BHC Mens 2s triumph in London

Wapping away, always a tough one. Last season Wapping went on a rampage throughout the east league system, with many of their teams getting promoted. So although we were playing their 4s, this club has a deep rooted supply of talent and structure. This, by all means, was no easy game.

Our previous match at Chester Road saw us lose 5-2, so we were determined to return the favour on their ground.

Bedford started really well. We have, in past games, held off in the first 5 minutes, but we went on a charge and within the first 5/10 minutes we already had a number of efforts on goal. After some scrambling in the D, Matt Chitty found himself on the baseline with the ball. It's only 5/10ish minutes in, 0-0, and a Wapping player (no exaggeration here) literally kicked the ball off the back line to stop Chitty shooting, instead of tackling him with his stick. This happened a mere 5 yards in front of the umpire and so Bedford were awarded a penalty flick. Steven Adams stepped up and took it, scoring with a distinctly average flick.

Our second goal came from having patience and then attacking at the right time. The back 5 were all making great leads and the ball was flowing freely between them. Bedford kept that up and progressed further and further down the field until our back line were knocking on their 25's door. The ball was transferred back around to Neil who spotted an opportunity to hit Jack waiting inside the D for a deflection. Jack Madden scored his 5th goal in as many games.

The third goal was a bit of a cluster.

All I really remember is the shock of seeing Immy not only inside the oppo's D, he was also shooting! And on his reverse!! Order and balance were once again restored to the universe when he naturally fluffed it, to which the keeper tried to kick it clear. Instead the ball landed at the foot of Jack Kempe's stick. Jack summoned Hurculean strength out of nowhere and fired the ball at goal. It was so hard the Defender in front couldn't control it, subsequently deflecting off his stick and past the keeper before he even had time to react.

The second half was more difficult, injuries and fitness gave Wapping the upper hand. However we kept on and we maintained our style of hockey.

Our fourth and final goal came from Matt Chitty intercepting a pass from their back and running it towards a goal for a 1 on 1 with the keeper. The GK slid to try and get the ball and wipe out Chitty, eliminating any chance of a goal attempt. Chitty, on the other hand, had the gonads to take it to his reverse and hit it while falling into the path of the oncoming keeper. The ball slipped past and went in the goal and he fell almost face first into the keeper with a crunching sound.

We knew Wapping were a hard outfit and they really pushed us. What seemed like a comfortable Bedford game at the start turned into a real battle as Wapping managed to score 2 past us. Bedford held up extremely well, absorbing the pressure and not letting the 2 conceded goals get our heads down. We fought to the end and the game finished 4-2 to bedford.

A solid performance. A lot of positives to take away from the game and to take into next week. Nothing fundamentally wrong, so well done all round. Those 3 points have now secured the Mens 2s a position in the promotion race. 4 teams fighting and only 2 get promoted. Keep the charge going guys!