Match Reports - February 9, 2013

Without wishing to tempt fate, the 1st XI beat second-placed Barnes 5-1 to open up a 13-point gap at the top of Surrey/Hants 1 to make them odds-on favourites for promotion with seven matches left. The Ladies kept up their promotion push with a 4-0 win over London Eds which kept them in the hunt in third as the top two teams drew. The 2nd XI drew 2-2 at Wanderers and the 3rd XI were thumped 0-5 at Woking. The Barnstormers entertained the 50+ patrons who had turned up for lunch by beating a grumpy East Grinstead 3-2

The fifth goal rounds off the win and Cookie prepares to pounce

1st XI 5-1 Barnes
Click here for match photos

This weekend saw the top two teams in the league come together for the most anticipated game of the season. For four weeks the OCs had been training with only this game in mind and were thus keen, if only for the sake of his wife and children, to release coach Gary from the monomaniacal trance under which he had been operating since Christmas. Such was Gary’s all-consuming determination to win this game that a few players were forced from their beds at 9am to practice short corners, very nearly causing one member to miss Saturday Kitchen, a crucial part of his pre-match routine. However, as those that were there to witness the clash will know, the coach was more than vindicated.

This fixture was pretty fiery in the first half of the season and after two green cards were shown by one of the umpires inside five minutes, it looked likely that on-pitch relations were going to be just as testy this time round. However, in an act of rare sportsmanship and in an effort to save the game from descending into baseless violence, a Barnes defender deposited the ball into his own net to gift the OCs an early 1-0 lead. Nice chaps, that Barnes lot. That own goal aside, the first half was largely bereft of opportunities for the OCs. If we were not guilty of failing to convert our chances, we perhaps were guilty of failing to make our half chances whole and thus as many times as we penetrated the ‘D’, few clear-cut chances presented themselves. A typically fizzing Nick Ripley straight strike from our only corner of the half forced the opposition keeper to make a sharp save, but that was our closest effort.

Modesty ...

Similarly, Barnes struggled to produce anything of note as they persisted to aimlessly Hail Mary the majority of the ball they got straight down Justin’s throat. Lucky to get away with just a yellow after an outrageous and cynical pick above his head in last week’s game, Justin would have been grateful for the practice and he ably demonstrated that last week’s moment of madness was well behind him. Again, a couple of short corners were the best of Barnes’ chances in the first half, forcing Dan to dive to his right with (a)typical panache. It should be mentioned that Captain Dan came into this match with a fractured big toe and is thus a very brave boy indeed. I’m sure he would like me to thank the OC defence on his behalf for keeping the ball away from said toe for most of the game. Their effort at short corners was nothing short of Herculean and with a depleted defence for Bournemouth next week, a similar performance will be required from those who come in to cover.

With the score at 1-0 at half time, the game was very much in the balance and if there was a time for the OCs to prove that their shaky second half performances were something of the past, it was now. Prove it we did. The second goal was arguably the best we’ve scored all season and was a true team effort. Pressed deep in our half, the defence managed to transfer the ball to Barnes’ weakly fortified left flank and it could not have taken much longer than 5 seconds for ball to hit backboard after lovely work from Chris Wizzer Wiseman and Chris Ciege Gray left Jay Harman with another tap-in at the far post. All game the OCs broke with an efficiency, speed and ruthlessness that the slow and exposed Barnes defence were woefully ill-equipped to deal with.

The next three goals were all the result of a break, either directly or indirectly, with Wizzer finishing a perfectly orchestrated ‘German’, and Nick and man of the match Will Page both coolly putting the ball away when they found space in the D. Whilst Barnes managed to pull one back through a neat reverse stick finish to make it 2-1, they had no answer to the Blitzkrieging attack nor the steely-eyed resolve of the defence.

Indeed, the extent of Barnes’ frustration could be clearly heard on the opposition bench. The shouting from the coach, which earned him a caution from the umpire, was symptomatic of a man increasingly confronted with the realisation that he had tactically catastrof***ed his team from the outset. Over-committed up front and lacking a willingness to try different options from the back, all the OCs had to do was sit patiently until opportunity came and we eventually won at a canter. Special mention should go to the excellent support that the team received from fellow members of the club. It is always tremendously appreciated when a crowd comes to support and it gave us a huge lift to hear the old boys in such fine voice. I’m told they were handing out port to the rest of the crowd and that no doubt contributed significantly to the atmosphere at pitch side.

Finally, it would be remiss of me to not at least mention the events of the après-ski. While Justin retreated to his natural habitat on the edgiest edge of Shoreditch, not far from where Frank had recently had his hair cut, the remainder of our motley crew were treated to an evening which included complimentary jaeger, an 18th birthday party, a calamitous piggy-back ride, an even more calamitous performance of the “worm”, Cookie doing what Cookie does best, another failed attempt at the ‘slice of bread challenge’ and an eventual climax on what can only be described as the best kitchen floor in the world. Too much detail would render the report unpublishable but come morning carriages, one of us was icing a turned-ankle, one of us was sewing up a pair of jeans, one of us was making a trip to A&E and one more looked set to join, pending the result of an act of wildly misplaced “audacity”.

A great day for the club and one step further in our quest for promotion. Go on the OCs!!!

Ladies 4-0 London Edwardians
After the disappointing defeat last week, the Ladies bounced back impressively against a side unbeaten in three games and who had beaten us before Christmas. It was actually one of our easiest games for some time and our most comprehensive win in almost two-and-a-half years.  The visitors proved feisty in the early exchanges but two goals in either half saw them off.  With the top two teams drawing, the result meant we remaining third but only three points off the leaders who we entertain at TD in three weeks' time.

Wanderers III 2-2 2nd XI

Woking 5-0 3rd XI
Well, there is not a lot to say about the game, a true reflection of our season. It was going to be a tough ask playing with 10 men against the team that are top of the league. We showed guts and determination, unfortunately we were beaten by a better side on the day. Woking made their 13 men count. Despite the 5-0 loss we can take a lot from the team spirit and character shown.  Woking summarised the game by saying "the scoreline flattered us" We certainly did not deserve to go 5-0 down.

Thanks to Woking for an enjoyable game of hockey, played it the right spirit by all but one of their young players, who really does need to grow up. Let's take the team spirit and determination into the next few games. Hopefully we will have the resources to go with that. Please dig deep for the next few weeks. As they say mates before dates! Anyone with wives please buy them very generous Valentines gifts and hope to get a few pink tickets in return.

Barnstormers 3-2 East Grinstead

The prospect of a veterans lunch attracted a high-quality squad to TD for the early game, and that was just as well as we needed to be at our best to complete the double over an East Grinstead side containing a number of players who seem to gain little pleasure from actually playing hockey but are world-class whingers. Even their own umpire tired of the incessant whining and carded one of his own shortly before the end. 

It was shame at in between moans and complaints it was a cracking end-to-end game. Gav Adair opened the scoring from at least six inches out and later scored the winner which triggered a barrage of gesticulating and remonstrations with strongly put claims an OC had kicked the ball shortly before the goal.  The OCs looked positively angelic, the umpires consulted and agreed they had seen nothing and 3-1 it was.  Hours later Howie, his tongue loosened by a few beers, admitted it may have kind of slightly made a bit of contact with his foot. Possibly.   East Grinstead pulled one back four minutes from the end setting up a combative final few minutes.  The teams headed inside, the OCs for lunch, East Grinstead probably to bellyache about the beer, the teas, David Cameron and life in general.