from Tommy, Edward, Ben and Alex along with a great save from Alex W in goal. Strong attack from Dragons resulted in a short corner.

 
In the second quarter, Dragons went 1-0 up as Tom broke through the Magpies’ defence to score a goal.  Magpies came back strongly, forcing a short corner.  Alex W successfully stopped their four shots at the goal.
 
During the third quarter, Magpies scored a goal from the second short corner of the quarter. 
 
Good passing by Dragons resulted in more play in the Magpies’ half throughout the final quarter.  Last play, after the final whistle, saw Dragons win a last short corner.  Unfortunately, they were not rewarded with another goal and the game ended as a draw.
 
Final Score: 1-1
 
Kit Scott

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys B v Watton:  5-0

A fast paced, exciting game. Good passing skills shown by Dragons B
team, achieving 2 goals to nil at half time. The second half saw more
passing and shots at the opposition’s goal. Final score 5-0 to Dragons
B team! A fantastic game all round.

Raul Wigglesworth

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Dragons Dev Girls v Yarmouth:  0-5

Dragons conceeded

 

 

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NDHC League Match Reports: 11th November 2017

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match

 

Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Old Loughts 1:  2-1

On a high from an important win last weekend, Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s knew that three points from bottom-of-the-table team Old Loughts was crucial in order to continue their climb up the league table.

The game started well, with plenty of possession and attacking plays for the home side. The first 15 minutes saw plenty of goal-scoring opportunities, with a number of balls glancing across the face of goal, but the Dragons were unable to convert. Dealing confidently with the few attacks from the young Old Loughts Side, the Dragons finally took their chance in the middle of the first half. A strike on goal from Liv Thomas deflected high and over the head of the keeper to put the ladies 1-0 up.

The next 10 minutes saw a change in fortune for the Dragons, and the team needed to absorb a wave of attacks and short corners from the visitors. A questionable umpiring decision saw Holly Reding shown the dreaded green triangle, and the Dragons were down to 10 players. During this period of play, some miscommunication at the back gave Old Loughts a clear shot on goal. While goalkeeper Siobhan Cleeve got a foot to it and slowed the pace of the ball, and Lara Taylor was full stretch on the goal line, the ball nevertheless somehow managed to bobble over the line levelling the score.

The half-time whistle soon followed, with the score remaining at 1-1. Some much-needed firm words from coach Pete Thomas saw the Dragons begin to refocus on basic, simple hockey at the start of the second half.  Once again, there were plenty of chances for the home side in the second half, with Issy Wolfe, Katy Hands, and Hayley Toleman each having their chances. But it was not until well-past the mid-way point that a lovely piece of play down the right hand side of the pitch culminated into a perfectly-placed ball across the face of goal. Marie James (purposefully?!) dummied the keeper,  leaving Hayley Toleman with an open goal as a target. She calmly slotted the ball home.

The final few minutes of the match saw the Dragons play some of the smartest hockey they have played all season, cooly playing the ball around the defensive unit of Lucy Ripman, Holly Reding, and joint players of the match Lara Taylor and Sarah Jenkins.

While not the best 70 minutes of hockey the girls have played, the game demonstrated the Dragons’ ability to close out a game and make certain of three much-needed points.

The next big test will be next week’s clash against Sevenoaks.

EDP Coverage here.

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE

Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v IES 1s:  0-2

Dragons arrived at a bright sunny Rushmere and took to the shiny blue pitch full of energy and anticipation. Unfortunately a late illness to Jess Bennett meant Dragons were down to a bare 12, with one or two carrying knocks/illness themselves, but they were determined to give it their all.

Captain Karen O’Neill Simpson asked the team to go out hard and strong, which they did, however it was clear IES were a strong and skillful team and Dragons were going to need to keep up the high work-rate for 70 mins to get anything from the game. An early lapse in concentration, saw the ball passed across the D, and the IES Left Mid ghosted in on the back post unmarked, to slot home.

Dragons weren’t about to roll-over however, and kept pressure on IES and had a couple of breaks of their own, with strong play from Lucy Morton, Harriet Green and Mary Alexander, with Alexander having a good effort saved by the keeper. IES were always dangerous however with some skillful forwards and Sarah Borrett and Karen O’Neill Simpson needed to be at their best in the centre of defence, as were Carmel Windsor-Waite and Tash Falzon in the wide defensive positions. Kristina Smyth returning from injury in goal made some excellent reaction saves to keep the score at 1-0 at halftime.

Although IES carried more threat, Dragons were still in the game, through sheer grit and determination, shown particularly by Kiera Goymour on the left of midfield who despite some tough tackling by 2 or 3 IES players, let very little past her. In the middle Gail Thomas was focused and working hard to breakdown the IES attacks, ably supported by Debs Painter. Mid way through the half, Dragons conceded a short, and saw a really slick routine come off for IES, a smart deflection high into the corner doubling their lead.

Dragons huffed and puffed, but in all honesty didn’t offer enough threat going forward. IES took the points and deservedly so, however Dragons battled hard with every player giving all they had, notably Kiera Goymour who earned almost a unanimous PoM award for her battling display. Onwards and upwards for next weeks visitors Framlingham.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Lowestoft Railway 1s:  5-0

The early push back for Dragons Ladies 3rd team started with the warm up beginning on the wrong pitch, leaving no time for a warm up! However, Dragons began positively and were communicating really well all across the pitch and following a great training session on setting up the press, dragons capitalised early on when under pressure Lowestoft passed their hit out square to be intercepted by Katie Mckenna, who calmly slotted home the first goal.

Any chances created by Lowestoft were efficiently dealt with by the defensive combinations of Luisa Valentini, Sophie Barrow, Kath Mares, Esme Potter and Ismay Whitaker, combined with brilliant tracking back from the wide midfielders of Katie Hale and Hazel Kinights. The second goal was scored midway through the first half by Ally Windsor Waite from patient build up play down the right hand side of the pitch.

The second half again saw Dragons creating scoring opportunities for all forwards including Jess Haw who forced a great save from the Lowestoft Keeper. A well worked move from the left defence up through the pitch via Debs (much more pleasure from setting up goals than scoring them!) Smith for Kate Mckenna to sweep home reverse stick into the corner. The fourth and fifth goals came from short corner routines scored by Hannah Ellis and Ally Windsor Waite.

Another strong team performance that saw Sophie Barrow awarded player of the match by her team mates following a strong and confident performance.

EDP coverage here.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v  Norwich City 3s:  2-1

Jemima Williams had looked into her crystal ball and the vibes were positive for the game, with this in mind the Ladies 4s were pumped for battle.  With City having first push back the 4s went on the attack, Vicki Earley slicing through the opposition to pick off the ball.  And passing out wide to Trish Hagan, who used some nifty skills to weave through the opposition.  Gina Hunt and Fiona Fletcher were moving around up front to create some chances in the D.  For the first 10 minutes of the game the Dragons put the opposition under a lot of pressure with continued advances on the goal. Lynne Price and Catherine Matthews feeding the ball into the D.  City found their legs and were quick to move in and pick up the ball.  With Sarah Wagstaff commanding from the back, Jemima and Bella Capps were quick to channel and cut off any advances.  City had a couple of speedy forwards and Kat (Keeper) Speirs was on hand to hoof the ball clear.  The first goal came from City a quick turn over in the middle and passes in the D they pushed the ball in on the corner post.  The 4s were still on for the challenge and had the majority of play, with lovely play through midfield up to Caroline Wolfe who passed up the line to Gina and Lisa Harwood.  The first dragons goal came from a cross in from Catherine, picked up by Trish and fired into the goal, the City keeper went to kick the ball but it rolled under her foot.  The 4s were still hunting another goal and chased every ball. Pressing for a short in the D, it was given and Fiona injected to Caroline, slipped it left to Lisa, rebounded off the keeper and calmly picked up by Catherine who slotted it in on the right post.  Much jubilation followed and we knew we had to maintain the win until the end, although a short awarded to City in the final seconds of the game brought on the sweats.  But with determination from the defensive posse the ball was cleared and final score 2-1, 3 valuable points.  Player of the match was Catherine Matthews for her skilful possession and continued grit.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Norwich City 4s:  0-2

It was a clear but chilly day in Taverham. We had our usual team talk in the changing rooms and then headed out where Lou Davis put us through our paces warming up beside the pitch. We did some drills once we got onto the pitch and we were all looking very prepared for the game ahead.
 
Once the game started we all headed out hard and strong so that we wouldn’t be caught out in the first few minutes of the game. We held our position against the tough Norwich City 4’s and we all played very well as a team. We held a strong defence and got so close to getting some goals ourselves but unfortunately couldn’t get one in. We had falls and we had bumps, with Hannah Edwards surprising the City attack with an unexpected accidental slide tackle early on in the game.
 
There was no doubt we wouldn’t have it easy, but that didn’t stop us all trying our hardest. We had several short corners awarded against us, one after the other. Our defence worked so hard to keep City out, but they managed to get two goals at the end of the first half. We kept our heads high and never gave up, keeping up the fight, and we definitely piled on a lot of pressure. The POM was Hannah Edwards, who never gave up and gave 100% the whole time she was on the pitch. The squad played well together and despite the score line really enjoyed the game against a friendly City 4s.
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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Lowestoft Railway 2s:  0-4 

Ladies 6s had a tough game against Lowestoft Railway in Saturdays lunch time fixture. Yet again they had another changing side and with Railway being another team pushing for promotion and in high confidence off the back of a big win.

Dragons knew the key would be to hold the centre of the pitch and force Lowestoft outside.

In open play dragons moved the ball well Anita Mancini working well with Hannah Woods in central midfield creating some good chances. However they were caught early on the break by Railway – who won a short corner that was taken with precision. Another quick short corner goal followed.

Working the ball forward – the wide midfield player Emma Gillard, Jess Vernon and PoM Floss Andrews worked tirelessly to support the defence and forwards.

With injuries setting in – a formation change at half time saw a more consolidated effort. Gemma Ballard, Mia McGhee and Anja Wimmer worked well upfront with Harriet Rant chasing everything down, trying to make some attacking moves.

Defensively, Katherine Hardwick, Jen Buskell and a battered and bruised Kate Atkins remained strong – but with the constant Railway pressure something had to give. Keeper Tilly Connors-Beckett  made some crucial saves.

A lot can be taken away from the game and worked on ahead of next weekends fixture.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Loddon 2s:  1-1

As predicted, Loddon on their home pitch provided the stiffest opposition the 7s have met so far this season and the two teams battled it out for a gutsy draw. Perhaps there could have been a different outcome if Dragons had taken some of the numerous opportunities that came their way in the first half. They started sharply for once, with Bridget Le Good’s hit outs gaining the territory and then Stevie Spencer, Alice Bishop and Clara Carrott making strong runs down both flanks, with Adelice Kraemer, Claire Stuart and Claire Fairhurst all bothering the goalkeeper. It was Claire S who opened the scoring for Dragons with a cheeky little move out wide to the left to pick up a slipped pass and send the ball past the advancing keeper. Dragons looked as though they could build on this lead, but again lacked patience in the circle. Both Claires got into some excellent positions but were not found. Addi also got in good positions in front of the keeper and tried her A-moves with the reverse ball, but this week she had no luck. Jane Wells made her first appearance for the 7s and was a big presence, especially when hammering some shots away from right to left. She will create and score goals if she has the chance to build her understanding with the other forwards. Dragons can be encouraged by the number of penalty corners they won, but they need some more practice at getting their shots away.

The 7s failure to take their chances in the first half increased Loddon’s determination not to give up the fight. Loddon redoubled their efforts and began to increasingly get first to the ball. For the 7s, Alice moved to defensive left mid and did a great marking job a speedy right forward. Stevie Spencer moved to top of the diamond and did plenty of brave tackles. Louise Brooksy Brooks (player of the match) had an outstanding game at bottom of the diamond, covering every inch of the pitch and cutting out threatening crosses. Emma Dyer had one of her best games at left back, with Katy Saide and Lily Crew also getting their tackles in. But with Loddon forwards not afraid of a physical tussle, somehow the Dragons defence did not look as composed as it has in other games. Bridget had to take responsibility for being robbed a couple of times when pfaffing about with the ball, and the other defenders also sometimes had their forwards go past them, leaving Emily Roper to cope bravely with the shots. The Loddon goal came just before the end, when their forwards combined well to ping the ball around in the circle and force the ball home – an object lesson on how to do it which the Dragons need to emulate. But Captain Claire F said heads need to be kept up. Dragons avoided losing to very strong opponents – 7s are still unbeaten and have only conceded two goals this season. This week, Claire wants more practice and determination at deflections in front of goal, and in picking the ball up from defenders’ sticks and keeper’s pads. She is also demanding greater accuracy and ball speed in passing, and at penalty corners. Claire makes no apologies for putting pressure on her squad because she feels they can take it and have plenty of scope for improvement whilst still being able to enjoy every game with a great team spirit.

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Pelicans 4s:  0-2

Ladies 8’s player of the match – Anna Chapman

This match can be summed up in one easy sentence, must do better!

Before the match the #Awesomeeights were very optimistic (maybe a touch complacent)! We thought we could finally be getting that elusive 2nd win, we could have done but despite some gold medal winning performances it just wasn’t enough. As the opposition walked onto the pitch it was noted that the average age was probably 14, which as we quickly scooted over, is under half of the age of many the #awesomeeights players! From the outset we knew that this was going to be a running game, luckily with three subs we could keep the team as fresh as possible.

After last week’s beating by our #SuperSevens it was clear that Pelis wanted revenge and fought for the ball from the first whistle. It was obvious that they had utilised their training session to polish up their passing and kept their play wide into the wings. Dragons just couldn’t find their groove and struggled with some of the basics like consistently marking players especially those that were a bigger threat.

GK Emma once again provided some blinding saves, continues to clear the ball wide and stays determined to the end. Centre defender Jo once again converted numerous 16’s to strong hits to either waiting players or into spaces for players to run on to (See the training does work)! Fellow defenders Johanne, Jess and Anna all supported brilliantly, all are gaining confidence and took a number of the free hits in the hope it might foil the opposition. Defenders must remember to work within their means, only push up when they know that they can comfortably get back and to communicate to make sure that any threatening players are adequately marked.  Special mention must go to POM Anna Chapman whose confidence increases week on week and provided fantastic support when back-up was required by fellow defenders or goal keeper! Her increase in attack was a real threat to the opposition and she has the speed to track back when required.

Bottom of the diamond Tracy continues to shine as is quick to re-set, balances the attacking/defending parts of her role brilliantly and shows how to communicate well. Becky G continues to thrive in her flexi-role and her great will and determination is a great example for the younger members of the team. Becky tackles well and distributes the ball well to waiting players. Wingers Nic and Sophie added some much-needed speed to the team and both courageously drove the ball up the line to the waiting forwards. Captain Katy clocked up another gazelle like performance but (after a little advice from Coach Mike) stopped trying to keep up with “Fastest 14-year-old in history” and assisted in strengthening the central core and place some pressure on one of the Pelis key players who just seemed to always get in the way! The rotating forward team of Lois, Shanice, Sadie and Kim worked hard and some attempts were painstakingingly close! A couple of short corners were awarded in our favour but unfortunately weren’t converted.

So onto next week, we need to go for the ball more, get stuck in and really fight (not literally) for it! We REALLY need to want it and go at it for 70 minutes from the first to the last whistle. We need to ALL use our voices and communicate and put names on the ball and shout when we are able to receive. Lastly if the ball is in the D give it a go! SHOOT! You never know it may just cross over that white line. Eights we are an awesome team and we can do this we just need to believe!

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N

Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v UEA 1s:  0-4

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Ipswich 2s:  4-1

The men’s 2nds juggernaut rolls on with a 4-1 (HT 1-0) home win against Ipswich 2nds courtesy of goals from Richard Gill, Alex Browne, Josh Wiggins and post nuptial returnee Matt Knights. Ipswich made a brief comeback making it 2-1 via a well worked short corner routine but this was promptly snubbed out.  MOM was Josh Wiggins and DOD Chris Simmonds for yellow card and his erroneous passing.

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Pelicans 2s:  1-0

Dragons 3s set off in good time for their long trip to Pelicans, a cultural highlight for the team as it provides our annual opportunity for a post match sauna and for Matt Jenkins (Mr January) to compare his abs with the three time winner of the Mr Kings Lynn title who habitually prowls the Lynnsport sauna. The wider club were also anxiously waiting for their annual opportunity to see pale, podgy and sweaty middle aged men in a sauna, their dignity hanging by a string and some strategically placed towels.

The road trip ground to a halt almost immediately due to a traffic jam on the A47. This delay meant that the pre match plan for a balanced isotonic lunch at Swaffham McDonald’s had to be binned.

Due to the delay, Dragons started the game with only 9 men, Pelicans very kindly allowing us a whole 5 mins delay to the start. Working hard and with excellent organisation, Dragons kept Pelicans at bay until the arrival of Mr February (Ali Smyth), Mr March (Jonno C-B) and Mr April (Rhubarb aka Pedro Goss).

Up to their full complement, Dragons took full control and created numerous chances, taking the lead when Mr May (Matt Hull) drove powerfully into the D and pulled the ball across for Mr March (Jonno C-B – keep up) to slot home.

Dragons created chance after chance with the defence (Messrs June, July, August and September – Kelly, Good, Jim Goodson and McLean) keeping all comers at bay.

The second half continued in the same vein with Dragons creating a dozen good chances to score. Mr October (Jon Goodson) also took a ball in the mouth to ensure that the October page will be a blood stained Halloween special.

