Match Report 18 Dec 2008

Date- 18-12-08

Venue-CRC

Match start 9:25

Phoenix 4   v.s  Vikings 4

First Attack: Alex N ©, Martin, Jazz, Jackie S  Defense: Dave, Brian, Georgina, Becky

Subs Annette (came on for Jackie at half time). Jamie (came on for Martin in 2nd half). Lee (came on for Brian in 2nd half)

Goals: Jazz, Martin, Becky, Dave, Annette, Lee, Jackie (Pen)

The first attack for Vikings was Alex, Martin, Jazz and Jackie with the defending division being Dave, Brain, Georgina and Becky.  After a lengthy warm up the referee finally arrived and the game was underway. In the early stages of the game Vikings defended well and on paper this was their game to win.  It was only a matter of time before Vikings took the lead and a short passing move was finished well with a drop-off shot from Jazz.  Vikings applied good pressure when defending and it wasn’t long before they were on the attack again.  A foul on martin won Vikings a penalty, which Jackie dispatched.  Vikings continued to defend well but could not add to their goal tally in attack.  Although a number of players came close with their shots the opportunity to increase the lead was not taken.  Phoenix scored to make it 2-1 even though the Vikings defence had restricted them well, to just a few shots.  The Vikings attack was still coming close but at half time the game remained 2-1.

In the second half the defence applied good pressure not letting phoenix get back into the game. Vikings had a large percentage of the possession, passing the ball around.  The shots continued to hammer the phoenix defence.  Becky took a short shot well to make the game 3-1 and martin scored a drop off shot: it was now 4-1 to Vikings and we were in control.  Annette came on as a substitute and scored a long shot to claim her first goal of the season.  Dave also got off the mark with a well taken short shot.  The shots were now going in and Vikings’ good defensive display was being rewarded in attack.  The scoring was rounded off by Lee, who came on as a substitute to score a short shot and the game finished 7-1 to Vikings.

A good team performance and defensive display earned Vikings 4 their first win. The solid Vikings defence meant Phoenix caused little threat and the team took advantage when in attack.  All the goals came from a different scorer, which is a good sign of a true team performance. Let’s hope everyone comes back refreshed in the New Year and the good results continue. Not just for team 4 but for Vikings as a club.

Final Score: Phoenix IV 1-7 Vikings IV

Jamie Cranwell

Match Report 20-11-08

Match Report – Phoenix 3 v Vikings 1, 20/11/08

1^st Attack –Mo ©, Loes, Jerram, Jon

Defense –Sarah, Harriet, Andy, Mike

 

Vikings 1 travelled to Cambridge for this fixture late on a Thursday night.  Vikings 2 had beaten Phoenix 2 here a week before, and Phoenix would surely want to avenge that defeat.

Vikings got off to the best start possible – three attacks, three shots, three goals, with Harriet and two from Loes putting Vikings into a quick three-goal lead.  The team was working well and the goals continued to fall, with both Loes and Andy scoring first half hat-tricks, giving Vikings an 11-1 lead at half time.  Vikings were forcing Phoenix to make mistakes and then capitalising on them.

The game slowed down in the second half, with Phoenix holding onto the ball better.  But Vikings were still restricting the number of shots Phoenix could have.  Jon coolly converted two penalties, while Sarah and Harriet also reached their hat-tricks.  Two further goals from Mo put the final score at 18-5 in favour of Vikings.

This was an important win for Vikings 1 as it keeps us in the hunt for the league title.  The ref was Reda, who had a solid match as usual, and didn’t have too much to deal with.

Final Score:  Phoenix III 5-18 Vikings I

Goals:  Loes (4), Sarah(3), Andy (3), Harriet (3), Jon (1 + 2 pens), Mo (2)

Match Report 19/10/08

Match Report – Vikings 1 v City 3, 19/10/08

1^st Attack –Mo ©, Loes, Jerram, Olly

Defense –Sarah, Allison, Alex S, Mike

 

Head coach Lee made some changes for this match, with three players who started the last match dropping to the bench, and calling up youngsters Alex and Olly for their first team 1 starts.  The visiting Cambridge City 3 team was a mix of youth and experience, and by no means an easy opposition.

