Mens East League Division 2 North
Norwich Dragons 1s 2:4 Bury St Edmunds 1
Both teams seemed effected by the snow enforced lay-off, making for a slightly scrappy opening. It was Bury who opened the scoring, their forward latching onto a moment of confusion in the Dragons defence to fire the ball home from the top of the circle. Dragons survived some further pressure and close chances from Bury, but started to play some better hockey. A quick break away from defending a penalty corner saw Alex Browne equalise for Dragons, making the score 1-1. Dragons continued to improve and establish better possession of the ball. Jason Wolfe scored Dragons 2nd goal, following up on a penalty corner to calmly slot home, 2-1 to Dragons. As the half moved on the weather steadily worsened going through hail to snow. Just before halftime the umpires were forced to stop the game for the flood-lights to be put on as it had become so dark.
Dragons enjoyed their best spell of the game in the 15 minutes after half time, denying Bury space and time on the ball and creating many chances. However, despite coming close, they were unable to add to their lead. Bury weather the storm and tied the scores from a penalty corner move. Bury made some tactical changes, changing their high forward; this, together with some lapse in concentration from Dragons paid dividends for Bury. They scored their third from another penalty corner, despite it being stopped by a defenders foot on the line their forward followed up to fire home. Bury scored a fourth from a skilful solo run and finish by their forward, 4-2 Bury. Dragons were unable to find a response and, having played some great hockey at times, were left to rue what might have been.
Final score Norwich Dragons 2, Bury 4.
Dragons Man of the Match was Dave Sloman.
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Mens East League Division 4 North East
Norwich Dragons 2s 4:3 IES 3
Dragons started the game strongly and dominated the first 15 minutes. Good linking up play from the midfield to the forwards created opportunities which Dragons were unlucky not to capitalise on. Great movement by Matt Knights and some lovely dribbling by Dan Cheesman kept the IES defence on their toes.
The play settled down and IES appeared to get themselves together. However, the Dragon defence were very confident in putting a stop to any IES attack. Rich Phillis barely letting anything come through down the right wing.
Dragons kept the attack up and were rewarded with a penalty corner. Andy Kelsall stepped up to the mark and delivered a sure strike into the backboard.
Another goal went in before half time from Rich Phillis, this as a result of great passing from Mark Flatman and Captain Cley Hamilton.
Halftime score was 2-0 to Dragons. The team discussed continuing the work rate and hopefully getting a few more goals. An impromptu birthday song for Captain Cley Hamilton left spirits high.
The second half started and it was clear IES had stepped up their game. Dragons needed to get themselves back in the game as IES managed to pull a couple of goals back.
Dan Cheesman with some strong attacking play won Dragons a short corner. Matt Knights scored with a superbly placed Drag Flick. Not long later, Dragons received another short corner, in which Andy Kelsall smacked the ball into the bottom corner. 4-2 to Dragons.
The rest of the half was a hard-fought affair. IES continued to push hard and the Dragon keeper Sam Clark was forced to make some good saves. IES managed to pull another goal back and in the closing minutes of the game were awarded a short corner. Piers Gordon-Brown was the hero of the hour, knocking the ball out of play, thus ending the match. Final score 4-3 to Dragons.
A hard-fought game at times for Dragons, who were delighted to hand their skipper 3 points on his birthday. Dragons look forward to their game next weekend to IES 2nd XI
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East Men’s Hockey League Division 5NE
Norwich Dragons 3s 3:0 UEA 4
Restarting the second half of their league season after several weeks of inactivity Dragons found the students a hard act to break down. Though chances were created the UEA keeper made many saves and the Dragons had many short corners but their routines were not to their normal high standard.The students were getting all but one forward behind the ball and defending manfully which ensured the first half ended goal-less.
Dragons had a calming team talk and planned to spread the play and try to use both flanks in the second half. Dragons continued to dominate and finally broke the deadlock when good work by Adrian Kemp released Will Kirby to draw the keeper and go round him and slot the ball into the empty net. The Dragons defence were dealing with the few UEA breaks and prevented the students having any shots on goal.
The Dragons made the match safe when George Walker deflected a short corner strike from Dan Ryan into the goal at the back post to give the team a two goal lead.A very strong second half performance was produced by Will Ives winning the ball and attacking down the left flank. A late third goal after good work down the right flank was scored by Jon Goodson.
This was a hard won victory by Dragons showing their desire to win and they will be stronger in future weeks for getting back to playing after the enforced weather break.
