Cheam Boys Colts

Report: I’ve got over my writer’s block and have actually put to some the use the notes that I made at the pitchside the other day. If only to give Sparky a chance to use up some of those green pixels that he seems to be accumulating as we approach the tail end of another season.

Well, what else was there to do on Mothering Sunday but head down to the pitch and play a game of hockey against Wimbledon. That’s what the Colts thought anyway as, almost to a man, they turned out to play an U14 game.

When I say U14, we did have a couple of guests playing for us and the team consisted of the usual mixture from the sprightly U12’s to the more deliberate approach adopted by James G and Ross (of which more later).

It was decided that we would be playing 3 games of 17 minutes (or so) each. I think that must have been because the Wimbledon lads would have been shattered having turned up a full hour before the game was due to start and spent all that time practising. That’s more than I’ve managed all season (alright, more than I’ve managed for the past 5 seasons).

The first game kicked off and the Cheam Colts were soon into their stride, with a period of sustained pressure, some useful passing of the pall and a few strikes at goal. Wimbledon managed a few breakaways of their own but the Cheam defence stood firm. Even if that standing firm was sometimes a little too high up the pitch, there were times when Jason was the only player in the Cheam half. That domination eventually told with the ball falling to Charlie in the D and him rifling a shot home.

The final flourish of the game being produced by Archie in a spirited display of tackling back and disrupting a Wimbledon attack just before the final whistle blew.

1 – 0, a few smiling faces and a quick team talk.


Game 2, and since it was a friendly the ball was passed to them – which did rather surprise their left back. Rather more of a surprise was the fact that the Cheam forwards were also approaching him rather rapidly, but he recovered well and the game was underway.

An inspired (even if I do say so myself) change in position for James M paid off, OK he’s been badgering me all season to have a go upfront and he delivered the goods with a well taken goal. This was swiftly followed by another one from Archie, using the famous bobble it across the line technique.

A strong run from James G saw him in a one on one with the ’keeper, and being a true public spirited gent he decided not to try and knock the kid’s head off, but rather went for placing it in the far corner – an effort which was rather well saved.

Ross was now given a chance in centre midfield and relished the fact that there was now a bit of space to either side of him, capping his performance with a goal shortly before the end, the final score of 3 – 0 did not flatter the team who were now passing well and gaining confidence.

The final game, and still the weather was keeping clear.

James G and Ross were rested for a bit to let us see how the younger lads would get on – pretty well as it turned out, and after about 10 minutes it was still 0 – 0, the highlight being a fantastic run from Ben which must have been 80 yards, starting off from centre defence and finishing up at left wing just outside the D.

After a couple of substitutions and the big guns were in action – another fantastic passing move saw James G get his first of the afternoon.
Wimbledon were not out of this yet though and earned a couple of short corners, scoring from the second despite the best efforts of the defence.

Cheam were determined to sign off in style though, a move down the right, ball swept into the D and swept home for the lead. One minute to go, quick move up the middle, the fastest 50 yard run in his life and Josh had the chance to put the cherry on the cake, which of course he did. Final score 3 – 1.

As ever, a big thank you to all who came to watch (especially the Mums), to Anton for umpiring and Claire for organising the fixture.

Report: Well, the Under 12’s continue to keep lots of green on the hockey club’s results pages.

This week saw the arrival of teams from Ashford and Reigate to the fortress for a round of 7 aside matches.

Cheam had the requisite 7 (after a bit of last minute ferrying duties by Mrs Gault – thank you) and were off to a flying start against Ashford:

Goal 1 – intercepted by Matt of the edge of his D, worked through to Jamie and then to Will, calmly taken on the reverse.

Goal 2 – This time it was Archie who picked up the ball outside the D, released Will … who scored again.

Goal 3 – Ball worked across the oppo’s back line, cross from Will and swept in by Reuben at the back post.

Goal 4 – Goal of the day, in a move that involved virtually all of the outfield players. Free hit on the left taken by Reuben, passed round the back to the other wing, cross came in and Reuben on hand at the back post to tuck away his second.

