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WEEKLY ROUNDUP (21ST NOV)

WEEKLY ROUNDUP (21ST NOV)

TLC Admin25 Nov 2015 - 10:35
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Club-wide roundup by David Shuttleworth

It was grim up north last week as far as Timperley Lacrosse was concerned. The weather wiped up the entire Men’s senior fixture list and the U14 fixture at Rochdale. The main bright spot of the weekend was the Women’s team who kept their title battle alive by travelling to leads for an impressive win. On Saturday morning there was another big highlight as Timperley U16 travelled to Brooklands to eject their local rivals from the U16 Juniors and Schools Cup. Not such good news for U12A and U12B teams who both crashed out of the U12 Onondaga Cup to Mellor and Cheadle Hulme respectively. Time to concentrate on the U12 Plate.
The girl’s junior programme saw a young Timperley side U15 go down to Brooklands.
On Sunday evening the Boy’s U19 started their Floodlit League Campaign and suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Brooklands.
There was better news from the Manchester Univ Programme. The women’s 1st team suffered a morale- sapping 8-20 defeat to Loughborough. The women’s 2nd team had an impressive victory over Chester 1st team which saw Manchester take over from Chester at the top of the table.
Although both Men’s teams suffered defeats they were in very close games which indicated the great progress the men’s teams have made in recent weeks.
There will be real battle to stay in the Premiership but both Manchester teams have the ability and the character to do it.

SENIOR WOMEN
Timperley Women V Leeds (A) Won 14-8

Timperley arrived in Leeds for what was to be the coldest game of the season (so far). With the Scottish nationals and a few other starters missing, the team were a little nervous stepping onto the field.
Timperley started strongly with two quick goals from Nicola Swallow. The midfield worked hard to keep possession but Leeds was relentless and started to double and triple the ball-forcing some turnovers. At half time the score was 10-4 to Timperley but Leeds was sure to come out fighting in the second half.
Leeds started driving hard towards goal and caught the Timperley defence off guard leading to a couple of goals. Before it was too late Timperley dug deep and found some composure on the draw. Georgia Greenhalgh did an amazing job weaving her way through the Leeds defenders to score from impossible angles.
Timperley managed to pull away in the last ten minutes finishing the game 14-8 winners.
The team owes a huge vote of thanks to Emilly Hall and Fab Johnson who shared umpiring duties.
A great win considering the players missing.
Timperley scorers Nicola Swallow (7), Jane Brierly (3), Georgia Greenhalgh (4)

SENIOR MEN
1st Team v Wilmslow (A) Postponed
A team v Newcastle (A) Postponed
B team v Sheffield A (H) Postponed

JUNIOR BOYS LACROSSE
U19 Boys v Brooklands (Floodlit League) Lost 3-18
Despite the freezing temperatures there was a large crowd at Timperley to see the U19 team play their opening game in Conference A against pre-tournament favourites Brooklands.
Despite the large support Timperley could not cope with the Brooklands attack.
Timperley played some good lacrosse which was not reflected in the final score line. Calum Dalgliesh stepped into goal and made some good saves.
Timperley goals came from Freddie Atkins (2) Jake Bradford (1)

U16 Boys v Brooklands (A) Junior and Schools Cup Won 15-9
In the latest battle of the roundabout the U16 travelled to Brooklands for their 1st round Junior and Schools Cup game. Brooklands are always a tough team to play against and Saturday was no different. At times Timperley were dominant but at times they were careless. But Timperley came away with a good win and made sure of their place in the 2nd round in the New Year.
Timperley started brightly scoring the first goal of the game but then conceded the next two to go 1-2 down and then realised that they were in a game. At this point Timperley started to dominate the face offs and played some really controlled lacrosse to go in at half time leading 8-2.
They then suffered one of those collective dips that can affect all teams, and which allowed Brooklands to go on a three goal run in five minutes to close to 8-5. All the goals came from turnovers and the coach called a time out to remind the players of their game plan. A refocusing of effort saw Timperley get back on top again and stretch their lead to 10-6 at three-quarter time and in the final session this stretched out to a 15-9 final score.
Louis Humblet had his best game of the season in midfield. He cleared the ball well, scored goals and defended with equal aplomb. Chris Jurkowski stepped into goal again and played well with 7 really good saves.
Timperley scorers were JD Bulmer (4.1) Ed Loveland (3.1), Will Greaves (2.2), Louis Humblet (3.1), Pat McGowan (1.2), Marius Robinson (1.1), OG (1)

Timperley U14 v Rochdale (A) cancelled

Timperley U12A v Mellor (H) Onondaga Cup Lost 8-22
The Cup game against Mellor got off to a slow start with Timperley players feeling the severe cold. Mellor opened playing some skilful attack which saw them open up a 5-2 quarter lead with Timperley goals from Joe Tomlinson and Cai Alty. Timperley were struggling in the second quarter and Mellor opened up an 11-3 lead with Timperley’s goal coming from Jim Hartley.
Timperley sprang into life in the 3rd quarter with some improved movement and passing which led to goals from Joe Tomlinson and Owen Harvey.
The final quarter saw a lot more battling and spirit from Timperley with some good interplay from Joe Tomlinson and Jim Hartley which saw them both on the score sheet.
Timperley scorers; Joe Tomlinson (4) Jim Hartley (2) Cai Alty (1) Owen Harvey (1)

Timperley U12B v Cheadle Hulme (H) Onondaga Cup Lost 0-15

Timperley B faced an older and bigger Cheadle Hulme side and that combined with the very cold conditions and the fast pace of the ATP saw the visitors take a convincing win.