Final score was only 1 nil but the margin of victory could have been considerably more. Vice Captain Rob Goodson (Mr November) and Captain Ives (Mr December – Father Christmas special, no false beard or cushion up the jumper required) were really pleased with the performance, which has put a healthy gap between us and the relegation places.

3 of the team passed out during the post match team sauna photo due to a lack of oxygen from sucking in their bellies for the duration of the photo shoot.

Hunk of the match was Stuart Kelly for marshalling the defence in the face of little or no pressure – errr well done Mr June!

There were two winners of Dragon of the day. First up is Jonno Chaney-Baxter, who otherwise had an excellent match, for teeing off 18 times from the top of the D and slicing numerous booming drives into the deep rough on the right hand side of the Lynnsport car park.

The second winner was James Goodson who left his kit bag in the Pelicans club house, only remembering in Swaffham, resulting in half the team being deposited in McDonalds for an additional hour. McFlurries all round!

The Dragons Men’s 3s 2018 calendar will be available in all club  shops shortly and will make a fantastic stocking filler for absolutely no one.

 

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Lowestoft Railway 1s:  0-4

Men’s 4s lost 4-0 to Lowestoft & Railway 1s. MOM split between Connor Adams and Sol Blazer. Dragon of the day goes to Rob Jenkins for a yellow card.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Newmarket 2s:  0-5

M5 lose 0-5 to Newmarket – mom Chris Orme.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)

Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Dereham 4s:  1-1

Men’s 6s played a keenly contested game against Dereham 4, which finished in a 1-1 draw. First points of the season!

For a great work rate and commitment in the midfield Man of the Match goes to Daryl Robinson.

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys A v 

 

 

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys B v Norwich City:  1-7

The game started off with a goal from the opposition – Norwich City – in the first 10 minutes and another soon after. We managed to regain our composure after this and started to work hard to keep their forwards from getting chances on goal. In the second quarter, the opposition slipped past our defence 3 times to make it 5-0 at half time. In the third quarter, we manged to keep their forwards at bay and only let one goal in. Then, after we had conceded once again, we made one final push in the last quarter, and George Bowman ran down the wing and passed the ball to Josh Cormack. He received the ball near the penalty spot and flicked the ball over the Goalkeeper’s foot and into the goal! The game finished soon after at 7-1 and Josh was voted Man of the Match with 7 votes, followed closely by Alex, our goalkeeper, who had 4 votes.

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Dragons Dev Girls v Dereham:  1-2

A late game at Dereham along with illness and late call offs meant that Norwich Dragons Girls Development were short of a few players and their coach Spike.  A Lucky 13 girls arrived ready to represent their club, however with a delayed start to the already late pushback and time restrictions for two girls, the team were down to 11 players in the second half.

Dragons started brightly and had plenty of possession in the Dereham half, although limited penetration of the D.  Dereham managed a quick break against the run of play and an excellent quick strike from just inside the D found the far corner of Rhianna’s goal.

Dragons continued to push forward with strong play in midfield and attack which limited Dereham to counter-attacking, which the visitor’s defence mopped up and Rhianna kicked clear.

Orla was having an excellent game on the left and gave Dragons the goal they deserved.  The forward line of Orla, Issy and Connie continued to put pressure on the Dereham defence who made some strong clearances.  Nellie (joint player of the match) had a superb game in midfield, hassling the opposition to win the ball and create chances for the Dragons forwards.

Before the end of the first half, Dereham managed to find another quality strike with a reverse-stick shot that deceived the Dragons defence and keeper to give the home side a 2-0 lead.

Showing true Dragons spirit, the girls did not let this setback dampen their spirits or determination.  Filled up with Haribo sweets at halftime, the remaining 11 players took to the pitch to battle hard to recover something from the game.  Whilst the goal didn’t come, every single player should be extremely proud of their commitment and performance for the team.  Rhianna in goal kicked with confidence and strength, defensively Captain Emily (joint player of the match) directed things from the back, supported by Bethan and Lottie who made some excellent interceptions and tackles ensuring that the ball was cleared out wide away from danger.  Lilli and Evie gave the essential midfield width and drove the ball down the wings. In the middle of the pitch Neha and Piper were in superb form protecting the defence and setting up attack after attack, Neha was particularly assured in picking off the opposition hitouts when they penetrated through the frontline press.  Orla, Nellie and Hannah played superbly upfront and together with Piper created the first line of defence to press the opposition hitouts, winning possession back time after time.

Despite penetrating the D on many occasions in the second half, the elusive goal to take something from the game did not come.  So Dragons Dev Girls need to take pride from their workrate and ability to take on board different playing positions and instructions from the coach.  With this effort, the highly talented group of girls will undoubtedly start to see results go their way.

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NDHC League Match Reports: 4th November 2017

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match

Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v West Herts:  3-2

Norwich Dragons ladies 1s travelled down to North London in search of a much-needed win to improve their position in the league.  The team knew that 100% effort and focus would be needed to take the three points from former national league side West Herts.

The game was relatively evenly matched for the opening 10 minutes, with both sides seeing attacking opportunities. But it was the Dragons who took advantage of their possession early on, and after a great interception and mazy run from Holly Reding in the defence, the ball was moved beautifully through Liv Thomas in the middle of the pitch to Hayley Toleman on the left. Toleman drove into the D and after forcing a deflection from the keeper, slotted the ball in the back of the net to put the Dragons ahead.

The team held onto this one-goal lead for much of the first half, absorbing plenty of pressure from the home side. Player of the match Siobhan Cleeve made some crucial saves, calmly dealing with a couple of 3 on 1 situations and short corner drag flicks. However, as the first half drew to a close, West Herts took advantage of a break in the Dragons’ concentration, and after a series of long corners, managed to thread the ball into the D to an unmarked player, who made the most of the opportunity and levelled the score.

The intensity of play continued into the second half, and the Dragons were forced to defend a flurry of short corners. One of these led to the opposition being awarded and scoring a penalty stroke, leaving the visitors to face an uphill struggle in the last twenty minutes. But the Dragons did not give up, and continued to push high up the pitch and pressure the West Herts defence. After a shot on goal was deflected high, Katy Hands brought the ball under control and drew the goalkeeper off her line.  She passed the ball to Hayley Toleman on the right post, who leveled the score.

Nerves were high in the final 5 minutes, seeing the Dragons need to defend a number of attacks, culminating in a final short corner. But a good step in front of the attacker by Holly Reding saw the corner break down and the Dragons take the opportunity to go on the attack quickly. The ball found Issy Wolfe on the  right hand side of midfield, who then made great use of her pace, driving into the D and getting a reverse stick shot off. ‘Hat trick hero’ Hayley Toleman was once again on hand to put the Dragons ahead with just a few minutes to go.

The visitors kept their heads for the final few minutes, staying tight in defence and maintaining possession of the ball. The final whistle brought much relief and celebration. Through hard graft, teamwork and perseverance the team brought an end to a series of frustrating losses and are ready to take this winning momentum forward into next week’s game.

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE

Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v North Norfolk 1s:  3-3

Dragons welcomed North Norfolk to the wet and grey Den. Welcoming Sophie Mullan into the team and following the loss of Kiera Goymour to the 1’s following a late call off, plus Sam Franklin for her return to the 2’s squad.

The game started with the home team in the ascendancy, winning an early short corner. Emma Tabrett had a strong effort on goal, which was initially saved, but Lucy Morton pounced at the far post to force the ball home. More opportunities came, with Debs Painter, Gail Thomas and Lucy Morton combining really well on the left, but too often Dragons either delayed their pass or ran into trouble.

Despite Dragons having more possession, North Norfolk always threatened on the break, particularly with the pacy Lucy Spencer who was causing issues on the right. After a mele in the D, a penalty flick was awarded as Dragons Keeper Luisa Valentini was adjudged to have laid on the ball, however she made amends with a save to her left. Just on the break of half time however, the visitors made one of their quick attacks count, with a goalmouth scramble finding the ball squeezed over the line.

Second half saw a few adjustments by Captain Karen O’Neill Simpson, which seemed to work to good affect, Having missed an earlier opportunity, Hannah Hardy took a later chance, being able to turn and place the ball into the corner for a 2-1 lead. However this lead wasn’t to last long, with North Norfolk equalising.

The last 10 mins was end to end stuff. Sarah Borrett was having a strong game in defence and was determined to break down the quick breaks, however North Norfolk kept pushing and with just minutes to go, had a great run in behind the defence and was fouled by a Dragons defender trying to make a last ditch tackle. A penalty flick was awarded, which this time was dispatched.

As always Dragons refused to give up, and earned themselves a late short corner. Sarah Borrett executed the perfect injection to Debs Painter, who stopped cleanly allowing Emma Tabrett to take her time and pick her spot in the corner.

Dragons were disappointed with a point in a game which had they played to their best ability they probably should have taken the points. Player of the Match deservedly went to Lucy Morton, who in just her second game at East League level, made some fine runs and created some good opportunities for the team. A tough match away to IES next week awaits the team, who will work hard in training to get their ‘A’ game together.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Magpies 4s:  7-0

This week Norwich Dragons Ladies 3rd Team travelled to Harleston to play Magpies 4th Team, with many changes to the team due to four players being pulled up to the 2nd team. The changes included 3rd team debuts for Harriet Marlee and Aditi Naik and a return for Hazel Knights following her two honeymoons!

The game started slowly with players getting used to the changes in the team, however any early dangers from the opposition were cleanly and calmly dealt with by the new look defence of Sophie Barrow, Kath Mares and Ismay Whitaker. Midway through the first half Dragons soon found their quick passing game and the scoring was opened by Harriet Marlee, who also scored the second goal in the first half.

The dragons began the second half as they finished the first half with great use of transfers across the pitch into triangle passes up the wing. This patient play lead to the third goal being scored by Katie McKenna, the fourth goal by Hazel Knights, the fifth goal by Ally Windsor Waite, the sixth goal by Hannah Ellis and the seventh goal by Harriet Marlee for her hattrick on her debut and the Man of the Match award. A great team performance on a miserable wet day to put Dragons 3rd team back to the top of the table!

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v  Evergreens 1s:  0-0

 
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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v UEA 2s: 1-1

On a rather wet November morning the Ladies 5s arrived at UEA for a fixture which was always going to be a tight affair, with both teams coming into the game with very similar records so far this season. Despite the weather the squad was in great spirits and were keen for a game of hockey!
Learning lessons from last week’s game the squads aim was to go out strong from the start, whilst protecting the all-important castle! The first half saw good efforts on goal from both sides, but neither team was able to convert. Some strong saves from Goalkeeper Esther Jacobs, denied the nippy UEA attack and the UEA keeper was also kept under pressure, with Sue Brumby in particular working tirelessly along the right wing. Despite hard work from both teams neither was able to convert by half time.
Unfortunately the second half didn’t start well for Dragons. Within minutes the fast UEA forwards had made a string of strong passes in the D, finally beating the keeper with a well worked goal. Not to let their heads go down Dragons immediately responded with strong central work from Steph Sampson and Hannah Edwards working the ball up the pitch into the D and winning a short corner.
Mel Widdows stepped forward to inject the ball to Sue Cross, slipping skilfully right to Sophia Haenhelt (MOM), who passed the ball at speed back to Mel at the front post to slam it home. Dragons continued to play well, using their passing triangles nicely to attempt to tire the UEA squad. But with 2 minutes to play Dragons found themselves defending a UEA short corner. A strong injection and straight strike from the top of the D looked like it would deny Dragons of any points, but some sharp eyed umpiring confirmed the ball had never left the D and the goal was disallowed.  
At the final whistle 2 soggy teams left the pitch in continued good spirits. UEA were great hosts and hot drinks were warmly received by the still damp players. The most exciting part of the day was yet to come though with great thought being put into naming the 5s new team mascot. Eventually man of the match Sophia had the deciding vote and ‘Scorch’ became the 5s latest Dragon.
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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Magpies 6s:  0-1

Ladies 6s travelled to Harleston Magpies for an early start in torrential rain. Welcoming more new players to the fold this week several players were out of position.

The game started very evenly – Magpies did not look like a side yet to win a league game. They put pressure on the defensive line of Emma Gillard, Kate Atkins, Jen Buskell and keeper Tilly Conners-Beckett winning a short corner in the first half which was well executed and led to their goal.

It took Dragons a little while to settle and get used to playing with each other but this did not mean they didn’t have their fair share of chances. Debutants Flori Smith and Maisie Dearmer worked tirelessly on the mid-field flanks, supporting the defence well, and creating some great build-up play in the attack.

The second half showed a more familiar 6s style of play. Jess Vernon playing out of position at top of the diamond worked extremely hard to support the forward line of Jane Wells, Gemma Ballard, Harriet Rant and Ellie Hipper. Jess switched with Anita Mancini who, returning from injury, made a real nuisance of herself in midfield, getting into some great positions.

PoM went to 6s out of position captain Hannah Woods – leaving her defence line and moving to bottom of the diamond, finding herself in the attacking D for the first time in a long time she controlled the centre of the pitch and set up some lovely set pieces.

The score line does not reflect Dragons play. The second half they were the more dominant team, putting substantial pressure on the Magpies defence, they just could not capitalise. The hard work that players have been putting in at training is paying off and is obvious in game play. As we gel together as a unit we will be a force to be reckoned with!

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Pelicans 4s:  9-0

Dragons sparkled in their match against bottom of the table Pelis and rattled in their goals at regular intervals with Alice Bishop taking the player of the match vote for a cracking hat trick, including two very special goals into the corners. Mia McGhee also scored a hat trick. Her bustling efforts in the second half showed excellent controlled aggression as she forced her way through the middle of the circle. Adelice Kraemer scored twice, one of them a delicious Addi reverse stick special as she hid the ball from the keeper at close range. The scoring was completed by Claire Stuart with a neat touch.
With good availability in the lower teams, Captain Claire Fairhurst was able to select an exceptional and balanced squad. Louise Brooksy Brooks was a strong and steadying influence at the bottom and top of the diamond and the 7s benefited from her tackling and distribution skills. And for her all-round skills and attitude, the 7s are always happy to see Mia’s name on the team sheet.
As usual, the 7s did not get a fluent start. This week, the whole team was possibly a little over-excited as we tried too hard for that first goal. But Alice’s super effort calmed everyone.  The mids worked hard pushing the ball up and tracking back, with Stevie Spencer, Sophie Drew, Claire Fairhurst and Claire Stuart all playing attacking midfield roles during the game. The defence just had the odd foray to deal with – Pelis were very quick and had some good stick skills and were occasionally able to turn our defenders. However, keeper Emily Roper only had two serious shots to deal with and she despatched them very smoothly to keep another clean sheet. Stella Windsor Waite had another fine game at left defence and bottom of the diamond, and the other defenders  – Katy Saide and Emma Dyer – always looked comfortable with their opponents, especially when they tried to rush in from the wings. Bridget Le Good did a good job as the last ‘stopper’ and relieved any pressure with strong hits that usually found a Dragon and gained plenty of territory.
Pelis deserve credit for never letting their heads drop and keeping their passing game going. Their keeper Molly Gromett made a string of outstanding saves and this is a team for the future. But the 7s are very much the team of the moment. Captain Claire said all areas of the team had played well, and every player had done her best to carry out her role in the game plan. Claire showed how to win some much-needed penalty corners, and set an example at keeping the forwards buzzing in the circle with Stevie, Sophie and Brooksy all linking well with Alice, Mia and Adelice. And we all had fun!
Next week’s opponents, Loddon, will be the 7s most serious threat to date, and apart from hoping we can keep the same squad, on the agenda for midweek is more work for the forwards on laying the ball off in the circle; some sharper penalty corner shooting and tighter marking. We are also committed to inventing more variety in our moves on goal. The last point is a measure of how far the 7s have travelled this season. To begin with, just getting the ball into the circle was enough! Now more is demanded of the whole squad every week as we try to ensure we beat every other team and still continue to enjoy our hockey.

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Magpies 7s:  0-1

Ladies 8’s player of the match – Sophie James (7 players were nominated)!

#Awesomeeights are back with a bang! (Sorry that’s enough of the firework related references)! After a week off due to a scheduled league slip week the entire team were itching to get going again and prove we hadn’t forgotten anything, well what a game to come back to! Prior to the match feelings were that it should be even, with both teams being in similar places in the league. Well we were right from the first to the last whistle 14 determined dragons battled hard and never gave up. Despite the final score every player left the pitch feeling like they had given it all. Once again the team received complimentary feedback from both umpires and spectators (which is always helpful).

Their annoying goal came in the 36th!!!! minute when despite some close marking the magpie’s pivotal player slipped through and smacked the ball over the line. There was a definite consensus amongst the team of “we were robbed.”

GK Emma North continues to thrive in her new role making some great clearances with strong hits out of the D and communicated brilliantly with the defenders.  Defender Johanne Steward made some fab tackles and strong accurate side line hits and gains more confidence each week.  Anna Chapman also showed way more confidence, pushed up to attack the on-coming Magpies but has the speed to drop back to support the other defenders when needed. Anna really shone in this game and listens to instructions well. Jess Lockwood effortlessly switched positions to cover substitutions making her a valuable member of the team. VC Jo Baker made some excellent weighted hit outs always using the pitch width towards waiting players or for players to run to (which they mostly did.) Jo also added additional pressure to the Magpies by pushing up the pitch to meet the oppositions attacking players, she also provided communication, instruction and encouragement (which could be heard from the other end of the pitch lol.)

