Mens East League Division 2 North
Norwich Dragons 1s 3:4 Cambridge City 3
Dragons travelled to Cambridge for their last league game of the season, which had been re-arranged from earlier in the season.
It was City who started the brightest of the sides, pressuring Dragons and moving the ball well. They opened the scoring following an attack down the left flank, Dragons failed to cut-out the cross or get in front of City attacker who deflected the ball low into the far side of the goal (1-0) Cambridge. Dragons were able to push City back with good use of the aerial ball from Phil York-Smith and Ali Smyth and though they secured a couple of penalty corners, they were not able to get any shots away. However, perhaps a little against the run of play, Rupert Snelling scored from Dragons’ 3rd corner, smashing the ball past the City keeper (1-1). Soon after Dragons lost their captain to injury, meaning that the 11 players on the pitch would have to see the game through. Both teams enjoyed some good attacking play, but there was no further score and it was 1-1 at half-time.
After the break City seemed to lose some of their shape and Dragons created a number of good chances to extend their lead. Dragons took the lead when Matt Knights picked up the ball in the middle of the pitch and, driving up the right into the circle, he slipped the ball to Alex Browne who fired home from close range (2-1 to Dragons). Dragons were looking very dangerous on the break with Matt Knights, Alex Browne and Garnett Jones running hard and finding holes in the City defence. Despite good chances falling to them though, they were unable to increase their lead. City then equalised to make it 2-2. Dragons then took the lead again when Alex Browne rounded the ‘keeper and rifled a shot into the roof of the net past the closing the defenders (3-2) Dragons. As the game became increasingly end to end City drew level again and then took the winning lead from the final penalty corner and play of the game. Final score was 4-3 to Cambridge City.
Dragons man of the match was Phil York-Smith.
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Mens East League Division 4 North East
Norwich Dragons 2s 5:0 Watton 1
Watton conceded this match thereby Dragons 2s are awarded the match 5-0
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East Men’s Hockey League Division 5NE
Norwich Dragons 3s 3:1 Magpies 7
Dragons started the match aiming to finish the season unbeaten but knew their opponents would be committed as they needed victories to try to escape the relegation zone. The Dragons from the start produced their flowing trademark hockey with the ball being passed from stick to stick and using the full width of the pitch with Will Ives and Matt Jenkins playing strongly on the left flank. George Walker was giving an inspirational captains performance driving from midfield and beating opposing players confident that his midfield colleague Stuart Kelly was backing him up and ensuring Magpies could not get forward. Strong play down the right flank by John Ives was enabling the ball to be crossed in and soon the goals began to flow.Will Kirby on his return to the team scored two open play goals with a third being added when Adrian Kemp fired a shot from a short corner into the goal.
The latter stages of the half saw the tempo drop and tensions rise and Magpies came into the match but were contained by the Dragons defence with Chris Wilkinson doing an excellent job marking the oppositions young danger man and the defence was being well marshalled by the cool and calm Peter Davison at sweeper for the Dragons. A couple of short corners were awarded to Magpies but a good save from Sam Clark kept the three goal half-time lead.
The second half saw Dragons still having the greater posession but the final pass was just being played in front of the forward rather than to stick which resulted in attacks being snuffed out withouit troubling the Magpies keeper. A great defensive performance by Henry Eades deservedly earned him the man of the match award.
Magpies started to be awarded short corners and from one of these a shot was stopped on the line by a Dragons foot but the resulting penalty flick was sent the wrong side of the post. Magpies finally got on the scoresheet when the initial shot from a short corner was partially stopped and the Magpies injector reacted quickest to score from close range. Though Magpies took heart from this and pushed on great determination from the Dragons defence including centre back David Pentin made sure no further goals were conceded to keep the Dragons proud record of never having conceded more than one goal in any league match this season and only nine in total.
This has been a great season for the team built on a great gameplan that has been used for the last two seasons and the belief the team has in this and the great workrate and commitment shown in each match and in all the training to prepare for matches.
