Mens East League Division 2N
Norwich Dragons 1s 1-1 Newmarket

In a result that didn’t do much for either side’s aspirations, Dragons were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom-of-the-table Newmarket on Saturday.  The side’s preparations had been disrupted by the media storm mid-week surrounding the leaked video of young defender Alex Overstall measuring the girth of one of his calves while singing “I am the fire-starter.”  Skipper Smith refused to be drawn on the controversy:  “what he does in his own time is up to him and the boys are fully behind him; anyway, a guy who drives that slowly can’t be that much of a trouble-maker, can he?”  Without Smyth, nursing a bruised tibia, Dragons called up Price who had a strong game, carrying a threat going forward and accurate and disciplined in defence, and welcomed back Browne for the young King who was spared what was always going to be a physical encounter.

The game started scrappily, Dragons dropping their play to the level of their opponents who were strong in the tackle and again looked to play quickly from back to front.  The opening exchanges were most notable for green cards for Wilkins, for being just a little bit too keen to enter the fray, and Collinge, for talking to himself (only the latest of the maverick keeper’s weird habits to emerge).  When Dragons did control possession and stitch together a sequence of passes they always looked a threat.  Their first clear chance, though, came on the break, Snelling latching onto a misplaced pass only to be denied by a good save when one-on-one with the keeper.  The breakthrough, when it arrived, was an excellent team effort, Overstall and Sloman switching the ball from the right for Rutledge to play in Browne who unselfishly set up Turnbull for his second in two weeks, from almost the same angle, driven well past the despairing keeper.  Turnbull was quick to credit the use of Sloman in a midfield role for his new-found goal-scoring touch:  “it’s nice to have someone in there I can actually trust; it means I can take a risk and get forward a bit more.”  Dragons should have pushed on against a struggling Newmarket side but instead conceded a soft equaliser, weak tackling encouraging a good run and reverse-stick finish from one of the home side’s midfielders.  And it might have been worse as Collinge was called on too often to rescue the side after a succession of misplaced passes and some feeble tackling.  At the other end, Flatman and Price were prominent down the flanks and Snelling and Browne always looked likely to grab a second.

Dragons were much more assured in the second half, creating a host of chances and limiting Newmarket to a series of long balls from the back which were well dealt with by Smith and Smith in defence.  Overstall was a marauding force down the right and Flatman and Turnbull again at the heart of Dragons’ attacking play.  A fine counter-attacking move which would have put the visitors ahead was cruelly called back for a foot from either Charlish or Knights (the jury’s still out) in the build-up; deflections from Snelling and Browne crept agonisingly wide; and Dragons never quite managed to find the final ball to match their excellent build-up play.  At the other end, a brilliant double-save from Collinge kept scores level after Smith had had his pocket picked while bringing the ball out of defence.  That the final whistle was met with delight by the home side and disappointment from the visitors told its own story.

Asked after the game whether he had any sympathy for Newmarket’s disappointment about recent media coverage of their side, Wagstaff was diplomatic:  “Look, to be honest, I don’t read what the press says about our games; frankly, I can’t recognise the games in most of the reports.  I wouldn’t say they’re the most cultured side we’ve come up against this season, but I prefer to concentrate on my boys.  I wouldn’t say we weren’t at the races today, though of course we weren’t.”

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Mens East League Division 3NE
Norwich Dragons 2s 1-9 Ipswich Cranes

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 4NE
Norwich Dragons 3s 6-1 Thetford

Norwich Dragons faced a ten man Thetford who, despite numerical deficiency were hard-working and proved in the first 20 minutes to be up for the challenge facing them.  Despite a lot of possession, the Dragons were unable to break the deadlock. Strong link play and passing between the midfield  quartet of Walker, Ives, Kelly and Sayer soon proved to much and the deadlock was finally broken by Adrian Kemp, finishing from close range, reacting to a shot by Man of the Match Will Kirby.

The aforementioned, lanky striker was to have one of his best performances of the season, eventually nabbing 4 goals in the game.  Kirby’s skill, determination, and calmness in front of goal proved too much for a determined Thetford defence as he would have done for most defences in the league.  The best of the 4 goals resulted after a good cross following a surging run from left-bcak by Will Ives, with Kirby lifting the ball, first time into the top corner.
The final goal of the day came from the most unlikely of sources, Stuart Kelly.  The stalwart midfield general was rewarded for his weeks of hard work as a defensive midfielder, with a well taken goal to cap of another good performance from a team on the up.