Goal 5 – Jamie W taking the direct route, ball slipped to Will and he got his hat-trick.

Disaster – Will gets injured. These Colts recover more quickly than their more illustrious forebears though and he was soon up and about again.

Goal 6 – Will recovers and gets his 4th of the game.

They were then instructed to save their energy for the next game – which they did by going down the other end of the pitch and playing football!

Next up, Reigate. An altogether scrappier affair, marked by a solitary scrappy goal – again from Will, some solid defending from Matt and Nathan. And 2 decent efforts from Reigate that each went narrowly wide. (1 - 0 win)

Back to Ashford then. Jason was a bit busier between the sticks this time, and it took a while for the deadlock to be broken. But broken it was by the midfield trio of Jamie, Will and Archie who remembered how to pass the ball and enabled Archie to score his statutory contribution. (1 - 0 win)


Finally Reigate – and the fatigue was beginning to set in a bit, in fact Reigate could have had a couple of early goals but for some great saves by Jason and some panicky finishing by their strikers. They did then manage to breach the defence and take the lead. A few minutes left on the clock and Cheam had a 16 yard hit. A polite suggestion from Will (which I have it on good authority was heard in Norfolk) to run it quickly up the middle. Jamie obliged, beat a couple of midfielders, slipped the ball to Reuben who tucked it away for the equaliser. (1 - 1)

On the day then; played 4, (W3 D1 L0), goals for 9, goals against 1.

Q. What do you call a pair of hockey goalkeepers?

A. Umpires. A big thank you to Krish and Stumps for seeing through the murk and blowing the whistles at irregular intervals.

Report: Another Sunday morning trip for the U12’s, up at the crack of dawn to navigate to the other side of the county to play some games against Oxted and Surbiton.

The usual prophecy from Olly; I’m sure he’s too young to have watched Dad’s Army but he gets more like Private Fraser every week – “we’re doomed …”

The usual “sorry I can’t remember your name” –from the coach.

The usual “I’ve forgotten my ……” etc

The only thing that wasn’t usual was that it was actually quite chilly.

The first game was against one of the Oxted sides, no one seemed terribly sure which one – they were due to have two there but somehow managed to provide enough players for 3.

Anyway, the playing conditions were agreed - 12 minutes one way, no half time etc. The games commenced.

Cheam were quickest out of the blocks and managed an early spell of sustained pressure which soon reaped rewards.

The champagne moment of the day – a sweeping, pacy crossfield pass from Jamie W found Archie at the top of the D (note to many a 3’s player – if you want to see how it’s done properly then come and watch the colts). Archie remained cool under pressure and despite a good save from the ‘keeper put away the rebound.

Oxted were then successfully kept at bay by the defence and the U12’s kept up their winning ways.

Cheam 1 Oxted 0

Game 2 – Surbiton B, again there was early Cheam pressure and again it was rewarded when Jamie W took the ball into the D and calmly put it into the back of the goal. Several minutes latter a Surbiton pass was intercepted and the ball passed to Archie, who beat his defender and also scored.

Cheam 2, Surbiton B 0

What turned out to be our last game was against Surbiton A, who were quite handy, had about 5 substitutes and were clearly keen on avenging the defeat of their mates. Nevertheless it was Cheam who took an early lead, a flowing move that took in the length of the pitch – Rohan picked up the ball in his own D and in a move that also involved Jamie W and Matt (and triangles), the ball was soon at the stick of Archie who grabbed his third goal of the morning. Sad to say that was the high water mark of the game, several Surbiton breakaways saw them take the lead and despite some good saves from Jason (who did actually stop talking for at least 5 minutes), and a short corner won by Cheam, it was Surbiton who ran out the winners.

Cheam 1, Surbiton A 4

In summary then – played 3, won 2, goals scored 4, goals conceded 4. Not quite as doomed as Olly would have us believe.

Special thanks to Sebastian Otley for supplying the coach (i.e. me) with a much needed warming cup of coffee, and to all the other parents who came along to offer support and transport.

Report: Colts under 8s (boys and girls) Four 7-a-side games (8 mins duration)played v PW's.