The match started well for Vikings.  Although it was a close first half, Vikings managed to edge into the lead, by 5 goals to 2 at half time.  Loes scored one goal and added a penalty, and there was one each for Sarah, Olly and Alex.

City weren’t giving up, though, and brought on three substitutes in the second half to try to get back in the game.  However Vikings added 3 goals in the second half and only let in one, making the final score 8-3 to Vikings.  Loes scored two long-shots in the second half, while Alex got one more, which takes him to the top of the Vikings scoring charts so far this season.  The scoreline could have been even better for Vikings, but the home side missed twice from the penalty spot.

This was an important win for Vikings 1, coming off the back of a narrow defeat to promotion rivals Phoenix 2.  The victory takes Vikings 1 back to the top of the league, albeit on goal difference and having played a game more than our closest rivals.

Final Score:  Vikings I 8-3 City III

Goals:  Sarah, Loes (3 + 1 pen), Olly, Alex (2)

Subs: Jon (on for Alex, 2^nd half), Andy (on for Olly, 2^nd half), Harriet (on for Allison, 2^nd half)

Match Reports – 12-10-08

Match Report – Vikings 1 v Phoenix 2, 12/10/08

1^st Attack – Jon, Adam, Mo ©, Allison

Defense – Andy, Jerram, Sarah, Loes

 

This was always going to a tough match.  Phoenix 2 were relegated from the first division last season and will be hoping to go straight back up.  Vikings 1, on the other hand, had only missed out on promotion by one goal in the play-offs, and hope to go one better this year.  Perhaps too early in the season to be called a must-win game, but it will surely prove important in the second division race.  Vikings 1 were coming into the game a week after a good performance against Vikings 2, while Phoenix 2 had won their first game of the season only two days before, with a comfortable win over Lions 3.

The match started well for Vikings, with Mo scoring an early running-in shot.  However Phoenix equalised after a period of Vikings pressure.  Sarah then made the score 3-1 to the home team, scoring two excellent long shots.  But Phoenix pulled one back in a low scoring first half, to make the score 3-2 to Vikings at half time.

It was already a frustrating game for Vikings.  Phoenix were making it difficult for us to set up attacks and were restricting us to mainly one-shot attacks.  And just after the break, they drew level once again.  It wasn’t long, though, before Vikings were back in front.  Loes scored her first Vikings goal with a cheeky running-in shot which her defender could do nothing against.  But that would be her division’s only attack of the half, as Phoenix made it four-four and the divisions changed ends.

Both teams failed to score from the penalty spot, which could have changed the game.  But it was a mix-up in defence which lead to the winning goal – for Phoenix.  Although Vikings had chances to draw level towards the end of the game, the ball wouldn’t fall in the basket and Phoenix defended well to hold on for the narrowest of victories.  Vikings were left rueing their missed chances and the number of mistakes they had made, disappointed to be beaten in only the second game of the season.

Final Score:  Vikings I 4-5 Phoenix II

Goals:  Mo, Sarah (2), Loes

Subs: Mike (on for Adam, 2^nd half), Olly (on for Jerram, 2^nd half)

 

Match Report – Vikings 3 v Vikings 4, 12/10/08

Vikings 3;  1^st Attack – Rob ©, Ant, Liz, Jackie P

     Defense – Alex N, Alex S, Allison, Becky

 

Vikings 4;  1^st Attack – John, Dave, Annette, George

     Defense – Jamie ©, Bryan, Julie, Jas

 

Final Score – Team 3 16-3 Team 4 (Half time – 10-2)

Scorers – Team 3 – Rob (7), Alex S (4), Ant (2), Becky (2), Allison

Team 4 – Jamie (2), Georgina

 

This match got off to a great start for Vikings 3.  Within just a few minutes, Rob had scored four goals, Alex S had scored 2 and Allison had added one to make it 7-0 to the team in black.

However, Vikings 4 had started the match with only six players, as George and Jas were running late.  As well as that, four of the Vikings 4 team were playing their first league match, and the experience of Vikings 3 was definitely showing.  Rob added another two goals in the first half, one from the penalty spot, and Alex S grabbed another for himself as well.  But not before Jamie had pulled one back for Vikings 4 to get them off the mark.  He also scored a running-in shot right at the end of the half to make it 10-2 to Vikings 3 at half time.

