Cheam Mens Vets "Clarets"

Report: Oxted Vets, the front runners in the league, managed a 7-2 win over the Clarets but did not have it all their own way until the home side went down to 9 players early in the second half. Oxted got off to a great start scoring in the first minute of the contest. Despite continuing to dominate the play thereafter, Oxted could not break down the Cheam defence and when they did Craig Wilson was in the right place to stop some powerful shots from the Oxted centre forward. Eventually one went in but immediately Cheam responded with a goal from a penalty corner put away by Anton Mostert. With the score line staying at 2-1 to the break the game was far from over. However, early in the second half two Clarets limped off with pulled hamstrings leaving the team to soldier on with one forward. The midfield did a gallant job of retaining the ball as long as possible when possesion came their way. However, the combination of a penalty flick and an unstoppable centre forward in the circle resulted in the convincing win for the visitors.

Report: Last week the Clarets X took on St Albans at St Albans in a contest that was keenly fought being characterised by some robust tackling to keep the visiters at bay. The early action saw St Albans attacking with numbers only to come up against a determined Cheam defence that stood firm, repelling all advances on goal. Meanwhile, the Clarets midfield, looking dangerous on the counter attack, were soon having a positive impact on the game. This was to pay dividends when Martin Petts found Derek Wright on the edge of the circle. Derek controlled the ball instantly, turned the opposition defender and struck a clean shot into the back of the net to put the ten men one nil up. St Albans replied with spirit but were unable to break through before half time despite numerous short corners being awarded in their favour. After the break the game became increasingly competitive. Once St Albans scored and got a second from yet another short corner it looked like Cheam were to be overpowered. However, the Clarets kept playing and another pass from Martin Petts, this time found Bob Stiff free in the circle. After first rounding a defender and then taking the ball wide of the keeper coming out, Bob calmly pushed the ball into the net from the tightest of angles. Coming away with at least a point was denied the visiters when, in the final minutes, St Albans scored their third from a penalty corner. We were robbed after a fine effort with a depleted team!

Report: The Clarets entertained Sevenoaks at Nonsuch last Saturday in what turned out to be an unusually physical contest for this fixture. Unfortunately it was the home side that came second, being on the wrong side of a 2-4 scoreline. Going behind by 2 goals early on did not help the cause. The arrears were reduced towards the end of the first half by Kevin French taking a quick free hit outside the circle for Derek Wright to deflect into the goal. This demonstrated that the game should now be played non stop under the new rules and those that take advantage will come out on top. It does, however, call for an awareness of where your colleagues are at all times plus movement off the ball. In the second half Cheam switched to the Diamond formation, which had the effect of providing more space for the runners to work with. However, it has to be said that the Clarets were helped by a Sevenoaks player going off with a blood injury giving Cheam one over in the outfield. Anton Mostert scored from a penalty corner to keep Cheam in the hunt during the latter stages of the game, which was now flowing end to end. The Clarets did create further opportunities to put real pressure on the visiters but could not take them before the final whistle blew.

Report: Last Saturday the Clarets lost heavily to Tunbridge Wells, who are sitting comfortably at the top table. At least they gave Cheam respect by fielding their best line up. The contest got off to a bad start for Cheam when the visiters were awarded a penalty flick within seconds of the push forward. They scored and followed up by drilling home five more goals before halftime. The Clarets could not stay with the fast running forwards. Tunbridge far too often ended up with one over in the circle and clinical passing and shooting did for the Clarets. After the break the intensity was off and Cheam matched their opponents with some good hockey. Two breaks from Kevin French resulted in two goals for the home side. The first scored by Anton Mostert from a short corner made by Kevin. The second was again at the end of a Kevin dribble finished off by Derek Wright. At the other end Tunbridge put away three more to give them the half but it was generally agreed honours were even after the first half slaughter.

