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Magpies Hockey RESULTS - 10, 11 May 2008

England Hockey National Cups - Canterbury

SAT 10th MAY
11.30 U18 BOYS v BOWDON D 0-0
14.15 U18 GIRLS v CHELMSFORD L 0-2
16.30 U18 BOYS v BEESTON L 1-2

SUN 11th MAY
10.15 U18 GIRLS v BELPER D 1-1
13.00 U18 BOYS (finished 3rd) v READING D 3-3
14.00 U18 GIRLS (finished 4th) v LEICESTER D 1-1

SUN 11 May
England Hockey National Mixed Quarter Final
Magpies Mixed v Eastcote H L 2-3

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The boys under 18 squad travelled down to Canterbury for the finals weekend of the National Cup Competition for the first time in the clubs history. The squad knew this would be a testing weekend for everyone involved.

Bowden 0 - Harleston 0
The first game saw the team face Bowden, the game started at a blistering pace despite the heat with Bowden having the upper hand and creating many chances. Despite the pressure the defensive unit held firm denying Bowden at every opportunity. With no score at the break it was all to play in the final 25 minutes. Harleston fought back this half and started to create more chances of their own, but despite this neither side could find the break through. Harleston started to force more penalty corners but neither team could take advantage and the game ended in a hard fought draw.

Harleston 1 - Beeston 2
The second game of the day saw a tired Harleston side face a very strong Beeston team. With the energy used in the first game the squad started slowly, despite with standing a lot of pressure within the first 20 minutes the teams defence was only broken from a well taken goal 5 minutes before the break. The team started the second half well but Beeston could have extended the lead but 2 excellent stops on the line from William Johnson kept the team in the game. Despite his heroics the wall could not stop Beeston doubling their lead from a well worked short corner. With 5 minutes to go Harleston grabbed a life line when Carl Sitch scored with a reverse stick from an impossible angle. There was no team for celebrations as the team could see another goal as Beeston started to wobble. With seconds on the clock Will Harrison through an ariel over the Beeston back line which Chris Barber latched onto with just the keeper to beat the hooter cruely went which saw the team loose 2-1.

Despite a hard fought first day the squad was impressed with their efforts and knew that a win on the sunday with results going their way would see them grab second place.

Reading 3 - Harleston 3
On another hot sunny day the team faced reigning champions Reading who had yet to secure any points this weekend. With the team starting slowly they found themselves 2 goals down within the first 8 minutes. Despite this the squad showed their team spirit by fighting back well and Chris Barber snatched a goal with a well worked short corner. Reading continued to crank up the pressure but none of the numerous short corners they won could be converted. With the team trailing at half time it was all to play for. Ben Gowing pulled the team level 5 minutes into the second half with a well taken goal, keeping his composure when 1 on 1 with the keeper. The team were fighting for everything when they were harshly reduced to 10 men after Will Harrison was sent off for an innocuous challenge. Shortly after this the team found themselves a goal down following a well taken goal. Despite this the team continued to press and equalised again through Jamie Legg with a well taken reverse stick goal. Despite more pressure from Reading the team held out for the draw.

For their first time at the Finals weekend the boys did the club proud and with 8 of the squad still eligable for next year there is a lot to look forward to. The results over the weekend all came from excellent team work digging deep for each other.



Harleston Magpies U18 Girls finished 4th in the National Finals behind the winners Belper, Leicester and Chelmsford. Magpies made a poor start on the Saturday losing 2-0 to Chelmsford by conceding two soft goals in the first half and despite a really strong second half performance the damage was done.

On Sunday morning Magpies played Belper the hot favourites who boasted no less than 8 junior Internationals. Magpies were unrecognisable from the team that played on Saturday as they turned round at half time having defended well and created plenty of problems for Belper.

Belper scored early in the second half but it seemed to make Magpies even more determined and they were very unlucky not to be awarded a penalty stroke. In the final minute of the game Magpies equalised from a penalty corner when a shot from Artemis Clark was deflected by a defender into the goal, but it was nothing less than Magpies deserved. When you consider that Belper beat Leicester and Chelmsford 5-0 and 7-0 it shows how well Magpies played.

In the final game against Leicester Magpies had plenty of chances to take the lead but Leicester survived and then took the lead themselves. As in the Belper game Magpies turned up the tempo and equalised with 2 minutes to go with a classy goal from Lizzie Clymer.

GIRLS U18
BELPER W2 D1 L 0 F13 A 1
LEICESTER W1 D 1 L 1 F 4 A 6
CHELMSFORD W1 D 0 L 2 F 2 A10
MAGPIES W0 D 2 L 1 F 2 A 4

Meeting the new Dep . . . Retained FireFighter in Suffolk

Alerter

All you ever wanted to know about
being a retained FireFighter in Suffolk

Meeting the new Dep . . .

Call me an old cynic, but it was with very little interest that we all trouped upstairs to meet the (relatively) new Deputy Chief Fire Officer (Dep) of Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service. I suppose we were all thinking this would be the 'same old, same old' that we have witnessed on numerous occasions.

We usually ask plenty of questions and are promised plenty of answers but these tend to be as rare as hen's teeth! Some wit swore blind that the notes made at these little gatherings normally get chucked out of the car window as the Principal Office speeds back to Ipswich and the safety of Endeavour House!

Someone, somewhere, usually whispers to a Principal Officer that a visit to the wilds of North Suffolk is overdue and that they have pulled, metaphorically, the short straw. With a heavy heart, a full tank of petrol (in case they get lost) and SatNav that refuses to accept that there is life north of Ipswich, they head off into the unknown.

I'm sure Lowestoft is viewed a bit like the English view Scotland - you know it's a long way away, you know they speak differently, there's some nice scenery but you find every excuse under the sun for not making the journey.

Anyway, back to last nights little soiree...

I have to give it to the new Dep, he came across far better than previous incumbents and actually answered questions instead of deflecting them, politician style. Topics that are usually bones of contention were brought up by the Dep and, perhaps, defused before they had a chance to go off.

Having served all his career with just one brigade (Essex) has, I think, helped. He has seen how one brigade works from bottom to top and one that has a large retained firefighter complement too. Time will tell whether this makes the new Dep better than the usual brigade-hopping suspects!

If anyone from Normanshurst or Clifton has any comments about this, agrees with what I've said or wonders whether we were at the same gathering - leave a comment via the form below.

– IAN CARTER (www.accessiblewebsites.co.uk)

www.alerter.co.uk