Weekend Roundup - 23rd / 30th September & 1st October

STATS!

Played....16 Won...4 Drawn...3 Lost...9
For....38 Against...44
3 clean sheets for, but 6 against
Hat-tricks - 1
Saints PC conversion rate - 100%

Saturday 30th September...... The season has started of in somewhat of a disjointed fashion to date, with numerous teams across the club having early weeks off in the schedule. This week it was the turn of the Men's 4's and Badgers to stay on the sidelines. On the field, the Vets continued their dominant recent form, and remain unbeaten. The Men's 1's, 3's and Saints finally got their league campaigns underway, and there was a first win of the season for the Ladies 4's.

Meanwhile the Ladies 1's are still yet to score, and the Ladies 3's and Men's 2's continue the search for a first point.

​Ladies 1's 0-2 Leicester Ladies 1's
Ladies 2's 3-3 PHC Chiswick Ladies 1's - Robyn Bentley 3
Ladies 3's 1-2 Crawley Ladies 1's - Ruth Smyth
Ladies 4's 3-0 Crowborough Ladies 2's - Sophie Binns, Tatiana Sneddon, Jo Granger
Bluebirds 0-3 Eastbourne Chicks

Men's 1's 3-4 Brooklands MU Men's 1's - Tijn van Groesen 2, Simon Faulkner
Men's 2's 3-4 CanterburyMen's 2's - Harry Turner, Jordan Torrilla, Ben Smith
Men's 3's 3-3 South Saxons Men's 2's - David Nuth, Freddie Knott, Darren Hollis

A strong Men's 3^rd XI turned out to face the infamous South Coast adversary with optimism and focus, with a Giles Dakin mid-week training routine fresh in their minds. The theme of the session had been attacking in formation, holding possession and moving effectively as a unit up the pitch.

Very impressive start, with possession held by the home team and some interesting incursions into enemy territory. The midfield worked well together and Max Hassam created a wonderful solo move down the right flank setting up the first goal of the game. Another followed in quick succession with Darren Hollis seemingly trying to decapitate the EG skipper with his super-charged strike mid-goal. Leave it for the Saxons, Dazzer..

The Saxons were not taking this lying down. Hengest and Horsa were beating a war drum in the Saint Hill dug-out, with each dull melancholic beat mesmerising the visiting team into blood-hungry warmongers in fear of Thunor, their mystical God of Thunder. For one of these brutal warriors, the anticipation grew too much (South Saxons # 19), and after returning from a yellow card elimination, this individual succeeded in drawing blood from the EG skipper, not with his pick nor his spear, but by ramming his knee into the face of Yours Truly.

Saxons drew level by exposing the home defence on numerous occasions (learning point here EG) but by half time it was 3-2 after Freddie Knott thankfully showed the visitors that skill and elegance will always outwit thuggery and violence.

The elves, dwarves and giants pressed hard in the second half and after many stoppages to reload their primitive weapons, after three green and yellow cards, and after send – offs, somehow the visitors were awarded a Penalty Stroke. It went in.

Thunor had intervened, and the result did not recognise the great start this new Men's 3^rd XI is making.

David Nuth

Vets 8-2 Epsom Embers - Richard Payne 2, Ben Payne 2, Mikey Holland, Julian Mogg, Jez Subedar, Julian Mills

With home form like this vets teams will not be relishing the prospect of visiting fortress EG this season. This was a comprehensive win, that could have easily been double figures, against the reigning Division 2 champions who last week ran the reigning Division 1 champions very close.

Epsom were highly efficient in crafting 2 goals out of only 3 opportunities in the whole game, with Giles hardly touching the ball. It was however the dominant EG midfield who controlled the ball and the game, creating numerous short corners along the way.

With the question of left or right dominating world affairs, within the microcosm that is "EG Vets set pieces" there is a clear winner. The new slick routine sees RP top of the pops in the league goal scorers table and his team 3 points clear at the top of the league with the most goals scored.

We shall gather the season's predictions from No1. supporter & pundit David Payne after next week's trip to H&W.

​Peter Loader

Saints 3-4 London Wayfarers Centurions - Mark Hunnisett, Dave Fenwick, David Glenister

Sunday 1st October...... The calendar ticked over to a new month, and the first tranche of junior games arrived en-mass. Moral victory for the U18 boys, whose opposition failed to show, and there were wins for both U16 Boys and Girls, and the U14 Boys, whilst the Girls, and both U14 Boys Development sides fell to defeat.

Shout out to the U14 Boys Development B side, actually mostly U12's playing against older opposition, who put on an impressive display in their match against Woking.