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East Men’s Hockey League Division 6 North East
Norwich Dragons 4s 5:4 Nomads 1
Dragons’ headed into their last game of the season needing to win to ensure any hope of promotion. The game turned out to be quite entertaining from a spectators point of view but had Dragons sweating at times as they managed to grind out the result required.
Following a tough encounter against Nomads’ other team on Easter Monday, Dragons started much better immediately settling and putting together some good passes and making an early impression on the oppositions goal. It remained that way for the first 10 minutes before Nomads started to gain some possession as the game began to balance out.
It was Dragons who made their early pressure count however, taking the lead with good work down the right side from Dan Cheesman, who played in Ollie King to knock the ball across the area and Rob Jenkins got a enough of a touch to see the ball bobble over the line. Dragons’ didn’t sit back however and quickly doubled their lead from a short corner which was converted by Mike Banham, his strike was on target and deflected off a defenders stick, up in the air and over the keeper. The umpires discussed the situation and the goal was given.
Now being 2-0 up and playing good hockey, Dragons were cruising and should have gone on to score far more to further strengthen their good start, Nomads hit back however after Dragons failed to clear the ball convincingly, the score now 2-1.
Despite Nomads’ pressure, Dragons caught them on the break with good solo work from Mark Flatman exposing the gap left in the midfield, after covering half the pitch he slipped the ball to Ollie King who pushed home with a solid finish, score 3-1 and Dragons back in control. A few minutes later Ollie King made sure of Dragons’ control by adding another to make the score 4-1. Nomads once again were not being pushed aside and responded, firstly with a series of short corners that Dragons simply could not get away; they finally got their reward before half-time to end an entertaining half at 4-2.
The majority of the second half belonged to Nomads, but like the first Dragons had the first 10 minutes and extended their lead further through Dan Cheesman who skipped passed several defenders from the 23 line and pushed the ball under the keeper, with Ollie King refusing to help it over the line!
After that it was Nomads playing the better passing game and exposing Dragons further, they pressed on and got 2 more goals to set up a grandstand finish for the remaining 10 minutes, the Dragons defence held well despite the pressure and did enough to see the game out.
Man of the Match went to Ollie King, having scored 4 goals in 2 games, taking his tally for the season to an impressive 13.
With the first season back for the Men’s 4th team, finishing a solid 4th place in the league is an excellent result and may yet get promoted over the summer. Everyone has improved through the season and in particular the clubs young players which is real credit to the format and training the club has in place, the team will only improve further.
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East Women’s Hockey League Division 2 North East
Norwich Dragons 1s: No Fixture
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East Women’s Hockey League Division 2 North East
Norwich Dragons 2s: 4:1 Old Buckenham 1
With the weather taking a decided turn for the better, Dragons 2s were pleased to be back playing again, having not had a competitive game for 3 weeks. A poignant day for Old Buckenham, as this was their last fixture before the Club disband – it is to their huge credit, that despite their position in the league Old Buckenham continued to play some really good hockey, it will be sad to see this historic Club withdraw from the league.
Given the sandy pitch and the warm sunny conditions, Dragons started the game more in the mindset of an afternoon at the beach!! Possibly a little rusty following the enforced break, the Dragons failed to get their passing game going or to be first to the tackle. To their credit, Old Buckenham defended well and always looked threatening on the break, meaning the Dragons back four needed to keep their concentration. Dragons forced a short corner on the stroke of halftime, and a strike to the far post by Debs Smith, was neatly deflected in by Lucy Hopgood.
The start of the second half saw a good spell of Old Buckenham pressure, rewarded with a goal to bring the scores level. During the half-time break, Dragons had talked about getting their passing game working better, being first to the ball and upping their work rate. These words were heeded, with Player of the Match Laura Bailey working tirelessly upfront alongside Lizzie Cheesman. In addition, Ally Windsor-Waite became more influential in the game, making some great runs on the right side, earning a series of short corners for Dragons.
