Tornados As v Republic Poly, Sat 19th May

Result 7 -0

 

The Ladies Tornado A team opened the game against Republic Poly with wave after wave of attack. It had been a straightforward team talk; it was a must win game with a decent goal difference. The Poly girls were clearly a weaker side and it was really only our inability to slot that goal between the posts which prevented us from reaching double figures.

 

The first half saw a plethora of balls passing the oppositions left post and over–compensation in the second half meant the right post was witness to a similar scenario. However, goals were scored; two from Elaine, a hat trick from Chris, one from Rosie and by far the best goal followed by the best celebratory leap coming from Jenny “boobs” Bloomfield.

 

The decision to move Sage out of goal and onto the pitch did not go unnoticed by RP. There were a few hairy moments and short corners which had us all feeling anxious but the defense was having none of it, and no goals were conceded.

 

This was a game the tornadoes clearly enjoyed. We were confident, our passing was good, we were changing positions and communicating and carving out real chances for one another. Not all of these chances were converted into real money, but then again, we are saving our glorious best for the final…

 

Man of the match – Chris: she is omnipresent on the pitch and yet again graced us with an outstanding performance.

 

Beez vs. SCC A - Beez find their sting!

The Killer Beez faced their 3rd game in 5 days at Sengkang last night. Things looked ominous for the Beez as SCC A turned up en-masse to face only 12 very tired Beez.

SCC started the game strongly and went ahead very early from a PC. The low drag flick had much of its bite taken of it from Garf's stick and it should have been an easy clearance for Harry Houdini on the post but he'd done one of his famous disappearing acts.

To their credit the Beez heads didn't drop and mid way through the 1st half they drew level with a fierce shot (in his words) from Josh, that looked like a tap in to every body else. Only a few minutes later the Beez took the lead for the first time in a game this season. A long ball through the middle found Anton unmarked in the D with his back to the goal. The SCC keeper tried to mount Anton roughly from behind. Although Anton didn't seem  to be complaining about the amorous intentions of the SCC keeper, a stroke was awarded which Anton clinically despatched before asking for the keepers number.

The Beez went into a much deserved and needed break 2-1 but came out sleeping allowing SCC to get a simple back post tap in equaliser after only 5 minutes.

Once again this only spurred on the Tornados team who were in no mood to settle for a draw. With 20 minutes to go the Beez took the lead through a field goal from Nick. The Beez then settled into a counter-attacking game to protect their lead. SCC had most of the remaining play but the few D penetrations they had were dealt with confidently by Garf and his defence. The Beez task was made more difficult losing Wazza to a back injury and temporarily Anton to a hammy/cramp.

Close the end of the game the Beez thought they had made it 4-2 when Nish appeared to score but the umpire ruled that the ball had already crossed the line before any Tornado had touched it.

The Beez ran out 3-2 winners. A fantastic effort from the team who had only managed to save just enough energy to open a few post match Red Rocks.

With games to come against SCC A and B the Beez can still avoid the drop.

Nick was voted MotM for his tireless performance and Nish DotD for wearing a pair of luminous green briefs that have no rightful place in the 21st Century  

Ladies 2s vs IA As, Sat 12th May

Saturday saw the Ladies 2^nd XI take on the IA A’s and whilst there were a lot of positives to take from the game the girls are still searching for that elusive first win of the season.

 

Straight from the first whistle the girls knew they were in for a tough game coming up against a team of young, fit and fast local girls. This was the first time this season that the girls had come up against this type of direct play and for the first half the Tornados struggled to contain the IA with the midfield gaps being constantly exposed by a couple of extremely handy IA players.