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 5NE
Norwich Dragons 4s 2-4 Norwich Exiles

Another frustrating fixture saw the Dragons lose a game that was eminently winnable.

The Day was perfect, apart from a rain shower or two and we had a good team so expectations were high. We started well but conceded a couple of short corners which ultimately led to us being two down. Undeterred we pushed on knowing a result was still possible and duly got a goal back through Andy Saunders finishing at close range. Another Exiles short corner, another goal.

Ollie Browne did manage to pulla goal back and the half ended 3-2. In no was disheartened we started the second half with great belief and took the game to Exiles with attack after attack, but to no avail. A tight second half ended 4-2 down with yet another Exile short corner and with Exiles down to 9 players due to ill discipline. Ah well there’s always next week.

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Men’s East Hockey League Division 7NE
Norwich Dragons 5s 0-2 IES 5

Dragons approached this game with a full squad and the top of the table position to play with. Fortunately the rain held off and the wind didn’t completely blow support away from the side line.

With a strong initial line up Dragons fell foul of IES’s game plan of bypassing the midfield. So good crashed long balls found there mark and early on Man of the Match the ‘Rock’ Evans needed all of his reach to limit IES’s chances.

Dragons went one behind when a short corner wasn’t cleared and was cleaned up by a hungry IES forward giving the ‘savior’ Banham in goal again no chance.

Dragons midfield of Keeler , Qunitein and Packahm continue to toil without too much reward as a high line defence negated a fair few Dragon attacks. Unlike last week Dragons couldn’t pull it back at half time and went in 1 down but confident the squad could rectify the situation in the second half. Simple passing , movement off the ball and not wasting possession was the topic of the half time team talk.

During the second half Dragons pressed for something from the game but unfortunately , Cross , Lawrence and Bingham couldn’t recreate some of the previous golden stick moments seen in this years campaign. Dragons were again caught with a long ball and paid the price but it seemed going two down meant IES sat back or just couldn’t cope with the work rate dragons put in.

Robinson added some much needed urgency and energy as did the other subs of Key and Coyle. Davis and Lee also pushed forward but unfortunately with IES tiring and a solid defence back up by a good keeper save or two meant Dragons didn’t finish with the roar expected of the league leaders.

So going into the last few games the league couldn’t be tighter – maybe someone should ask Sky if Div 7NE could go pay for view…..

And check out the action shots in the Gallery here – I told you JL if you got black shorts you would attract the camera!

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Women’s East Hockey League Division 1N
Norwich Dragons 1s 4-1 Lowestoft Ladies 1

Norwich Dragons welcomed 16 year old Alice Guest for her debut with the 1st team as They visited Lowestoft knowing this was going to be a difficult fixture as they only managed a draw against them earlier in the season. Yet again Lowestoft, with one of the best defensive records in the league,made it difficult for the Dragons to break them down clearing their defensive lines from a number of attacks from the visitors and with Kate Bond, the Lowestoft keeper, making some fantastic saves. Although the visitors had the majority of the possession they were not working together as a unit and subsequently were not stretching the home team. The Dragons were knocked for six when, against the run of play, Lowestoft scored a breakaway goal which was probably the kick start that that Dragons needed. They retaliated within 10 minutes, Nat Beal scoring from a short corner routine levelling the score line as the teams went into the break.

After the break the Dragons knew they needed to more the ball quickly using the width of the pitch and attack as a unit if they were going to pull the Lowestoft players out of position who were camped in their half of the pitch. This style of play was effective and they played some fast moving flowing hockey that Lowestoft could not handle. Rachel King scoring a superb reverse stick strike at the top of the D was no more than the visitors deserved. A third followed,  king the provider, with Nat Beal finishing in style. Sarah Borrett finished the scoring being on hand to knock the ball across the line following a short corner.

Player of the match was awarded to Alice Guest who never looked out of place and had a mature solide performance in the centre of midfield.

The Dragons need to penetrate for longer periods of the game if they are going to beat 4th placed Wisbech next week who undoubtly will punish their mistakes.

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Women’s East Hockey League Division 2NE
Norwich Dragons 2s 2-2 Watton 1

On a blustery day at the Den, Dragons faced free scoring League leaders Watton, a team they drew with earlier in the season.