It was decided that we would benefit from strengthening the back by playing with two bottoms of the diamond’s. These roles were shared brilliantly by Tracey Stuart-Sheppard, Becky Gallagher and the returning Dr Bondy Bond! Becky who played mostly right bottom of the diamond but also a mid and at one point played as a forward after Captain Katy was injured by a weighted ball to the knee which gave her an instant bruise! Becky played brilliantly in each position earning her the flexi-player nick name this week. She continues to make good tackles and had the arduous task of marking Shirley!!! Tracy continues to be a tough opponent who won’t take no for an answer she is always very quick to the ball for a free hit and plays fiercely as left bottom of the diamond assisting the defence with some great clearances. Another force is the fantastic Bondy who returned to the team this week thanks to an obliging work schedule also provided strong tackles, accurate passes out to the waiting wingers and her medical skills and knowledge were once again put to good use when Captain Katy needed to hobble off with a very bruised and ball printed knee!

Once again Tenacious-Nic Harrison proved to be a go-getter who made some great runs up the side lines, some fantastic passes and her speed only increases as her with her confidence! Player of the match Sophie James is definitely a great example of “looks can be deceiving”. She may look quiet and shy but WOW! Get her on the pitch and she is strong and confident who valiantly drove the ball up the wings, attacked and ran back to assist with some strong defending, the man of the match award was well deserved.

Not only does captain Katy have moves on the pitch, she has moves that defy gravity which then results in the #awesomeeights being awarded the only short corner of the match! If they ever do a re-make of the Matrix Katy has to be up for the lead female role!! Katy continues to command the top of the diamond position linking midfield and forward with some good passes and once again showing how using the width of the pitch only benefits the game. Unfortunately getting struck on the knee by a flicked hit within very close proximity of the D meant a premature end to her game. Luckily Dr ‘Bondy’ Bond was there to assist.  Well done to all players for picking themselves up following this, getting back to the task in hand and changing positions so we stayed as strong as possible.

Lois Metcalf was one of these players who lead from the front but switched to the top and bottom of the diamond positions after the switch around to provide necessary cover.  Once again Lois made some great tackles, put a lot of pressure on the opposition gaining control and made played some great passes to the mids and forwards. Fellow forward Sadie Jacobs gets stronger each week! As does her confidence with tackling which resulted in winning the ball and passing to other fellow Dragons. Olivia Dickinson played right and left forward received some great passes from the mids and made some good fast runs driving the ball up towards to D, we were so close, so very close!

So, bring on next week! First another training session to polish our skills. We don’t give up and if we continue to play as we did in this match the wins (that’s plural because there will be more than one) will come thick and fast! Well done #awesomeeights!

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N

Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v St Ives 1s: 4-3

Following a day in which existential conflict deeply troubled the Men’s 1st team, and an event that was characterised by disjointedness and hysteria, a haiku seemed the best way to picture, and consequently report the match:

St Ives crushed four-three

Snappy saves; some fiendish play-

Panicked game, yet still.

Scorers:  Ollie King, Rupert Snelling (flick), Rohan Kaushal, Henry Laming

MOM:  Peter Dickerson

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Newmarket 1s: 5-3

Men’s 2nds beat last season’s bogey team Newmarket 5-3 (4-0 HT) in a cracker away at the home of the sport of kings. Dragon’s set light the touch paper and stormed into a commanding lead courtesy of another  hat trick from Alex Browne and another by MOM Eddie Gould. The second half promised pyrotechnics, and sure enough Newmarket scored, but a rocket of a short corner strike fourth for Browne re-established the four goal cushion, with the home team rallying to score a second and sparkling third. Fortunately for  dragons time ran out for the resurgent home side eliminating the possibility of a damp squib after such an explosive start. DOD Andy Hipper for verbal outburst but principally accidentally rearranging opponen’ts family jewels from raised free hit!

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v UEA 2s: 2-4

 

 

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v North Norfolk 2s:  4-1

 Dragons travelled to a wet and windy Cromer to take on bottom of the league club North Norfolk 2.  The first 20 minutes or so of the game were quite even, with both sides playing attacking hockey.  However, once Dragons opened the scoring through Rob Chaney Baxter, they began to dominate.  Up front, Johnny Taylor’s nifty skills were evident as he repeatedly beat North’s defenders, whilst debutant Harry Williams worked very hard to continually pressurise the opposition when in possession, bringing about a number of turnovers.  Jordan Hambling, McCartney Aldous and Rob Chaney Baxter all played some excellent attacking hockey and did a bit of defending too.  Jordan scored Dragons’ second, making the half time score 2-0.  North Norfolk began to tire in the second half and Dragons added two further goals through Chaney Baxter and Richard Phillis.  Chaney Baxter also hit the post to avoid a deserved hat trick, but still earned the Man of the Match plaudits.  North Norfolk pulled a goal back through a penalty flick, whilst Peter Davison missed one for Dragons in spectacular fashion, only the high fence around the pitch saving the ball from ending up in the North Sea.

A solid performance from Dragons to make it two consecutive wins and move them into mid table.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Lowestoft Railway 2s:  3-0

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)

Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norfolk Nomads 1s:  2-3

A wet and windy day with copious traffic jams nearly reduced the Men’s 6s to a 9 man team for the game against table toppers Norfolk Nomads 1, but luckily pedal power came to the rescue for a number of the team and a full squad of 14 players assembled minutes before the 1.00pm push back. As has been the story for this season so far, we were up against another team from a division higher last season and again although we came away with ‘nul points’ we showed that we can fight and hold better teams to a close and competitive game.

Soon after the push back Nomads scored first, but the 6s fought back and Tommy Chapman made a great effort into a good goal, by hard work and skilful play in the opposition D. Nomads grabbed a second goal against the run of play and were ahead 2-1 at half time. After much discussion and debate, a slightly rearranged Dragons 6s line up emerged for the second half and soon was taking the game to Nomads with a succession of short corners won after excellent build up play. The short corners payed dividends in the end with a classic Mike Banham strike straight from the push in, as straight as an arrow into the Nomads net. With the game level, Nomads were starting to make errors as Dragons kept pressurising. Graham Muff had a goal disallowed after it bounced on top of his foot, popping up just right to be netted, and it was Nomads who re-took the lead with a disputed goal after breaking through the Dragons defence.

There were a few more dramatic moments as one of the Nomads forwards received a loose ball in the face and ended up with a shiner that a certain M. Tyson would have been happy with dishing out. Although in this case it was completely accidental from a 50/50 challenge. In the end Nomads squeaked the game 3-2 but another spirited and hard-fought effort from Dragons 6s to see them lift off the bottom on Division 6NE (N) on superior goal difference.

Man of the match went to Tommy Chapman for a display full of effort, grit and the well taken goal.

 

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys A v Dragons Dev Boys B:  5-0

The A team dominated in the 1st quarter, with good passing skills, resulting in the first goal being scored within the first 10 mins. The B team fought back with great passing from midfield and defence in the second quarter, keeping more possession and a couple of shots at goal
Second half A’s continued possession.
A good, fast paced game all round!

Raul Wigglesworth

A competitive match with good hockey played from both teams.
The final score of 8-0 to the A’s didn’t do justice to the B’s, who fought tirelessly and created numerous chances.
Stand out performances include Alex Brooks for the A’s, who defended very well. Edward Cross played the ball around at pace and vision. Will Bowman showed real pace along the wing to generate numerous chances.
For the B’s Alex Wolfe made some good saves and remained spirited throughout the match. Raul moved the ball very well and created chances.
Ben Panter

Goalscorers:  Edward Cross x2, Casper Lind x2, Arjuna Puvanachandra

MOM:  Casper Lind

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys B 

see above

 

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Dragons Dev Girls v Norwich City A

City could not raise a team for this game, unfortunately it was left to an annoyed and embarrassed City parent who had arrived at the Den for the game to advise the Dragons players and coach. Notification had been issued by email just over an hour before the Dragons meet time. Given Dragons were unaware, they had gathered ready to play the match.

Despite the obvious disappointment for the Girls, they agreed that they should use the time wisely to brush up on their skills and play an internal game between themselves.

The promise of pizza kept the girls going through the rain and the halftime sweets helped them to get through the teamtalk from the coach!

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NDHC League Match Reports: 28th October 2017

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match

Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Wapping 1s:  0-2

MOM Sarah Jenkins

 

 

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE

Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Colchester 2s:  2-1

 With half term hitting squad availability hard plus the culmination of injuries at the top end of the Club over recent weeks, Dragons travelled to Colchester with just 3 of their regular players. This gave well deserved Dragons East League debuts for Goalkeeper Luisa Valentini, Forwards Lucy Morton and Jess Haw, as well as welcome returns for Hannah Ellis, Carmel Windsor-Waite, Sophie Barrow and Angela Murgatroyd.

The visitors warmed up well and when the game got underway they were immediately on the front foot, forcing Colchester deep and looking to attack, largely through the dominant figure of Emma Tabrett and Captain Karen O’Neill Simpson, who were consistently winning the 50 / 50 balls in the centre of the pitch. Despite having the lions share of possession, Dragons defence needed to remain alert. Carmel Windsor-Waite was having an assured start to the game at right defence, anticipating attacks down the left and cutting out the danger early.

After creating a few opportunities through Hannah Ellis in left midfield, finding the willing forward runs of Lucy Morton, Jess Haw and Harriet Green, Dragons eventually forced their first short corner. The partnership of Karen O’Neill Simpson and Emma Tabrett came to the fore, with Tabrett letting fly with a drag flick past the keeper for the lead. Not long after, a second short corner for Dragons, the same combination and after an initial save from the keeper, Emma Tabrett swiftly reacted to the rebound with a reverse stick strike into the corner to double the lead before the break, a lead the visitors deserved.

Dragons talked at half-time about maintaining the pressure and continuing to win the 50 – 50 balls. Colchester started the half the brighter of the teams and the defensive line of Carmel Windsor-Waite, Angela Murgatroyd and Tash Falzon had to work hard to keep their clean sheet intact, whilst Luisa Valentini in goal was extremely assured in dealing with a number of sharp strikes. Colchester were earning a number of short corners, which Carmel and Karen broke down strongly. Eventually however, the home team scored through a lifted ball into the D, finally being forced home.

Dragons weathered the storm and started to get their game together again – Sophie Barrow, Harriet Green, Hannah Ellis and Jess Haw harried the home team defence and broke down play well, whilst Lucy Morton continued to make intelligent runs and was linking up well with Hannah Hardy on the forward line.

Chances came and went to increase the lead and make the game a little more comfortable for the visitors, as whilst there was just one goal in it, anything could happen. The final whistle went with Dragons sealing the victory, which was deserved on the balance of play. Emma Tabrett earned PoM with her goals and her relentless work rate, but mention must go to the whole squad (especially those making their East League debuts), who had in the main, never played a competitive league game together, but who worked extremely hard for each other and happily headed up the A12 with the points, to take them to 3rd in the league.
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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v 

no fixture

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v 

no fixture

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v 

no fixture

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v

no fixture

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v

no fixture

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Empress Norfolk Women’s League, Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v

no fixture

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N

Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Pelicans:  5-6

Goal scorers:  Rupert Snelling x 4, Ollie King
MOM:  Rupert Snelling
 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v IES 2s:  4-4

 

The highly anticipated match between the top two Div 3 teams started off with high-quality possession from Dragons but they failed to penetrate the IES defence. It was then with a counterattacking move that IES managed to win the first short corner of game which ended up in the roof of the Dragons net. A battle then developed in midfield with teams struggling to create attacking moves into the danger zones. It was only when Dragons were awarded a short corner just before half time, that they managed to strike an equalizer to take it level going into the break.

In the second half IES came out of the blocks lightening fast and in the space of 10 minutes two more IES short corners and an aerial attack ended up in the top corner of the goal.

Dragons looked shell-shocked and needed to respond… which they did with captain Richard Moulson taking the lead and firing a rebounded short corner to make it 4-2. With impetus restored and Dragons full of energy, adding plenty of pressure to IES defence for the final quarter of the game. Dragons converted a short and also worked the ball through a crowded D for Alex Browne to slap into the net to complete his hat-trick.

The final whistle blew and the game ended 4-4 with IES and Dragons sharing the points,  probably a fair result for both teams.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Norwich City 4s:  1-1

Dragons 3s fully embraced the Halloween theme for their local derby with Norwich City 4s.

First up in fancy dress were the Goodson boys, all three of whom had spent the previous day at the Norwich Beer Festival. Groaning, red eyed, white faced and leaving a smell of death in their wake, the three zombies shuffled onto the pitch intimidating the Norwich boys from the outset.

However there would be worse foes for the city boys to face that afternoon…..

Mild mannered accountant Joel Dennis doesn’t seem like someone to be scared of but one brave city forward decided to push our mr nice about…a big mistake. The sun set, clouds parted and a full moon rose in the sky. An angry werewolf appeared in Joel’s place and it took all of Umpire Gallop’s silver bullets to calm the situation down.

Unfortunately Phil Good was caught in the crossfire, taking one in the calf and having to hobble off the pitch, his face as pale as a ghost. Get well soon Phil!

However, Dragons were eager for blood and continually pressed forward, intent on feasting on City’s lifeless corpse.

Fantastic work by our little goblin sprite Jonno Chaney-makethemwearbibs-Baxter resulted in Wizard (Matt) Jenkins scoring an excellent ghoul from a tight angle.

Half time came with Chief Warlock John Ives urging the team to keep the cauldron bubbling and not to change the potion.

Meanwhile City had regrouped and armed with bunches of garlic, put the Dragons ghoul under intense pressure. Freak of the match, Ben Nkrumah put in a bewitching performance and repelled numerous attempts from prospective Van Helsing’s to pierce the Dragon’s hearts.

However it couldn’t last with City, taking a leaf from the Dragons Halloween approach, weaving a mystical short corner spell which ended with a forward ghosting in at the far post and nabbing an equaliser.

Full time – 1 all – goodness and evil sharing the points in a (cos this is) Thriller.

A good performance from the team which certainly raised everyone’s spirits.

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Magpies 4s:  2-0

Dragons 4s entertained local rivals Harleston Magpies 4s, anticipating a tough match, but feeling confident after good recent performances.
 
Both teams contained a mix of youth and experience, but it was Dragons who performed better as a unit.
The first half saw Magpies enjoy some good spells of possession, including a series of about 10 consecutive short corners, which Dragons defended defiantly through the backline of Andy Carver (MoM), Jon Price, Neil Shorten and Will Ives, with Chris Millar in goal.
 
Ali Smyth had an excellent match, frequently breaking up the Magpies attacks whilst releasing his own forwards with some accurate passing.  Joining him in midfield were Captain Rob Jenkins, Sol Blazer, McCartney Aldous and Rob Chaney Baxter.  Up front, Johnny Taylor and Andy Saunders were a constant threat through Johnny’s skills and Andy’s composure on the ball.
 
Half time saw the game goalless, with Dragons growing in confidence whilst Magpies were feeling frustrated.
Within 10 minutes of the restart, Dragons (now playing downwind) were 2-0 up, though a well worked move finished by Andy Saunders and a solo effort of great tenacity from Ali Smyth.
 
Dragons remained in control of the match, every player putting in a huge effort to secure a very satisfying win.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Dereham 3s:  0-0

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)

Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v North Norfolk 3s:  1-3

Once more the Mens 6s faced a team that were in the division above us last season and although given a tough game, continued to work hard trying for the elusive first win of the season. North Norfolk came with a mixture of experienced and new players but had two strong midfielders who could control play for them when needed. The first half was a relatively even affair with Dragons not quite able to consistently run the ball into the North Norfolk 25m area. Dan Murphy and Rob Lee tried to make a breakthrough but unfortunately North Norfolk counter attacked and scored with a well taken goal 10 minutes before half time. Dragons came back strongly, going close to bringing it level, but went into the break 0-1 down.

Re-starting the game with renewed vigour, Bobby Sheppard managed to pounce when a Dragons shot was parried by the North Norfolk keeper. As the keeper hit the floor, the ball came loose at his feet and Sheppard drew it back, sidestepped and fired it into the North Norfolk goal to level the score. This was Bobby’s first goal at Adult level and a well taken one at that. North Norfolk rallied again and in the space of 10 minutes were able to pull ahead and score twice, beginning to make it look like the game could be out of reach of the Dragons 6’s team. Although we applied considerable pressure in the final 10 minutes, winning several penalty corners, we were unable to make the break through, and the final score was a win for North Norfolk by 3 goals to 1.

Thanks must go to all the team for another resilient display and to James King who made some good saves under pressure. Man of the match was awarded to Mike Banham for a strong game in defence, playing in the Sweeper position.

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys A 

no fixture

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys B 

no fixture

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Dragons Dev Girls 

no fixture

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NDHC League Match Reports: 21st October 2017

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match

Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v St Albans 2s:  2-4

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s vs St Albans Ladies 2s

The Ladies 1s travelled down to St Albans this weekend, keen to secure 3 points after a frustrating couple of matches where the Norwich ladies deserved more than they came away with.

Saturday saw the return of Issy Wolfe and Jess Bennett, both looking to make their mark up front! In the face of Storm Brian, Dragons started strongly and maintained the majority of possession in the first 10 minutes of the game.

Unfortunately, this would turn out to be a game won and lost on the quality of short corners and Dragons conceded a short corner to St Albans. The shot was blasted into the back of the goal, with very little the defence or Cleeve in goal could have done to stop it.

Dragons fought back and after some great connecting play between the midfield and forwards, Katy Hands managed to find the back of the net to take Dragons equal. Hands continued her attacking play with runs along the back line and some excellent passes across the face of the goal.