For most of the team it was their first competitive games for Cheam HC and they did the club proud. The first couple of games allowed players to get used to playing together. PW's managed to score a couple of goals through the influence of their one stronger player but in the last 2 games our team gelled and we competed well managing to keep a clean sheet in the last game. Kijan, Miles and Ojar were stalwarts in defence. Ellie and Jenny combining well in the forward line and Anthony, Caitlin, Zara and Sky battling hard in midfield. Caitlin distributing well from centre midfield. Well played everyone We improved with each game and we deserved a goal for all our efforts . Zara coming the closest with an individual run from the half way line shooting just wide of the post. Thanks to the supporters for all their suport and encouragement. Here's looking forward to the return fixture!

Report: Cheam U10s (Boys & Girls)

We played 3 7-a-side games against PWs. The first was a scrappy affair with both teams playing very narrow. Proabably to be expected given for some it was their first match. It ended 0-0 with both defences on top.

After a brief break and instruction to keep the width we started the 2nd game. Unfortunately PWs won this game 3-0, Cheam were a little unlucky but actually held onto the ball a bit better and kept their shape. Unfortunately most of the possession was in our own half.

After another break and reassurance that they were playing well and should keep going Cheam U10s started their third and final game. Cheam started very positively and looked like they would take an early lead only to be thwarted by the PWs defence at the last minute. Cheam applied much pressure but PWs got a break and finished clinically. However Cheam kept the faith and soon equalised through Marcus after a well worked move that involved most of the team, the Cheam supporters went wild with celebration! Cheam continued to push on for a winner but time ran out, final score 1-1.

The team improved in each game and should take heart that they kept going and by the third game were by far the better side. Can't wait to get them back to The Fortress!

Report: Well, not so much a game of 2 halves but one of a keenly contested 55 minutes (and a patch of 5 minutes we shall try to forget – read on dear reader).

The Cheam Under 14’s, that is to say basically the Under 12’s with a few extras, travelled to Wimbledon to play their first game of the season on a full pitch.

With only 12 players we knew that we would have our work cut out but the first few minutes were quite even. A spell of Cheam pressure led to a shot from Josh that went narrowly wide. Wimbledon had a short corner, again resulting in a shot that went wide.

Then disaster, Wimbledon got into the Cheam D, Charlie was injured and whilst he lay on the ground the ball ended up in the Cheam goal, deflected off a defender’s stick. We broke out the plasters to reattach Charlie’s leg, but whilst we were doing that and reorganising the defence Olly went down injured. Charlie hobbled back on but before we had time to catch our breath Wimbledon were 2 – 0 up, a well taken goal into the roof of the net that didn’t give Jason much chance.

We had run out of sticking plasters by this stage and were therefore unable to patch Olly up - we would have to play the remainder of the game without any subs.

Half time, 2 – 0 down and feelings running rather high (especially after one of the Wimbledon players kept referred to Jamie as “4 eyes”), a typical game against Wimbledon really. After a slight reorganisation and a bit of cooling down, and we were back ready for the 2nd half.

It must be said that Cheam were quickest out of the blocks again, a good shot from Jamie (having completely skinned his erstwhile tormentor), a couple of short corners and the belief that we could get something out of the game. There was a lot of good running, calling and passing. Josh finding good positions up front and stretching the defence wide to give room for the triumvirate of Archie, Jamie and Will to run into.

Then another disaster, Wimbledon scored again, my notes say “good goal” but in all honesty I can’t remember it - and it’s only 48 hours later.

At this point James and Charlie were given licence to attack more from the full back positions and James soon found himself in the Wimbledon D. Unfortunately, being so high up the pitch he got dizzy and fell over. Never mind, there was still a lot of Cheam pressure and we really were bossing the midfield. A spell of several short corners in a row ended up in a well deserved goal as Charlie received the ball took it into the D and scored on the reverse. I wish he’d teach me how to do that!

We weren’t done yet, the last couple of minutes were camped in the Wimbledon half and the last touch of the ball was a cracking effort from another short corner.

Well done to all the boys and thank you to all the parents who turned up to support.

