Men

The Men’s 1^st XI suffered another defeat on Saturday despite taking an early lead through a penalty corner flick by Scott Apps. They then added a second which was inexplicably ruled out by the umpire. Ramgarhia hit back and went 3-1 up by half time. Letchworth were weakened by bad injuries to skipper Tom Wharton and Matt Smith and finished 6-2 down & slip to mid-table.

The 2^nd XI’s run of bad luck continued with a late goal scored against them to clinch the game for Berko.

The Men’s 3^rd XI continued their winning form with a comfortable 6-2 win, which included a hat trick by James Adams, a brace from Tom McIntyre-Brown and a goal from Tom Payne. They are now in 2^nd place in Division 5SW.

The Men’s 4^th XI narrowly lost to Luton Vagrants in a tough encounter, whilst the 5^th XI fielding a weakened team were well beaten by MBDA with youngster Will Barnett scoring the consolation goal.

The 6^th XI won 1-0 with former goal keeper Harry Knott scoring.

Letchworth Masters Over 40

Letchworth are now through to the 3rd round of the England Hockey Masters Cup which will take place on 4th December.

Ladies

The Ladies 1^st XI beat Crostyx L1 2-1 and move up to 5^th from bottom. They now play some of the teams near them in the table and if they can pick up points should move safely up the table.

Letchworth 2′s were at home against Tring. Letchworth had a slow start against Tring and found themselves 2 – 0 down within 15 minutes this was added to and by the end of the first half they found themselves 3 – O down. After half time and an inspirational team talk they picked themselves up and started to play hockey. They won a number of short corners and Helen Hewlett converted one to start the scoring. Amy Wareing, who had an outstanding game scored a cool penalty flick. Helen Hewlett then scored another goal from a short corner and a Tring player was sent to the sin bin and Letchworth began to believe that a comeback was possible. Deborah Wren then scored to win the game 4 – 3.

The Ladies 3 scored six against Luton L2 (their first win of the season).

Unfortunately injuries deprived Letchworth of both substitutes early in the game, with Rebekah Wade and Sheila Lucas both forced off. The remaining Letchworth players managed to do far better than the opposition at compensating for Luton’s slow pitch with decent ball pace, diminishing the home team’s advantage.

Letchworth found plenty of opportunity to practise their attacking short corner routine, with good work from Leanne Gateson and Louise Balcombe winning plenty of repeat short corners when a goal wasn’t forthcoming. The first goal went to Lesley Saunders and came from a straight strike short corner routine. The second goal went to Julie Fewings with a characteristic strike in open play.

Taking a 2-0 lead into the start of the second half, Letchworth could focus on playing decent hockey rather than chasing the game. Some good attacking link-ups from the back line created opportunities on the left and right of the pitch and the reward for good possession and passing hockey was a glut of goals. There were four Letchworth goals scored in the 2nd half, including a Louise Nicholson hat-trick. The first came early in the second half and, along with her third goal, was the reward for good positioning and great shot placement to beat the Luton keeper. Louise’s second came more by virtue of being in the right place at the right time, as a hard ball into the D from Rachel Allison connected with her stick and fired off into the corner of the goal before Louise had any chance to think about it.

The only blot on the defensive performance was a goal conceded midway through the second half; Tash had the shot covered until a cruel upwards deflection off Sue Saunders foot. Julie Fewings also got her 2nd goal with another strong strike from the top of the D. Credit must go to Luton’s talented goal-keeper who prevented the goal count from being any higher with a number of brave shot-stopping efforts. Yuliya Mucha’s performance gained her the Man of the Match award, with her switch to right-back ensuring the Sheila wasn’t missed.

In control from very early on, Letchworth L4 then contrived to concede a scrappy goal, when they were left exposed at the back & unable to clear goalkeeper Charlie Warren’s initial save. Unfortunately, panic set in & Letchworth lost their composure when in possession & in front of goal. In spite of forcing a string of short corners, they struggled to convert the numerous chances that came their way. Bedford failed to win any short corners themselves & rarely tested the 4s defence. As the clock ticked down, ‘Player of the Match’ Kelley Wray began to open up the Bedford defence, with a series of penetrating runs. Her determination was finally rewarded when Haidee Castle slammed home a well-worked short corner, from Caroline Nicholson’s ‘assist’, to bring the scores level.