The midfield of Liv Thomas, Lucy Ripman, Lara Taylor and Hannah Philips continued to show their strength and determination. Thomas, who went on to win Player of the Match, was skilful in attack and resilient in defence and the award was very well deserved.

Another short corner was awarded to the home team and an almost identical goal was scored, to take St Albans to 2-1 at half time.

Dragons restarted after the break and came out strongly. Holly Reding and Sarah Jenkins were efficient and calm at the back, dealing with some tricky forwards in their usual controlled way. Cleeve pulled out some excellent saves too, to keep Dragons in the running.

After a break down the middle of the pitch that came initially from Hannah Philips, the ball found Katy Hands who drove into the D and drew the keeper who swiftly took her out. Luckily, Hayley Toleman was on hand to make sure that the Dragons got the goal and we moved to 2-2.

What followed was the deciding 10 minutes of the match. We enjoyed a period of excellent play, with Issy Wolfe and Jess Bennet looking strong and dangerous in attack. Despite several opportunities and control of the play, the goal just didn’t come and unfortunately, on a break by St Albans, the ball was raised towards Cleeve and became stuck in her pads. Cleeve quickly rectified the situation and what should have been called as a dead ball was awarded as a short corner. St Albans yet again scored from the top of the D and we went 3-2 behind.

With nothing to lose, Dragons pushed another player up to midfield, but despite some outstanding individual efforts and team determination, no goal came. In the dying minutes of the game, the opposition were awarded another short and again, scored from it.

Final score: St Albans 4: Dragons 2.

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE

Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Ipswich 2s:  1-3

With half term unavailability and injuries taking their toll, Dragons 2’s were forced into a number of changes, but were delighted to be giving well deserved East League debuts to Harriet Green and Kath Mares and were grateful to Rowan York Smith and Natalie Beal for helping the team out.
On a bright blustery day Dragons started well, putting early pressure on the Ipswich defence and dominating possession. Karen O’Neill Simpson and Gail Thomas were holding strong in the middle, well supported on the flanks by Debs Painter and Kiera Goymour who started brightly on the right. Natalie Beal took no time to get into her stride, feeding the ever willing runs of Harriet Green and Maddy Reynolds. Dragons were testing the Ipswich defence and an attack down the right saw the ball squared to Natalie Beal who seemed to be impeded as she forced the ball on to the post.
Ipswich grew into the game and had some skillful players – so the defensive team of Kristina Smyth, Kath Mares, Esme Potter and Rowan York Smith had to keep their shape and be alert to every move – which they did really well as a newly formed unit. As play evened out, Dragons took the lead, Natalie Beal putting a strong ball into the D for Hannah Hardy to control, turn and force the ball home. Unfortunately the lead didn’t last too long, with Ipswich scoring a smart short corner with a shot into the right hand post.
With the teams level at halftime, Coach Richard Gill talked about a few areas where the team could improve. Kiera Goymour was having a strong game on the right earning her Player of the Match, with some great defensive play,  as well as strong drives and passing into the D. Unfortunately however,  Ipswich scored a 2nd, possibly slightly against the run of play. Dragons kept pushing forward, with some good possession in the attacking D saw the ball squared to Natalie Beal who was once again in a great position on the P spot. Her initial effort was saved, but she showed composure to pull the ball back and flick it over the keeper, which hit an Ipswich defender infront of the goal. Unfortunately for Dragons, the flick was not given and they couldn’t capitalise on the short corner.
With Dragons pushing forward, Ipswich scored a 3rd, to make the scoreline 3-1, which was slightly flattering, however the visitors did push on in the second half and Dragons didn’t sustain their levels for the full 70 mins, which was a disappointment. Two late injuries to Dragons meant another trip to A&E for both players (a regular occurrence at the moment) – thankfully no breaks this time, but we wish both Gail and Esme speedy recoveries. Onwards and upwards, with the squad looking forward to a trip to Colchester next week.
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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Dereham 3s:  2-2

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3rd Team welcomed Dereham Ladies 3rd Team to the Den for only their 2nd home league game of the season. The game started with free-flowing hockey being played by both teams all around the pitch, with both teams being awarded short corners early in the game but unable to convert chances.

Dereham managed to open the scoring with a shot that bobbled its way into the goal at the far post. But dragons soon equalised from a good short corner routine, calmly struck across goal by Sam Franklin for Hannah Ellis to volley in on the line.

Again, Dereham managed to score first in the second half, this time from a short corner after the defence were reduced for breaking early. However, like the first half Dragons soon pulled a goal back from another short corner, confidently finished by Jess Haw with a rebound from the top of the circle.

Despite Dragons receiving both a green and yellow card with the score at 2-2, the defence and midfield held strong. Dragons finished the game the stronger team, with the attack creating plenty of open play and short corner chances which were narrowly missed. Ismay Whitaker and Hannah Ellis shared player of the match, but another great team performance to remain undefeated so far.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Magpies 4s:  3-1

The Ladies 4s were glad of Lou Davis’s hokey cokey warm up, making sure we were all feeling ready for action.  The game started briskly with Magpies taking first push back and not given much room for movement by the charging dragons.  Fiona Fletcher was quick to pick up the ball and send it out wide to Lucy Buxton running up the wing using her speed and skill to bypass the opposition.  The forward line up of Caroline Wolfe, Harriet Marlee and Gina Hunt were moving the opposition defence around to give opportunity to a goal.  For the first 15 minutes the Dragons had a few chances on goal, the Magpies keeper pretty quick to fend off straight strikes.  Trish (Terminator) Hagan picked off many Magpies forward moves and linked up well with Ellie James and Aditi Naik on the wing.  The first goal came from a pass in from the right, deflected by Caroline into Harriet who tapped into the goal behind the keeper.  Magpies still on for the challenge tried to pick up and connect with their forward but Katie Franks closed off this option, so they tried breaking through the middle, where Bella Capps was waiting.  Dragons had the majority of play and were still dangerous in the opposition D.  Magpies took their chances and managed to break through into the D forcing a short corner, which they slotted home on the right post.  Trish linking up with Ellie on the wing and up to Lucy outplayed Magpies and with several challenges on goal, picking up the rebound Lucy pushed it onto the backboard.  It was half time, and time for (Sarah) Waggys words of wisdom, playing to the oppositions weaker side, pre scanning and thinking ahead.

Kat Speirs our keeper had been called into action a few times in the first half and the battle call of MINE was heard before she hoofed the ball up the pitch.  In the second half she had a little less to do but at least the sun was shining!  The Dragons were still keen to up the score and Lou Davis was pushing the ball up the wing to Aditi, the play was linking well through to Fiona who injected several balls into the D.  The final goal came from a ball played across the goal, keeper going right and slotted in by Caroline.  Final score 3-1.  Excellent team effort for whole game, thanks to shouty Sarah on the sidelines for guidance.  Trish was man of the match for constant badgering of the opposition and silky skills up the midfield.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Evergreens 1s:  0-3

This was a game of two halves. In the first half Evergreens pressed quickly with strong attacking play and gaining a number of short corners. These were defended well but unfortunately Evergreens were able to convert 2 of these. They scored another goal from open play using their skills and speed to navigate into the D. Our defence of Sophia Haenhelt, Beth Elgood and Grace Brown (MOM) were determined that this would not be the tone of the game and worked incredibly hard to stop their advances. This was supported by some great saves from Esther Jacobs and lots of direction and encouragement from her. The first half ended 3:0.

In the second half dragons were ready to go and from the start began advancing towards the Evergreens goal. There was good linking play with many passes from Lizzy McDonnell meeting Sue Brumby and Lilly Sore to provide opportunities to get into their D. Passes from Ginny Simkin and Mel Widdows provided Niamh Somers with some great opportunities to run the ball into their D making some great tackles when challenged for the ball. Flora Gregorie used her skills to help us have more opportunities in the D and resulted in us winning a number of short corners in a row. Hannah Edwards worked tirelessly to ensure the clearances made by Evergreens were picked up so we could continue the attack and intercepted many of their balls in midfield to slow their play.
The second half provided Evergreens with few chances to play in our half of the pitch and saw the goal hungry dragons team begin to dominate the game. Sadly we were unable to convert our chances but take away a lot of positives from the attacking play in the second half. The work rate and positive attitude of the team was a pleasure.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v North Norfolk 2:  3-0

North Norfolk Conceded this fixture

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s & 8s no league fixture so played a friendly instead

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N

Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Magpies 3s:  2-4 

Overall it was a bad day at the office for Dragons. Even though they arrived early to warm up and get used to Magpies’ water-based pitch, they struggled to adapt their game onto it. Pass after pass was miss-hit, sent bouncing or miss-controlled. As a result they seemed to abandon the passing game that had brought them such success in recent weeks and began to try and dribble through the opposition. As a result, the opposition were able to repeatedly over-turn Dragons in the own half and put them under severe pressure. That being said, Dragons were unlucky not to take the lead when their first short corner was smashed into the right post by Henry Laming. The Magpies keeper also made some outstanding saves to keep the scores level before a counter attack allowed Magpies to score with a magnificent reverse-stick volley from the top left of the D. If you ignore the fact that Dragons gave the ball away too easily, it really was a superb piece of skill and
an unstoppable shot; it was hit into the opposite side netting of the goal.
This left Dragons a bit shell-shocked and they soon found themselves 2-0 down after another break away lead to a second reverse-stick finish. Dragons managed to half the deficit just before half time with a much deserved goal. Another well worked short-corner routine lead to a fine deflection from Patrick Gordon.
With a stern talking too from Captain Buck at half time about how they needed to trust in their passing game and not dribble so much Dragons went out and immediately started dribbling straight into the flat sticks of the Magpies players. As a result, Magpies earned a short corner and scored with a big hit into the bottom left-hand corner. This was very surprising as George Bowman had just informed the defence that he would run number two because they weren’t going to do a straight strike….
Dragons managed to regroup and play some nice hockey again to earn their own short-corner. This time Charlie Nunn was on hand to volley the ball in after the initial strike had been blocked by one of the defenders. With the scores now at 3-2 everyone thought the come-back was on. But only minutes later Dragons once again decided to turn straight into the opposition’s striker and lose the ball allowing them to score a simple tap-in. A disappointing day was completed when Tom Vaughan had a goal disallowed because neither umpire could see if the ball had crossed the line or not (although Mr. Vaughan seems adamant that it did).
Final score 4-2 to Magpies 3s. Dragons will be disappointed with the result but feel they should be able to get revenge in the reverse fixture when they are on their own pitch. In all seriousness, they played some nice hockey at times and could have easily scored a couple more goals on a different day. Time for another good training session on Thursday and hopefully back to winning ways next Saturday against Pelicans.
Mom – Patrick Gordon
Dod – Olly Buck for being sociable and chatting with the opposition captain. Thoroughly undeserved and he is considering not playing next week after being so badly bullied by his so-called ‘teammates’.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Pelicans 2s:  2-0

A valiant undefeated band of Dragons marched due west from the ‘Mighty Den’ across the scenic Norfolk corridor to the Pelicans’ stronghold known as Lynnsport. The mood was shaped by the promised Atlantic weather bomb; blustery with dancing leaves twirling into small devilish spirals.

Sir Rich Moulson rallied his regiment with conviction and guile, inspiring the troop to capitalize on its courageous start of the new season currently sitting pretty at height of 3NE. Knowing of the oppositions tendency to play a strong long ball game with plentiful aerials; vigilance and positional discipline were highlighted as keys to unlock the victory.

As expected, a hotly contested battle for possession ensued with an aerial bombardment from the opposition. Sir Moulson, Esquire George Walker and Varlet Max Laming showing their teeth in the tackle and eye on distribution. Veteran Archers Ali Smyth, Andy Hipper and Glen Masterson, using the nature of the battleground to provide the Dragons their own style of cannon fodder bouncing balls deep into dangerous territory; allowing the three horseman Jason Wolfe, Garnett Jones and Cley Hamilton to take siege on the Pelicans goal. The tactic eventually resulting in a series of short corners for Hipper and Laming to try their metal against an alert stopper. Dragons Headsman Ben Nkrumah had some stopping off his own to fulfil showcasing his mesmeric reaction saves on several occasions.

The deadlock was broken late on in the first half after further pressure was applied in the wide channels by skirmishers Jack O’Meera and Josh Wiggins, allowing Laming space above the circle to direct a reverse hit into Wolfe to add a deft touch, wrong footing the resilient Pelicans stopper. Drawing close to a fiery half with Sir Moulson’s men with the advantage. During the interval, Sir Moulson ushered further words of encouragement to continue the display, but paying greater attention to discipline with the umpires.

As the second half unfolded, the battle intensified. An accomplished show of sparring by young archer George Wright providing relentless rear guard action stopping any opposition attacking on the Dragons right flank. In the midst of battle Wiggins took punishment from both sides with raised passes battling with his knees and received a green for his troubles. Play was halted for captains to bring the intensity to a manageable level as tempers were gradually boiling over. To settle tensions further, a fine dribble and passing move from Laming and Wolfe allowed Hamilton to break free in the circle before unleashing a powerful strike across goal to extend Dragons advantage. This would be final straw as the game wound down to a close with Dragons victorious once again.

Ben Nkrumah Man of the Match for keeping Dragons firmly in the game with impressive reaction saves.

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Norwich City 3s:  2-5

It was Derby day at the den Saturday with Dragons Men’s 3’s playing Norwich city Men’s 3’s. It was a tough game, with City pushing high and countering on the break. It was from one of these breaks that City scored and a well taken drag flick from a short corner made the score 2-0 to City. Some great work from Dragons resulted on a goal from Pedro Goss to make the score 2-1 to City at half time. 2nd half the Dragons felt they were getting back into the game, but again were caught on the counter attack. Pedro Goss scored another goal and the team all worked very hard to the finish but the end result was a 5-2 loss. MOM was Pedro Goss.

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Norwich City 5s:  1-2

Norwich Dragons 4 welcomed Norwich City 5 to the Den for the local derby.  With City top of the table it promised to be a tough game.  Dragons’ mix of youth and experience proved effective though and they took the lead midway through the first half, with McCartney Aldous slotting home after a well worked attack.  The game was very competitive with end to end hockey, though clear cut chances were rare.  Dragons maintained their lead until the final quarter when City equalised with a scrappy goal, a shot from the edge of the D missed by both attack and defence and creeping past the keeper.  Shortly after, Dragons were very disappointed to find themselves behind after City went 2-1 up with a well taken flick after an unfortunate deflection onto a foot on the line.  Dragons worked hard to try and find an equaliser, but it wasn’t to be and City ended up relieved to take the points.  Man of the Match was Will Ives who did fantastic work in defence and also inspired a number of attacking moves.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Norwich Exiles 1s: 0-7

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)

Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Norwich City 6s:  0-4

With selection being tight this week, Dragons 6s went into the match with 12 players and one returning from injury who needed to get some match time on the road to recovery. The Norwich City 6 team had made an unbeaten start to the season so another tough game was in order. Right from the start City played with two strikers high into the Dragons half which meant that we had to man mark to keep things in some sort of control. Within a few minutes of the start Ed Crosier was hit hard with a ball on the inside of the knee which relegated him to the side line for the rest of the match. Although it looked, and was reported by Ed as being very painful, hopefully he will be fit soon.

Unfortunately, City struck first shortly after with a goal at the far post, quickly followed by a second, contested, goal that was a deflection from something. It might have been a stick last or first but it all happened at such pace that it was difficult to say. The Dragons kept their spirits up and the midfield of Owain Hall, Issac Diver-Hall, Josh Bingham and Bobby Sheppard continued to press when they could, against seasoned, experienced opposition. Dragons came closest to scoring half way through the first half when Darryl Robinson hit the left post and the ball trickled along the goal line for the width of the goal until being cleared away by the City defence.City quickly scored a goal on the break with a well struck shot at an acute angle, just inside the Dragons D. Unfortunately James King, who was having a good game and made some excellent saves under pressure from City, was unable to reach it and Dragons went into the half time break 0-3 down.

The second half produced much of the same but Dragons kept working hard with the defence of Mike Banham, Harry Brown, Rich Davis and the returning John Butler kept busy man marking the City strikers. After another period of pressure City managed to get clear on the far post again and slotted in a 4th goal. The Dragons 6s didn’t cave in and kept fighting to the final whistle to keep the score at 0-4 to City 6s.

So, another tough game but more experience for our players coming up from Dev boys and another example of the 6s working together to reduce the loosing margin to the minimum possible in the circumstances.

Final score Norwich City 6 (4-0) Norwich Dragons 6

For some excellent saves and good all round work Man of the Match went to James King in goal.

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys A 

no fixture

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys B 

no fixture

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Dragons Dev Girls 

no fixture

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NDHC League Match Reports: 14th October 2017

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match

Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 1s v Ipswich 1s: 1-3

After a frustrating loss to City of Peterborough the week before, Dragons Ladies 1s were keen to make amends and take something from the visiting Ipswich team. Unfortunately, with a last-minute injury to star striker Stacey Lee, the team was down to 12 players against the visitors’ 15. In the warm autumn sun, it was going to be a tough match.

Dragons started strongly, moving the ball well around the pitch and especially round the defensive line up of Lou Murray, Sarah Jenkins, Holly Reding and Sophie Thomas. Whereas last season, Ipswich had found space in the midfield, Liv Thomas, Lara Taylor, Lucy Ripman and Hannah Philips worked tirelessly in the first half to ensure that the opposition could not open up any room down the middle of the pitch. Dragons fought hard but couldn’t quite break into the opposition D.

