Goals, grit and growing belief: Marlow's Men and Women are on the up

Tom Ferris, scorer of Marlow M1s first goal on Sunday

Picture courtesy of Ian Foster @IFSportsImages

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The last weekend before the half-term break was a positive one for Marlow Hockey Club with the men’s first team securing a comprehensive victory over Fareham at Pound Lane and the women’s team securing an equally impressive 1-1 draw away at Lansdown in Cheltenham.

Both sides have been slightly slow to find their feet in their respective National League Conference West divisions this season - with the men’s team only promoted from the South Central Leagues last season.

However, they’ve both picked up form of late with the women’s side having overcome Exeter Women 3-1 at home last weekend.

This weekend’s results leave the teams identically placed in sixth position in their respective leagues and looking up the table rather than down off the back of some encouraging results and performances.

The men’s first team headed into Sunday’s home game with Fareham bottom of the Conference West table on goal difference, despite several very close contests.

A large home crowd were treated to another solid display which suggests the Reds are more than good enough to survive in the National League this season.

Starting strongly, they twice just failed to convert chances at the back post before Tom Ferris squeezed the ball home from a seemingly impossible angle to give them the lead,

The ball flashed across the Fareham area, but Ferris was able to get his stick to it and divert it into the back of the net.

Marlow then went two goals to the good when skipper Sam North hammered the ball home, reviving a penalty corner routine that had broken down.

Fareham managed to pull a goal back in the third quarter with one of their few forays into the Marlow D, but after Olly Blundy saw an audacious lob bounce onto the crossbar, he calmed any nerves of a Fareham comeback with a brilliant strike to make it 3-1 with seven minutes left to play.

Ferris, Blundy and Josh Morgans tied the Fareham defence in knots all game, but this was a solid performance from the team as a whole and one which should give the Reds plenty of encouragement as they look ahead to their next contest at home to eighth placed Cardiff & Met 2nds on Sunday, November 2. Sunday’s result lifts the Reds to sixth with six points from five matches.

The women’s team will also be encouraged by how they played in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at fourth placed Lansdown.

Marlow looked to impose themselves on their hosts from the start, with forwards Ruby Balcome and Alice Godfrey earning a penalty corner in the second minute. The ball was played to the edge of the D where Balcome scored, despite the routine not going quite to plan.

Lansdown also had their chances and levelled matters in the ninth minute through a lob which keeper Alys Ramm managed to push onto the post, only to see it turned into the net on the rebound.

Ramm calmly defended another penalty corner in the second quarter to ensure the sides went in level at the half-time break.

Marlow saw more of the ball in the second half and had some opportunities through the lively Jess Rees-Gray while Lottie Porter ensured the door was kept shut at the other end.

Both teams had chances to win the match, with Lansdown seeing a goal ruled out by the umpires to ensure the Reds travelled home with a precious point.

They made that journey with mixed feelings. Happy at having earned a useful point against strong opponents but slightly frustrated it wasn’t all three based on the strength of their performance.

Overall, the weekend was a good one for Marlow. The Men’s 3s and 4s and Women’s 4s and 5s all top their respective league tables, and Sunday saw good wins in the EH Cup for the Boys U18s and Boys and Girls U16As and U14As.