Won 6-1
Scorers: Cook (2), Thomas, Aikin, Ricketts, Solley
MoM: FAMILY TRIGGS. With Trigger snr down to play + take 2 Friars he had to switch to Millers and swap with son Oly however Oly doesn’t drive (yet!) so up stepped Nikki T to drive and then dash back for a school game for Oly. Just hope that Alex didn’t talk too much about the exciting and go ahead state of local government politics when locked up in a car! Thank you for an all round club performance.
DoD: Geordie Hayward for somehow managing to get lost and drive round the Blue Bell Hill interchange almost twice with the Friars Kitchen Cabinet on board – (Skipper Jonesy and VC Hurlow)
With thanks to team sponsor MFri
This was very much a game of 2 halves on a day of glorious sunshine in Borstal above the River Medway and next to little planes landing at Rochester Airport (get on with the hockey this is not an advert for The Medway Towns – ed).
Old Willies started off strongly and their pressure told when after a couple of excellent saves from young Oly Triggs they scored on the rebound. Despite Friars pressure from some good play Old Willies then held out until the last play of the first half when Barry Thomas set up Will Cook who clinically equalised.
Whatever our inscrutable Manager (P. Dowling), clad in wrap around shades, said (he is a man of few but effective words) or the Friars ate or drunk at half time had the desired effect as 4 minutes in Cook reversing roles set up Thomas to take the lead. Another goal soon followed as John Boy Aiken tapped in a nice back pass from Thomas to make the score 3-1.
Much of the second half took place in Old Willies territory and penalty corners came thick and fast, all well defended until Alex Ricketts hit the backboard from another – PC 4-1 in the 50th minute. At that point Old Willies ran out of something and it was all a bit one way.
10 minutes later Thomas put youngster Angus Solley away from just beyond half way & taking the ball into the D, Solley finished nicely to make it 5-1.
Just before full time Cook taking the ball up the right wing into the D from an acute angle hit hard to claim Friars 6th and their best win for many a year!
What was pleasing about this victory was Old Willies had won 3-1 at Polo in the pre Christmas fixture. There was in this fixture some decent passing hockey – not something that is often associated with the Friars. This was a genuine team effort with excellent Friars defence with Cook and Dowling (Guy) playing well together in midfield and allowing Thomas to bamboozle the Old Willies defence.
Played in an excellent spirit with very fair umpiring followed by some excellent OWs hospitality-thank you
Squad: John Aikin, Mike Barton, James Blackburn, Will Cook, Guy Dowling, Jamie Harris, Geordie Hayward, Brian Hurlow, Tony Jones (C), Alex Ricketts, Angus Solley, Barry Thomas, Oly Triggs (GK), Chris Ward, Phil Dowling (Manager),