The second half was almost like a different game.  Vikings 4 now had a full set of players on the court for a start, and the debutants were adapting quickly to the game.  Meanwhile, team 3 had made a substitution, with Allison being replaced by Loes – another playing her first appearance for Vikings!

Team 4 were defending much better now, although Ant managed to score two goals, and Becky got two as well.  Rob added another to round off his super seven.  Georgina got one back for Vikings 4, making the final score 16-3 in favour of Vikings 3.

In the end it was a comfortable win for the more-experienced Vikings 3, with Rob scoring an impressive (and Vikings record) 7 goals in one game.  However it was a valuable learning experience for the much newer players of Vikings 4, who will surely be causing problems for other teams before too long.

NYD08

National Youth Day 2008 – 13/7/08, Cheam, Surrey

National Youth Day 2008 took place on a sunny sports field in Surrey on a Sunday.  Vikings entered a team in Under 16 category, and had hoped to have one in the U11s as well, but a lack of numbers forced us to withdraw that team.

We met at 7am outside Ely College, and the 16-seater bus was full as we headed down the road.  We got there in good time and bagsied a good spot to camp for the day.

Our U16 team consisted of Jamie Cranwell, who was captain for the day, Alex Seabright, Olly Watts, Jordan Martin, Georgina Radford and Jasmine Radford, and we were joined on the day by Hannah and Beth from Lions, Rebecca from Tigers and also Thomas Northfield.  Also there from Vikings were Alyssia, who played for Lions U13s, Jacob who played with an U9s team, and Josh who just watched.  Coaches from each of the other teams told me that Alyssia and Jacob had played well and enjoyed themselves.

The morning pool didn’t go too well for our U16s.  Despite some good performances and being in the lead a couple of times, we lost all five games and finished bottom of the pool.  However it is fair to say that we never got thrashed in any of the games and that we were playing against some vastly more experienced teams, including Bearstead U19s.

However there was a marked improvement as the day went on, and in the afternoon we beat Mitcham U16s.  An impressive feat, especially as that team are coached by England U16 coach Pete Teague.  We ran out 3-1 winners of that game.  Which was followed by an impressive draw against Tornadoes 2 – a team who had beaten us in the morning – which was proof of our improvement.  Although we lost to Trojans, for the second time, we won the last game of the day by default against an illegal Kingfisher team, to round off a good day’s playing.  Thanks to the players who helped us out, and well done to everyone who put in good performances for Vikings.

Top goalscorer of the day for us was Olly, who scored 5, although he did also give away two penalties…  Jamie, who captainned well all day, and Thomas each scored three times, with Alex getting 2 and Georgina, Jordan and Beth scoring one each.

The presentation took ages, while they totted up the scores and drew the raffle, so it was almost 6 by the time we left, meaning we didn’t get back to Ely til after 8.  However it was definately a worthwhile adventure and great experience for all the players.  Big thanks go to Jerram for driving the bus!

Season Review – 2007/08

Another season has come to an end – Vikings second season in the league and my first season as a Vikings player.

The season started back in October, with several new players and four teams, from only two last year.  The new team 3 consited mainly of new players, while team 4 was made up chiefly from last season’s U13 squad who were now old enough to compete in the senior league.  I was team 3 coach, while Lee took control of team 1, Martin team 2 and Mo team 4.

The first games of the season took place on a Monday night and featured Vikings 1 v Vikings 2 and Vikings 3 v Vikings 4.  A total of 33 players featured in the games that night, with 17 of them getting on the scoresheet, as teams 1 and 3 picked up their first points of the season.  17 players made their debuts for the club, with 7 of those scoring on their first appearance.

Although team 1 lost their next game to Tigers 3, they started to build up a few good results and were near the top of the league at the halfway stage.  Things weren’t going as well for the other teams though.  Team 4 had forfeited 3 games due to player shortages, and Vikings 3 hadn’t added to their points from the opening game.  But in December, Vikings 4 got their first ever victory, at home against Tigers 4.  It was a great moment, with all of the goals coming from last year’s juniors.

Meanwhile, Vikings had gone out of the BKA Cup in the first round, having drawn Mitcham and Manchester.  Mitcham, the defending Premier league champions, with several international players in their team, made light work of the vikings, in their first ever BKA Cup match.  However I scored a goal against them, making it a moral victory for us, even if it was actually 28-1 to them.  We fared better against Manchester, with me, Mo and Tom getting on the scoresheet, however Manchester did win fairly comfortably in the end.

