Won 2-1
Scorers: Will Cook (2)
MoM: Will Cook Mentioned in despatches: Simon Triggs
DoD: Greg Lound for texting 25 minutes before the game started what time and pitch the match started – he just made it – heroic!
With thanks to team sponsor MFri
Well a Red Letter Day – it was Jonesy’s 82nd Birthday – (true!) but it was also a day where The Friars continued their winning run – of 2 games!
From the start the Friars put pressure on a strong Burnt Ash team and for once played some decent hockey not least because of Will Cook who was commanding in mid field with his work rate and pace.
James Blackburn and Bert Andrews combined well on the left. Burnt Ash unbeaten this season & 3rd in the table took a while to settle but then began to pressure the Friars defence. Trigger was forced to pull off some extraordinary saves and it was only an unfortunate deflection that defeated him leaving the score 0-1 at half time.
More stirring words at the break emboldened the Friars to go up another gear in the second half to produce probably their best hockey of the season. In the 50th minutes and a John Aikin pass to WillCook who then drew the keeper out and slotted it beautifully: 1 all.
Ten minutes later Will Cook, obviously listening to Manager Phil Dowling’s instructions at half-time, took off from the half-way line, drove right to the base line and from an impossible angle scored one of the Friars goals of the season.
There was some good mid field play with Dowling, Hurlow and Hayward communicating well and Bert Andrews busy on the left attacking whilst Jonesy gave us a Birthday cameo with Biggles chatting well with the opposition though he might not have put it quite like that!
Burnt Ash now somewhat frustrated put huge pressure on the Friars goal and numerous PCs ensued but the defence held with Mike Barton, Blackburn, Trigger, Greg Lound and Jamie Harris putting some serious shifts in to hold out and earn a hard fought but well deserved victory.
Apparently the Burnt Ash captain had offered his team a free trip to Ibitha for an undefeated season so The Friars managed to save him a lot of dosh – but no thanks for that !!
Thanks to Chris Payne & Michael Holness for umpiring and the pic shows Jonesy and Will Cook
Squad: SQUAD: John Aikin, Bert Andrews, Mike Barton, James Blackburn, Will Cook, Guy Dowling, Jamie Harris, Geordie Hayward, Brian Hurlow, Tony Jones (C), Greg Lound, Simon Triggs (GK), Chris Ward, Phil Dowling (Manager).
