Match report March 19 2011

The Ladies secured promotion to Surrey Division One two season after dropping down with a hard-fought 1-0 win over London Wayfarers II at Raynes Park. With two matches remaining they are two points clear at the top of the league, and two wins will guarantee them the title as well. The 1st XI beat Winchester 4-2, the 2nd XI went down 2-3 to Merton, while the 3rd XI lost 3-5 at Woking. The 4th XI scored with the last hit of the game to draw 3-3 against Leatherhead.

Wayfarers II 0-1 Ladies XI
Report to follow

1st XI 4-1 Winchester
Well done to the ladies, securing promotion two games from the end. Just the tile to now secure and the likelihood of two further games next year against Surbiton...

Our game was played with the luxury of 12 players and benefitted. We started badly with Winchester dominating play and as with every game in which he has played Ross kept us in the game. A gift of a goal put us one down but Jonny Hunter drag flick was rifled home - well, went an inch across the line - and further goals from Rippers, Woody and Gavin earned us a healthy lead before we gifted another soft goal to the opposition. David Knapp

Merton 2-3 2nd XI
Another game where we went down by a goal in what has been a second half of the season of better performances but little luck. Inconsistent umpiring affected both sides equally, and although Peter scored two tap-ins we were never quite up with the pace.

Woking 5-3 3rd XI
Report to follow

4th XI 3-3 Leatherhead
A game which on paper represented the best chance of three points in the run-in but one in which we only escaped with a draw thanks to Jamal’s equaliser with the last hit of the game. To say we dominated the first 15 minutes would be an understatement, so much so the Leatherhead wing was left asking why he had bothered coming along. When we scored after 20 minutes it seemed the floodgates would open, but then a breakaway goal levelled the score. Undeterred, we again scored only for us to gift the ball to the opposition off a 16 a minute later and allow them to level. We continued to press, looking a million dollars outside the 23 and about a euro inside it, and 15 minutes from time Leatherhead took the lead with a scrappy but crucial effort. Still we lacked any real sense of urgency – Leatherhead should have buried the match two minutes from time when Nigel saved but left the attacker with a simple flick into an open goal but he chose instead to bang it back into the keeper. A long corner with 20 seconds left, a drive along the line and a switch to Jamal to sweep home from a yard. On skill and possession we deserved more, but on guts and sheer fight, Leatherhead had every right to feel hard done by.