The Ladies 1st and 2nd XIs both maintained the promotion momentum they have garnered over the last few weeks by posting wins in their respective league fixtures.
The 1st headed off on a road trip to Leeds, chauffeured by Club President Graham Bryant in a minibus kindly loaned for the day by AESG. The Ladies repaid the favour with a 2-1 won over Leeds Adel to retain second place and, crucially, a promotion spot, in North division 1 with just three games of the season remaining. They have a challenging weekend next week though with a home league fixture against Didsbury Greys on Saturday followed by City of Peterborough in the quarter finals of the EH Investec Trophy on Sunday.
The 2s emerged 4-1 victors in what turned out to be a pretty brutal and hard-fought game against fellow promotion challengers Oxton in Cheshire league division 1. Edge conceded an early goal and Emily Fell suffered a heavy nosebleed when she was elbowed in the face minutes into the game by her opposing player. Jude Offer quickly got one back for Edge, which Issy Mowatt followed up just before half time after a proper scrap in the D. Edge exerted control in the second half, which was no better tempered than the first, doubling their first half score. They take on top-of-the-table Triton next week in a game that could well determine whether either team heads the league at the end of the season.
The 3s beat Lymm 3-0 in the same league with goals from Brogan Tennant (2) and Tor Parkin, while the 4s lost 0-2 to Timperley 4s in division 3. The 5s and 6s both won their fixtures against Chester 4s and Runcorn 2s respectively. The young 7s team won their friendly fixture against Sandbach 1s 7-0 on Sunday and the even younger girls Beavers team drew 4-4 with Winnington Park Beavers 4-4.
Many of younger Ladies players were also in Cup on Sunday. The U18s faced 2016 EH Cup finalists Wakefield in the Quarter Finals of this year's competition and were unlucky to go down 4-0 against a strong team which could well make it the finals again on current form. However, the U16s beat Deeside Ramblers 4-0 in their final pool game ahead of the North Finals in two weeks. The girls started poorly, making basic errors, and it was down to Ellie Ward to open the scoring late in the first half from a short corner. Some stern words from coach Sarah Hopkin at half time did the trick and Edge looked like a different team in the second half. Another goal from Ellie Ward, followed by a quality tap in from Bethany Woodhead and a trademark flick in from Lois McTiffin, coupled with much better passing, sealed the win.
Back at The Edge, AEHC and its army of parent and Duke of Edinburgh volunteers hosted a friendly U11 tournament on Sunday, playing hosts to teams from Neston, Crewe, Deeside & Wilmslow. Edge fielded three teams, one of which won the tournament. Moreover, the Club provided a professional and well-received competition in which all the teams gained valuable match experience and had great fun.
The Mens 1st XI went down 1-3 to Leeds 1s who, 18 points clear at the top of the table, are in a class of their own in the North Premier league and worthy of promotion to the National League. Edge far from disgraced themselves, passing the ball and linking moves in a way that was more than a match for their opposition. The only real difference between the teams was Leeds maintaining slightly more composure in crucial situations.
The 2s lost 2-5 to Lindum 1s in North West division 1, while the 3s enjoyed a convincing 5-1 win over Bebington 2s at Kings Macc in division 3. The 4s lost 0-2 to Stockport Bramhall in division 4 while, in the same league, the 5s struggled against Wilmslow 2s, who have already done enough to secure promotion to division 3 next season. A Simon Swatland goal earned the 6s three points in their drizzly away fixture against Timperley 5s, but sadly the 7s went down 1-2 against Timperley's 6s.
The half term holidays decimated the Beavers squad and Edge were only able to field a team of 9 players for their away fixture against Preston. However, Preston proved to be very generous hosts and lent Edge a couple of players. In hindsight, they may have regretted doing so as Edge then beat them 5 -2.