A loss of possession in the middle of the pitch led to an Ipswich break just before half time. The Ipswich forward ran along the base line and slipped the ball past Siobhan Cleeve in goal to take the them 1-0 up at half time.

Dragons continued to look strong on the ball and their passing game was looking sharp in the early part of the second half. The defence picked out any marauding attackers and Holly Reding and Sarah Jenkins looked strong in the centre of the pitch, picking out the pass before it could reach the Ipswich forwards. Cleeve pulled out some brilliant saves as well, denying Ipswich the opportunity of extending their lead. Unfortunately, Ipswich won a short corner and despite a strong first save from the Dragons’ keeper, we couldn’t keep out the shot that came from the second phase and Ipswich moved 2-0 up.

The forward line of Hayley Toleman, Katie Taubman and Katy Hands, who had been putting in a lot of leg work throughout the game, penetrated the Ipswich defence on several occasions in the second half. Some excellent Dragons passing found Hannah Philips in the middle of the pitch, who slipped it left to Taubman. Taubman drove hard along the base line and won a penalty corner. The initial strike was saved by the Ipswich keeper but Taubman managed to follow up and slipped it into the back of the net, moving the score to 2-1.

Dragons kept their fighting spirit alive and some fierce performances from Lara Taylor, Liv Thomas, Hannah Philips and Lou Murray (who went on to win player of the match) in midfield ensured the Norwich team stayed in the game. Unfortunately, tired legs got the better of us and Ipswich again drove along the base line, this time passing it back to a waiting forward, who scored to take the final score to 3-1.

Dragons battled throughout this game and there are a lot of positives to be taken from their performance. Next week, the ladies will be looking to capitalise on these strengths and take 3 points from St. Albans.

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE

Norwich Dragons Ladies 2s v Dereham 2s:  1-2

 Dragons travelled to Dereham knowing they were going to be in for a good test against one of the stronger teams in the league. Welcoming back Kristina Smyth in goal and Emma Tabrett into the midfield.
Early play was all Dragons, right from the initial push back with Issy Wolfe driving deep into the Dereham half and forcing the ball into the D. Dragons attacked with numbers and forced Dereham deep in the early stages, however it was a moment of individual skill that saw the deadlock broken – Jess Bennett picking the ball up from the 25, beating a number of players before getting into the D and calmly striking beyond the keeper for an early lead.
Dereham however stepped up their game and got a quick response, with Dragons leaving themselves too open and allowing Dereham to get in behind with too much ease. One attack saw the a ball rebound off the Dragons post, back into the D and Dereham reacted quicker to slot in for the equaliser.
From then the game was fairly open – both sides having opportunities and short corners. Just before the half time break Dereham caught Dragons again and scored a smartly taken goal.
Dragons knew they weren’t at their best – they had lost their shape and were getting a little frustrated that things weren’t coming together for them. Second half saw a similar pattern of play. The team tried to play a more composed passing game, which worked at times, but not like the team knew they could.
With just over 5 minutes to go, Dragons forward Charlotte Pounder took a nasty ball straight into the collar bone, which sadly required a paramedic and a trip to the hospital to confirm a nasty break. Thanks to all who helped Charlotte, our very best wishes to her for a speedy recovery.
After a long delay, the final 5 minutes was needed to be played out – without anyone’s heart really being in the game. A defeat for the away team and lessons to be learned……but most importantly, our thoughts and best wishes are with Charlotte.
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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3s v Loddon 1s:  2-1

Norwich Dragons Ladies 3rd Team travelled away for the third week running, this week to the very hot climate of Loddon, knowing this fixture is always a tricky and tough encounter. Dragons started strongly creating many early attempts at goal, which resulted in a flick being awarded for a foot clearance on the line. Lucy Morton calmly stepped up and converted the penalty flick with great confidence, 1-0 to Dragons. Dragons relentless attack was held at bay by Loddon packing the D and opportunities were squandered, including hitting the crossbar, so the score remained 1-0 to Dragons at half time.

Dragons began the second half again dominating play with a very good high press, created by good communication throughout the team. However, Loddon managed to gain a short corner in one of a handful of times that the ball entered the Dragons half, which they managed to convert levelling the score to 1 – 1.

The Loddon goal ignited dragons fire to attack with more aggression resulting in a second goal from some great quick passing from the left to the top of the D, onto Katie Mckenna who made a brilliant layoff for Katie Hale, player of the match, to step in and put the ball away into the Loddon goal. More opportunities were still further created but not converted by Dragons, so the game finished with a 2-1 win for Dragons.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons Ladies 4s v Dereham 3s:  1-2

Dragons started brightly on an unexpectedly summery game at the Den. Several forays into the Dereham circle, a result of the width demanded by coach Wolfe, produced some saves from the keeper and asked questions of the Dereham defence. In particular, Dragons held such a tight press that Dereham couldn’t help but give the ball back. From one of these turnovers Caroline Wolfe converted with a direct strike.

 The Dragons midfield, the experienced Lynne Price and  Trish Hagan blended with the youthful exuberance of Catherine Matthews and Aditi Naik, backed up by the free ranging force of nature Vicky Earley, worked to close down Dereham and create the space to play through. Lisa Harwood, Lucy Buxton, Caroline Wolfe and Gina Hunt worked tirelessly into the channels and combining well but though chances were numerous, further goals were elusive.

 Dereham did have their moments and the defensive cover held with smart interceptions and timely tackles from Bella Capps, Jemima Williams, Amelia Smith and Sarah Wagstaff. This was not to remain the case as Dereham won a short, which was slickly converted. Moments later Dereham broke again but could not beat the impressive Kat Spiers who made a couple of smart saves.

 Half-time – Dragons 1 Dereham 1

 The second half was played in a similar vein to the first, Dragons moved the ball well, all units combining and Dereham playing a counter attacking game. Despite their pressure Dragons couldn’t convert and were very unlucky on several occasions. It took a well taken reverse strike from Dereham to break the deadlock and ultimately all three points.

 It is still early days for this newly formed Dragons team. Each game the teamwork is getting better and the resilience is amazing. There is a lovely mix of youth, experience, skill and determination. The leadership of coach Monsieur Wolfe and Captain Harwood and a little bit of the elusive luck with ensure we start getting the points we deserve.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons Ladies 5s v Magpies 4s:  2-1

On sunny Saturday the 14th of October the Ladies Dragons 5th team took on Magpies 4th team. In the changing room the team was told not to under estimate the away team as last season they finished high up the league table.
Straight from the push back, Dragons pressed high putting their defense under immense pressure. In a tricky scramble in the Magpies defensive quarter, captain, Amy Forse managed to push the ball over the line, getting the first goal of the match only minutes in.
Keeping the pressure on Magpies and after more short corners than the Ladies team had won all season the halftime whistle blew 1-0.
Once play restarted many near misses and great saves from the Magpie goalie, the play suddenly switched and it was the Dragons defenders doing their best to keep the Magpie sides big strikes out.  The away team won a short corner about half way through the second half and the straight strike managed to get past the goalie and it was 1-1.
After this, Dragons wasted no time and pushed up, once again testing the Magpies defense – Lilly Sore and Niamh Somers had some great one on one chances with the goalie and nearly scored many times but the Magpie goalie was a very strong keeper.  As the end of the match came closing in Sue Cross scored from a great strike but unfortunately it was disallowed for being too high.  Soon after dragons were awarded another short just before the final whistle blew, Amy Forse received and slipped it left to Sue Cross, who put it away into the goal!  The final whistle went and it was 2-1 to L5s.
Player of the match went to Lou Davies and Elsa Scott but the success of the match goes to the whole team, who kept the pressure on for all of the time!

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons Ladies 6s v Hornets 1s:  2-1

Ladies 6s travelled to Hornets for an early morning fixture. With lots of change to the team – new captain Hannah Woods outlined the plans for the game. A lot of emphasis was put on defending the castle as we knew that Hornets would have some strong hits from dead ball situations.

With lots of support and encouragement on the sidelines from Mike, Anita, Jemima, Gill and the Walker twin the 6s started well. They dominated possession from the off, the mid-field quartet of Hannah Edwards, Jade Blanchflower, Beth Elgood and Sue Brumby worked tirelessly to pick up loose balls and drive at the hornets defence. However, they were solid, stepping out of the D and making crucial tackles to stop the Dragons drive.

The introduction of debutant Floss Andrews and Louise Brooks to the mid added a lot of intensity to the press with some very clean and precise passing – something that has been growing in the 6s all season.

The forward line of Gemma Ballard, Harriett Rant, Jane Wells and Jess Vernon worked hard to move the hornets defence but the first half ended goalless.

Mike offered some great words of wisdom at halftime to help us move an in-form hornets keeper to create some shooting angles. Beth Elgood took one of these opportunity early in the second half after some tireless midfield work from POM Sue Brumby, Beth drove off the ball into the D to sweep home the baseline cross from Harriet Rant. Fantastic works and a much deserved goal for Beth.

The press continued – the Gemma Ballard finding herself with time and space in the D to fire in a slightly lift strike at goal wrong-footing the keeper 2-0!

Hornets fought to come back, with the defensive line of Jen Buskell, Kate Atkins, Hannah Woods and keeper Tilly Connors-Beckett seeing more action in the second half. Tilly making some crucial saves. However, hornets took their chance after splitting the defence clawed back a goal to bring the score to 2-1.

Dragons dug deep. With Beth Elgood, Jade Blanchflower, Hannah Edwards and Sue Brumby all supporting the defence to maintain their 2-1 lead.

Another win secured and another promising performance from a versatile ladies 6s team!

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 7s v Carrow 2s:  3-1

Dragons recorded their fourth consecutive win to stay on top of the division. They can be pleased with a fact that it was an improved performance from last week, with multiple raids on the Carrow goal and dozens of shots. But, even paying tribute to Johanne Barker, who had an excellent game in the Carrow goal, it has to be said that too many shots were weak or off target, and no first time sweeps or deflections were executed.

Dragons started quietly, even tentatively, as they absorbed the impact of players in new positions and players returning. The mids were pressing strongly, and in their keenness to get into the D they often tended to carry the ball too far and were picked off in the circle before they could get a shot away. So it was a big relief when the ball was collected by Adelice Kraemer at the top of the circle and she forced the ball home.

Minutes later, Carrow were awarded a penalty corner and although the first shot was intercepted, Carrow showed the greater desire to get to the ball first and rocketed the goal into the top corner. It was the first goal the Dragons had conceded this season, and keeper Emily Roper made sure there were no more.  Carrow 2s perform far better than their lowly league position suggests, with two or three players combining physicality with good stick skills – enough to keep the 7s defence on their toes. The 7s defence are pretty reliable, perming three from four players, with Katy Saide, Emma Dyer and Hattie Gale sweeping up all threats from wide player. Moving Stella Windsor Waite to the bottom of the diamond gave this young player the opportunity to show just how well she reads the game and she distributed the ball beautifully as she initiated attacks – and then had the speed to get back to defend. Stella got the player of the match vote for the second game running.

At centre back, Bridget Le Good’s strong hits were firing accurately and gave the 7s a lot of territory  when they found Maisie Dearmer, Sophie Drew and Stevie Spencer in right or left mid half way up the pitch, or Esme McKinnon-Evans at the top of the diamond. This midfield has plenty of pace, and picking up the ball cleanly mounted waves of attacks. Esme was awarded the second goal. She had taken a snap shot at the top of the circle which took a couple of bounces and a Carrow stick on the way in. Despite some polite protests, Esme was definitely in the circle. The third was scored by Sophie Drew who carried the ball across the circle and deceived the keeper. Adelice was playing on the right, Claire Fairhurst in the centre and Alice Bishop on the left, and all three of them had several shots well saved.

So, the lessons learned were that the 7s must not take their territorial superiority and possession for granted. More practice at shooting skills, particularly with defenders in place is needed to increase the determination to get to the ball first. In training we don’t want to be putting our players at risk, but the attack (whether the forwards or mids) need to be a lot more positive in the circle.

We need to introduce variety in our play, sometimes forcing hard crosses into the circle from just over the 23, where Claire, Alice and Adelice will pick them off. Then at other times, a more patient build up looking to work in the ball in – Stevie and Claire set great examples of unselfish running, getting ahead into good positions. Yes, sometimes they do this to draw defenders out, but they need to be used too for shooting. Adelice is at her tricksy best when she moves into the middle in front of the keeper and can fool anyone with her stick skills. Claire is a master at threading the ball through, and more goals will come from this combination with practice.

The 7s, with their blend of youth with speed and experience with guile, can go into the break quietly pleased with themselves but not complacent. In fact, we don’t want a two week break because we are concerned about losing the momentum as we try to sharpen our cutting edge. Every player in the squad knows she did her best this week and the Dragons’ tails are up ready for some tougher teams in the second quarter.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3

Norwich Dragons Ladies 8s v Loddon 2s:  0-8

 

Ladies 8’s player of the match – Tenacious-N (Nic Harrison)

Well we always knew that this was going to be a tough one! Even prior to the match Captain Katy and Vice-Captain Jo strategized to tweak the usual formation to a 3-2-2.5-2.5 to make the eights defence heavy instead of the usual central diamond formation. Doubling the bottom of the diamond position, Tracy Shepard-Stuart and Becky Gallagher worked tirelessly to drive the ball wide and out of the danger zone. Communication between them was fantastic as was their accuracy and speed to re-set. Goalkeeper Emma North gains in confidence with each practice and game and made some spectacular saves and on occasions sliding tackles which went a long way to keeping the score in single figures. Yet again her directions from the goal mouth proved valuable to all in the pitch especially when a sneaky attacker slipped nearer the goal-line.

The defence team lead by Jo Baker who continues to make some amazing hit outs to the waiting wingers, also provides great vocals and advice and drove them to keep the see-saw line, apparently 8’s would be lost without her (thanks Captain Katy for the compliment)! Right defender Johanne Steward continues to gain in confidence and speed and produced some fantastic tackles. Jess Lockwood swapped effortlessly to provide cover for both defence and bottom of the diamond players she is also gaining in confidence with tackling and is learning to read the game well. Anna Chapman utilised her long legs and speed to push up higher to successfully tackle and apply pressure on the on-coming Loddon attack. Development graduate Maddie gave an energetic, enthusiastic and speedy performance all match confirming what a fantastic addition to the team she is.

Player of the match Nic “Tenacious-N” Harrison earnt her numerous nominations by just not giving up! Once again Nic made some fantastic drives up the wings and tackled brilliantly which resulted in us being awarded some short corners! Nic has also proved that she is No. 1 choice for short corner injecting, where are accuracy improves week on week. Fellow wingers Sophie and Emma Fielding provided additional pace and energy and both players have continued to grow in confidence, you really can’t tell that one has just come from the development squad and the other hadn’t picked up a hockey stick before the beginning of the season! Captain Katy once again proved to be a stalwart in the top of the diamond position, successfully tackling the opposition and driving the ball to the waiting forwards or out to the wingers.

Forwards Sadie Jacobs and Lois Metcalf had a bit of a thankless task this week but both made sure they were fully involved in the game. Lois feistily received the ball during short corners, reads the game brilliantly and tackles well. Lois also showed how communication can benefit a player’s game. Sadie worked well to find the space unfortunately there weren’t many opportunities when she could optimise this skill (SO close with that goal, it will happen).

So what’s next for this band of #awesomeeights? Well important things first we are deciding when and where the Christmas social is going to be! Due to the size of the league we now have two slip weeks (dam, we’ve only just got going)! BUT! WE WILL NOT GIVE UP! The marking has improved drastically but still requires some improvement as does the communication and vocalisation. We need to continue to “press” the opposition and practice short corners so we can hopefully convert them and get that annoying spherical thing called a ball across the white line!

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N

Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s v Horncastle 1s:  7-4

Norwich Dragons Mens 1s v Horncastle 1s was definitely a game for the spectators with end-to-end action throughout, and many world class examples of how not to defend from both sides. Both teams played in a similar manor looking to throw numbers forward quickly when there was the opportunity for a counter attack. Unfortunately it was Horncastle who broke the deadlock after a quick counter resulted in a thunderous strike into the bottom left corner of Dragon’s goal. However, Dragons responded well and were soon level thanks to a well worked short corner routine; Henry Laming fired the ball in from the left slip for Mitch Smith to deflect it into the roof of the net. Dragons took the lead after a quick counter attack, that started in Dragon’s own half, led to a 2-on-1 with the Horncastle goalkeeper where Ollie King slipped the ball to fellow striker Rupert Snelling to reverse it in for his first goal of the season. Horncastle pulled level once again, this time from the penalty spot, after an unfortunate short corner had resulted in penalty stroke after the ball had been illegally stopped on the line. However, Dragons went into the break 3-2 up after another impressive counter attack allowed Snelling to deflect the ball in from close range.
The first 20 minutes of the second half were dominated by Dragons who managed to build a 7-2 lead. Olly Buck played a wonderful through-ball from his own D to leave striker King 1-on-1 with the last defender who he easily went round. King then calmly slotted the ball in past the keeper. Sam Avery slapped the ball in from close range after an attack along the right baseline saw the ball pulled back to him. Charlie Nunn scored a wonderful solo goal where he dribbled past 3 defenders and reverse-pushed the ball under the goalkeeper, and Snelling got his hat-trick after drag-flicking the ball into the bottom left corner from a short corner. With 10 minutes to go Dragons lost their heads a bit and threw far too many people forward looking for more goals. This resulted in a couple of very simple counter attacks. From one they earned a short corner which they converted, and the other left Horncastle with a 3-on-1 which they easily dispatched. Final score 7-4 to Dragons.
On paper this looks like a great scoreline for Dragons but they will be disappointed not to have scored more and definitely would have liked not to concede as many sloppy goals. But nonetheless another good win and another 3 points. Bring on next week!
Man of the match was birthday boy Rupert Snelling for his wonderful hat-trick.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 2s v Norwich City 4s:  4-3

Top of the table with a 100% record, Dragons 2s returned home for the first of their four games against local rivals Norwich City.