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East Men’s Hockey League Division 6 North East
Norwich Dragons 4s 0:3 Bury St Edmunds 4
With their first league game back, Dragons looked to build on their promotion push and faced tough competition at the start of the second half of the season. Bury were joint 3rd in the table with Dragons so it all was set for a close encounter.
For the opening periods, it was a cagey game with turnover of the ball happening frequently, however Dragons had the early opening chance when Richard Moulson’s shot at goal took a slight deflection and hit the back board, it was, however deemed to be outside of the area by the umpire and even with no protests from the opposition Dragons were left harshly treated on this decision.
Sadly from then, that became the story of the first half, with the umpires really failing to control the game with numerous questionable decisions given to either team and in particular, at times, even having their decisions overruled by the Bury players , appealing and questioning. On reflection, the Dragons Captain was pleased with the discipline shown by his players, whilst certainly frustrating at times they showed real maturity to just get on with the game.
With that, it certainly swung the game in Bury’s favour who rightfully through good play took the lead; although Dragons were disappointed as the goal was given to the opposition quite cheaply. Bury extended their lead through similar circumstances and went in the break 2-0 ahead.
The Dragons captain called for a half time discussion over the attitude shown in the first half towards the umpires and all parties agreed it would be stopped. Although not completely, it was an enormous improvement.
With Dragons still very much in the game, a slight re-shuffle of positions saw Dragons start the second half brightly, passing better with some early threats on goal. Bury soon regained their form who were clearly the stronger team and after allowing one of their young players to skip through the defence, Bury went 3-0 up. As the game drew to a close, Dragons enjoyed some pressure towards the end, trying to at least get a goal their richly deserved, however the chances created were rarely getting past the Bury defence with ease and any that did were sadly not finished well.
Dragons came away feeling slightly hard done by, but Bury were the better side being able to control the midfield better. Dragons had some good spells and will be looking to take on the league leaders next Saturday and play for everything to bounce back.
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East Women’s Hockey League Division 2 North East
Norwich Dragons 1s 5:1 North Walsham
The first half of this match was probably the worst the Dragons have played all season. The two week break definitely had a detrimental effect as they began the game looking very sluggish, lethargic and unable to get any rhythm to their play. North Walsham took advantage of the space that Dragons allowed them and threatened the Dragons defence on a number of occasions. Had it not been for the excellence of the Dragons young goalie, Freddie BRISCOE who was the Dragons player of the match, the game could so easily have been out of reach for the Dragons but instead they were fortunate to be trailing only 1-0 going into the break.
At half time they were given a firm “ticking off” by their coach Pete THOMAS which was more than justified and what was needed and this subsequently changed the game.
As the second half got underway the Dragons started moving the ball quickly and became playing as a unit, more compact and produced some excellent passages of play looking like a completely different team.
Within 10 minutes Laura SHREEVE broke for the Dragons skilfully taking the ball past the North Walsham defence and then intelligently slipping the ball out of the reach of the keeper for Shelly SEAMAN to finish. The goal settled the Dragons and the confidence of the team became to shine through and an exhibition of some excellent hockey followed. The second goal came within minutes; SHREEVE again the provider linking well with SEAMAN leaving the goal gapping for SEAMAN to tap in. The Dragons continued to press and looked in the mood for more goals with the whole team pushing forward as a unit. SHREEVE finally got her well deserved goal this time SEAMAN the provider. SHREEVE went on to get a second when Gail THOMAS played the ball into the D which SHREEVE slotted past the keeper in the corner of the goal. Nat BEAL finished the scoring making it 5-1 just before the end of the game, a cross finding her at the far post which she nudged over the goal line.
This second half performance was outstanding and the Dragons showed not only great ability but also demonstrated a great team spirit and resilience to turn this match around.
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East Women’s Hockey League Division 2 North East
Norwich Dragons 2s 7:0 Loddon 1
Dragons resumed their season after the enforced weather break with a match against Loddon, with Alice Guest stepping up to captain the team in Hannah Hardy’s absence. Loddon set their stall early, with only nine players, they packed their defence leaving one forward up front. This presented a problem of how to penetrate a densely packed area. Dragons soon showed they were up to this challenge by playing some slick passing moves and switching, quickly exploiting the space that opened up. After one such flowing move down the right Dragons scored their first goal with Sarah Radley making a well timed run to score at the far post. Dragons second goal came from a short corner which broke down and after great persistence Ally Windsor-Waite swept the ball into the goal. Dragons showed great composure and discipline to continue to play a neat passing game using both flanks to good effect. The rewards came with Player of the Match Laura Bailey scoring two goals in quick succession.
