Magnets Put Nine Past Richmond
By Mark Waller
SHC Magnets 9 – 1 Richmond Rogues
Squad: Broderick, Dunn, Beaney C, Dowthwaite, Campbell, Michael, Wingfield, Stone, Sabben-Clare, Majid, Powdrell, Waller
Scorers: Stone 4, Campbell 2, Sabben-Clare, Michael, Waller
MoM: Team performance/no individual award
DoD: Campbell
An early start that coincided with some rugby match or other and the half-term break meant that getting a side together was a little fraught. In the end though we were grateful to several players from the Jokers who kindly stepped up to help us out. Richmond were somewhat less fortunate and - missing some key players - they ended up playing with 10 men. In the spirit of Masters hockey we loaned them Haassan in the second half after their skipper was sidelined with a torn muscle, and he worked hard as part of a stoic rearguard action, playing once more for the club he played at 20 odd years ago. One of our players suggested that Rob Dunn might like to help Richmond out. The gist of his unprintable response was that as a former club captain with 44 seasons under his belt, there was no way he was ever going to be seen in a Richmond shirt. Like a handful of others in the team, he can remember the days of block fixtures when the two clubs used to compete for the ‘Copper Jug’, which always added spice to the fiercely contested local derby matches.
A dominant first half display put the match to bed as we went into the break 5-1 up, goals coming from swift attacking moves, following good build-up play in the midfield and sharp interchanges between the forwards. This largely continued in the second half and we could easily have won by quite a few more, but for some excellent goalkeeping, poor marksmanship, complacency and occasionally self-indulgent play. A great result in the end though, and beating Richmond is always cause for celebration. However, it won't be quite as easy when we face them at Duke's Meadow later in the season.
DoD (exceptionally awarded this week) went to Hughie for realising too late that the plastic covering should have been removed from his new grip before he affixed it to his stick.