JUNIOR GIRLS LACROSSE
U15 Girls v Brooklands (A) Lost 7-19

Timperley travelled to play a strong Brooklands team. Despite going down to a 7-19 defeat this was a much improved performance from Timperley.
The way Timperley started was unrecognisable from previous games as the girls played with a desire and purpose.
Timperley had a large squad of 18 players which helped to keep the team as fresh as possible. Timperley moved the ball well in attack and the defence were sliding well and the midfield getting back to support the defence and there was a real desire to win the balls. What Timperley need to do now is play in this way for the whole game not just in parts of it. An area where Timperley need to improve is the ability to pass well in all areas of the field. Most of the goals that Timperley gave conceded were scored when the midfield failed to get back into defence and the opposition enjoyed numerical superiority.
The big plus however was the team’s desire to get the ball never died.

Timperley scorers were; Ellie Racle (3) Emma Coghlan (2) Miranda King (1), Emma Whitely (1)
Daisy May was MVP defence, Emma Coghlan was MVP attack, Ellie Racle and Miranda were joint MVPs in midfield. MVP overall was Miranda King.

MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY LACROSSE
Men’s 1st Team v Loughborough (A) Lost 8-9

It was Manchester who struck first, breaking recent tradition, and netting early on in the 1st quarter. Loughborough struck back making full use of their American fire power and went ahead. Loughborough increased their lead striking on the break but Manchester hit back through Lesley. Both teams enjoyed spells of possession but Loughborough ended the quarter with a 4-2 lead
It was a similar story in the second quarter. There were spells of possession for both teams but few goals. Jones and Kirby were rocks in the Manchester defence winning valuable ground balls and forcing numerous turnovers. Manchester were creating chance after chance, but apart from an outstanding goal from Rosario, they were not able to convert whilst Loughborough relied on their imported talent to get points on the board. Loughborough maintained their narrow advantage ending the quarter 5-4 up.
Loughborough relied on an aggressive defence playing very far out on their men. This made it difficult for Manchester to move the ball and forcing the team to rely on beating their man before moving the ball. Rosario, Ogle and Altman were prominent for Manchester but the team still found it hard to find the back of the net. Loughborough had little attacking flare, moving the ball with little purpose. The 3rd quarter ended with Loughborough ahead 8-7.
The final quarter was a tense affair with both teams having long spells of possession. There was excellent defending from Albert and Norris which neutralised the Loughborough attack... Manchester levelled the score with 15 minutes to go through Alnaemi and hopes were high but with 8 minutes to go Loughborough went back ahead and then ran down the game by holding possession leaving Manchester frustrated and gutted.
The team now go into the final 3 games with a mammoth task. It is imperative that the lads keep positive and play like they have been doing in the last 3 weeks. The goals have started to come so the wins should not be far behind.
Women’s 1st Team v Loughborough (A) Lost 8-20
Times are tough for Manchester’s 1st team as they struggle for survival in a very competitive division.
In the reverse fixture at Stockport Road Manchester were unlucky to be held to a 12-12 draw but in this game they were a disappointing second best.
Manchester goals came from Liv Wimpenny (4),

Men’s 2nd Team v Chester 1st (H) Lost 6-9
Manchester 2nds faced top of the table Chester 1st this week; a team who have been tearing up the league for fun putting up big scores against anyone who dared stand in their way. The worrying theme of the year continued with Manchester failing to get started until the second quarter, allowing Chester to build an early and deserved 5-0 1st quarter lead.
Following the break, Manchester stepped up and began to cause Chester real problems at the heart of their defence. Hussein Simeen scored 3 goals in quick succession. The quarter ended with a top corner snipe from Joel Clark and Manchester entered the half time team talk brimming with confidence trailing only 4-6.
The 4th quarter was a tense affair with Manchester knowing that the Chester defence was vulnerable. Elliott Kennedy took full advantage scoring 2 goals from impressive drives. Chester kept their advantage with goals either side of Elliott’s brace and managed to resist a Manchester comeback.
The game finished 9-6 with the unanimous Man of the Match being goalie Greg Wagstaff who had over 30 saves including 10 impressive kick saves.
Manchester’s goals came from Hussein Simeen (3), Elliott Kennedy (2) and Joel Clark (1)
Women’s 2nd Team v Chester (H) Won 18-14
Manchester 2nds entertained League leaders Chester at Stockport Road. The team went into the game knowing that this was their most important match as Chester were currently on the same points as Manchester in the table . The pressure was obvious as a win would take Manchester clear at the top of the table...
Manchester started strongly with a goal in the first minute from Yui Watanabe but Chester soon showed that they were not going to be easily beaten and at half time the scores were tied at 8-8.
In an exciting second half Manchester took control of the game and deserved their 18-14 win to go top. The Attack played as well as they have all season and the defence held up strongly against some fast breaks from Chester.
Next week Manchester faces Durham 3rds in the Cup.
Manchester scorers were Phoebe Anderson (MVP) (4), Yui Watanabe (3), Charlie Lennox (3), Georgia Aynsley (3), Emily Osborne (2), Steph Kiss (1), Nez Wright (1), Cabrina Woolley (1)