 

However, this is not to say that the first half was all one way. Tornados put together some nice moves with Reachelle combining nicely with Annalise to cause the IA defence a few headaches as well as some good strong running from the forwards. Once again the defence looked solid despite conceding a few goals in the first period – as always the SHF refs probably contributed to the score line but I think the IA deservedly went in ahead at the break. In all fairness the girls didn’t react to some of the decisions which was a credit to them – they left all of that to Mitch on the far touchline ;)

 

After a quick team talk from Joran (and after a quick whisper with the officials from Mrs B!) the Tornados came out for the second half and looked like a completely different team. The structure looked a lot more solid and the midfield started to stem the flow of the deep runners coming through from the IA. Lady of the Match Lizzie started to boss the game from the left hand side and linked extremely well with the rest of the midfield and forwards – she showed some slick little dribbles and some strong tackling as well which was great to see! Tornados were unlucky not to nick a couple of goals in the second half with Sara desperately unlucky not to get her name on the score sheet with one of her trademark on the knees sweeps. To add to this there were also a couple of goal mouth scrambles and on another day it could have been a different story....I think it finished 5-0 in the end and most of that damage was done in the first half.

 

If the girls can increase their levels of composure in all departments and start the game at a higher tempo there is no reason why we can’t get a few wins on the board in the next few weeks!

 

Keep up the good work ladies.

 

Coach Kris.

Ladies 2s vs SRC, Sat 5th May

Better late than never I say!

Having read the team match reports I realised that there was no ladies 2's and as the person who misunderstood the question and found myself not only managing, but managing and coaching all on my onesy, I guess that it falls to me.

Saturday's game started out with many of these firsts! First time that you could hear people talking to each other on the pitch, first time coach/ manager, first time Reachelle in between the sticks (for a long time) and last but very definitely not least, first goal of the season!

 

As the first game of the day the first half saw soaring temperatures and a committed opposition who were very early on the offensive. The resounding thud of shots on pads was a common theme early on with Reachelle making some cracking saves only to wrong foot herself and then the game turned into a modern Spielberg special as everything slowed down and the ball rolled ever so slowly into the goal to put SRC up by 1.

 

Not to be outdone Annalise received a ball near the defensive 25 and in an effort worthy of wearing underwear on the outside of her skort (superhero that is) completed an astounding run down the line all the way to other end and pounding home the 2's first goal of the season. The celebrations should have been recorded for prime time airing at the Bull and Bear!

 

1 all at half time and there was some fire in the belly as the girls (whoops ladies) rightly figured that they were in with a really good shot.

 

The second half is all a bit hazy as I struggled to do everything required and take note. However for the better part of the half the scores remained at 1 all, with opportunities at both ends.

 

SRC ended up the better however through another slow motion corner ball that went in when a cross found the defensive group slightly out of position and beat an overextended diving Keeper by millimetres. The overstretch gave everyone a breather with 7 minutes to go as ice and physiotherapists scrambled. To everyone's credit, the heads stayed high and the effort was maintained all the way through to the whistle.

 

Net result a 2-1 defeat that could have very easily gone the other way. Thanks for the great effort and assistance with names and subs! It was a pleasure to be a part of and a credit to Joran and Kris as the team has a great esprit de corps.

Girl (whoops Lady) of the match went to Reachelle with Annalise a close second.

 

Warwick

 

Beez vs. NYP - a Gnat's testicle away from a point!

The Tornados Killer Beez put in their best performance of the season on Sunday night against an NYP team that had run the A team close in their recent encounter.

Despite having some key personnel missing the Beez dominated the first half but rarely made life difficult for the NYP keeper. The Beez were disciplined from back to front and NYP really struggled to find a way through the Beez lines. Nick and Rahul were a constant thorn in the side of the NYP defence but the Beez forwards were unable to get a stick to a number of quality balls that flashed across the NYP D.

In the second half NYP's superior fitness began to show and they threatened the Beez goal on a number of occasions but Al, Nazza and Rego were on fine form to keep them at bay. Unfortunately, mid way through the second half a momentary lack of concentration from the defence allowed the NYP centre forward to sprint into the D unopposed to score a well worked deflected goal.

The rest of the half saw the Beez attacking the NYP D but lacking the clinical edge in front of goal. NYP remained dangerous on the counter.

The game also became quite feisty and Kamikaze Nish was sent for 2 minutes on the naughty chair after a rash challenge that led to a bit of handbags. This clash was marred by racist comments from one of the NYP Players that have no place on a hockey field.

In the last few minutes the Beez lay siege to the NYP D and looked to have snatched a point when Big Jim Wheeler lashed a shot at the NYP goal only to see it hit the upright and rebound across the goal.

