Thought for the Day
“One of the beautiful things about sport is going all out, playing with total abandonment, your entire being, your mind and body integrated. But when it is over it is over. It was a game, not World War 111”
Jack Scott Sports Coach, Administrator and Activist

Introduction
It seems only yesterday that we were talking about the start of the season and here we are already in Week 4.
It has been an interesting start for the Timperley teams. Our women’s and girls’ programme has really hit the ground running. The senior women were given a walkover in their first game against Mellor but they showed their potential last Saturday with a convincing 23-4 win over Heaton Mersey.
The U18, U15 and U13 girls teams have yet to taste defeat and on Sunday the U15 took a deserved 10-8 League win over local rivals Brooklands. (Why can’t boys have leagues? Probably can’t take the pressure!).
For the Men’s 1st team the faced last year’s Flags Finalists Cheadle and Poynton in their opening games . Despite two losses in competitive games there were many positives to be taken. The defence will be greatly strengthened when England international and co-captain Tommy Kirkland is fit.
The A team finds itself in a bizarre league where they are the only team from the Manchester area facing trips to Hull, Lincoln , Loughborough, Newcastle and Sheffield. They are a very young side and on Saturday they opened their campaign with an impressive 17-4 win over Hull.
The B team opened their season with 2 narrow but impressive wins but on Saturday came up against a very strong Cheadle B and went down to a 8-15 defeat. It was a really a matter of who had the most ageing internationals and a scorecard which read Baythorpe (5), Lynch (4), Shuttleworth (3) would bring a tear to many a nostalgic eye.
Our U19 team gave a good showing in the Ted Donnett losing to Brooklands in the final. Clearly the season will see a continuance of the local rivalry at his age group.
The U16 and U14 Boys teams have had a tough start with them playing a total of 6 games and experiencing 6 losses. The U16 are trying to deal with a large squad. Not enough players for two teams but too many for one. They are also having to cope without the injured Ed Loveland.
The U14 have yet to gel but with talented players like Ewan Ginger, George Jenkins, Matt Fazal and Seb Page they have the capability to make an impact.
For U12s the triangular start of the season format is really to see what the relative strength of the teams is so we should perhaps ignore a 31-2 win over Rochdale and a 13-0 win over Cheadle Hulme and look at a 4-8 loss to a strong Cheadle side which indicates that we will probably be competitive.
The U12B team is really an investment in the future and will probably not win many games. A measure of their potential is how they perform as U10 where wins against Rochdale and Stockport were positive signs.

NEWS AND VIEWS
YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOU! WE HAVE A CRISIS.
The Regional Governing Body, the North West Lacrosse Association, is responsible, amongst other things for the organisation and supervision of competitions. They require us to provide a referee/umpire for each game, either home or away. For Timperley this means that on a typical weekend we have to find from 10-14 officials (generic term). On most weekends we are struggling to find the required number. If we have no official then either the coach has to ref-which means they cannot coach thus greatly disadvantaging the team or for senior games we have to stand a player down to officiate.
Officiating lacrosse is not difficult. If I get by –admittedly at U12- then most people could do it.