LEVEL 1 REFEREEING COURSE
Following the false start a few months ago we now have confirmed dates for Level 1 Courses.
We cannot over stress the importance of having a sizeable group of qualified referees is to the overall health of the Timperley Programme.
Those of you who play or watch Lacrosse regularly will know that reffing is not that difficult but is often done poorly. Most people who read this could do better!! Please consider giving something back to the programme.
The course dates are;
Course 1; Friday 4th and 11th Dec at Brooklands Lacrosse Club 6pm -9pm
Course 2; Sunday 13th Dec 9.30 am -4.30 pm.
If you have not previously received details of this course either go onto the ELA website or contact one of the club contacts (David Loveland, Alan Holdsworth, David Shuttleworth or Martin Cragg).

GRADY UPDATE
Just a quick update. Grady successfully had his foot operation and is already into his rehab programme.
This weekend is in US, Thanksgiving, which is probably much bigger than Xmas, Grady will be off to Baltimore to spend the holiday with his US Family (who he stayed with as a part of the Timperley /Maryland Express exchange programme)
We will feature the Timperley US exchange programme in a future newsletter.

JUNIOR STRUCTURES
Nothing is perfect and lacrosse is certainly not a contradiction to this.
For a number of reasons the junior structure in the North of England needs a serious reappraisal. The danger signs are obvious. A proliferation of mongrel teams where clubs are unable to field a team so join with another club. The U19 has 4 proper teams and 5 combination teams. Surely not a healthy position.
At the other end the U12 programme is a real curate’s egg. The ages range from U12 –Year 7 down to Year 3 (or even lower –who knows!) Clearly this is unhealthy, irrational and possibly dangerous. Slow change is happily happening but current 8 year olds could be in their teens before real change is achieved.
Timperley have, for many years been a powerhouse of junior lacrosse .We still have good teams at most age groups but are clearly not as competitive at U12 as we were . The difference in standards between U12 teams is stark. Timperley lose to Sheffield in a poor game. Sheffield then lose 26-1 to Poynton A. Timperley lose to Mellor 22-8. These teams are not playing the same game!
We are currently trying to revamp our lower end junior structure with U12 A and B teams, an U10 and hopefully U8 team. This structure will hopefully help us to build a strong competitive structure which produces top class players who will excel at the top level.
If you have views on this challenge or even more importantly would like to be involved in building one of the great community sports programmes please do not hesitate to put you head above the parapet.

LACROSSE ISSUES
Sport is an important part of modern society. If newspaper coverage is anything to go by then it is very important (today MEN gave sport 9 pages; Daily Telegraph had a 20 page sports supplement; Guardian 8 page sports supplement.)
Not included in any of this are minority sports such as hockey, squash, swimming, fencing, martial arts and certainly not lacrosse.
Sport has many issues which merit debate. And over the next few months it would be interesting (to some people anyway) to look at some of these issues.
• Lacrosse is a minority sport. How do you grow participation? How do we recruit players to Timperley?
• Whenever the issue of sport is raised school sport is promoted as the answer to getting more people playing. Is School sport the answer or is it the problem –the elephant in the room?
• Is sport dangerous? Ask Nick Ascott or Tim Holdsworth. Does it make you healthier? We know rugby is dangerous and can lead to long term brain injury but so too is soccer apparently. US has banned heading in some games. Surely Boxing is equally a problem. What about Lacrosse?
When I started playing there were no helmets –and I played in spectacles! The introduction of face guards raised enormous opposition from senior women players and they are still not mandatory. Madness or freedom of choice?

• How well is sport governed? We read about the problems at FIFA and at IAAF. A recent academic study by a Danish (I think) University studied the performance of the international governing bodies for Olympic sports and rated FIFA as the second best. How good is Lacrosse with its aspirations to rise up in the Olympic pyramid? How good is ELA as domestic sports NGB and how will the seemingly inevitable funding cuts effect sports like Lacrosse? How should a club like Timperley Sports Club and Timperley Lacrosse Club be managed and organised? Mainly volunteer run, what can you expect?
I am sure there are other questions that will become worth considering in the fullness of time. At least I will be interested!!

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