That was to be one of Tom’s last appearances for the club, as soon after he left to rejoin Lions.

Into the new year now, and Vikings Juniors hosted an U13 competition.  Teams from Cambridge came along, with Cambridge City U13 winning the tournament.  Our junior Vikings played well, even though we were short of boys and some people were playing in a higher age group than they should have been.

The first team squad were struggling to keep a consistant line-up, with Martin out injured, Tom leaving, Wally unavailable and Sam injured.  However the results kept going in our favour and we found ourselves in second place in the league.  Team 2 were also giving some good performances and collecting points themselves.  Teams 3 and 4, often consisting of many of the same players, were showing improvements too, and although points were thin on the ground, the margin of the losses was much reduced.

In April, I went to Holland for a coaching weekend with Lee and Jon.  We met some of the top people in Dutch korfball and learned loads.  We also got to go to the Dutch league finals, where Koog Zandijk beat DOS ‘46 in the final in front of a sell-out crowd of over 9000.  It was an amazing atmosphere and a great game to watch.  Dalto, our favourite team because we went to their training ground to watch a training session, and cos they have the same kit colours as us, won the U19 final.  We spent the day drinking small beers and eating hot dogs as there was no other food available.

Vikings 1 were now a team to be reckoned with in the second division.  We had now drawn clear into second place, with a play-off spot guaranteed, and were targetting Lions 2.  We knew we couldn’t catch them in the league, but we wanted to take their 100% record.  It was team 1’s last game of the season.  It was a very close game, with Lions taking a 3-1 lead in the second half, before Vikings came back to lead 4-3.  However a late equaliser for Lions meant it finished 4-4.  We all felt we could’ve won the game, but we were pleased with a draw, and Lions 100% record was ended.

Meanwhile, Alex S, Ant and Olly had gone to London to take part in trials for the England U16 squad.  All three performed really well on the day, and Olly was picked for the main squad.  Ant was selected for the development squad.  And although Alex didn’t get picked, he still performed well and I’m sure will have another chance in the future.

Teams 3 and 4 finished in the bottom two, with Vikings 4 just ahead of Vikings 3, thanks to a win for team 4 in the second head to head match.  However both sets of players are showing great potential for next season.  Team 2 finished mid-table, with a respectable points total.

Mo was the top goal scorer overall, while I was the top scorer for team 1, and also topped the CKA division 2 scorers chart, with 50 goals for Vikings 1.

Now we look forward to summer tournaments, the annual awards dinner and of course, the play-offs!

The Jamie Smith Interview

 In June, Jamie Smith, one of Vikings’ juniors, went to London to take part in trials for the England U16 squad.  Jamie played for Vikings U13 team in the 2006/07 season, and will be playing in the senior league next season.  The trials went well and Jamie, 13, was selected for the squad.  I spoke to him to get his views on the trials and to ask what happens next.

 How did you find the trials?

“The trials were quite tough, but fun.  There were 15 boys there trialling.  The best part was a bounce/catch exercise, where the coach would be about a metre away from you, he’d drop a little bouncy ball, it would bounce once and you had to catch it before it bounced the second time.”

 How did you think the trials had gone?

“I thought I’d done OK, but I wasn’t sure if I’d get in or not.”

 How did you feel when you found out that you had been selected?

“I was shocked.  Shocked but happy, of course.  It means a lot to me beacuse it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time.  But it also means that now I have a reputation to keep up – the coaches know who you are.”

 What happens now?

“I’m going to have to work even harder and learn more.  Training with the england squad will be once a month in London, and I might have 1-on-1’s with Pete Teague (one of the England Coaches) every two weeks or so.”

N.Y.D.

Sunday July 1st – National Youth Day 2007

Location: Longstanton, near Cambridge

 Vikings entered two teams in National Youth Day - an Under 13 team and an Under 11 team.  However we were a bit short of players, so some of our Under 13s were actually under 11, and some of our Under 11s were actually Under 9s!

 I was in charge of the U13 team.  I had a few different division plans to try out and it was interesting to see how different players played together, but by the afternoon we had a good set-up that didn’t need much altering.