Early encounters saw a fairly even game, with some end to end hockey, with both sides moving the ball quickly and working the keepers. With Hannah Palmer and Lizzie Moulton working hard in the middle to thwart Wattons strong central play, the score remained goalless for a long period of the first half.

Eventually a good spell of pressure from Dragons, saw Debs Smith intercept a pass at the top of the D, the ball was forced into the D, where Laura Shreeve and Hannah Hardy combined, with Hardy turning sharply and placing the ball high to the keepers right, to take the lead into half-time.

The second half started much as the first, with both teams having good spells of play. Ruth Willmott, Dragons Player of the Match, was having a great game in the Dragons defence, showing calmness and composure, when facing a quick and well drilled Watton forward line. Eventually however, Watton equalised following pressure down their left, seeing the ball forced in from close range.

Dragons were determined to keep pushing forward, despite Watton’s threatening attacks, and they were rewarded for their endeavours, through Hannah Palmer bursting into the D and earning a short corner. A good strike by Gail Thomas was parried by the Keeper, and Debs Smith was on hand to firmly strike the ball through the Keepers legs to once again take the lead.

Watton showed why they were League leaders, pushing forward at every opportunity, forcing a number of short corners, which were well dealt with by the defence. With 2 minutes left on the clock however, Watton earned another short corner, which wasn’t fully cleared, and after a battle near the right post, the ball was somehow forced across the goal and in off the far post at the tightest of angles, for the equaliser.

On balance of play, probably a fair result, in what was a good battling game. Dragons can build on this performance going into the final few games of what has been an encouraging season so far.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s Premier League
Norwich Dragons 3s 0-2 Magpies 3

Dragons started out well against Magpies 3s with some very strong linking play through the midfield. However Magpies countered with some technical and well paced play of their own and won a short corner. Magpies found the back of the goal making it 1-0 Magpies. This rattled Dragons a little and some of the pace and drive dropped a tad, seeing Magpies find the back of the goal one more time before half time.

After the short break, Dragons came out fighting, with great midfield runs from Harriet Green, Pollyanna Watson and MOM Charly Burgess. They linked up beautifully with the forwards and the Dragons dominated in the Magpies half but despite several short corners could not find the back of the goal. Final score Magpies 2 Dragons 0

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League Division 1
Norwich Dragons 4s 2-3 Pelicans 2

A rather early meet meant we must have been heading to Kings Lynn to play Pelicans. On a pitch that consisted of almost as much mud as sand (due to the recent appalling storms) we started a highly competitive and well contested game – in what could almost be considered ideal weather conditions (just a few blasts of gale force wind!)

Pelicans went on the attack straight away and scored a goal from a strong strike at the top of the D in the first five minutes. Dragons responded to this with some good attacking play of their own, with Marcy Windsor Waite and Sophie Farrow making some lovely runs towards the D, unfortunately a very strong and experienced Pelicans defence made quick work of relieving them of the ball before they had a chance to shoot. Pelican’s strength lay in quick runs, shooting as soon as they were in the D and always having someone on the post and this is how they scored their second and third goals.

Dragons were now 3:0 down, but this seemed to be the turning point they needed – plays out wide by Gemma Rump (PoM), Mel Widdows and Felicia Roberts allowed the ball to get into the D more efficiently for shots to be taken and it was from this quick play that Laura Goodbun was able to score the first goal followed quickly by Sue Cross putting in the second in a one on one situation with the keeper.

During the second half Dragons battled hard to try and find the equalising goal with Hazel Sumner and Rosie Korn both working the ball up the pitch, looking for the ideal opportunity to score and while several short corners were awarded and several shots taken the goal couldn’t be found. In the last 10 minutes of the game even defenders such as Freya Clogan and Abi Cowe could be found heading up towards the D in an attempt to keep the ball moving in the right direction. Pelicans made one final break on goal in the final minutes of the game but Laura Tuck made a great save to leave the score as it was before half time.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League Division 2
Norwich Dragons 5s 1-0 Herlings

Ladies 5s win again this week but is was one rainy battle right to the bitter end. The team with a slightly different line up this week missed Rosie Korn & Jess Tye Leach, however with 2 new players in their midst the 5s were privileged.  Charlotte Pounder (Man of the Match) proved herself to be a tenacious lady who nipped at the heels of those Herlings and Jasmine Daniels who did a fantastic job at centre back in her debut for the 5. This was a match that Dragons wanted to win to feel better about their 4-0 defeat on grass. Some great play by Rachael Matthews, Jade Blanchflower, Chiara Bond and Lizzie McDonnell in the first half really opened up play as Dragons put pressure on Herlings. Herlings were so flustered under Dragons attack that both teams watched as the small push from Anja Finegan dribbled the ball over the line into what turned out to be the slowest and most crucial goal ever.