Mens

After the M1 5-1 defeat to City of P’boro the team has slipped to 5th place in the Premier B Division.

The 2nd XI still seek their first win of the season but earned a draw against Southgate Adelaide. They are second from bottom in Division 3SW.

The 3rd XI went up to 2nd place with a narrow win over Hertford M2 and are now level on points with leaders Stevenage M2.

The M4 continued their recent good form with an emphatic 5-1 win over Potters Bar M2.

The M5 lost to St Albans and fell back to 3rd from bottom in Division 7SW.

Ladies

England Hockey Ladies Trophy

Letchworth Ladies 1st XI set off to a strong start on Saturday against Bishop’s Stortford, taking the lead with an early goal from Charlie Humber. Despite another two goals from Olivia Hewitt, Letchworth were unable to maintain their lead and found themselves 4-3 down. A final short corner, taken by Loren Christian, allowed Letchworth to finish the game with a 4-4 draw.

Letchworth Ladies 1st XI also had their first England Hockey Investec Women’s Trophy Cup game of the season on Sunday against local Shefford & Sandy 1’s; Letchworth were the dominant team throughout and secured a solid 3-0 win, goals from Jenny Johannes, Olivia Hewitt and Loren Christian – they travel to Henley on Thames in late November for the second round.

Letchworth Ladies won their 4th consecutive game, in a friendly fixture against Stevenage 5ths, on Saturday. They were quickly in command & were 2-0 up in the first quarter. Alison Adams opened the scoring & then Lorna Alcock roofed a deflection from a short corner. Stevenage rallied & forced a couple of short corners, ably dealt with with by the Letchworth defence. By then, however, Alison Adams had scored again. With a comfortable 3 goal cushion by half time, Letchworth were able to rotate their juniors at will, with “Player of the Match” Emily Tollafield & Alana Sullivan the pick of the crop. Haidee Castle, was a constant threat but was thwarted time & again by some outstanding saves from the Stevenage ‘keeper. Alison Adams added a 3rd ‘hat-trick’ goal to her tally & Letchworth ran out comfortable 4 – 0 winners. They travel to Bedford next week in a return to league action.

Men

The Men’s 1st XI returned to winning form with a comfortable win against Harleston Magpies 2nd XI. Playing some attractive attacking hockey they led 3-0 at ½ time and then increased their lead with two well worked goals in the 2nd half. They remain 4th in the table & next week they travel to City of Peterborough who lead the Premier B Division.

The Men’s 2nd XI unluckily lost to Royston M1 and had a goal disallowed from Matt Wade. The 3rd XI beat Luton 2nd XI 4-2 and go 2nd in the table. The Men’s 4th XI travelled to Broxbourne and emerged 2-0 victors, and the 5th XI travelled to Bishops Stortford and came from 1-0 down to win 2-1 with Simon Wallduck scoring two goals from penalty corners. The Extra 5ths drew 2-2 with Ricky 3rd XI and are 2nd in Division 10SW (Mark Sheard and Chris Waynforth netting for Letchworth).

Ladies

Never has the term ‘a game of two halves’ has been more apt, as Letchworth Ladies 1st XI lost 5-4 to Broxbourne. Letchworth allowed Broxbourne to take advantage of their slow start and score 5 girls in the first half, with Letchworth only getting one back from Olivia Hewitt. The second half, however, developed into an exciting game. Letchworth fought back and dominated with some fast attacking play, winning a stream of short corners and with Loren Christian scoring three goals. Letchworth were unlucky not to score another to equalise

Letchworth 2′s were at home against Leighton Buzzard. Despite scoring first through a short corner from Helen Hewlett Letchworth quickly conceded two goals. The second half was an even match and a tough battle with Leighton Buzzard scoring again and Letchworth had no reply. Final score Letchworth 1, Leighton Buzzard 3.


The ladies 3rd team lost 3-2 away to Leighton Buzzard 2nds, after going 3-0 down in the first half. The Letchworth scorers were Yuliya Mucha and Louise Nicholson with Lorna Alcock putting in a man of the match performance in goal.