Eventually the goals started to come, as Dragons remained patient and started moving the ball across the pitch, creating gaps in the Buckenham defence. Laura Bailey got in a great position in the D and took her goal extremely well, a reverse stick shot into the corner. The next was scored by Lizzie Cheesman, following more good work on the right hand side. A fourth came just before the end, again following work down the right hand sie, which was calmly dispatched on the far post by Alice Guest, for her first League goal of the season.
A much better second half by a team who have now secured 5th place in the League, an excellent position for a relatively new and young team. The future is very bright for this Team and for the Club.
Our best wishes to Old Buckenham and hope that many of their players continue to play in the future.
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Marshall Motor Group Norfolk Women’s League Division 1
Norwich Dragons 3s 2:0 Magpies 5
For the first time in months Dragons 3s played a match in the sunshine with temperatures significantly above freezing. Generally Dragons dominated the play. However, although Dragons put together some lovely successions of passes, there was a tendency to give the ball away too frequently, when possession options were available. Magpies put up a strong defence which was not to be driven through and Dragons needed to be creative to score. Magpies had several counterattacks and Dragons frequently were outnumbered in the middle. At times Dragons looked weary and earlier midweek games were taking their toll.
Dragons’ first goal came from a penalty corner which Caroline Wolfe struck clean from the top of the ‘D’. Their second was in open play. Dragons had a spell pushing up high into Magpies half. Magpies defence cleared the ball from their ‘D’ for it only to be picked up by Dragons’ right defender, Louise Davis. Louise was able to dribble the ball back into the ‘D’ completely unopposed. But just as a Magpies’ defender started to close her down, Amy Brown made a timely call for the ball. Louise slipped the ball right for Amy to sweep into the goal.
Dragons dominated much of the second half but were unable to add to the score sheet. The score remained 2 – nil at the final whistle. Dragons’ player of the match was Louise Davis.
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Marshall Motor Group Norfolk Women’s League Division 2
Norwich Dragons 4s 10:1 Old Buckenham 2
It is always going to be an interesting match when the teams at the top and bottom of the table meet and this was certainly an action packed game for Dragons fans. Early in the season Dragons 4s suffered a little from allowing in early goals from the opposition, today however we certainly turned the tables with Scarlett Brown scoring the first goal after just 17 seconds! It was certainly a team effort with the ball being driven down the wing before being pushed beautifully across the front of the goal and onto the waiting stick of Scarlett to knock it passed the keeper. This was the first of three goals from Scarlett, her second hat-trick of the season.
From the start Dragon’s dominated this game, with the ball continuously being taken into Old Buckenham’s 23. Solid team work, quick passing and use of the width allowed Dragon’s to control the ball, to make space and to take advantage of the opportunities that were created. The second goal came from Annika Richardson, a beautiful strike which actually seem to rebound off the diving keeper and into the back of the goal (it would have looked good as a slow motion replay). This was the first of four goals from Annika, he final being possibly the most impressive, a beautiful strike from near the top of the D after a lovely little run across and down the pitch.
Debbie Santa Clara also managed a hat-trick during the match (her 3rd hat-trick of the season). One of the goals was as a result of beautiful run by Gemma Rump who passed off the ball across the goal for Debbie to slot in – the importance of team work and recognizing where the best chances of scoring come from.
With so many goals scored it is easy to overlook other players, but it must be remembered that without players like Felicia Roberts, Sue Cross, Laura Goodbun, Lucy Campbell and Flora Gregorie moving the ball through midfield the goals would never have happened. And while defense didn’t have a great deal to do Laura Bruce and Freya Clogan helped move the play back in the right direction on the few occasions that Old Buckenham made a break in play.
Old Buckenham should also be commended, they scored a beautiful goal during the second half, from a run down the length of the pitch that beat the Dragons defense hands down. They also remained friendly and in good spirits throughout the game making them a pleasure to play.
