This Week’s Results
| Team | Opposition | H/A | Score | Scorers | Player of Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1s | Cam City 3 | A | 1-1 (D) | Liv Thomas | Issy Wolfe Mima Watson |
| L2s | Christchurch 1 | H | 3-0 (W) | Donna Vaughan Harriet Green Jess Bennett | Shelly Seaman |
| L3s | Yarmouth 1 | A | 2-1 (L) | Elsa Scott | Angela Murgatroyd |
| L4s | N City 3 | A | 6-1 (L) | Lilli Ballard | Jemima Williams |
| L5s | Carrow 1 | H | 2-2 (D) | Lizzy McDonnell Gemma Ballard | Hannah Edwards Katherine Hardwick |
| L6s | Diss | A | 4-0 (L) | Louise Brooks Amy Beadman |
|
| L7s | UEA 3 | A | 3-1 (L) | Brittany Hopkins | Nathalie Crisp |
| L8s | UEA 4 | H | 0-0 (D) | Issy Gale | |
| M1s | Pelicans 1 | H | 2-4 (L) | Rupert Snelling Will Main | Dim Ives |
| M2s | Bury 2 | A | 1-1 (D) | Ed Gould | Phil York Smith |
| M3s | IES 3 | H | 2-2 (D) | Jon Goodson Ed Smith | Rob Goodson |
| M4s | Pelicans 2 | H | 1-10 (L) | Rich Phillis | Dan Murphy |
| M5s | Dereham 4 | A | 1-4 (W) | Matt Armstrong Thomas Helfer Will Bowman Will Kirby | Greg Reynolds |
| M6s | Wattton 2 | H | 0-5 (L) | ||
| BD A | Magpies | A | 4-4 (D) | Josh Cormack x2 Ben Panter Freddie Royall | Ed Cross |
| BD B | No Fixture | ||||
| GD | Dereham Panthers | H | 4-5 (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