Letchworth 4th XI played a friendly fixture, against their near neighbours Stevenage 5ths, on Saturday & emerged comfortable winners. Letchworth had the best of the early exchanges but couldn’t convert their numerous chances. The deadlock was eventually broken when Rachael Broom slapped home a shot, following a goalmouth melee. Several more scoring opportunities went begging in the second half, mainly thanks to the brave resistance of the Stevenage goalkeeper. However, she was unable to prevent ‘Player of the match’ Rachael Broom add her second, after a series of penetrating runs down the right flank from Alison Adams, Kelley Wray & Alana Sullivan. Liz Small hit an array of through balls to create further chances but the Stevenage defence stood firm. With a full squad of players, Letchworth rang the changes throughout the game & were able to give an encouraging amount of pitch time to many of their younger juniors. Next week, they host Stevenage 5s for a return friendly fixture.

Men

Letchworth M1 suffered their first defeat of the season against Cambridge University and slip to 4th place in the Premier B Division. The M2 also lost by the same score, whilst the M3 recorded their 2nd win in a row against St Albans. The M5 lost against high flying Luton M3 whilst the Extras narrowly lost to top of the table Blueharts M6.

On Sunday the Letchworth Mixed Academy Team took on an Invitational XI as part of the Club’s President’s Day events and drew 1-1 with Ed Bottomley scoring the equaliser from a penalty stroke.

Ladies

Letchworth 1’s : 1 Sevenoaks 2’s: 2 (East Women Div 1)

A frustrating game for Letchworth Ladies 1st XI as they struggled to get going on Saturday against Sevenoaks. Despite going one nil down, Olivia Hewitt equalised for Letchworth shortly before half time, but Letchworth were unable to build on this and allowed Sevenoaks a second goal, ending the game 2-1 down.

Letchworth 2’s : 1 Vauxhall Chiltern: 0

The 2′s were away at Vauxhall Chiltern and despite a bumpy pitch and a physical game Helen Hewlett converted a penalty flick to ensure Letchworth won 1 -0.

Letchworth 3’s: 3 West Herts 3’s : 4 (Five Counties Div 2)


Two goals from Sue Saunders and one from Jo Pinn weren’t enough for a 3rd team win away at West Herts, who eventually won 4-3.

Letchworth 4’s 1: Potters Bar 3’s : 0

Letchworth Ladies 4th XI remain unbeaten in the 5 Counties League, after a 1-0 victory over Potters Bar 3rd XI. They welcomed the return of Liz Small & it was from her well struck short corner that Alison Adams deflected her shot into goal. Having taken the lead so early in the game, Letchworth were reliant on some timely interceptions from Caroline Nicholson, Leanne Gateson & Katherine Lennard, who all shared the honours for ‘Player of the Match’. Both teams had scoring opportunities from short corners, after the break, but were unable to take advantage. Letchworth now go into a 2 week break from the league, with friendlies against near neighbours Stevenage.

Men

Letchworth 1st XI continued their unbeaten start to the season with a hard fought win over Long Sutton & go top of Premier B Division on goal difference. The 2nd XI picked up their first points of the season with a draw against Welwyn, whilst the 3rd XI rose to mid table after beating Welwyn’s 2nd XI. However, the 4th XI remain pointless in Division 6SW whilst the 5th XI suffered another heavy defeat.

England Hockey Masters Over 40 Round One

Ladies

Letchworth Ladies 1st XI were on top form beating Havering 3-0, the only team to beat us last year. Letchworth could have scored three goals within the first 10 minutes and looked the stronger side, but left it until a penalty corner mid way through the first half to put one away with a fantastic strike from Loren Christian. Some tight defending from Jenny Cross, Ashleigh Godfrey and Helen Harbon, kept Letchworth in the lead until Letchworth finally secured the game with another two goals from Loren; one from open play, the second from a short corner. A great game with great confidence and commitment from all players.

Men

Men’s Masters Over 50

Letchworth Men’s 1st XI took an early lead from a penalty corner by Scott Apps but Harpenden fought back to take a 2-1 lead before another penalty corner was illegally stopped on the line by the body of a Harpenden defender. The resulting penalty stroke was calmly put away by Matt Smith.

The Men’s 2nd XI but were well beaten 4-1, whilst the 3rd XI drew 2-2 with West Herts (Nick Cole scoring both goals for Letchworth). Both the 4th XI and 5th XI lost heavily.