 We had some tough games in the morning against some of the best U13 teams in the country, and although we only won one game, all of the matches were close and we never got thrashed by anyone.  Some of the morning highlight’s included a wonderful free pass from Ant which resulted in his first ever goal in a proper match.  Jamie Cranwell got a chance to show off his new goal celebration (the chicken walk?) when he scored twice.  And we beat Nomads 2 – a team who had beaten us at the EKA U13 Championships.

 Meanwhile the U11s were in a tough group too.  With a mixture of young and inexperienced players, they were without a win, but playing well as a team, especially in defense, having some fun and hopefully learning a lot about the game.

 We had a bit of a shooting competition during the lunch break.  The rules were simple – pairs of people had to score as many goals as they could in two minutes.  Courtney and Rory set a good early standard with 22 goals!  This went unbeaten for a long time until Alex and Jamie Smith scored 24 and won the competition.

 After lunch, Vikings U13s had some more tough games against the likes of Norwich City, Chalkstone and Kweik.  Unfortunately some people had to go home at lunch time, so both teams were two players down for the afternoon.  The U13s borrowed players from Scorpions and later from Wildcats, although it turned out that by doing this we had to forfeit the matches.  So for the last two matches we decided to play two players down.  It would be tough, but at least the results would count.  We beat Nomads again with help from two Wildcat girls in a void match, but then in the last match of the day, we managed to beat Chalkstone, even though they had two more players than us!  It was a great performance with good attacking moves and everyone working hard in defense.  A Jamie Smith hat-trick and one from Alex (his fourth goal of the day) giving us a 4-2 victory.  Definitely our performance of the day.

 Special mention goes to Robyn who was voted girl of the match twice by the referee.  She played really well all day, getting good feeds and showing lots of aggression, even when she was playing one against two in two games in the afternoon.  She also scored a goal for the U11s and was very unlucky not to score for the U13s.  Her performance was even more impressive because she was playing for the U13 team, even though she only turned 10 last week!

 The Under 11s scored some goals in the afternoon as well.  Tom scored a lovely goal and followed it up with a rolling celebration.  And Ellie, with only seconds to go in the last match, scored a goal as the team captain.  She was delighted.

 Well done to everyone who played – even those who could only play in the morning – and to all the parents, brothers, sisters and dogs who came along to support us.  The rain stayed off and hopefully everyone enjoyed themselves.

Walk This Way

Last Sunday saw the latest Vikings fundraising event – a 5 mile sponsored walk from Ely to Queen Adelaide, then back to Ely.

 The walk started at 10:30am, which was fine, even though I’d had a late night the night before.  But the start point was Barton Road carpark, not Barton Square as I thought, so I wondered where everyone was when I got there to find the square empty.  I wish I had realised it started in the car park, because then I would have parked there and not in St. Mary’s Street, which was a bit further away from Barton Square.

 Anyway, it was perfect weather for a long walk – a light breeze in the air, warm but not too hot, and there were some clouds to keep the sun off.  We headed off down back hill and along the road towards Soham, with Deb leading the way in her flourescent vest to make sure we were visible.

 The next section took us along the riverbank to Queen Adelaide.  The Kemps’ dog was let off the lead and we waved to some sailors.  Halfway there we took a drinks break, where Tom, Ryan and Bugs tried to thumb a lift from passing cars and got a honk off a lorry.

 People seemed to be enjoying themselves.  The pace was casual, and the terrain not too lumpy.  We reached Queen Adelaide and our second rest stop, on the bridge.  Here Tom, Ryan and Bugs were spotted in a phone box, allegedly trying to call for a taxi.

 The next sector was a bit more uphill and was starting to take its toll on the walkers.  Bugs dropped out with a cricket injury, while Niamh complained that her feet, ankles and shins had worn away and she was walking now on her knee stumps.  Perhaps a slight exaggeration.  No ambulance was called.

 We had another break as we entered Ely where people had some drinks, and some people cracked open their lunch boxes.  Ant needed a kit kat.  But injuries can still occur when we’re not moving.  Debbie was the victim of an unprovoked attack by a wasp, which stung her on the ankle.  But the brave Mrs Middleton battled on to the finish.  At this point, the trailing group of Rob, Julie, Aaf and Josh, on his bike, caught up, and we headed off on the final leg.