MATCH REPORTS
MEN’S LACROSSE
Men’s 1st Team v Poynton (a) lost 6-10
Following on from the disappointing first week result Timperley were up against Poynton Lacrosse Club who are the reigning Senior Flags champions. Having debriefed on the positives and the negatives from the previous match, the team went into the game hoping to improve on last week’s performance.
Timperley made only one change in personnel from the Cheadle game, keeping continuity within the playing squad is something which the 1st team has been craving for many years. Patrick (Paddy) McGowan was replaced by Jack Brook in attack.
The first quarter started in similar fashion to the previous week with the opposition seeing a lot of the ball within the opening minutes. The Timperley defence stood strong and along with a string of saves from Tim Blower, who went on to make 12 in total, there seemed to be a better understanding between the four poles and goalkeeper. As the quarter drew on the Timperley defence was finally breached but Timperley replied swiftly through Ollie White. Poynton took the lead once again after an unforced error put Timperley under pressure however Mikey Armstrong tied the game as the first quarter ended 2-2.
Poynton came out in the second quarter fired up and put two early goals on the board, both coming from unforced turnovers which allowed the home team to score from fast break opportunities. James Bates pulled one back after a successful slow clear and Jack Brook put Timperley on level terms after the away team started to impose themselves within the fixture. Just as it seemed that Timperley were going to finally pull ahead in the game, Poynton created one last opportunity before the half time break and scored from an extremely narrow angle. 5-4 Poynton
Having been in exactly the same position the previous week it was emphasised by the Timperley coaching team not to panic and keep playing the way that we had been in the first half. Poynton struck first in the third quarter to give themselves a two goal cushion, but Timperley responded in the best manner possible and converted quickly thanks to Cameron Leslie. For the third time Timperley themselves on level terms with Ollie White getting his second goal of the game. Poynton hadn’t been given a single man up opportunity in the opening half of the game, but when the first lack of discipline occurred from the Timperley ranks Poynton punished the visitors and re-established their lead. With the game evenly balanced and both teams creating opportunities only to be thwarted by each other’s defence it took another unforced error by Timperley to allow the hosts to extend their lead. With the score line 8-6 Timperley could feel aggrieved to still be trailing going into the final quarter.
Chasing the game Timperley’s attack started to take more shots, some being the right decision and others not being. At any opportunity, Poynton looked to slow the game down in their own attack and held possession for long periods. Through doing so this created further rushed decisions whenever Timperley attacked and from this Poynton were gifted another two fast break chances which they scored from. As the final whistle blew Timperley could take a lot of positives from the match and with the ‘battle of the roundabout’ up next against Brooklands there will be an extra incentive to get some points on the board.
Ollie White (2,0), Jack Brook (1,1), Cam Leslie (1,1), Mikey Armstrong (1,0), James Bates (1,0), Jay Armstrong (0,1)

A team v Hull (h) Won 17-4

First game of the season for Timperley A team and with a young team we set out to dominate 10 man Hull from the very start.
The goals began to come early, mainly from individual play at first, with Louis Humblet and TJ Burgess displaying some excellent goals from dodges from up top.
Similarly, the attack led by experienced head Greg Sandy, saw some excellent dodges open up the hull defence, Pat McGowan and JD looked extremely comfortable in attack.
In the middle of the field we saw the game turn in to a scrap, Hull made us work for the win where physicality is concerned. Our determination and fight showed however, as we outclassed Hull in this department, with Timperley new boy Conor Turner showing great fight and physicality.
Our defence were solid, with Mike Smith and Adam Henbury leading a well disciplined back 3 along with the welcome addition of Dan Walker who was outstanding in LSM. Rarely did Hull break our solid defence and when they did, Rob James made some excellent saves and we quickly rectified any mistakes.
Once we had built a comfortable lead through "run and gun" play we opted to use this game to strengthen our team attack, focusing on exploiting hull through ball movement and team play rather than individual talent which was rewarded with numerous team goals.
Would like to see us gelling as a team from the first whistle next week instead of after the half time team talk.
On the whole a convincing performance from an inexperienced and youthful Timperley team, really demonstrating the talent and ability we have available for selection this year.

B team v Cheadle B (a) lost 8-15

U19 Ted Donnett Trophy
The sun was shining on Sunday and it certainly shined on Timperley. The U19's has gone from strength to strength over the last few years. Making the final in 2016!
How we got there, 6-2 win against Poynton. A very close game against a strong Brooklands an unfortunate loss 3-1. Then two strong wins, 8-4 against Mellor then 3-2 against Cheadle saw Timperley through to 3rd place in the Ted Donnett Cup Semi Final. We faced a strong Stockport /. Norbury combination team and what a nail biting game it became going to suddenly death after 3-3 finish. Timperley winning after a hard fight to the end.
Exhausted Timperley had gone further than 2015 but now faced Brooklands again! They dug deep and played hard but lost 5-2. Timperley played an excellent game and deserved to be very proud of their achievements and the season ahead looks exciting."

WOMENS LACROSSE
Womens 1st team v Heaton Mersey (h) Won 23-4
This Saturday the ladies team finally kicked off their season with a convincing home win against Heaton Mersey. There have been a lot of new and returning players come into the team this year, which is great news! But this does mean that the first few games were expected to be a little bit of a learning curve for all until they learn how to play together. This was not the case though. Timperley started the game strong with a few quick goals from returner Lucy Ford and veteran Nicola Swallow, taking them into an early 4-0 lead. Mersey’s defence then woke up a little and made the next goals hard worked, but practice paid off, and Timperley were able to keep possession of the ball for long periods of time and score some great team goals. The first half ended 11-1. The second half saw more of the same, although the score does not reflect it, the defence, led by Fabienne Johnson, did have to play strong to stop drives from Mersey's Fiona Graham. In the midfield Timperley worked hard to put pressure on Heaton Mersey, causing many turn overs, and passing the ball well to create lots of fast break opportunities. The game finished 23-4 in favour of Timperley, with 7 different goal scorers. A great start to the season- and exciting to see what this team can achieve this year.