With the sun shining it wasn’t long before the game too heated up. After a solid if unspectacular start Dragons fell behind to a disputed penalty corner. Was there an attacking foot, no said the unpires after a meeting in the D. Dragons are too long in the tooth to let this sort of thing get to them and soon they were back on level terms after the worst 16 in the history of hockey saw the city centre back pass to Cley Hamilton on the p-spot. With City in disarray Dragons took the lead through Max Laming from the narrowest of angles. Seeing the keeper covering the near post he hit it at the nearest City defender who kindly dispatched it into his own net.

Shortly after the resumption Dragons extended their lead through Brown with a trademark howitzer from a short corner. The second half saw temperatures continue to rise both on and off the pitch, and as the mercury reached 25oC a flurry of cards appeared. Chris Simmonds was sent for a coll down for disputing one too many decisions, swiftly followed by a city player for the same offense. City then down to 9 as another player failed to retreat 5 as wolf powered towards the D. Dragons fourth and decisive goal came from a penalty stroke dispatched by the ever reliable Rich Gill after a mazy run from Alex Brown once more beffuddled the City defense with only a large size 11 on the line stopping Simmonds from finishing it off.

City scored a consolation flick in the last minute after Gill was harshly adjudged to have fouled deliberatly at a short corner, but it made no difference to the inevitable outcome.

Dragons march on played 4 won 4 after giving city 4s what for.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 3s v Sudbury 2s:  5-2

Back in the sixth century BC; when Babylonia fell, the Persian Empire rose from its ashes and toga-wearing Greek philosophers first started to look quizzically at tortoises, the Chinese sage Lao Tzu delicately laid down the first few brushstrokes of the Tao Te Ching.
Lao Tzu had faith in the duality of the universe. “When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly,” he declared. Yin and yang. Each thing must, by its very nature, have an opposite
With Captain Jon Ives otherwise engaged; a more positive leader arose from the flames, the Yang to Jon’s Yin.
The new dramatic leader had to rally his troop of loyal 3rd  team players; after a number of older veteran players retired from the game due to being 1. Being under the thumb 2. Being 500 nautical miles from Norwich 3. Studying to count numbers off excel.
This new ‘Band of Brother’ gathered in Goals car park to discuss the merits of the A11 vs the A140 route to the of land far far away (Sudbury). The new shining tarmac of the A11 won the day and the monotonous conversations began including ‘who has the best urban slang portfolio’ broken only by James’ encyclopedic knowledge of other people’s lives.
These intrepid travellers arrived in Sudbury (a land far, far away) and watched for their match to start. There was so much sand provided for the pitches by Sudbury that a sandcastle competition was soon underway.
We won the game 5-2 with goals from Matt Jenkins, Eddie Gould (2) and Jono. The game started slowly with the Band of Brothers allowing Sudbury an early goal to build their confidence and because we like a challenge. We soon equalised with an Eddie Gould screamer (I didn’t see it as I was doing my shoelaces- sorry). We scored a second soon afterwards and then Sudbury equalised. This could have broken lesser men but fortunately, the youngsters had the inexperience not to admit defeat and play on. We soon scored a third with good link-up play which saw Matt Jenkins cooly pop the ball in the pocket like a young Alex Higgins (without the drink problems.) Two further goals and a diving stop from James Goodson (who’s bum ate half the sand on the pitch) were the most notable events in the second half.
A fantastic team result, where anyone could have been man of the match but Jono pipped it with scintillating 20 mins.

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 4s v Pelicans 3s:  4-4

Norwich Dragons men’s 4th team set off in the sunshine to play Pelicans 3rd team in what turned out to be an 8 goal thriller. Dragons were pleased to have 13 players travelling to play as it was clear at the start of the game that Pelicans had fielded a strong team with a good combination of youth and experience. The Dragons with a similar mix of players made a slow start with Pelicans scoring an excellent goal after about 10 minutes. Dragons then settled into the game better with some hard work up front.  Rob Chaney Baxter (RCB) dribbled into the D and slotted a delightful reverse flick to beat the goal keeper and draw level at half time. Both teams stated the 2nd half with lots of endeavour to try and get the lead with Pelicans putting a lot of pressure on the Dragons goal with some great saves from Tom Mclean and the rock solid defending from the experienced Paul Keating, Jon Price, Peter Davison and debutant Lloyd Wade. Pellies went ahead, but Dragons soon rallied with an amazing top left corner drag flick from McCartney Aldous from a short corner. The youngsters in the midfield and upfront carried on working tirelessly trying to get in front and Jordan Hambling, also playing his first game for the 4s was brave to challenge a crossed ball and put it in the back of the net before their keeper could react. Pelicans pressed and pressed sending their influential players higher up the pitch and equalised shortly after despite some resolute defending. They went 4-3 in front with about 5 minutes left in a well contested game. Johnny Taylor, Sol Blazer and RCB working hard to regain possession with RCB running into the D and heading towards goal before he was fouled. Dragons wanted a penalty flick but were awarded a short corner which was blocked and came out to Johnny on the edge of the D. Johnny took aim and smacked the ball towards goal to keep up his 100% scoring record since joining the team. 4-4 was the final result.

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE

Norwich Dragons Men’s 5s v Watton 1s:  0-11

Dragons started brightly and competed with Watton for the first 20 minutes, unfortunately once Watton got the lead they didnt look back and kicked on. Harry Williams worked hard up front, putting in a great shift in the 2nd Half to earn him the MOM award.  Thanks to Matt for stepping into gaol following Joel’s injury, other notable performances were Dan Ryan for trying to stem the flow through the middle of the pitch & Shiv who never stopped running, until he got a stick round his ankles!

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)

Norwich Dragons Men’s 6s v Pelicans 4s:  1-2

After the reshuffle of old Divisions 6 and 7, this weekends away match against Pelicans 4 became the first this season where the 6s would face strong opposition from the top of the old division 6. This was soon proved evident by an aggressive start from Pelicans, who had some good players right through the depth of their team. There were no youth age players, just a team of experienced men. This however didn’t phase the young and old players from Norwich Dragons who dug in and gave as good as they got. Pelicans opened the scoring for them relatively early on, but the 6s refused to roll over and kept fighting back at every opportunity. Excellent play once again from the younger part of the team with Toby Drake, Harry Brown, Bobby Sheppard and Tommy Chapman all using their speed and skill to pressure Pelicans in their 25. The adult debut of Issac Diver-Hall was outstanding and he played with real confidence and maturity through out the game, making some great runs down the left wing. He was never afraid of taking on and beating the opposition and in conjunction with his father, Owain Hall, made a strong combination to balance the work carried out by Toby Drake and Darryl Robinson on the right wing.Dragons speed began to tell and won a succession of penalty corners, which ended after a 4 pass move with a goal for one of our senior players, Chris Orme. A great touch in on the left post to tuck the ball into the net. The match stayed level until Pelicans made another breakthrough and scored from close range. The Dragons defensive unit of Mike Banham, Chris Orme, Ray Hansell and Harry Brown were still solid at the back and it had taken a flash of real class from Pelicans to break it down.

After the break the match resumed at the same high tempo it had been played at, with Josh Bingham asserting himself in midfield and making some decisive runs into the Pelicans circle. The pressure became obvious as Pelicans reverted to falling back into their own half and at every opportunity, blasting the ball down field rather than working it out with passes. Our speed and fitness really showed in the final 10 minutes and we had a succession of penalty corners. So much so that the Pelicans goalkeeper needed to produce some outstanding saves to stop us scoring.

Unfortunately Dragons were unable to make the breakthrough to draw the match and the final result was a narrow 1-2 defeat. This was another really good team performance despite the result. Once again everyone gave 100% and the mixture of young and old players is really starting to gel. I’m sure Owain Hall must be very proud of Issac Diver-Hall to come in to mens hockey and have such a great first game. Especially against a very experienced and aggressive side, as a few Dragons found out to their cost. Bobby Sheppard and Darryl Robinson being but two recipients of some hard stick tackles that didn’t connect with a Dragons stick….The progress this group are making game by game is a joy to be part of and I know the floodgates will open for our goal scoring shortly. Next week against City would be nice!

For an excellent debut into the world of adult hockey and some skilful play through the whole game, Issac Diver-Hall was awarded man of the match.

 

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys A v   :  6-4

 

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Norwich Dragons Hockey Club

Dragons Dev Boys B v

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Dragons Dev Girls v :0-2

 

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NDHC League Match Reports: 30th September 2017

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match

Women’s East Hockey League, Premier Division

Norwich Dragons 1s v Maidstone 1s: 0-1

A depleted Ladies 1s team made the long trek down to Kent to take on Maidstone in their second Premier league clash of the season. With a number of the team playing out of position, the visitors were pleased to start the game on the front foot. The opening quarter saw chances for both sides, with Dragons goalkeeper and joint player of the match Siobhan Cleeve making some crucial saves. The first half was end to end, and although the Dragons won a short corner on the cusp of half time, they were unable to convert.

The second half saw both teams up their game, with plenty of opportunities at both ends. After a scramble in front of the Maidstone goal, the Dragons were awarded a penalty flick. A brave attempt from Hayley Toleman saw the flick saved and the score-line remain at 0-0. Bolstered by this close call, Maidstone capitalised on a moment of disorganisation in the Dragons camp, breaking through to score from a 2 v 1 situation.

The last 10 minutes saw the Dragons putting their training into practice and pressing the ball high up the pitch. Successive chances and short corners unfortunately came to nothing and the game ended 1-0. While a disappointing and frustrating result, the work-rate and intensity right up to the final whistle was impressive, and the team pulled together under difficult circumstances. The spread of votes for player of the match – eventually shared between Lucy Ripman, Olivia Thomas, Lara Taylor, and Shiobhan Cleeve, – was reflective of the team effort, and the girls are ready to come back fighting next week.

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Women’s East Hockey League, Division 2NE

Dragons 2s v Magpies 3s: 4-2

The last of the summer sun shone at the Den, for what promised to be a well fought game v Magpies 3’s. With high unavailability at the top end of the club, Dragons fielded a bare 12 players, which was a challenge in the warm conditions.
Dragons Keeper Emma Cleland needed to be alert from the off, with Magpies starting the brighter of the two teams and having a couple of good chances. One bought an outstanding save from Cleland sticking out a leg, to glance a powerful shot wide. Dragons began to find their rhythm through Marie James in the middle, well supported in midfield by Emma Tabarett, Gail Thomas and Mary Alexander on her league debut.
After a good move in the middle, Marie James found Gail Thomas at the top of the D, her sharp pass found Hannah Hardy, who turned and found the corner for the lead on 13 minutes. The hope was this would settle Dragons, but Magpies always threatened on the break and they levelled the scoring on the 18th minute. This only served to inspire Dragons, who were now moving the ball much more fluently, and finding the willing runners up front in Laura Ward, Maddy Reynolds and Charlotte Pounder.
The second goal was created by Mary Alexander, whose persistence on the right, saw her drive into the D, move the ball on to Laura Ward, who found Maddy Reynolds in perfect position on the back post to score her 2nd goal in as many league games. The 3rd followed from a short corner effort, a shot from Jess Bennett was saved initially but the rebounding / bouncing ball fell to Hannah Hardy, who nudged it forward to Laura Ward to force the ball home.
The momentum was all with Dragons going into to final few minutes of the half, Marie James again finding space deep and spreading the play well via Gail Thomas and Mary Alexander, creating a number of opportunities. Earning a number of short corners late in the half, Emma Tabarett was close on a couple of occasions, and with the half time whistle blown, dispatched a flying drag flick to the top corner to make the score 4-1 at half time.
With the temperature rising, the Captains call was to keep our shape and keep moving the ball. Defensively the team were looking assured, Sarah Borrett making important tackles and interceptions in the middle, supported well by Karen O’Neill Simpson and Jess Bennett either side, both making important tackles against the speedy Magpies wing players. Magpies earned a number of short corners but Charlotte Pounder was flying out of defence and bravely closed down a number of strikes.
Mid way through the half Magpies were rewarded with a penalty flick following a foot on the line, this was firmly dispatched to make the score 4-2. Whilst Dragons weren’t playing poorly, they had lost their shape a little, and the fluency of the first half was lacking. Ward and Reynolds were still combining well upfront, and Dragons had a few opportunities, which came and went. Rachel Baynes in the heart of the Magpies defence was playing well, before limping off with injury.
The remainder of the game was played out with no further goals. Dragons Player of the Match vote was well spread with the youth of Maddy Reynolds and experience of Marie James sharing the honour. Work to be done still to maintain the high level of play for 70 mins, but plenty of positives as the team head into week 3 of the league.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons 3s v Norwich City 3s:  1-0

This week saw Norwich Dragons Ladies 3rd team travel to Taverham for a competitive match against Norwich City Ladies 3rd Team. The game started with Dragons pressing high up the field creating goal scoring opportunities that were not converted, but City were quick on the break causing Dragons problems to be solved defensively. Even though there were chances either end both defences and goal keepers played well and kept the score to 0 – 0 at half time.

Dragons maintained the attacking pressure, with Jess Haw narrowly missing wide past the post early in the second half. However, dragons remained calm and patient and with 10 minutes left on the clock player of the match Lucy Morton managed to slip the ball over the line from a rebound from the keeper. City pressed high to gain an equaliser but dragons showed great composure to gain the win.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division

Norwich Dragons 4s v Norwich Dragons 5s:  0-1

 

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Premier Division
Norwich Dragons 5s v Norwich Dragons 4s:  1-0

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 2
Norwich Dragons 6s v Norwich City 6s:  2-1

Ladies 6s had a lunchtime fixture against Norwich City 6s – with both teams pushing for promotion they knew it would be a close game. Both encounters between the 2 teams last season ended in draws but Dragons knew with their run of form and the strength of their squad they stood a good chance.

The first half saw dragons dominate – the defensive line of Kate Atkins, Amy Forse, Hannah Woods and keeper Tilly Connors-Beckett stood strong and pushed City wide shadowing them out of the pitch and re-claiming possession.

Although in the first half Dragons created many chances, the defence of City stood firm to deny them.

A half time team talk spurred Dragons on – knowing they needed to score quickly, but also knowing that City would be looking to do the same.

The mid-field worked hard. Jade Blanchflower made numerous interceptions. Elsa Scott made great runs occupying the top of the diamond role. Beth Elgood, Sue Brumby, Lily Sore and POM Liz McDonnell commanded the wide midfield roles, intercepting and confidently moving the ball forwards. Dragons made a breakthrough very early into the second half, with versatile Amy Forse moving from centre back to centre forward she scored a corker! A straight strike from just inside the D hard and low into the corner.

The forward line of Gemma Ballard, Harriet Rant, goal a game Jemima Dorman worked tirelessly to create chances. Jemima scoring in quick succession to Amy to give Dragons a 2-0 lead.

This spurred City on to dig deep. They scored with 10 minutes to go drawing the dragons defence to create space. In defence of their unbeaten run – Dragons dug deep. They kept a good level of pressure on City and managed to keep the score line at 2-1. Another win! #topoftheleague

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3

Norwich Dragons 7s v Magpies 7s:  6-0

The 7s had an emphatic 6-0 win over Magpies. They were particularly pleased with the result because every Dragon’s unit dominated their opposite numbers. Waves of attacks into the Magpies circle meant the forwards caught the eye, and Mia McGhee was rewarded with four goals and the player of the match vote as she powered her way down the left and put the keeper under constant pressure. Esme McKinnon-Evans also scored from the left, and was valuable for her tackling and passing skills in midfield. Right forward Ade Kraemer completed the scoring and had a number of shots saved in the second half.

All the Dragons’ goals came in the first half, and credit to Magpies who were far more determined in the second and more resolute in the tackle. They packed their circle, and Dragons, ever keen to score, tried to batter their way through instead of using the ever-patient Claire Fairhurst who was always in position to pounce or divert the ball to her wide players, creating several more chances.

The left side was completed by Stella Windsor-Waite who is rapidly maturing as a defender, always able to snuff out any danger from one of the two nippy and skilful Magpies forwards. The other was mastered by Jen Buskell whose jab tackle was outstanding on the edge of the circle just when Magpies looked like breaking through.

The 7s have the potential to be a strong team, building as they do from the back. Tilly Connors-Beckett did not have much to do in goal, but cleared away a couple of shots with strength and purpose. Centre back Bridget Le Good is able to distribute the ball with power to either side, where Stella, Lilly Crew and Katy Saide send it accurately down the lines. Katy is a high percentage player, and picked up all the raids down the Magpies left. Lilly demonstrated her versatility playing two defensive positions and also in midfield.

Jen was a real asset at the bottom of the diamond, and as it became clear that the 7s were going to win this game comfortably, she confidently stepped up and created some attacking moves. Louise Brooks made the perfect partner at the top of the diamond, making some excellent early interceptions before the Magpies attack could get going.  Brooksy’s distribution to both sides and through the centre was also outstanding. The team’s group of speedy youngsters – Mia, Esme, Stella and Lilly –  was completed by the hard-working Sophie Drew, who ensured the Dragons were as strong on the right as they were on the left.

