BOYS’ SPORTS REPORTS 17/03/14

1ST XI V ST ANSELMS W5-2

On the back of last weekends good result against Denstone the 1st XI travelled to Timperley to play St Anselms on Wednesday. Carrying on in the same vein as the Denstone performance Sedbergh were particularly strong in the first half as they played two touch hockey and did not allow the opposition to get close to the ball.

With composure and awareness in possession and an excellent work rate Sedbergh were able to carve out several opportunities before Matthew Hawley scored the first of his four goals, quickly followed by his second, a “Worldy” of a goal as he rolled his marker on the top of the “D” and hit the ball into the top left hand corner of the net.

Felix Zinkann added a third from a short corner to give Sedbergh a 3-0 lead at the break. St Anselms came back strong in the second half, scoring two goals before Hawley put the game beyond doubt with two more goals to give Brown a deserved victory.

U16S V ST ANSELMS W2-1

The under 16s also defeated St Anselms in a close game after Max Silvester and Chris Sanders gave Sedbergh a 2-0 lead half way through the second half before St Anselms pulled one back late in the game from a short corner. St Anselms were denied a draw thanks to rookie goalkeeper Ben Hunt who saved a penalty at the end of the second half.

1ST XI V AMPLEFORTH L3-4

 On the back of two excellent results the 1st XI travelled to North Yorkshire hoping to avenge the 3-2 defeat in January when the teams were separated by a fluke lob goal. However Sedbergh failed to get to grips with the slightly bobbly nature of the pitch throughout the game and were therefore unable to find their touch or fast passing game. Despite this and against the run of play Sedbergh took the lead 12 minutes into the match through Robert Stevenson’s deflection at the far post.

Ampleforth came back quickly after a poor clearance gave their centre forward a 1 on 1 with goalkeeper Harry Radcliffe and despite his best efforts the scores were levelled. Gradually Sedbergh came more into the game and took the lead again before half term in almost identical fashion as Stevenson converted on the far post. Early in the second half Sedbergh extended their lead when Felix Zinkann slotted home a short corner but Sedbergh’s joy was short lived.

With no Dan Gomersall (ill) or Felix Zinkann (substituted) on the park the right hand side disintegrated and in a mad five minute spell half way through the second half Sedbergh lost their composure and shape and gifted three goals. Despite their best efforts Sedbergh were unable to draw level despite a host of opportunities and ultimately the game was summed up in the last minute of the match when an aerial pass to captain Jack Webber inside Ampleforth’s “D” was missed when through on goal. 

Unfortunately, Sedbergh were nowhere near their best and were left ruing what could have been. Sam Stewart at left inside was comfortably the man of the match, whilst Dan Hamill and Josh McAnemy both put in combative performances in the centre.

Colours awarded to Sam Stewart, Dan Hamill and Josh McAnemy.

2ND XI V AMPLEFORTH D2-2

For the second successive game the 2nd XI lost a two goal lead when in control of the match. A superb deflection from Max Cunningham and Alex Simpson’s well taken goal gave Sedbergh a 2-0 lead ten minutes into the second half but sloppy work in defence when not under pressure allowed Ampleforth to get one back and unfortunately things went against Sedbergh for the equalizer ten minutes from time.

Similar to the 1st XI game Sedbergh should have won the game given the chances that came late in the second half; poor decisions were made when, instead of simple slips across the face of the goal taking the goalkeeper out of the equation giving the free player on the left post open goals, players tried to beat the onrushing goalkeeper on their own. For several of these players, who will be stepping up a level next year, this was another harsh lesson of how not to finish off a game. Hopefully the experience will provide the motivation to practice with purpose and make the right decisions under pressure in the future. 

U15S V AMPLEFORTH W3-2

U14S V AMPLEFORTH W1-0

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