Goal scorers
Nicola Swallow- 6, Lucy Ford- 7, Julie Stott- 2, Steph Hallows- 2, Emma Economou- 3, Georgia Greenhalgh- 2, Erin Pollard- 1

BOYS LACROSSE
U16 v Rochdale (a) lost 6-7
Another narrow defeat for the U16, this time at the hands of a decent but very beatable Rochdale team. Marius Robinson led the way from midfield, and was behind most of the good things we did offensively. Keeping Rochdale to 7 goals reflected really well on the defence, who were more vocal today, and they played tough man on man defence all morning. Gregor came away with the team’s MVP vote, for his assured and solid performance in goal.
Goals/Assists
Marius Robinson (1,4), Harry Alty (1,0), Tom Allen (1,0), Will HIrst (1,0), Owen Atkinson (1,0), dan Flosk (1,0).

U14 v Poynton (a) lost 9-13
LOST 9-13 (4-1, 6-5, 7-8, 9-13)

Stats

Ewan Ginger (3,1), Matt Fazal (2,2), Pat Worthington (2,0), Jack Lee (1,0)

A much improved performance over last week. We started off strongly against an 18-man Poynton squad. Good attacking play and the midfield dominating.

However from the 2nd quarter on our defensive frailties were exposed once more, with the opposition passing to the crease almost at will. George coped admirably being peppered constantly with close in shots, making some fine instinctive saves.

Matt Fazal was excellent throughout the game and was the man of the match.

Going into the final quarter only one goal down, George was a victim of a nasty check to the elbow on a clearance which saw him brought off and Tom Wallis stepped into goal. Unfortunately without a goalie we were no match for the large Poynton squad and lost the final quarter 2-5.

The positives from the game are that we played more as a team and that our fighting spirit was back after the disappointment of the week before. What is missing is the players being vocal and supporting each other in defence. We may need to look to utilise some of Seb and Luke’s experience in defence to bolster it, whilst the new players adapt to the pace of the U14 game.

U12 v Cheadle Hulme (a) won 13-0 v Cheadle (a) lost 4-8

This week Timperley travelled over to Cheadle for a tri series against Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme. Firstly Timperley took on Cheadle Hulme. The first half was all Timperley against a relatively young inexperienced opposition. A great performance form Alex Moulden in defence kept Cheadle Hulme at bay and good work between our midfield and attackers saw us race into a 7 -0 lead with goals from Cai Alty 3, Alfie Jenkins 2, Jim Hartley 1 and Laurie Bailey 1. The second half was much of the same with goals from Laurie, Cai, Angus Gilchrist, Alfie, Mackenzie Baird and Ben Edwards. Final score 13-0 Timperley.

The second game against Cheadle was a much tougher affair. Timperley started quickly and took the lead through a goal from Joe Jensen but Cheadle started to dominate the play and scored 4 with Cai and Owen Shuttleworth pulling goals back for Timperley. Score at half time 4-3 Cheadle. Great work again in defence from Alex and Tom Allen in goal kept the score tight. Cheadle where much the stronger team in the second half and raced in to 7-3 lead before Owen pulled 1 back. Cheadle scored again before a very powerful shot hit Angus on the helmet which caused him to collapse and the game was ended early. Angus was taken to Hospital as a precautionary measure and was release later that afternoon felling much better, to the relief of all his teammates. Final score 8-4 Cheadle.
Man of the Match Alex Moulden

Stats
Cai Alty (5,0), Alfie Jenkins (3,1), Laurie Bailey (2,1), Owen Shuttleworth (2,1), Jim Hartley (1,2), Joe Jensen (1,1), Mackenzie Baird (1,0), Ben Edwards (1,0), Angus Gilchrist (1,0)

U12B (a) v Boardman lost 1-6 v Heaton Mersey lost 0-9

Very pleased to see a strong turnout and some enthusiastic and supportive parents on what ended up to be a pleasant morning weatherise. Keeping positive, this was a good learning experience with some of the younger players coming up from Pop getting exposure to a larger field and more physicality. With the field being larger, we need to be observant of both positional play to mark opponents and those making a run and also on the attack where there is opportunity to make space. This is tough to coach with an average age around 9 but will improve with game-time, coaching and experience.