Magpies are one of the barometer sides in Division 3, always well drilled and like Dragons a blend of youth and experience. For Dragons to beat them comprehensively down the left and right, across the back, for speed and passing skills in the midfield and for chances taken in front of goal was a boost to the confidence of this team which is quite a new mix this season. But captain Claire Fairhurst wants the squad to be a blend, not a mixture, and will be insisting on hard work and greater intensity at training every week with a couple of pointers to work on for the challenges to come.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League,  Division 3

Norwich Dragons 8s v UEA 4s:  1-4

Ladies 8’s player of the match – Emma North (GK) – The goalie was on fire!

Bolstered by advice given at training the #awesomeeights entered once more into the fold, fought hard and never gave up!

The eights once again welcomed some new faces and re-familiarised themselves with some returning friends. Defender Anna Chapman returned to the team following those pesky GCSE’s and summer break, don’t be fooled the break has made no difference to her determination and skill level and she showed that she can be utilised regardless of which side of the pitch she played on. Becky Gallagher also returned to hockey after recovering from “dodgykneeitis.” From the off she showed what an awesome asset she is to the team bringing experience pace and determination and was also a perfect example of versatility playing in numerous positions and excelling in all.

Girls development graduate Flori was the perfect choice for injecting short corners (for which we were awarded 3 or 4) and showed glimmers of how dangerous she can be in the D, it can only be a matter of time before her efforts are rewarded! Fellow newbie Olivia proved to be versatile and speedy in both forward and top of the diamond positions, worked well with Flori but once again was thwarted by the UEA goalie, again we are confident that her efforts will soon be rewarded! Last but by no means least hockey new comer Emma Fielding also proved her worth following a pre-match change to her normal position (a great decision by El-captino and the strategist) proved to be a speedy addition to the forwards.

The eights worked hard at last Wednesday’s training and there was a visible improvement with both long and short passes, maybe need to try a bit harder with putting a name on the ball and the communication in general during the match. Tenacious-Nic continues to improve, receive balls confidently and is a force to be reckoned with down the wing. Likewise bottom of the diamond Tracy is settling well into the position, her eye for the ball is excellent and made some fantastic passes into some great spaces. Her equal love of attacking and defending makes her a perfect choice for this position and she also shows the less experienced members of the team how to communicate effectively. Sadie Jacobs once again showed a gain her in confidence and made some fab runs to pick the ball from the line before the oppositions defence could clear it! Lois’s confidence and years of experience was rewarded when a weighted hit made it passed the goalie and over the line! Lois also stepped up to receive the ball and quickly distribute it to the other waiting forwards. Her fabulous hockey brain and ability to read the ball makes her a massive asset to the team. VC Jo continued with some great weighted slap-hit passes to the waiting wingers and encouraged players to run onto the ball when they were sent into space. Right defender Johanne provided some great side line passes and tackled the attacking forwards.

Despite a slight winding from a ball to the chest (bet that’s going to be a pretty bruise)! Captain Katy also tackled well and fully utilised her gazelle like running skills to distribute the ball, a perfect example of how not to let an injury deter and came back fighting, hard!

Last but by no means least, hence why she has her own paragraph! Goal keeper Emma North, bolstered by the disappointment of last week proved to be a pivotal member of the team. Emma delivered clearance after clearance (has she been watching Iron Man because you can see some similarities in her moves). Emma also used her experience as a defender to support, instruct and advise the back line, making sure that the attacking players were marked and players stayed in positions. Emma, rightfully so for all the effort she put in was unanimously awarded MOM with Flori in 2nd.

Sooooo on to next week #awesomeeights tackle their first away match of the season and take on Carrow. Some post-match reflections to take with us include;

  • Don’t give up until the final whistle
  • Let’s be hearing you!
  • Continue to play to the width
  • Keep hitting the ball towards the goal, fancy passes around are great but sometimes we just need to hit it in and hope!
  • Keep having fun!  

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 2N

Norwich Dragons 1s v Cambridge Uni 3s:  3-0

Cambridge University started strongly, forcing Dragons to absorb formidable pressure throughout the initial phase of the game. Around 5 minutes in, however, the home side began to stoke the furnace – marking the beginning of the no-holds-barred adrenaline fuelled thrill ride that was yet to ensue. George Bowman’s physical presence, coupled with Sam Avery’s unrelenting work rate set the tone for the half, and the Dragons engine room began to seize control of the match in the middle of the park. The ever impenetrable fortress in defence provided a solid grounding on which to build the Dragons attack, whilst visionary forethought from the forwards permitted the home team to launch an unremitting offensive campaign to draw in the half. Sam Avery opened the scoresheet with a seemingly perfectly weighted deflection from the baseline, and Oli King, having been passed a sweeping long ball from the depths of the pitch scored the second goal following the beating of multiple Cambridge defenders in a sickening display of unadulterated flair and pace.

Half-time score: 2-0.

The rhetors got to work during the half-time team talk, and despite the tenacious attempts of the away side to narrow the gap, a ruthless finish from forward Charlie Nunn quashed any remaining hope with a sickening thud of the backboard. The Dragons rode out the final quarter of the match in exhibition-hockey style, solidifying the result.

Full-time score: an irrefutable 3-0 thumping.

MOM:  Ben Nkrumah

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons 2s v Norwich Dragons 3s: 5-0

Pre-match hyperbole suggested an explosive affair but Dragons 2’s secured a comfortable victory over Dragons 3’s in this club derby match.

The 2’s were quick out of the blocks and were both lively in attack and solid in defence. A succession of short corners resulted in 3 goals for Tom Vaughan and one for Alex Browne. Max Laming completed the scoring in the first half. The 2’s led 5-0 at half time!

No goals in the second half but plenty of cards. The 2’s lost their shape somewhat and the 3’s upped their game. Over enthusiastic tackling resulted in enforced rest breaks for players on both sides but, ultimately, that had no impact on the outcome. The 2’s ran out 5-0 victors, having scored 5 goals for the second week running and having kept a clean sheet into the bargain.

The return fixture will be a belter!

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons 3s v Norwich Dragons 2s:  0-5

It was an incestuous affair at the Den on Saturday with the much anticipated local derby between the Men’s 2s and Men 3s taking place in front of a large crowd of fans ready for a hockey feast.

With the club being keen for the 2s to get promoted, club management were not keen for a repeat of the tight games of two years ago, particularly in a league which could be settled by goal difference.

Being the good club men we are, the 3s decided to gift the 2s five quick goals in the first 13 minutes so as to aid their promotion push. Our duties to the club being completed, the 3s then started playing and the game began properly.

(NOTE TO EAST LEAGUE, OPPOSITION TEAMS AND ANYONE ELSE BOTHERING TO READ THIS – none of this is remotely true..the 2s were superb from the start and we, the 3s, were poor, so very very poor that it made us look like we’d taken up hockey that morning for a bit of a laugh after pulling an all night session on Prince of Wales Road. The pity and bemusement from the sidelines was almost the hardest thing to take. )

During the remaining 57 minutes, the 3s performed fantastically, keeping an excellent shape, working exceptionally hard for each other and enjoying the majority of the territory. The team really took the game to the 2s, putting in plenty of tackles and never giving the opposition a moments peace.

The match was played in an excellent spirit with particular highlights being Phil Goode and Tom Vaughan’s numerous passionate embraces and Pedro Goss accompanying his trademark drop of the shoulder (which left two 1st team legends sat on their bottoms) with a wave and an apology for embarrassing his elders.

However, chances were few and far between at either end, and the match finished in a disappointing nil all stalemate (apart from the minor point of those 5 traumatic goals conceded in the opening 13 minutes – which don’t really count do they?).

Joel Dennis was the OAP man of the match, Digger (Jonno Chaney-Baxter) young man of the match, with Joel taking the overall award solely for the fact that he didn’t score an own goal this week. Special mention again to Paul whose best work goes unnoticed to all but those with a keen eye for the game.

The match ended in a final set of big hugs and cuddles, Tom Vaughan and Ali Smith being allowed back in the 3s WhatsApp group, Deep Heat in the captain’s trolleys and the 3s vowing revenge in the return fixture.

Well played 2s – a thoroughly deserved win.

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE

Norwich Dragons 4s v Felixstowe 2s:  0-4

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 5NE

Norwich Dragons 5s v Felixstowe 3s:  11-0

 

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Men’s East Hockey League, Division 6NE(N)

Norwich Dragons 6s v Norwich City 6s:  0-2 – friendly fixture

 

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Dragons Dev Boys A v Magpies: 5-2

 

We started the game on top and managed to get an early goal which James scored with a reverse stick hit from the edge of the D but they were still piling on the pressure. Soon we got another when Bobby ran through the defence and then played it across goal for Freddie to put in. Throughout the game our defence looked very solid with some very good tackles from Alex and Will. By this point we were on top of the game. Then Magpies stole the ball and broke out of defence and within an instance, they were one on one which their winger calmly slotted past our keeper. 2-1

The game started to become closer with some chances for both sides. But soon we had another, a great ball which split the defence in half and then Freddie couldn’t miss from there. In the second half we dominated early and soon showed that by scoring another when Freddie made a great run to the post and slotted it home. 4-1

Magpies had one standout player who was very quick and impossible to tackle and soon he had his second of the game after running down the line, cutting in and scoring. Then in the last minutes of the game Tommy passed a ball to Isaac who was at the top of the D who had a shot and Freddie was on the post to score his fourth.

Overall it was a great team performance which bodes well for the season.

Isaac Diver-Hall

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Dragons Dev Boys B v Watton: 7-0

The game ended up as 7 to Norwich Dragons B team and 0 to Watton at The Den on Saturday. The Goal scorers were Billy Hall with 3 goals,  Harry Fuller with 2 goals, Toby Finch and Alex Marjoran both with 1 goal each. The team captain was Daniel Murphy who had to leave at half time. The person that was voted man of the match was Mac Beaumont with 3 votes, the reasoning for it was that he spread the ball around a lot. Noah Bradbury, Billy Hall, Toby Finch and Harry Fuller who also got voted for. The match overall was a learning curve for our team.

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Dragons Dev Girls v Watton: 0-0

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NDHC League Match Reports: 23rd September 2017

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match

Women’s East Hockey League Premier Division

Norwich Dragons 1s v Cambridge City 2s: 4-3

The first league game of the season saw Dragons Ladies 1s take on newcomers to the East Premier division, City of Cambridge 2s.

The game started strongly for the home team, who dominated most of the possession in the first 10 minutes. The backline dealt with a few early threats with relative ease, and displayed good patience in moving the ball around the back. The midfield and forwards worked hard in attack, and put the opposition under lots of pressure early on. This pressure payed off after 15 minutes, as Lou Murray surged into the D, winning a short corner for the Dragons. A slick routine saw newbie Katy Hands slot the ball home. A second goal from Hands came shortly after.  

Cambridge were not going to go down without a fight, and after a fumble of the ball in the Dragons defensive third, they had a 2 on 1 chance and calmly delivered, leaving the score 2-1 at half time.

After some helpful half-time encouragement from vice-captain Liv Leary, the Dragons came out hard again in the second half. A great interception at the top of the D from Hayley Toleman saw her 1 on 1 with the keeper and she cooly put the Dragons another goal ahead. Soon after, some excellent defensive work from Liv Thomas and a perfectly executed pass from Toleman, put player of the match Stacey Lee in the position to show off her silky skills. These were polished off with the goal of the match – an airborne strike from a ridiculous angle, that somehow found the back of the net.

Cambridge were not finished though, and after managing to pull back a couple of scrappy goals in the last 10 minutes, nerves were high in the Dragons camp. But some sensible, possession hockey saw them hold on to the 4-3 scoreline and walk away with the three points.

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Women’s East Hockey League Division 2NE

Dragons 2s v Yarmouth 1s: 1-0

The start of the new season saw a number of new faces in Dragons Ladies 2’s with only 5/6 of last years regular squad, in this weeks line-up. There were a number of league debuts, the team warmly welcoming Debs Painter to the Club, alongside Maddy Reynolds and Sophie Barrow who had moved up from last seasons Development League squad, a great achievement by them both.
 
Arriving early at Gorleston, the team got out to warm up promptly, to get used to the different hockey playing surface.
 
From the start Dragons took the game to Yarmouth, looking to move the ball as crisply as they could. The game was fairly open to start with, meaning Sarah Borrett, Karen O’Neill Simpson, Tash Falzon and Esme Potter needed to be alert and focussed, in order to snuff out any breaks and ensure Kristina Smyth had a relatively quiet early period of the game.
 
Dragons passing was good and a break down the right saw Debs Painter, Kiera Goymour and Gail Thomas combine well to move the ball early to Hannah Hardy, who attacked the D, and passed the ball square to Maddy Reynolds who was perfectly placed to sweep the ball past the out-rushing keeper, to take the lead. An excellently taken first East League goal for Reynolds.
 
Whilst Dragons continued to press in the first half, they couldn’t add to the scoreline and Yarmouth forced a couple of short corners where Kristina Smyth needed to be alert to keep out a deflection.
 
Second half saw more of the same – Issy Wolfe was becoming more and more influential, with some great runs down either flanks. Charlotte Pounder was tireless in her closing down and support of the front line, whilst left and right mids Sophie Barrow and Kiera Goymour (joint PoM) were causing problems, particularly Goymour with her strong sweeps into the D, nearly being deflected into goal on a couple of occasions. Dragons forced many short corners, but they were simply not slick enough, and failed to make these opportunities count. Yarmouth Keeper Sophie McKinna was having an outstanding game.
 
The Dragons press was working very well, being called by Painter and all were well disciplined in their jobs, constantly gaining turnover from the opposition. At times however Dragons were a little impatient on the ball or struggled to make their passing game work well enough on the sticky surface. In addition, they needed to be alert to Yarmouth’s counter attack, Kristina Smyth being forced into a couple of smart saves to help secure the points.
 
The final whistle went with just the one goal separating the teams. Dragons will know the can and will need to play much better, but a wins a win!
 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s Premier Division

Norwich Dragons 3s v Norwich Dragons 5s: 7-0

A competitive friendly game between Norwich Dragons 3rd and 5th teams started with positive attacking play by the 3rd team throughout the field. The first goal came early following a series of short passes up the field and was confidently completed by Ally with super stick skills. The second goal, again created by a sequence of passes culminating with Sam scoring from a courageous dive at the far post.

More chances were created by the Dragons 3’s in the first half including hitting the post, but the score remained 2- 0 at half time. The second half started with the Dragons 5th team creating a couple of chances which were calmly dealt with by the defensive team of Luisa, Carmel, Kath and Spike.

Dragons 3rd team remained patient and were soon rewarded by the third goal created down the left through Spike, Katie H, Lucy, Sam and calmly finished by Jess. The fourth goal again created from great team play by Hannah, Harriet, Katie M and completed by Sam for her second. The fifth goal this time beginning down the right side, starting with Carmel via Debs was again finished by Ally for her second goal of the game. The sixth goal was slipped over the line by Harriet from a short corner and the seventh goal skilfully completed by Debs linking with Katie H from another short corner. A good team performance to build on for the season ahead.  MOM was Hannah Ellis for Ladies 3s and Ester Jacobs for the 5s.

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s Premier Division

Norwich Dragons 4s v Norwich City 4s: 0-2

The Ladies 4’s trooped off to Taverham for an afternoon game in the sunshine.  Looking at the stats City 4s had been beaten by City 3s the previous week by 10-0.  City had first push back and off we set.  The ball went end to end as we settled into the first 10 minutes of the game. Lynne Price passed the ball out wide to Aditi Naik, Sue Cross running out wide into space picked up the ball and ran it into the D.  Sue’s strike rebounded off a defender and a long given.  Caroline Wolfe and Gina Hunt hovering around in the D waiting ready for a goal or rebound, slotted in by Lynne and cleared by City defence.  Vicki Earley was working tirelessly at bottom of the diamond to cut off any advance from City and creating an option in the centre.  In the first half as Bridge Le Good would say we couldn’t seem to hit a barn door, with several chances and managing to convert none.  There was some nice triangular play up the wings between Lynne, Lucy Buxton, Trish Hagan and Aditi.  

Sarah Wagstaff deftly picked off any City play into the D and got us out of tight spots at the back. Passing the ball out wide right to Jemima Williams who passed it on quickly up the wing.  Both Jemima, Georgia Butterworth and Ella Kassulke worked hard to stop forward movement from City who at times came fast and many.  Solid Kat Speirs was called into action as keeper many times with a good range of kicking and stick stops.  Unfortunately City caught us on the hop in the second half and scored twice, not looking like a team that got beat 10-0.  At times we were skilfully moving the ball and looked great but some things to work on for next time, converting those missed goals.

 

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s Premier Division
Norwich Dragons 5s v Norwich Dragons 3s:  0-7 

see under dragons 3s for match report

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s Division 2
Norwich Dragons 6s v Herlings 1:  5-2

Ladies 6 knew Herlings would be a tough opposition. Playing their home hockey on grass, they are known for their hard direct strikes of the dead ball and gutsy determination.

BUT Dragons were ready for the fight! Still waiting for squads to settle, there were several new faces to the 6s this week – all adding to the strength and depth of the squad.

Winning the first push dragons started hard with Coach Jason on the sideline, playing some beautiful hockey. Anita Mancini working hard in the top of the diamond position distributed some lovely wide balls to Harriet Rant who used 1 on 1 skill to get some fantastic crosses across the face of goal.

The mid-field worked hard – Anita supported by bottom of the diamond and POM Jade Blanchflower – a returning dragon – worked tirelessly up and down the pitch. Manning the wide midfield roles – Jane Wells, Mia McGhee and Gill Walker made some great interceptions to turn over possession, following this up with precise passing to create some great chances.