In the second half Dragons pressed on but were less patient and slower in their approach player, this led to few breaks by Loddon but they were all quickly shut down. When the patterns of play from earlier were resumed they were again rewarded with Laura Bailey completing a well deserved hat-trick. Dragons sixth goal was a well taken strike by Saskia Delacave who neatly lifted the ball into the Loddon Goal. Loddon made the most of a break winning a short corner which a well struck shot was parried by Laura Tuck in goal. In the later stages of the game Lizzie Moulton was rewarded for her incisive runs into the circle with a shot from a very tight angle beating the Loddon defence.
Although against depleted opposition this was a fine team performance with a marked improvement in the teams shape and attacking composure whilst retaining good defensive discipline. It was a a pleasure to watch such fine attacking play from the whole team.
Player of the Match – Laura Bailey
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Marshall Motor Group Norfolk Women’s League Division 1
Norwich Dragons 3s 2:1 Sprowston 2
Dragons found some shelter from the hail to warm up and by the time the match started it was the low blinding sun that was causing a problem. Dragons’ team warm up paid off and in the first quarter of the game they dominated play in the Sprowston half. Sprowston absorbed the pressure but were unable to drive the play further up the pitch. A free pass to Dragons, five metres from the Sprowston ‘D’, was taken by Louise Davis who had pushed up from the defence. Being unmarked Louise was able to dribble the ball into the ‘D’ and pass to Amy Brown. Amy’s miss-hit flummoxed the Sprowston goalie, leaving the ball to roll slowly over the line to put Dragons into the lead.
Going one down seemed to fire up the Sprowston team who started to show more strength, winning 50:50 balls and beating Dragons’ players to the ball. However Dragons’ defence stayed strong and thwarted the Sprowston attacks to hold onto the lead at half time.
In the second half Dragons picked up their pace and put pressure back on Sprowston. After a series of crosses into the ‘D’ which Sprowston were only able to defend but not clear from danger, Caroline Wolfe struck Dragons’ second goal. By now the weather had taken a turn for the worst and a hail storm beat down. Sprowston were disadvantaged by the hail driving into their faces. But they held on despite continued pressure from Dragons. Dragons’ centre back, Tammy St John, pushed up high and fed the ball through to Dragons’ forward. Amelia Dawson’s attempt on goal hit the post and Mel Widdows nearly converted a penalty corner but deflected the ball just wide of the post.
Sprowston did not give up and a made several quick breaks. One of these attacks resulted in a goal when Lucy Bracey got on the end of a cross from the right. This brought Sprowston back into the match and with less than 10 minutes to go, the final result looked far from certain but remained 2-1 to Dragons.
Dragons’ player of the match was jointly awarded to Tammy St John and Louise Davis.
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Marshall Motor Group Norfolk Women’s League Division 2
Norwich Dragons 4s 6:0 Lowestoft Railway 2
With the worst of the weather behind us there were a few moments of panic when we arrived at the den to find it covered in white, a hail shower had all but obscured our lovely green astro, this was then followed by a snowy downpour and another hail storm, all designed to test our nerves (see pictures on Facebook!)
The match however did begin on time and with Dragons taking the upper hand almost from the start. With a strong midfield comprising of Gemma Rump, Sue Cross, Felicia Roberts and Flora Gregorie making the space, the forwards took advantage of quick runs down the wing and a strong determination to be the first on the score board. That first goal was harder to come by than we might have hoped, Annika Richardson, Catherine Bourassa and Marcy Windsor-Waite all made valiant attempts, often missing the post by just an inch or having the keeper getting there just in the nick of time. Eventually Beth Bygrave (player of the match) went one on one with the keeper and finally slotted the ball over the goal line. Annika decided that five minutes before the end of the first half would be an excellent opportunity to score her first of three goals.
With a change of end Dragons upped the pace even more with Annika scoring two further goals, one from a beautifully executed short corner. The fifth goal came off a Lowestoft defender, but every little helps and Beth finished the game by nudging in her second goal of the match into the left corner. Morag Morrison had relatively little to do while in goal but directed play from the back and kept the defensive line tight, stopping any Lowestoft attacks before they started.
It was good to see that nearly a month of little to no hockey hadn’t majorly impacted on the quality of Dragons play, looking forward to the rest of the season.
