Monday 9 November 2009

Timperley U19 8 v Heaton Mersey 6 - Match Report by Peter Forster

Sunday 8.11.09 a cold, misty night but a good night for lacrosse. Steam rising from nostrils like bulls in the ring as the teams enter the arena. The crowd shivering in anticipation of the feast which is to unfold before their eyes. Either that or they had forgotten to put their thermals on.

Heaton Mersey were Timperley's opponents and Mersey wanted revenge for a defeat in the Ted Donnet tournament. A nervy start from both sides saw an off side each and passes astray but then Timperley settled and their possession and pressure began to tell and Captain Blower started a move out of defence with a burst forward which ended in Ollie White scoring the first. A lot of possession followed and it was no surprise when Jack Brook grabbed another for a deserved 2 - 0 quarter lead.
The second quarter was in the same vein with the Timperley attack causing all sorts of problems for Mersey and tricky play from Greg Sandy saw him snatch two goals. Ollie grabbed his second. 5 - 1
Timperley increased their lead in the third quarter but at point were down to a four man defence which allowed Mersey to score twice when their play didn't really deserve it. Elliot Shaw, as always, took his goal well with placement rather than power and Rob Edwards scored with a low shot to make sure the team won the quarter by one goal. 8 - 3
Perhaps the best to say about the final quarter was that the Timperley defence played well (often when a man down) with Matt Raven in particular showing good positional sense and bodying well. Mersey pressed hard but they were too far behind to come back and when it mattered Timperley held the ball and kept Mersey out. Final score 8 - 6.

Overall there was great play from Timperley with slick passing and movement bringing some memorable goals and the defence when a man (or two) down was solid. As with last week the goals were spread out amongst the team and all the Timperley players are capable of scoring which makes it hard for their opponents. Two reasonably tight games should give Timperley confidence for future games as they showed that they can play good lacrosse when under pressure.

No stats ("Statto" Hawksley was on an England trial, normal service next week) but there were 10 minutes of penalties against Timperley (2 for Mersey) and from memory Jay Armstrong won 14 out of 17 face offs which continued his good form.

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