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Marshall Motor Group Norfolk Women’s League Division 2
Norwich Dragons 5s 0-6 Herlings
So spirits were high, and for the first 20 minutes or so Dragons were well in the game. Sophie Farrow (player of the match) was creating havoc down the right (and the left, and in the middle). We had a penalty corner, which Lizzy McDonnell sent zinging towards the near post only for it to take a deflection. At the other end, Sue Cullum (back off ‘holiday’ again) was blocking and kicking to great effect behind a new defensive trio of Abi Cowe flanked by Jade Blanchflower and Amiria Pounsford. Abi played her usual mature game, and stoically survived a shoulder-crunching bodycheck early in the second half. Jade was outstanding, making great tackles and driving past the opposition, and Amiria played probably her best game of the season (yes, that has been said before, but she was even stronger this time) and is growing in confidence and timing her tackles better. Jihanna Bonilla-Allard warmed up for the match by doing a 5k run and proved she was almost as quick with a stick in her hand as she played a very strong game at left mid and left us wishing she could have played more often this season.
There was an element of fortune about a couple of Herlings’ goals, but we take nothing away from the fact that they deserved to win. Gradually they wore the Dragons down. Dragons began to tire, their passes were not as accurate, and by pushing up but failing to get back they were more exposed in the defending D and paid the penalty. However, they kept on with the ‘pass and move’ tactic, and with Rosie Korn and Lizzy distributing the ball well we had a lot of possession. Chiara Bond was combining well with Sophie, Ciara Willmot also looked more comfortable and confident with more pitch time. Izzy Woodcock showed she has a turn of speed, never flinched in the tackle and made every use of her opportunity to play.
Claire ‘Reliability’ Fairhurst and Lois McGregor combined well up front, and took up lots of good positions but were never found. Yes, we had a lot of the ball in midfield, but Herlings managed to snuff out the attacks where it really mattered – at the edge of the circle. So in order to end the season on a high, we have to work on making that final pass more incisive. And of course on our shooting, shooting, shooting. We missed Laura Goodbun (on duty for the 4s) and particularly the Buxtons from those not available, but every Dragon who played in this tough game can hold their heads up and know they produced a lot of good hockey – greatly helped by encouragement from Pete Thomas and David Bond on the sideline.
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Marshall Motor Group Norfolk Boys Development League
Norwich Dragons 1:6 Magpies
The match started and we were soon under a lot of pressure from Magpies. This eventually led to agoal by Magpies. We then got into the game and played good hockey. After a through ball by Ben W, Robert CB ran on to it and slotted it in. 1-1.
Sadly for us , Magpies came straight back at us and restored their lead very quickly. Ben N kept us in the game but it was still 2-1 Magpies at half time.
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Marshall Motor Group Norfolk Girls Development League
Norwich Dragons 1:10 Dereham
On 6th April Norwich Dragons Development played Dereham. They were a strong team but we kept it a fairly end to end game with lots of encouragement from Nat. Dereham had a good start and by the end of the first half they had scored 5 times. During the second half we passed the ball well using good skills and hard passes. The ball was down in our attacking D for lots of the second half and we had some attempts at goal. After a nice pass in, Helen Marsh scored the goal. Our play got better and better as the game went on and even though the score was high we played extremely well as a team. The player of the match was shared between Helen (the goal scorer) and Issy Wolfe who has only recently come up from Under 12’s. These two players played extremely well using good skills and the majority of the votes went to them. Overall, despite the score, it was a thoroughly enjoyable and a good game from which we learnt a lot.
Coach’s note: the Dereham team was a very strong and skillful team who played their best game of the season according to their coach. Dragons worked hard and never gave up and the girls should be proud of that.
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The hoof table as it currently stands
| 1 | Ladies 3s | 4.59 |
| 2 | Ladies 4s | 4.39 |
| 3 | Ladies 1s | 4.13 |
| 4 | Mens 3s | 3.73 |
| 5 | Mens 2s | 3.35 |
| 6 | Mens 4s | 2.78 |
| 7 | Ladies 2s | 2.36 |
| 8 | Mens 1s | 2.13 |
| 9 | Ladies 5s | 1.83 |
| 10 | Girls Development | 1.33 |
| 11 | Boys Development | 1.14 |