Report: Last Saturday the Clarets pulled off a memorable victory on a cold snowy evening away at Tring high up in the Chiltern Hills! The Clarets, with talisman Derek Wright back after a long lay off, elected to go with a new formation, which possibly confused the home side almost as much as Cheam. Within seconds of the push forward Cheam had moved the ball smoothly through midfield to Derek Wright who had only the keeper to beat. His hard shot went agonisingly on the wrong side of the left post but it put Tring on notice that this would not be an easy game. In fact Cheam possibly had more of the chances in the first half but were undone by a short corner after saving several earlier penalties. In the second half play moved from end to end with chances falling to both sides. A short corner to the Clarets broke the deadlock. Anton Mostert moved the ball to Bob Stiff closing in fast at the left post to deflect the ball into the goal bringing the scores level. This prompted a spirited reply by Tring, which ended up with a short corner to the home side. This time the striker moved the ball to his right preventing his firm hit being intercepted by the defenders running out. However, it was not long before Cheam forced another penalty corner in their favour. Once again the Mostert to Stiff play worked and it was two all and game on. Panic in the opposition ranks called for defenders to commit themselves up field going for the winner. Bob Stiff spotted the gap that was left in defence, dribbled the ball from deep in the Clarets half to the edge of the opponents circle. A smart lay off to Anton Mostert on the right, who performed some pretty stick work to draw two defenders before moving the ball back to Bob Stiff in front of goal. He made no mistake in finishing the move started by himself to complete his hat trick and take Cheam to a 3-2 lead. In the final minutes Tring threw everything they had at the Clarets but it was not enough and Cheam ran out the winners.

Report: Last Saturday the Clarets featured in a keenly contested game against the Old Cranleighan, which ended in a 2-2 draw,  Cheam settled first and were soon in control of the midfield thereby keeping the play in the opponents half.  However, opportunities were not taken and, perhaps against the run of play, the Old Cranleighans scored first after the ball had got trapped in the keepers pads.  Given this encouragement the visiters upped their game and were two to the good before half time.  In the second half Cheam caused confusion in their opponents play by switching players around, once again to good effect. Although Mark Frost was called on to make some fine saves to keep Cheam's chances alive, things started to hot up at the other end of the field. With much of the play coming down the right  big gaps appeared on the left flank helped by Colin Bishop dragging his markers out of position.  David Parker saw his chance and moved into the space created.  Although not intially receiving the pass that was on he stayed in the left side of the circle totally unmarked and made no mistake in thrashing the ball home when it finally came to him.  This sparked a series of further chances resulting in one disallowed goal.  Eventually the Clarets were rewarded with a well taken goal from Martin Petts swopping in from the left.  From this point both sides went for the winner, and despite some hairy moments in both circles the game ended in a draw.  Well done to the Clarets for coming back from a two goal deficit and so nearly getting a winner in the final seconds when Graham Head's shot was rebuffed by a desperate defender.

Report: Last weekend the Clarets were away to St Albans, up against their top vets side.  The first quarter saw a home side attacking with numbers, which left Cheam short in defence and unable to relieve the pressure.  St Albans found themselves four goals up before mistakes started to creep in allowing Cheam to interupt the, up until then, fluid passing moves coming from the oppo.  By continualy swapping positions down the spine of the team Cheam managed to break up the St Albans play and by half time the contest had become fairly even with chances coming to both sides. After the break it was evident that tired legs, after such a long lay off, would influence the goal tally.  The Cheam midfield and forwards staged a rally midway through the half forcing two short corners, both of which were safely put away by Bob Stiff running in on rebounds off the defenders.  This was no where near enough to put pressue on St Albans who were able to score at will in the later stages of the game, which did their goal difference a power of good with an 11 -2 victory. Pity about the scoreline as the Clarets played some good hockey going forward in the middle of the field but were outplayed by a younger fitter team. 