On Sunday Letchworth Masters over 50 Team played reigning Masters Plate winners Holcolmbe and narrowly lost 2-1 with Simon Wallduck scoring for Letchworth.

Ladies

Letchworth Ladies 1st XI put up a strong fight and were unlucky to come away without any points against Chelmsford 2s on Saturday. It was a tense, end to end game with Letchworth taking the lead in the first 4 minutes. Chelmsford were quick to equalise and a second followed in quick succession. An excellent short corner saw Loren Christian bring the score level. Another goal from both teams left it at 3-3 for half time.

In the second half, the heat seemed to get the better of Letchworth as Chelmsford broke through scoring a string of goals. Letchworth were able to re-group and get another 2 back, including a short corner in the last minute to end the game with a 7-5 defeat; Loren Christian scoring 4 and Olivia Hewitt scoring 1.

Men

Ladies

Juniors

Two juniors from Letchworth Rogan Pond & Ed Bottomley represented their club at the Tier 1 Regional U16 Championships where they were in the winning team (Northwood) against Tonbridge and Bury St Edmunds winning both games 4-1.

Letchworth Men had 3 games against local rivals Blueharts and had mixed fortunes. The 1st XI had an emphatic 5-3 win in their opening league game, whilst the 2nd XI lost narrowly to Blueharts 2nd XI, whilst the 5th XI narrowly beat Blueharts 5th XI 2-1. The 3rd XI were left to rue a penalty stroke miss by Connor Pond and emerged 3-1 losers to Bedford 4th XI. Letchworth 4th XI were narrowly beaten by Berko 2nd XI, whilst the Extra 5ths won their opening league game 2-0 with goals from Gary Pond & debutant Ryan Gawley.

The Ladies 1st XI continued their unbeaten league run in Division 1 South with a 2-2 draw against Waltham Forest Ladies. Although the 1st XI started lethargically, with keeper Tracey Gateson keeping the score line down to 2-0 with some fantastic saves. Letchworth finally came to life in the last 20 minutes of the game with Ashleigh Godfrey making a save on the line and Loren Christian and Simone Pelger scoring to earn them a 2-2 draw.

Men

(all friendlies with Letchworth scorers in brackets)

Letchworth Men’s 1st XI had their last friendly game before starting their league campaign next week away to Blueharts. They were heavily beaten by Premier A side West Herts.

The 2nd XI played against fellow Division 3SW rivals Hertford & earned a hard fought draw.

The 3rd XI travelled to Cambridge Nomads going 4-0 up before the Nomads fought back to 4-3 but held on.

The 4th XI took on Hertford M3 and were 1-1 at half time before Hertford took control of the game & emerged as comfortable winners.

Ladies

Letchworth ladies 1st XI made a convincing start to the league with a 3-3 draw against Bishop Stortford. Letchworth were able to defend a string of short corners against them, instead taking the lead by scoring one of their own with a deflection from Simone Pelger. Sarah Parkhouse returned this season with a goal just before half time, and already we have a potential goal of the season which was well worked from defence to see Charlie Humber put it in the back of the net: A great first game to build on.

For the second week running Letchworth 4th XI found themselves struggling to cope, against more highly ranked opposition, in a pre-season friendly. Playing at Luton, on a heavy-going & difficult surface, they were very quickly ‘under the cosh’. “Player of the Match”, goalkeeper Hope Tolliday, kept the visitors in the game with a string of reflex saves in the first half. Letchworth were overrun by 3 or 4 key Luton players, who dominated the game with their superior stick skills & some intimidating physical play. 3-0 down at half time, Letchworth needed to re-group & shore up their defence. With a change in formation & a couple of positional ‘tweeks’, they hauled themselves back in to the match. Becky Wade, Ellie Georgiou & Katherine Lennard gained more control in midfield and Haidee Castle nullified several attacks back in defence. Letchworth were duly rewarded for their toil, when Jodie Deards put the finishing touch to Izzy Harada’s cross, in only her second game of hockey. However, the goal only re-energised the Luton midfield, bringing more pressure on the Letchworth defence. In the dying minutes of the game, they added a 4th to their tally.