A great performance from the Beez who were unlucky not to come away with at least a point.

Next up SCC A on Tuesday night. A game that the Beez have a real chance of winning.

Ladies 1s vs Dutch As MATCH REPORT

This 7:30pm Saturday match against the Dutch As was always going to be tough and physical. We sincerely hoped it would be a battle of the two playing teams with sticks rather than a match controlled purely by poor umpiring. Perhaps the fairly decent umpiring was due to no local teams playing this match. It was good to also see the umpires playing as a team and consulting each other on a couple of crucial occasions.

We went into our familiar 3-4-3 game plan solidly with some great midfield passing combinations and solid defence, from everyone. Aussie Charlotte took one for the team early on with a beautiful thigh stop. Little were we to know that the best was yet to come, with Charlotte then taking a mighty strike in the stomach in the second half that saw her retire from the match.

Play continued up and down the field for the remainder of the first half with the Tornadoes just unable to put the last couple of passes together in the 25 to effectively penetrate the circle. The Dutch managed to slip one in so we went into the break one down.

We regrouped at half time with plenty left in the Tornado tank to take it to the Dutch for the second half. The Dutch managed to sneak another one away. The Tornadoes replied with a goal from Chris that bobbled between the goalkeeper's legs and just over the line. The defence did well to repel a number of short corners during the match but unfortunately the attack just couldn't connect well in field play to set themselves up for effective finishing.

Cynthia played a solid match, vocal and supportive as ever; walking away with the player of the day award. Helen continued to provide stability at the back of the diamond, especially in the transition to attack, changing the direction of play to put the Dutch on the back foot regularly. Sayj continues to grow in confidence with every match and is really taking control of the goal, making some great saves and clearances in the match. We continue to put our training drills into good practice, finding new goals for the future to continually improve and refine our game.

Beez vs ORA - Much Improved Preformance

After succumbing 8-1 to ORA only a few weeks ago the Beez faced an uphill task against them last night at Sengkang but really stepped up to put in a strong performance against a far younger fitter team.

 ORA started quickly and once again an opposition decided to use Garf's huge head for target practice. Such head shots would be dangerous but as we all know keepers don't have any brains to get damaged! 

Some fine defending from the back 3 shielded by Rego managed to keep ORA at bay but the deadlock was broken after around 15 minutes from a penalty corner drag flick that beat the diving keeper. The resultant tremors from Garf's landing resulted in a region wide Tsunami warning and had Indonesians running for high ground.

 ORA continued to dominate possession but the Beez had chances and quickly drew level when Nish slid in to get a stick to the ball before the advancing ORA keeper. The Beez then had a chance to go ahead. A great pass from Ralf should have put George clear to race in at goal but according to George the ball was deflected by an ORA supporting ant on the pitch. Nobody else saw the ant!

 The teams then looked to be heading to the half time break level until the Beez were caught sleeping at the back allowing a simple goal to be scored.

 ORA's extra fitness showed in the second half with them going up 4-1 with 2 goals that were from rebounds after saves had been made. Wazza got in a good position to stop both but appears to have bought a stick with a hole in it. Must be a Tasmanian special.

The game was not one sided though and Rahul in particular was troubling the ORA defence with some sublime stick work. The Beez gave themselves a glimmer of a chance with 5 minutes to go when father-to-be Nick got his first goal for the team.

 However, it was not to be and the game needed 4-2. Another much improved performance from the Beez.

The highlight of the match had to be Rahul's 40 yard pass in the 2nd half. Unfortunately it was his stick rather than the ball. He must have had lessons from Fizzi Izzi. Next up NYP on Sunday.

Time for the Beez to get some points on the board.

MotM: Rahul
DotD: Rahul

Tornados Ladies A vs Jansenites: 2-2

Saturday May 5th, 2012
Having reviewed the Div 1 league table we were feeling the pressure as we went into this game, fully aware that we were joint top of the table with Jansenite and needed lots of goals! So, we started with our familiar 3 - 4 -3 formation and pressed hard. Jansenites 1st goal came after 10 mins, after a lot of 'interesting' and 'surprising' calls from the umpires, especially as this team seems to use their bodies as well as their sticks! We then moved into our new attacking 'high 5' formation of 5-3-2, which produced lots of shots on goals. Unfortunately, it wasn't until just before ½ time that we finally got one in the net. This was scored by Gemma, and supported by the other forwards who had fought hard to get it there.

