Wapping 3s – 0
Southend and Benfleet 1s – 3 (Sarah Conway 1, Ashlie Colman 2)
Southend and Benfleet 1s travelled into the heart of London this weekend to face Wapping 3s on their newly refurbished pitch. As play began there was lots of pressure from S&B as they pounced on a sluggish Wapping team but the hosts soon came back and play was held up in the midfield with nether team letting up. It was half way through the first half when a quick break away up the pitch, a perfectly placed slip back across the Wapping goal saw Sarah Conway literally dive her way onto the scoreboard and give S&B the first goal of the game. Keeping the momentum up it wasn’t long before the same technique of the slip back across goal found Ashlie Colman’s stick and she fired it into the back of the goal, taking the score to 2-0. And that’s where it would stay for the rest of the first half, as solid communication kept Wapping players marked out of the game, coupled with some precise tackles from Nina Dabbs and Kendal Colman was all it took to shut down the Wapping assaults; the home side defensive tactic was rather more unusual, they employed the use of a half court press, which some of the S&B players had never even seen before, it did it’s job for Wapping and slowed down the normally quick paced seasiders.

As the second half began it was clear that Wapping were going to stick to their half court press tactics, which is a very defensive tactic where the defending side pull back and make a wall of players on the half way which can prove to be very difficult to get through if done correctly. S&B however weren’t in any hurry as they had the lead, and for the first 5 or so minutes after an S&B hit out was awarded, the ball was passed between S&B players in their own half with absolutely no challenges coming from the Wapping players standing on the half way line waiting for S&B to come forward. It was a very boring period of the game for spectators and players alike, so it was not surprising when S&B stepped up with the ball and broke the stale mate wanting to actually play a game of hockey. Player of the match, Kendal Colman, would be one of those to storm the Wapping defences coming up from defence into midfield and sometimes running the ball herself into the home sides D creating numerous chances for S&B to pull further into the lead. That didn’t happen though until well into the second half, when a short corner was awarded and Ashlie Colman stepped up and smashed it passed the goalie and into the back of the Londoners goal. S&Bs youngest player on the pitch Natasha Cheeseman fought off many an attaching Londoner with some keen tackles in the left hand corner. In the final minutes of the game Wapping were awarded no less than five consecutive short corners as S&B weren’t able to clear the ball out of the D and counter before another short corner was awarded, but goalie Lisa Hawkins kept the ball out of the back of the goal each time until the final whistle blew. The final score showing Wapping 0, S&B 3.

Next week’s game is one to watch, it’s the penultimate game of the season, if S&B win against Chelmsford then S&B will be crowned champions with a game to spare as second placed Upminster, who S&B will face the week after, won’t be able to make up the points.