Of the 3 first half goals – scored by Mia McGhee, Jemima Dorman and Gemma Ballard – dragons will take much promise from their short corner performances. Something worked on in training this week with Mike and Shelly dragons were organised in the attack. Amy Forse taking the strike and calling loud and clear for post Mia ran from the injecting spot to deflect the ball goal ward.

Going into the break at 3-1 – having conceded a goal to a well rehearsed short corner – Jason’s words of advice on meeting the ball and protecting the castle were taken on board.

The second half so Herlings dig deep – the defence team of Kate Atkins, Hannah Woods and Amelia Smith supported by Beth Elgood remained strong – channelling the play out wide and clearing their line accurately – they frustrated the attack of Herlings. Tilly Connors-Beckett made some brilliant clearances from goal. Knowing they are dangerous in set play – a string of short corners were clearing, but Herlings finally made their break through to score a second.

This was not enough however, with Dragons adding another 2 in the second half. One of which would be a contender for goal of the season! With Harriet making a great run into the D and getting off a strong strike at goal, the keeper saved it, for it to land on the stick of Jemima Dorman – who managed to find an angle to flick it into the top left corner.

A fantastic effort by the whole team and a promising start to the season. 13 goals scored and 3 conceded in 2 games, bringing home full 6 points AND cup winners in the city tournament. The 6s are smashing it! #supersixes

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s Division 3

Norwich Dragons 7s v Norwich Dragons 8s 8:0

Ladies 7’s player of the match – Adelice Kraemer and Louise Brooks

Ladies 8’s player of the match – Esme McKinnon-Evans

Ladies 8s donut of the day – Jo Baker for forgetting the first aid kit!

It’s on days like this that we realise why we play hockey in the cold and the rain! It was a SCORCHER (well 21 degrees is hot for the UK)! 

From the outset of the match it was obvious that the #SuperSevens meant business and are gunning for promotion, future opponents beware! This may have surprised a few members of the #awesomeeights but once settled came back fighting. This “friendly” first match of the season marked many debuts for the 8’s team. Emma North made a confident league match debut in the goal keepers kit and made some awesome saves earning her a scattering of POM nominations. Sadie Jacobs was another debutant player giving a confident start as left forward and proved to be a natural at annoying the oppositions defence!

A few returning players stuck to their preferred positions providing a stable foundation to the team. Johanne Steward showed off new skills learnt over the summer which went a long way to keeping the attacking 7s at bay, especially as she had the forceful Addy Kraemer to contend with. Esme McKinnon-Evans and Jess Lockwood both served as left back during the match and providing some pace and long hits down the line. Centre defender and vice-captain Jo Baker provided a plethora of her awesome signature “slap-hit” clearances (just as she has been practising in training) out of the D to the wings and on a couple occasions the waiting forwards. Jo was ably assisted by Tracy who has proved to be the perfect choice for bottom of the diamond with her speed and feisty attacking nature. Dani Winteringham and Nic Harrison provided pace to the wings, with Dani also providing cover for top of the diamond which she is well suited to with her keen eye and good passes. Nic’s confidence grows with every match she plays and is a great personality in the team! Right forward Shaniece Claxton is another who’s confidence has increased considerably and is one to watch out for as the season progresses. Ultra-experienced (Sorry Lois but someone had to take over the oracle title from Bridge) centre forward Lois Metcalfe provided a perfect example of being able to find spaces and communicate brilliantly whilst keeping her eye on the ball. Last but by no means least, Captain Katy Cole moved into the top of the diamond position following feedback from last season where she could show off her gazelle like running skills and easily ran between the opposition and drove the ball up the wings to the waiting forwards.

Yes the score line is a bit dismal, yes the team need to gel and trust each other more, yes it is the beginning of the season and there have been many changes to the team and that in itself has wobbled a few players BUT there are so many positives to take from the match and some bits to take forward into the next match! Namely identifying your opposite player and mark them to the end, communicate more; yes Katy, Jo and Lois can shout until they are blue in the face but we would give ourselves a more enjoyable match and intimidate the opposition quicker if we all did it!

Lastly, REMEMBER we are awesome and we will prove it, watch this space as we are coming back fighting!

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 2N

Norwich Dragons 1s v City of Peterborough 3s: 1-1

Norwich Dragons Men’s 1s got the new season off to a solid start with a 1-1 away draw at Peterborough.  The long trip, a mixed pre-season and several changes to last year’s strong side made the Dragons’ early dominance especially impressive, with the home side pressured into conceding possession and a number of early chances.  

However, it was Peterborough who scored first, with a long ball forward finding their lone striker to finish clinically.  Shortly afterwards Peterborough had a great chance to double their lead with a similar through ball, only to be thwarted by a last-ditch touch from the outstretched Peter Dickerson.  In spite of these chances, the Dragons continued to dominate possession and territory, with the right post twice coming to Peterborough’s rescue.  

Half-time oranges inspired the Dragons to step up their midfield dominance in the second half, with the pressure eventually rewarded after man-of-the-match Lewis Wilkins’ cross was deflected in by Patrick Gordon.  A subsequent long discussion by the umpires that caused some anxiety, only to transpire that one was injured and needed to be replaced!  Thankfully the following game’s umpire was able to stand in, as the Dragons pressed for a win.  In spite of a number of short corners, several great saves from the home keeper and a third intervention from the right post, the Dragons were left to settle for a draw.  

The Dragons are likely to have tougher games during the season, but this was a solid start with plenty to build on.  

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons 2s v Bury St Edmunds 2s: 5-1

Richard Moulson celebrated his first league game as Mens 2nd’s captain with a 5-1 win against Bury st Edmunds 2nds at the den.  Tom Vaughan got his bid for the golden stick off to a flyer with a first half hat trick (the second a contested own goal – but hey, he’s claiming it!). The bare eleven dragons kept Bury at bay – restricting them to a solitary short corner (HT 3-0). Unfortunately for dragons additional opposition players kept appearing in dribs and drabs – bringing their number up to 14 – while the home teams only sub  was conspicuous by his absence.  A further two goals: another for Tom and a well taken reaction strike from Max Laming made it 5-0. Unfortunately a lack of subs and tiring legs enabled Bury to score a consolation goal. Stalwart work in the midfield engine by Richard Moulson,  George B Walker, Max Laming and Jack O’Meara with Tom upfront ably backed by Jason Wolfe. The defence of Simmo, now not-so-stout Hipper, Glenn and  Ali Smyth were largely untroubled.  Unsurprisingly MOM went to Tom. Bring on the 3rds for next weeks club derby.

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 3NE

Norwich Dragons 3s v Newmarket 1s: 5-2

Dragons kicked off their new season with a tough trip to Newmarket, last season’s third placed team.

The focussed warm up, as traditionally practised by the 3s was essential, but was thwarted by an injury in the match before which required flashing blue lights and an hours delay. Boy band member and part time medic Jenkins was poised should his skills (synchronised dancing, tight vocal harmonies) be required.

In the intervening hour, many topics were discussed including Pedro’s wonder goal from last week, the relative merits of brewdog versus a decent pint of mild, frozen prawns and the ineptitude of the local motorcycle school. Some of the more mature members of the team felt the need for an afternoon snooze in the bright sunshine.

Finally playing hockey came as an unwanted interruption to our japes and it was no surprise that Dragons conceded two goals in the opening 5 minutes. Indeed such was Dragons’ lack of focus, that both goals (no matter what FIH say) were own goals with particular mention going to Dennis’ cracking back foot drive through the covers leaving McLean with no chance in the slip cordon.

A third shortly followed from a short corner. Let’s hope PC Gordon Brown is better at protecting your house than he is the post.

Stung into action and with some strong words being said, a few of them potentially constructive, the midfield and defence began to get themselves back into shape (as a team, it would be pushing it to say individually we’re in shape).

Dragons began to build some attacks and put pressure on the Newmarket defence, with Josh Wiggins being a particularly good outlet with his skills and pace.

A good spell of pressure saw Jenkins score after good work by Rob Goodson, and although Newmarket scored a breakaway goal, another goal from a tight angle from Jenkins saw Dragons in the ascendancy. Dragons had several more chances before the half time whistle with the Newmarket goalkeeper making good saves from Jon Goodson and John Ives.

After a cracking first half of hockey from both teams, the second half was more of a war of attrition. Dragons worked exceptionally hard and largely nullified Newmarket’s attacks with special mentions for Jim Goodson, Andy Carver, Joel Dennis and Piers Gordon Brown in defence.

The umpires clearly took pity on the hard working Dragons and gave several of the team a few minutes rest at the side of the pitch, which was very much appreciated.

Although Dragons threatened several times on the break, Newmarket scored a quality 5th goal to put the match to bed. Final score 5-2.

Newmarket undoubtedly will be one of the best teams in the league and the Dragons were really pleased with  how they responded to their slow start, worked for each other and kept their shape.

Unanimous man of the match was Josh Wiggins in his first league game for the 3s, who was a constant thorn in the side of the Newmarket defence. However we all decided he is in no way ready for the higher teams, no siree, and needs to play with us for a while yet (at least for next week’s derby fixture). Honourable mentions to Paul and Pedro who performed brilliantly against tough opposition.

At the post match debrief which is identified out slow start as a major failing, Kate Atkins kindly volunteered to lead the team’s pre match warm up – potentially a step routine to Whigfield’s Saturday night – a sight guaranteed to put the 2s on the psychological back foot from the beginning.

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE

Norwich Dragons 4s v North Norfolk 1s: 0-2

 

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 5NE

Norwich Dragons 5s v Bury St Edmunds 4s:  0-5

Following promotion last season, Dragons 5’s entered the unknown of a new league.  The team featured 3 players  making their Dragons debuts, Lloyd Wade, Dan Osbourne & Greg  Reynolds.

Bury were generally faster & more switched on leading to them dominating long periods. Thanks to Man of the Match Chris Millar the score remained at 1-0 until very late on before Bury ran out winners 5-0.

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Dragons Dev Boys A v Dereham: 5-0 (C) 

Dereham conceded this fixture

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Dragons Dev Boys B v Norwich City: P-P

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Dragons Dev Girls v  Pelicans:  P-P

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NDHC League Match Reports: 16 September 2017

TeamDateOppositionH/ATimeScoreScorersPlayer of Match

Empresa Norfolk Women’s Premier League

Norwich Dragons 3s v Norwich Dragons 4s:  3-1

The 4’s went out to give the 3’s a tough game and did exactly that.  Although the 3’s won 3-1 they didn’t win easily. Kat Speirs, who was the 4’s MOM, managed to scupper the ‘home’ side’s goal chances with a very cool and calm way of playing, and alongside her were Sarah Wagstaff, Jemima Williams, and Ella Kassulke.  Sarah was the machine behind the defence in centre giving ‘the visitor’s’ confident and wise guidance on their play, Ella and Jemima held the line with great skill and strength driving forward at any opportunity.  Lynne ‘Neeps’ Price played a difficult position but in true Neeps style handled the top of the diamond, as she would handle any position in the pitch – with concise and skilful confidence.

The 3’s got their first goal from a mistake, however the 4’s held them off until half time the score being only 1-0 to the 3’s. 

With Jason’s words of battle and guidance the 4’s were set for the second half.  Gina Hunt and Vicki Earley held the middle working together swapping with Helen Marsh making the centre of the pitch hard for the 3’s to get through.  But they made a break through and scored another goal making the score 2-0 and it wasn’t long before they had another making it 3-0.  Lisa Harwood worked tirelessly up front battling for every ball, Caroline Wolfe kept her cool with her precision stick work. But the 4’s never gave up and there was some confident encouragement, and team positivity.  Aditi Naik and Lucy Morton were slicing up the wings with their slick ball passing, speed and eventually paying off with a calm and concise goal from Lucy, one on one with the keeper, the score being 3-1. Overall the 4’s held their own and, being their first game playing together, were very pleased with their fighting performance.  Thanks to Helen for stepping in and being sub and good luck at Uni.  And thanks to Jason for guiding and motivating from the sidelines.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s Premier League
Norwich Dragons 5s v Lowestoft Railway 1: 1-5 

Scoring first through an excellent goal by Niamh Somers, Dragons will feel that the scoreline does not truly reflect the performance of a team that has not had much opportunity to get to know each other.  It was sad to see players dropping out after the Teamsheet had been issued, however the determination of those that did travel was excellent and shows the true Dragon Spirit. Player of the Match was Hannah Edwards, playing a strong defensive midfield position.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s Division 2
Norwich Dragons 6s v Breckland 1:  7-1

The first game of the new season saw an impressive start for Dragons. Having played Breckland as the final game of last season, back in April, it seemed fitting to start the season here too. The Watton pitch is slow, meaning that ball speed and sensible passing are the key to success when playing here. Something Dragons did well throughout the game.
 
Dragons came out attacking from the first push back, scoring two goals in the first five minutes, one a lovely goal from open play, hit hard towards a post and on to the waiting stick of Gemma Ballard, who slotted it away. The other came from Captain Amy Forse, a beautiful straight strike at the left corner of the goal from the top of the D.
 
Play was quick to change direction and Breckland tried hard to make the most of breaks in play, turning the ball towards the defensive line on several occasions. Tilly Connors-Beckett (POM) made several excellent saves and cleared the ball well. Strong hitting from Katy Sadie and Jen Buskell on the 16 allowed Dragons to take full advantage of the space on the wings. Well drilled short corners, provided two more goals during the first half. Louise Brooks and Mia McGhee worked hard on the wings, bringing the ball to the D on numerous occasions and allowing Dragons to score from forced errors by the Breckland defensive line.
 
Breckland kept on the pressure at all times and fought hard to take control. Towards the end of the first half they were awarded a penalty flick, for a back of stick stop on the line. Tilly faced the experienced Breckland forward and judged the direction well, she was unlucky not to save the shot.The final goal of the first half came from a lovely pass from Katy on the left, to Ginny Simkin on the edge of the D, which was swept to Gemma, who again was hugging the far post perfectly.
 
After the break Breckland came out hard, putting pressure on the central spine of players, Anita Mancini battled continuously to ring balls, intercept passes and keep the ball heading towards the Breckland goal. Sue Brumby, scored a cracking goal from another short corner, a smooth ball slipped from Amy to the left and pushed in passed the keeper who was off her line.
 
The final goal came as a result of a beautiful run from Harriet Rant, who really dominated the right during the last 15 minutes of the game. Amy Forse was again waiting for the ball and smashed it across the line. Breckland played hard to the final whistle and Kate Atkins and the rest of the defence were on their toes, clearing balls to the end.
 
While the score line may indicate a decisive victory it was by no means an easy game, but good communication and a determined attitude saw Dragons bring home a convincing win.

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Dragons Dev Girls v Yarmouth Dev Girls:  1-1

The first match of the season saw Dragons Development Girls take on Yarmouth at home on a blustery and showery morning.

The game started quietly, but picked up as Jemima Watson began to run at the Yarmouth defence. For most of the 1st quarter, Dragons were doing the majority of the attacking, but could not score the vital first goal. Yarmouth played an adult in the centre of defence and she was able to block off the attacking drives of the Dragons players. Then the inevitable happened – Yarmouth scored from their first real period of pressure and the quarter ended 1-0 to the visitors.

The 2nd quarter saw Dragons on top, having the bulk of possession and earning a couple of short corners. When Yarmouth did break away, Amy Beadman made some good tackles to stop the danger. Then, with time up for the end of the quarter, Jemima Watson scored for Dragons from a short corner.

The 3rd quarter was fairly even and the 4th quarter started with the scores still level. Once again, Dragons did most of the attacking with Piper Hempsall, Jemima Watson and Connie Harris making some positive runs at the Yarmouth defence. There was some late pressure from Yarmouth, which Hannah Marjoram and Emily Grint dealt with, but in the end the game finished 1-1.

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Dragons Dev Boys A v Dragons Dev Boys B: 5-0

The Dragons’ boys A and B teams met for their first league game in wet and miserable conditions, but this did not deter them all from displaying some fine hockey.
 
The A team dominated the first quarter, the bulk of this team having played together for several years already. Johnny Taylor was first to split through the B team defence, deftly slipping the ball past keeper Alex Wolfe. There quickly followed a short corner, which was aimed hard from the top to the right hand post for James Cross (?) to deflect into the goal. Before the first 15 was up, Johnny Taylor struck again from the top of the D in free play, beating Wolfe’s left foot.
 
The second quarter was much the same with regards to percentage possession, with a fourth goal for the A team coming from Arjuna Puvanachandra approaching from the left. Half time score 4-0.
 
The second half saw the B team settling, using the width of the pitch much better, and penetrating the A team’s half more often. Notable leg work was put in by Freddie Royal and William Sexton, but there wasn’t quite enough linking play to break through the strong A team defence. The B team defence was obviously improved for the third quarter, soaking up much pressure and, together with some good saves from Wolfe, they maintained the score at 4-0.
 
The final quarter was a little more even in terms of possession, but the B team still couldn’t trouble the A team keeper Angus Reid, who didn’t touch the ball throughout the game.
 
The soggy spectators were all set for a final score of 4-0 when Taylor broke through in the last minute to get his hat trick. 5-0 to Dragons’ A at full time.
 
Thanks to Phil York-Smith and Andy Carver who were the two adult players for the B team.
 
One thing is for sure after this first league fixture: there’s obviously lots of potential to be developed over the coming months in the B team squad. The next meeting of the two teams could be quite different.