Chichester stun Southgate... ladies beat Saxons

Here are all the reports. Get involved in our coverage by emailing reports and pictures to steve.bone@chiobserver.co.uk Southgate 4 Chichester 4 Conference East Chichester retained their 2018 unbeaten run with a thrilling comeback at Southgate. After good start by both teams and opportunities to break the deadlock – with Chichester hitting the the crossbar – it was Southgate who banked the first goal of the game. With a few short corners Chichester could have levelled but great defending by Southgate kept it at 1-0. Southgate counter-attacked and fired the ball across the Chichester circle and a cleaver deflection put them 2-0 up, with Chichester struggling to create chances. Southgate won another short corner and after a save by the Chichester goalkeeper, a Southgate player was first to the rebound and slotted the third before half-time. The second half started like the first, with both teams have opportunities, but again it was Southgate who scored first – making it 4-0 and leaving a massive task for Chichester. Halfway through the half Chichester managed to win a short corner which was saved be the goalkeeper but he did not clear his lines and it was pounced on by Luke Emmett to get a goal back for Chichester, giving them momentum. They then worked the ball down the left and the ball flew across the goal for Alex Baxter to slot another and give Chichester hope they could rescue a point. Alex Baxter ran with the ball and found Alex Pendle in the circle and he placed he ball under the goalkeeper. With less than a minute on the clock and the score 4-3, Alex Pendle had to step up to the top of the circle with Chichester winning a short corner. Calming himself down, Pendle managed to slot the ball under the goalkeeper making it 4-4. Chichester, buoyed by this famous comeback, are on the road again to face West Herts this weekend. South Saxons 0 Chichester Ladies 2 Chichester ladies are still top of the Sussex Premier League after a 2-0 win in Hastings. Chi went into the game undefeated for the season, but with nine players missing. Keeper Claire Goodger-Greenway held the fort well and was supported in the back line by Sally Bradley, Jackie Baxter and Tracy Austin, plus the young legs of Jenny Horton and Meg Goring. Saxons had chances but Chichester defended two short corners and some counter attacks. The Chi forward line really shone, Jess Gleeson distributing the ball and making some fantastic passes to link with Cita Haines, who was all over the park. Amy Chaplin, Katie Rose and Xenia Trueman were causing havoc in the Saxons back-line and soon the first goal came, Bradley and Goring making sure a deflection off the keeper was slotted in. A solid team talk at half-time made the Chi girls aware they still needed to work hard. Mollie Wheeler shone in the second half with runs around the D and linked up with the forwards to gain short corners for Chi. Haines went down with a head injury after a collision but this spurred her on to slot Chichester’s second goal with a reverse shot in the bottom corner. Chichester finished the game with a 2-0 win and continue their charge towards poential league glory. Chichester’s next game could be the deal-breaker – if they win and other results go their way, that could clinch the title. It’s at home to East Grinstead this Saturday at Chichester College, midday start. Chi ladies: M Goring, C Goodger-Greenway, S Bradley, J Horton, T Austin, J Gleeson, T Haines, M Wheeler, A Chaplin, K Rose, X Trueman, J Baxter. Chichester ladies 2nds 5 Centurions 0 Chichester ladies welcomed local rivals Centurions to Kingsham on a bright and sunny day – and won handsomely. An early first goal from Rachael Trent put pressure on the opposition. Chi worked hard to keep possession and used their width well to create opportunities. Alex Hurd, Jenna Greenway and Kathy Mundy worked brilliantly in midfield to feed accurate first-time balls to forwards Charlotte Binnings and Trent, who put away another two goals towards the end of first half, leaving it 3-0 at the break. The second half saw several fast breaks from the Centurions but these posed no threat to the Chi defensive line, who worked cohesively to see off any attempts at a shot on goal. Demelza Peake, on her 21st birthday, was named player of the match for her tireless effort at centre-back. With no sign of Centurions making a comeback, Chichester ladies continued to adopt a high press which forced Centurions to concede several costly short corners. Jenna Greenway took advantage of the opposition’s mistakes by scoring the fourth with ease. In the final ten minutes Trent outwitted several defenders to keep possession of the ball on the far right of the D and offered up a fantastic cross to fellow striker Charlotte Stemp, who had been left unmarked. Chi ladies II: Parrott, Greenway, Hurd, Young, Peake, Binnings, Mundy, Smith, Stemp, Trent, Woods. Chichester Hockey Club’s under-tens went to Hamble HC for a tournament. They took two mixed teams and all had a great time. Chi’s junior section has really come along well and is looking promising for next season, when a lot of the youngsters will move up to the next age group.