 Lee met us at the end of Lisle Lane (after we’d done all the hard work!) and we walked along Broad Street towards Cherry Hill Park.  We were almost there, however Ant needed a bag of chips to get him through the final furlong.  It was easy now that the end was in sight, and before long we were back in Barton Square, then to the car park, with most people making it back in one piece. 

 The epic journey was over.  Debbie had a sore ankle, I had a chip thrown at me, and Julie had a lovely handful of wilting wildflowers (or should that be weeds?).  But more importantly, Vikings had raised around £400.  The top fundraiser was Aaf, who amazingly raised a quarter of this on her own.

 Well done to everyone who took part and thanks to everyone who sponsored the walkers.  Hopefully everyone enjoyed it, and if not, at least it was good exercise.

Vikings Juniors in the BKA Championship

Last weekend saw Vikings juniors enter the BKA U13 Championship in London.

 The team, along with Mo, Lee and myself left Ely in the school mini bus at 7am.  Yes, that’s right, AM!  Not easy for a saturday.  But we arrived at the Whitgift school ready to play aginst the best U13 teams in the country.  The Whitgift school.  That was where I played for Scotland, you know, in the Commonwealth championships, in 2006.

 Anyway, back to the story.  We were in the morning pool, which apparently had the best teams in it.  It was going to be a tough day of matches, but you learn a lot playing against top quality opposition.  However we weren’t helped by Ant cracking his head wide open on a bench before the first match had even started.  When I say cracked open, I mean cracked open.  If he’d had a brain, it would have been oozing out.  No, not really.  It was a bit of a gash, but he put some ice on it and said he felt ok to play on.  After a discussion with the school officials, and Ant’s parents on the phone, we felt he could play, and get his head checked out later.  (Apparently he got the cut glued later on).  Incidently, I was down meeting the officials at the time, so I missed the incident.

 We then played some games.  The first two games weren’t the best korfball I’ve seen these guys play, but bearing in mind the opposition, and the pressure of the event, they were doing ok.  Jamie S was the captain for the first game, which saw Jamie C score his first ever goal in a real game.  He was obviously delighted, and it was perhaps my favourite moment of the whole day, even though the game was already lost by then.

 Game 2 saw Alex as captain, and Charlotte scoring our only goal as again we lost to a very good team.  To be fair, the other teams were playing really well, and the score did not really reflect how well we were playing.

 By Game 3 we were starting to play good korfball.  Charlotte was the captain.  The defence was working well, which resulted in the other team only scoring two goals against us.  However we only scored one, by Jamie S, and couldn’t quite hold on for a draw.  The boys in this game were doing some great intercepting, but perhaps the size of the court didn’t help as there were still too many loose passes.  Still, it was a performance to be pleased about.

 The last game of the day was against Wildcats, who won without us troubling the scoreboard.  Amy was our captain for this game.  Again we played well, but just couldn’t get the ball in the basket.

 Finally the day was over and it was time for the bus journey home.  Try poking yourself in the eye with a stick for three hours – you’ll have more fun than this bus journey was for me.  We stopped at McDonalds, for food, I thought, but some people seemed to think it was to stock up on things to throw.  Chips, pine cones, scrunched up paper – anything they could lay their hands on.  I’m not scared to name names – Ant, Jamie Smith, Ollie… I will have my revenge.

 And I hope I never hear that song again – Cascada, Every Time We Touch.  Everyone seemed to have it on their phone, and they were all playing it at once!

 During the day, I took loads of great photos – group pictures and action shots.  Look out for them on the website.

 After we came home, Mo phoned me with some news.  Jamie Smith had been voted male MVP of the tournament by a panel of judges, including some of the best junior coaches in the UK.  That means he is one of the best U13 boys in korfball in Britain.  An impressive achievement, but well deserved on his performance throughout the day.  He never stopped trying, even when the game was effectively lost (to be fair, none of the team ever gave up), was a great team player, and scored a good goal.  Well done Jamie.

 My highlights of the day;

Jamie C’s goal.

Jamie S getting MVP.

 My lowlights of the day;

Getting chips thrown at me.

Cascada – Every Time We Touch on repeat.

 Ant bashing his head?  Not sure which catagory to put that in…