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Marshall Motor Group Norfolk Women’s League Division 2
Norwich Dragons 5s 0:7 Sprowston 3
Grim. Awful. Miserable. Well, that was the weather and sadly the Dragons played hockey to match it. During the last snowstorm, the necessary number of minutes having being played, Umpire H wisely called the captains together and offered the chance to finish the game on the grounds of safety. The pitch was actually giving amazing grip, but the Dragons game had deteriorated through tiredness to the extent that the amount of obstruction, stick tackles, half-hearted one-stick challenges from behind, meant it was clearly only time before someone got injured. So the match was completed and the result.
Excuses? We had another squad’s worth of players unavailable, and we could have strengthened the team. We also missed not having any subs to give us some respite, particularly when we lost Bridget to being unwell and off the pitch for much of the first half. But the most disappointing aspect of the game was that all the basic errors came back with a vengeance. The failure to get in some decent tackles were all the more disappointing because we had practised tackles in training during the week. The Sprowston forwards were running through at will, and usually had plenty of goalspace to aim at because the Dragons’ defenders clustered around Amy Forse to the extent that if she had been able to kick, the only thing she would have connected with would have been a Dragons’ player.
Amy made some good saves and clearances. Other bright spots was one excellent run by Laura Goodbun early in the game, with a perfect cross that three forwards could not pick up. Perhaps if we had managed to score first, the Dragons might have found the spirit and determination that was missing from their game. Other bright spots were Lois McGregor’s going back into defence to give it some backbone, with Abi Cowe moving up and playing her usual steady game with added distribution. Jade Blanchflower also stood out for running around the pitch and generally giving it plenty. David Bond gave a good half time team talk, and for ten minutes in the second half we played a little better. But the end came as a merciful release.
Each player should relive this match and take from it the things she can do to improve her game. We surely can’t have another game where all of us play below form.We must return to training with a renewed commitment to playing like Dragons, and that means having physical fitness, technical ability, positive attitude and mental resilience for when things go wrong. We will find that hockey becomes even more enjoyable, win or lose.
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Marshall Motor Group Norfolk Boys Development League
Norwich Dragons 5:2 Pelicans
We started the match well with some strong passing moves and defensive work. Some darting runs from our mid field produced a pass that was able to find its way through to Ben Watson. He coolly finished with a flick past the keeper (1-0). A few moments later, Ben Watson found himself in a similar position which he again was able to finish, pushing it past the keeper. (2-0). In the last five minutes of the first half, we were caught short on the break twice which Pelicans clinically finished.
In the second half we pushed on trying to find another goal. Jonty Gosling took a shot from the top of the D and found the bottom corner (3-2). With our defence coping well with everything Pelicans threw at us our mid field was able to play more attacking hockey. Jonty Gosling, after a run, found himself in a one on one situation with the keeper and was able to score. (4-2). With real confidence now our midfield passed it around the Pelican defence resulting in a great cross coolly swept in by Josh Bingham (5-2). This was a great team performance showing what good hockey this team can play.
Man of the match: Jonty Gosling. Thanks to referees and Rob and Sam for managing the team.
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Marshall Motor Group Norfolk Girls Development League
Norwich Dragons 0:0 Pelicans
On the 1st of February we played against Pelicans 2 at The Den. Everyone played really well and and put a lot of effort into the game. The score was 0-0 but last time we played them we lost about 20-0. We attacked and defended very well. Jess Tye Leech was in goal and did some great saves, she also won player of the match . Our coach was Ali Windsor Waite and Sarah Wagstaff played as an adult. It was Ellen Martin’s and Helen Marsh’s first match and they both played really well. Anja Finegan, Megan Farrant, Isobel Keane and Aoife Lowe Davies did some great runs and passes up the pitch, Jasmine Mansfield, Tamsin Billings, Laura Hansell and Lottie Korn were always in space so that people could pass to them. Well done everyone. Hopefully we will win next time we play them!
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The hoof table currently stands at……
| Position | Team | Hoof Average |
| 1 | Ladies 3s | 4.53 |
| 2 | Ladies 4s | 4.50 |
| 3 | Ladies 1s | 4.06 |
| 4 | Mens 2s | 3.94 |
| 5 | Mens 3s | 3.67 |
| 6 | Mens 4s | 2.44 |
| 7 | Ladies 2s | 2.25 |
| 8 | Mens 1s | 2.06 |
| 9 | Ladies 5s | 1.73 |
| 10 | Boys Development | 1.50 |
| 11 | Girls Development | 1.44 |