Jansenites 2nd goal came in the second ½, after an extremely contentious short corner call, which lead to a great strike into the goal. But we fought on and started working particularly well as a team, which lead to our 2nd goal at the 20min mark. It was scored by Sam, but assisted by some great teamwork down the pitch to the goal. This seemed to gives us a boost, which produced some great team play in the final 15mins.

So, despite some very 'interesting' umpiring we came away with a draw, so the competition is still on between the two of us! But I am sure with the growing confidence and consistency of great players on this team, we will go on to rack up the score lines, especially as we get a chance to play some of the weaker teams in the league.

Player of the match, was the consistently hard working Charlie White battling hard for us up front!

Thanks also must go to Rich who rushed back from Bangkok to support and advise us, and to Helen for pulling us together pre match. Plus, a special welcome to our newest addition Lauren who survived her 1st match in the tropical heat of Singapore!

Tornados Mens 1s 4 NYP 2

The Tornados Mens 1s team continue their unbeaten run with a win over NYP in a game of 2 halves - but aren't they all?

Torndaos started strong, opening up a 2-0 lead in the first 20 mins with some well taken filed goals by both Cameron Black and Rene Severin. The structure started to weep a little from there, and changes to the NYP set up soon started making in-roads to the Tornados D. A tight last 5 mins of the first half had NYP pressing for goals, with PCs seeming to be pulled from all over the shop. Tight work by the 4 defenders and goalie kept the clean score sheet and the half time whistle was welcomed by the fat bloke in the helmet (and all other fatties on the the team!)

NYP started the second half as they finished the first - a short corner leading to a score after a deflection first off the keepers foot guards and then via his pad tightened the game to 2-1. The Tornados attack had other ideas,who quickly took control up front and forced PCs at the other end. A sharp PC which rebounded off the prone keeper led to a well taken shot by Cameron Black, whilst a drag flick moments later from Rene, again from a shortie, gave Tornados some breathing room with a 4-1 advantage.

NYP remained resolute to reduce the deficit, and struck goal after a good run by their forward, followed by a  deflected ball just under the keeper's arm pit - proving that though keepers smells are powerful, they just aren't strong enough!

With a final score of 4-2 to Tornados, the 1s have some positives to continue to improve and negatives to work even harder on - some well taken goals and good PC work was in fine form for some of the match, but structure and discipline needs to be played throughout the game. 2 yellow cards and one green card means we were down to 10 players for about a quarter of the match.

Spirited Beez Performance vs. Hollandse Club.

In what was always going to be a tough game the bottom of the table Beez took on the table topping Dutchies at Sengkang. The Dutch started quickly and would have gone ahead early except for Garf getting his planetoid sized head in the way of a rocket from the Dutch Centre Forward. The Dutch however, did soon take the lead though from a penalty corner drag flick that squeezed between the keeper and Wazza on the post. The Beez battled well for the rest of the first half and can count themselves unlucky to be 3-0 down by half time. 

After another Churchill-esque half time talk from kotters, in which he hinted at Ralf being a fifth columnist, changes were made with Towners moving back to sweeper in place of old-man Yoda who had to get back to the Retirement home before they locked the doors for the night. Towners slotted in well at the back and even managed to keep some of his 16s below head height, before rashly deciding to give a Dutch player a Runcorn Hug. After a 5 minute recess both players shared a taxi to A&E where the big fella won 21-8 on the stitches count.

 The game ended 5-0 but the Beez should have a clear Penalty stroke when a blatant push in the back in the D on Nish was missed by the usually myopic men with the whistles. The final score was perhaps a bit harsh on the Beez who can be proud of their efforts.

 Next up 3 games in 5 days, so if you want to catch up with any of the Beez after 15th May I suggest you look for them in local physioterrorist practices.

 MotM : The Fat Cat
DotD: nobody.