Report: On Saturday the Clarets were soundly beaten by top of the table Oxted Vets.  Despite the scoreline, it was a competitive contest with both teams playing some fine open hockey.  After going down a goal in the first minute, the Clarets were holding their own for much of the first quarter with little sign of what was to follow.  Unfortunately for the visiters Oxted's centre forward  brilliantly converted five of their six short corners awarded, leaving the Clarets an impossible task! Prior to this body blow Kevin French scored a great goal from a Graham Head pass bringing the scoreline back to a manageable 3-1 at the time.  For once there was no second half reversal as Oxted piled on the pressure for Anton Mostert to fend off gallantly in the heart of the Cheam defence.  With a number of squad players absent or injured thanks go out to Neil, Graham, Mark and Ian who turned out in a rain soaked evening to support the team cause.

Report: Last week the vets did their usual party trick of allowing the oppo soft goals in the first half and then winning the second half.  The net result was to go down 1-3 to St Albans in a keenly contested game at Nonsuch.  By half time the visiters were three up and coasting.  A stern lecture by the Mostert's during the interval, combined with some tactical adjustments,  gave rise to  flowing movement by the Clarets right across the park.  Supported by his forwards, Bob Stiff was causing panic in the oppo's defence, which eventually gave rise to a penalty flick.  Although not converting on this occasion, Cheam were immediately back on the attack.  It was not long before Colin Bishop found himself with the ball and having a clear sight of an open goal.  A cleanly struck shot clattered against the boards and it was game on.  At this stage the match was  being fought out in poor light, which was a pity given both sides wanted to play hockey.  Eventually, in near darkness, the game came to a close with no further goals scored, despite a spirited effort by the Clarets. 

Report: Last Saturday the Clarets took on a strong Sevenoaks side in the rain and under floodlights at their Holly Bush ground. Cheam started with conviction smoothly moving the ball around the field giving the home side defence food for thought. However, it was not long before it became evident that Sevenoaks possessed a centre forward in a different class who was subsequently reported to be the leading goalscorer in the National League just a few seasons ago. Breaking through the Clarets defence at will, it was only a magnificent display from keeper Craig Wilson that stood in his way. Having said this a number of unstoppable shots soon had Cheam well and truly fighting for survival to keep the scoreline in single figures. At the other end the Clarets continued to play their hockey and were clearly capable of doing some damage too. The hard work put in was eventually justifably rewarded with a penalty flick to the visitors, which was safely put away by Mike Henwood, but this did little to make the scoreline respectable, which stood at 7-1 by half time.

After the interval the Clarets took up the challenge by shuffling their pack with the intention of going for goal rather than attempting to keep the score manageable. With Craig Wilson still in fine form frustrating the Sevenoaks attackers, the Cheam fowards were soon making in roads into the scoreline. One particlarily crisp movement off the ball from the defence through middle field ending up with Martin Petts delivering an excellent pass in the circle for Bob Stiff to score, demonstrated that the Clarets could play too. The final five goal tally for Cheam came from a well disguised short corner, which led to Kevin French scoring, a neat back stick tap in by Richard Cuthbert and a second from Kevin. Sevenoaks added three goals to their haf time lead, two of which were dodgy at best. At least Cheam could say they won the second half !

Report: Last week the Clarets took on Tring in hurricane force winds and torrential rain. The tactic of making the opposition wait in the cold whilst Cheam mustered a team unfortunately backfired. The second error was to call wrongly at the toss and consequently be forced to face the elements. This resiulted in two early goals for the visitors. Once the Cheam midfield reinforcements arrived in the form of Martin Petts and Mike Henwood, the contest took on a more even look. However, the menacing Tring centre forward always looked dangerous if allowed possision inside the 25 yard line and unfortunately for Cheam scored a third goal just before half time. After the interval , although the storm had subsided, the Clarets had the wind in their favour and were now looking the more dangerous unit in attack. Their hard work was finally rewarded when Kevin French rounded off an individual effort with a well taken goal. For a moment Tring voices were sounding the alarm but they managed to weather this late scare by scoring a fourth goal to leave the result beyond doubt.