Many thanks to the coaches - Sam and Patrick who give their time to support the new players in a game they clearly love, both putting in strong performances in the A team beating Hull University convincingly in the afternoon. I think we need to identify a courageous player to adopt the Goalkeeping position and get more practice there. Nevertheless, it is great to see the continuing enthusiasm of some of the more experienced players and also from some of the new players that have been introduced this season with Antonio Bistacchi, Asa Davies, Alex Bathurst, Graeme Lawrenson and Bruce Terry all making a positive step in terms of close marking, good runs and support on the ground balls. Nick Hill made some great saves having volunteered for the goalkeeping. It was obvious to see the game experience and stick-time of the players like both Harrisons, Ben Lawton, George Rommel and Daniel George with Finn O’Brien not far behind in terms of games played. From the highs of last week where they were playing against similar age/size/experience and won both games convincingly it was a disappointment, but in true Timperley style they warmed up towards the end and in the second half of the second game we held Boardman to a draw, Mattie Harrison scoring the last goal of the game - well deserved after some bold runs with the ball.

JUNIOR GIRLS
U15 v Brooklands (h) Won 10-8
No downpour the previous evening and a glorious sunny morning, again. What is this world coming to! I will keep mentioning the weather in my reports so that I do not jinx it (until it starts raining).

Both teams had 12 players each, so no subs. The initial signs were a bit worrying, like last season, a bit of lethargy and lack of sharpness during warm up and before the game started. They were nowhere near as hungry and sharp as they were against Oxton.

First half. The first half was very exciting and the score reflected this. Brooklands first went ahead, then we caught them up, then they went ahead, then we went ahead and the half ended 7 - 7 equal. Maybe in the first few minute the girls were not as sharp but they quickly were very focused. Which was a relief for the coaches on the side.
In goal we had Gabrielle and she made a number of good saves in the first half and some crucial ones in the second half towards the end when the score was very close. Defence, except for the straight runs by Brooklands key players they contained them well. Most of their goals came from them running straight through the middle (we will work at training to deal with this). There was more talking between players but we still need to up this, which we did in the second half. Midfield helped most of the time at defence as well which was good to see. Again need to talk to each other to better position ourselves and quicker. After half time talk we were much harder to break through.
Midfield. Good movement and passing. We played like a team, because everyone was involved. At times we wait couple of seconds too long to release the ball and the opening disappears. But when we pass earlier then we become much more dangerous. What I liked the most is at half time, Ellie and Elise identified what was going wrong at the draw and they had a solution to deal with this. Instead of flicking the ball in the air or forward (which resulted on most occasions Brooklands having the ball) they decided that they should flick the ball backwards. It took Brooklands a while to deal with this. This meant we had more of the possession.
Attack. When we are moving around quickly we were devastating. We scored some great goals because we moved and cut quickly and passed accurately. But also at times we were walking or standing still. As our great coach Jo says you need to be moving at all times. What I am picking on are small things that we need to improve to become even better.

Overall a great performance from all. The fitness focus at the beginning of the training is I think having some effect. Our girls did not fade off in the second half as much as the Brooklands girls.
At the end we were deserved winners with 10 - 8. I think at the beginning of the game the girls did not believe they could win, but very quickly changed that thought during the game. It was a close game and credit is due to Brooklands who gave us a good game.
Man of the Match Defence - Charlotte Christian. Hungry for the ball, made some good blocks and was ready for it all times.
Man of the Match Midfield - Elise Humblet. Another good performance, worked hard in defence, midfield and attack.
Man of the Match Attack - Emma Coghlan. Despite not feeling well covered a lot of area in attack but also came back and helped when needed.
Man of the Match - Gabrielle Wardle. Another person not 100% but came and played. She made some good saves but the most important ones coming towards the end of the second half.

Goals and assists
Ellie Racle (3/1), Elise Humblet (3,1), Emma Cooghlan (2,1), Emma Whitley(1,0), Jodie Pollard (1,0), Henny Wright (0,2), Libby Morris (0,1)
Our next game is against Cheadle in 2 weeks time.