Chichester hockey ladies rack up 14-0 win

Positive vibes ran through the Chichester side for their first game back after their mid-season break.

Chichester started well with good link-ups between Sam Salmon, Kelly Stevens and Meg Goring ensuring Lewes could not get a touch.

The forward line, including Lottie Greenlees, Katie Rose and Sally Bradley, were running their socks off. Lewes managed to sneak a goal from their first short corner.

Louisa Taylor and Bella Festa worked fiercely in the middle while Jess Gleeson and Rachel Mealyer took control and allowed Chichester to make progress, ending in a shot on target.

Lewes came back strongly on the counter-attack but strong defensive work from Demelza Peake and Meg Hattemore and their star player, keeper, Claire Goodikept it 1-0.

With half-time looming, a momentary lapse in concerntration meant Lewes went 2-0 up.

The second half saw Amy Chaplin and Festa work well together and super runs from Greenlees meant Chichester kept up the pressure.

Fabulous passages of play were made but Chichester couldn’t get one back.

Chichester host Eastbourne on Saturday.

Burgess Hill 6 Chichester Ladies 2nds 0

Sussex Ladies premier division

It’s back to the drawing board for Chichester. After a long lay-off in which Chi had done very little training because of a frozen training pitch, they had forgotten how to play as a team, almost.

Burgess Hill are a good side and always give Chi a hard game and the home side always seemed to be a step ahead of the visitors.

Hill had the majority of possession throughout the first half and scored three times with Chi not able to cut out the final pass, which enabled them to score.

Chichester kept at it and although being three 3-0 down, they finished the half strongly.

After a good half-time team talk, a change of strategy made it harder for the home side to break through. But break through they did, three more times.

The second half was more even and it will take only a couple of tweaks next week and some key things to work on in training, to make them a hardier proposition.

Chi Ladies twos: Julie Abson, Tracy Austin, Jackie Baxter, Cheryl Parrott, Charlotte Stemp, Sarah Jessop, Josephine Hallier, Emma Bennison, Beanie Bradley, Rachel Trent, Kate Woods, Alex Hurd, Kath Mundy.

Friars cooking on gas Cup win at Havant for ChichesterGosport Ladies 2s 0 Chi Ladies 4s 14

Chi fours travelled to bottom side Gosport but knew complacency can often lead to defeat.

A scrappy start up front held little promise but a short corner gave them the opportunity to refocus and a goal soon came from Caroline Homer.

This was the lift Chi needed to open up the Gosport defence and goals came in quick succession. Runs by Homer proved fruitful for Kelly Lilywhite and Mandy Clark to tap in furthe goals.

Gosport stayed stoic but found themselves 7-0 down at half-time. A team talk from Kim Howarth at half-time brought good advice and there were encouraging words from Char O’Callaghan – and Chi continued to play to their best.

Hayley Johnson and Debs Cox came out of defence to push up front. Johnson secured two goals from clean strikes and Rachel Austin took a well-timed but difficult deflection to bag another.

One attack from Gosport proved slightly tricky but O’Callaghan saved.

Gosport were the epitomy of good sportsmanship but Lilywhite and Clark bagged four apiece, Homer got her first hat-trick, Johnson scored two and Austin one.

Player of the match (voted by Gosport) Mandy Clark.

Chi Ladies: O’Callaghan, Cox, Cruttenden, Johnson, Whittington, Ashton, Austin, Homer, Howarth, Willway, Lilywhite, Clark.