Report: Last week the Clarets had an outstanding 7 - 0 win against the HAC. The story of the contest was an impressive shut out by Tris Clucas, who had volunteered to put on the pads in the absence of Craig or another regular keeper. Despite Cheam dominating much of the play, the visiters still managed a number of shots on goal, all of which were repelled by a defiant Tris. At the other end Anton Mostert started the goal feast, which was shortly to be followed by a second put away by Graham Head from a clever Anton short pass across the goal mouth. Anton and Derek Wright completed the goal scoring in the first half to give the Clarets a four nil lead at half time. After the break HAC frustrated the Cheam attack force with some resolute tackling. The stalemate was finally broken by Anton crashing the ball home against the back board from a short corner. Derek Wright got in the action again with the sixth goal before Anton completed his double brace.

Report: The Clarets featured in a closely contested match at the Old Cranleighans ground last Saturday but still managed to go down by two goals to nil. In the first quarter Cheam dominated play, forcing the Old Cranleighans back into their own half, but once again the first goal proved elusive. To counter the Clarets more skilful play, the Old Cranleighans concentrated on stopping and passing and in this way slowly took control of the game in midfield. By half time Anders Mostert and Craig Wilson, in the Cheam defence, were finally being called on to show their mettle to ensure the game remained goalless at the break. The second half proved a much more even contest with neither side looking like scoring. However, the stalemate was finally broken when the Old Cranleighans scored a scrappy goal to take the lead. Seeing the game slipping away, the Clarets forced the home side into a series of desperate tackles in and around the circle resulting in numerous short corners. None were converted and the Old Cranleighans eventually made sure of their victory with a late break away goal.

Report: Last Saturday the Clarets took on the St Albans vets 1st XI. Despite being under pressure for much of the first half, Cheam kept their heads and at times looked dangerous moving the ball smoothly through the midfield utilising the pace and control provided by Martin Petts. However, inevitably St Albans managed to find a way through the over worked Clarets defence and by half time the visiters were two goals up. To make matters worse, within a minute of the restart, the lead was increased to three. In an effort to get back into the game, Cheam pushed forward and were soon rewarded with a well taken goal by Anton Mostert and a second scored by Mike Henwood from the back of the circle. Anton Mostert hit two rockets from short corners only to be thwarted by reaction saves by the keeper. Meanwhile at the other end St Albans, taking advantage of the home side losing possesion far too often, were able to rattle in goals at will against a defence that had gone walk about. The 2-9 scoreline hardly reflected what was a keenly contested match for much of the game but in the end fitness was perhaps the telling factor.

Report: The Clarets lost 7-1 to Tunbridge Wells Vets 1 last week. The home side won the toss and opted to play down the slope, with the sun on their backs. Taking advantage of such a significant advantage the Wells forwards were able to mount wave on wave of attacks against a beleagured Cheam defence. Despite stirling work by Anton Mostert and some fine saves made by Craig Wilson, it was inevitable that the goals would come. By the interval the home side were five goals to the good and counting. However, a change of ends altered everything. Suddenly the Clarets found themselves doing most of the attacking and should have recovered some of the lost ground. It took a Mike Henwood penalty flick to finally get the ball in the back of the net. At this stage it looked possible Cheam would go home having won the second half. However, despite a great effort by all, the younger team prevailed in the end and took the honours in both periods.

Report: The Clarets lost 4-0 to Wimbledon last Saturday having held the opposition to a one goal difference until the final few minutes when the Clarets, with Derek Wright off the field with yet another pulled hamstring, committed players forward leaving the defence exposed to counter attacks.  Immediately prior to going two behind Cheam looked the more likely to score from at least one of the  several good chances created.  Bob Stiff and Malcolm Paul looked solid in defence breaking up numerous attacks whilst up the other end the Clarets forwards always looked dangerous. Playing against a team mainly in the 35+/- year old range, this was a creditale performance. Scoring still remains the issue. An observation from  afar suggests opting to look to pass in the circle rather than trying to shoot off balance needs to be tried once in a while.  Having said that Anton Mostert was unlucky not to score before the final flurry of goals by the visiters from a blistering shot requiring to be diverted around the post by a defender.