Thank you also to Wimbledon for supplying both umpires.

Report: Well, the Cheam U12’s band wagon rolled merrily onward on Sunday. Another hot and sunny morning and another tournament to play. 4 teams this time, so 6 games needed to be played over 2 pitches.

Cheam’s first opponents were the Trinity Legends and it was end to end stuff for a while, then late in the 1st half Will found himself in the D and coolly slotted the ball home (mention should be made of the fact that the Legends had neglected to include a goalkeeper). The second half provided more of the same, the Legends making good use of their extra outfield player and pressing forward managed to bundle the ball into the back of the Cheam goal.

So the final score was 1 – 1.

Refreshments all round (even Anton was gasping for a drink …), then on to play Richmond. There must be something in the water in Richmond, they were all about 6 inches taller than the Cheam lads. Nevertheless it was a keenly battled first half, Archie had a good effort saved by the keeper and the defence was holding up pretty well, right up to the point when Richmond sneaked a goal and that’s the way it stayed up to half time.

In the opening exchanges of the 2nd half the ball was stolen by Rohan, the ball was slipped to Will, who ran past a couple of challenges and neatly tucked the ball away from a tight angle.

Shortly after, the ball was again stolen, this time by Archie, the ball was slipped to Will, who ran past a couple of challenges and neatly tucked the ball away again.

The Cheam midfield kept pushing up, as indeed did one of the defenders – and Rohan got his name on the score sheet with an effort that took a slight deflection off a defender.

As was commented after the game “Cheam won that game because they chased everything”.

Final score 3 – 1.

The last game – against the Trinity Lunatics and all to play for. The first half can probably best be described as “scrappy”, the heat obviously now taking its toll. The highlight of the half being a well taken strike by Rohan which was well saved by the ‘keeper. The second half saw some good defensive work by the consistently unflappable Olly, 2 Lunatics receiving blows from hits by Jamie and Will and finally a well worked move down the right by Rohan and Will, the ball finding it’s way to Archie who put it away at the second attempt.

The defence now went into overdrive and the Lunatics were hardly allowed into the Cheam half for the remainder of the game and the score staying at 1 – 0.

The season so far

Played 5 (won 4, drawn 1, lost 0)
Goals for 8, goals against 2.

With many thanks to the umpires – the "Shep in the Hat" and Joe Oddy (who actually managed to avoid having an argument with himself and stayed on the pitch for the entire duration).

Report: On a glorious sunny Sunday (very early) morning the Cheam Colts U12 boys travelled over to Sunbury to play their first three way mini tournament of the season.

There were 5 Cheam lads ready to go, notwithstanding the fact that the games were scheduled to be 7 a side. Anyway, after 30 seconds or so of negotiation we gained a couple of guest players to help us out in each of our two matches.

First up was a game against Staines, after the opening skirmishes Archie went for a run down the right wing, pulled the ball across and it was neatly tucked away by Rory (a Sunbury player guesting for us).

So 1 – 0 up at the half and Cheam were keen to get a second, a spell of pressure resulted in several chances going by the wayside, until Archie collected the ball, drove inside the “D” and cracked a shot over the ‘keepers head, 2 – 0. A period of Staines pressure was dealt with by the triumvirate of Jason in goal and his defenders (Ollie and Matt), and that was the final score.

No time for much of a rest though, with the sun getting higher in the sky and things heating up it was a case of grabbing drinks all round, recruiting a couple of Staines players and heading back onto the pitch again, to play the hosts.

This time it was Jamie who made the early breakthrough, beating several tackles to get into the D and push the ball past the goalkeeper, (just like Anton was teaching at practice the previous week).

The two Staines players, Jack and Thomas, linked well with the established Cheam midfield and with the defence holding firm again that gaol was enough to secure the victory.

“Man of the Match” award was shared between Archie and Jamie, both ran tirelessly in both games, both scored very good goals and both looked like little blond haired beetroots by the time the final whistle went.

So, 2 wins, 2 clean sheets and several very happy Cheam Colts.

Our next games are at Nonsuch on Sunday 9th October, please come and support the team.