At half time Dragons were 1-0 up and Herlings came back strong winning many short corners. Dragons defence of Jasmin Daniels, Sarah Nortcliff , Katie Buxton & Emma Buxton were awesome fighting off any attack and  special mention should go to Sarah Nortcliff for clearing some seriously vicious short corners. The defence came under repeated pressure from Herlings who were looking extremely likely to score but our defenders were not going to let that happen. The forwards and mids in the second half could not quite penetrate the defence and some of their passing was not quite their normal standard. As the heavens opened into flood like conditions Dragons were left fighting against the wind, rain and the Herlings. They continued to battle but they didn’t manage to take their chances to score. A few tries from Lisa Harwod and Lizzie McDonnell were very close but it just wasn’t quite right. All in all a win is a win but Dragons know they want to work on their attacking routines and passing in order to achieve wins against some of the tougher sides they will be facing after the half term.

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Empresa Norfolk Women’s League Division 3
Norwich Dragons 6s 0-5 Pelicans 3

Pelis duly completed the double over the 6s but – and this is not an excuse the 6s have used before – the score did not really reflect the amount of play and effort the Dragons put into the game. The difference between the teams was that the Pelis were just that bit sharper at getting to the ball, and showed greater determination to pounce on anything loose in the circle.

Thank goodness David Bond was on hand to marshal the 14-player squad, because that number of players is a nightmare to manage from the pitch unless players know each other well. David used the first quarter to assess the available players and thereafter skilfully used the rotations to keep the team balanced and moving forward in a manner that would have done credit to The Great Pete himself. Pelis were 4-0 up in the first half, but Dragons had far more of a grip and played much better after the interval.

Several players were asked to play in positions that they do not prefer, but which makes use of their best skills. With three of our defenders missing, Jo Eke was asked to play central defence, and turned in a player of the match performance and mastered hit outs which marked a big step in her rehab from injury. Jasmine Mansfield gave her best performance of the season to date. She was still a determined tackler and chaser, but added a better quality of pass and by getting her head up to look round, she made sure she kept going in the right direction! Helen Marsh is a player in a similar mould, but with the advantage that her sat nav is always set goalwards, and she showed no signs of rustiness after missing a couple of matches and training sessions. Helen was on the left, in front of Beth Elgood, who must have been frustrated when she used her great speed to move from left to right (with Helen covering) only to find when she reached the attacking circle that no-one had been able to keep up with her.

Laura Hansell loves to burst forward from the right, and indeed did have some success in getting into the circle, but made her best contribution to the team when she dropped to the bottom of the diamond. The timing of her low tackles is excellent, and she snuffed out many a dangerous raid in midfield.

Our newcomers, Rebecca Elkins, Izzi Ferguson, Sarah Carroll, worked well as a unit down the right. Rebecca is a useful addition to our defence – she has a strong presence and makes forwards back off. Izzi and Sarah have speed and good stick skills. Twice the Dragons worked the ball out from Jo to Laura H to Bridget to Sarah C to Izzi and into the circle, and five completed passes marks progress for the Dragons. Claire Fairhurst again got into some great positions, and also set up two penalty corners shots with some deft slips that Sarah Caroll nearly converted.

Alice Smith played in goal for us, and enjoys getting plenty of practice. Ciara Willmott, Sarah Norman and Laura Russell covered plenty of ground in midfield.

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Empresa Norfolk Girls Development League
Norwich Dragons 0-0 Yarmouth

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Empresa Norfolk Boys Development League
Norwich Dragons 0-5 Norwich City

Overall, the team played very well against a tough side. For most of the time the opposition forgot what sport they were playing and the game turned into a game of rugby with hockey sticks. Although many decisions might have not gone our way the team stayed together and kept their heads up. Many of the team were not playing in their preferred position due to numbers, but they still worked hard and adapted to their new duties. Norwich had a strong team but our defence, as always, worked valiantly until the final whistle. On the other side of the pitch especially in the second half we did have a few chances which, on another day, would have gone in.

At the end of the day we played well against a tough team; everyone was working hard and working as a team.