Mens 2s start with win
Match: Sonning 2nd XI vs Maidenhead 2nd XI
Venue: Sonning
Date: 03/10/09
So the Indian Summer never materialised but Sonning enjoyed its usual summer mix of grass hockey, purple nasty and hockey festivals all around the country… not to mention a small hockey vacation to Abu Dhabi! The first weekend of October brought with it the first league game of the season for the Mens section.
So to the 2s… We welcome a new captain and a number of new players this season, and having had an intense few weeks with the Clubs new Olympian coach confidence was high, despite a mixed pre-season. So what better way to enter a new league than a local derby. Sonning 2s welcomed Maidenhead for the first game of the season and registered an emphatic 2 – 0 win.
Despite early pressure from the visitors, Sonning held firm and held formation to see off the threat posed. Solid tackling from Mark “Showpony” Pursell and new-boy Tim Clay, combined with hard running and composure from Pauly Harris and new-boy Geoff Turner at wing-backs gave a platform for the rest of the team to build on.
Captain Chris Goodman held the centre which allowed Neil Thompson and Matt “Tufty” Sellwood to pull the strings in midfield and which ultimately undid the Maidenhead defence for the opening goal. After a solid tackle and offload from the defence, Tufty created enough space in midfield to thread the ball through to James Lockhart making a darting run into the box; who beat his mate Tony to the ball, rounded the keeper and slipped it to Jules Greenaway to apply a cool finish on his debut.
Sonning maintained pressure and formation and reduced Maidenhead to some fairly long hits up the field, which were easily dealt with by the defence. Despite a number of short corners Sonning held firm and were rewarded by a well taken individual goal by Matt Poulton. Again fed by the midfield, Poults rounded a couple of defenders and slotted home from a near impossible angle on the base line.
The second half produced much more of the same, with Sonning maintaining their stranglehold on the game. Mark Eighteen rolled with the forwards and provided the trickery needed to keep the pressure on the visitors. Despite injuries to Tufty and Show during the second half which lead to a joint trip to A&E, and a couple of goal line clearances to help out debutant Rob Merriman who had largely been a spectator up until then, Sonning saw out the second half and were fully-deserving of the points.
MOTM: Despite owning “tree porn” to compete with Butler, a solid debut from Tim Clay gave him Man of the Match.
DOTD: Despite his debut goal… a garishly pink bag & matching gumshield, special stick and narrowly avoiding a yellow card, Jules walked away with D**k of the Day.