AEHC Mens 1st XI kicked off the second half of their 2017/18 season with a 2:0 victory over local rivals Bowdon 2s on Saturday, keeping their aspirations of promotion to the National League alive.
Edge began the game with good possession and carved out several opportunities in the early stages. However, a combination of rustiness and smart saves from the Bowdon keeper kept the score at 0-0 for some time until a well-worked short corner routine was finished off by James Warburton to break the deadlock. Edge continued to create chances in the second half and eventually doubled their lead when Warburton this time found the roof off the net from five yards out following some great team play.
The Men will be hoping to sustain the pressure on the teams above them next week when they strive to take all three points from their game against bottom of the league Sheffield Bankers.
The Ladies 1 were back in league action with a bang this weekend following the Christmas break and games cancelled as a result of frozen pitches. They found themselves on a somewhat chilly mini 'Northern tour' travelling to Leeds on Saturday, where they beat the University 1st XI 3-2, all three of their goals coming in the first half, before then heading up to Whitley Bay on Sunday. Unfortunately they lost this game 1-2 despite playing some great hockey against opposition who currently sit second in the North Premier League, one place ahead of Edge. Man of the Match was goalkeeper Catrin Parry who made several influential saves.
The Ladies 2s were held to a frustrating 2-2 draw in Cheshire League division 1 by Oxton 1s but retain their position at the top of the league. They will have all to play for next weekend when they face second placed Bowdon 3s. Unfortunately the Ladies 3s remain at the other end of the table after losing 0-3 to Warrington.
The Mens 2s were rewarded with a valuable 2-0 away win over Lytham St Annes in their North League division 2 mid-table clash thanks to a strong display in goal from Anthony Birchall and goals from Greg Johnson and Simon Swatland. The 3s didn't enjoy such a good day at the office, going down 1-5 at home to Wrexham.
The Mens 4s notched up their 10th game without loss when then dispatched Sale 1s 4:2 to retain equal second place in North West division 4. Edge started strongly with two quick goals from James Parkin and Ali Smith and continued to hold off countless attacks for the rest of the half. Sale found an extra gear in the second half, converting two short corners in quick succession. From there the game was at a stalemate, with both teams defending strongly, until Man of the Match Louis Godfrey scored with ten minutes left to play. Captain Rob Marks then sealed the win with another goal minutes from the whistle. All bodes well for the team's 'crunch' game against League leaders Liverpool Sefton 2s next Saturday.
Elsewhere, the Mens 5s lost 1-5 to Sandbach 1s in division 5, while the young 6s fought hard to beat Triton 4s 3-2 in division 7. Richard Williams scored twice with Max Howarth also finding the back of the net. The 7s local derby against Wilmslow 5s in division 8 ended 2-2.
The Ladies 4s, 5s, 6s and 7s all struggled this week losing their matches.
A couple of the club's age-group teams were also in action this weekend. The U16 boys had an EH cup pool game and unfortunately went down 1-3 against a very physical Neston team in a late pushback on Sunday. Adam Robertson scored for Edge which took them into the break with the advantage. Neston's early goal in the second half seemed to give them a wake up call though and they then went on to put two further goals past Edge despite some valiant goal keeping from Man of the Match Ben Jagger.
The future of AEHC Ladies hockey was also on display on Saturday with the Beavers Bs (year 8 girls) taking on Beavers C (year 7 girls). The Bs eventually won out 5-1 but the Cs certainly didn't go down without a fight!
The Beavers Bs were in action again on Sunday in the latest round of the 7-a-side u13 Greater Manchester Junior Hockey League at the Armitage Centre. They had a great day, winning all of their five matches and a clean sheet for goalie Clarissa Rigby.
Match report by Sue Polley.
