HOCKEY

At the start of the first half Stroud struggled to get into the game, the Lansdown players chasing the ball down and making it difficult for Stroud to play any expansive hockey.

The Stroud defence held strong and, marshalled by man-of-the-match Simon Pickard, made some good tackles to keep the goal threat to minimum.

Lansdown failed to take advantage of a few early short corners and keeper Dave Cruickshank kept his goal intact with some good stops. Despite Lansdown’s early advantage it was Stroud who scored first, midway through the half, Danny Clifford somehow squeezing the ball in from an acute angle.

Lansdown got themselves back in the game. A well-struck free hit wasn’t cut out and a Lansdown defender ghosted in at the back post to guide the ball into the goal. As the game entered the final minutes, Lansdown threatened on the break as Stroud pushed forward looking for the win themselves, but some last ditch tackles by Hermes Carlyon and Matt Waite kept them out.

Gloucester C 1 Stroud Men’s 2nd XI 3 STROUD 2nd XI put in a convincing performance to beat Gloucester C on Saturday. Key to their victory was the creation and use of space on the pitch, particularly from the forwards, but super support from the midfield of Nick Hitchcroft, Barney Franklin and Joe Jarman ensured a good shape to the side.

Gloucester were their usual tenacious selves and could not be discounted, but a nicely aimed side line strike from Franklin found Jarman in the perfect spot, top D and unmarked. His first time slap shot gave Stroud a deserved lead. Stroud found themselves a little under pressure at the back as Gloucester tried to pull a goal back. The slippery pitch almost put paid to Rich McColl and Mike Hallett, but they coped admirably. With Matt Watts also looking solid and pushing forward from the back, Stroud worked hard to build attacks through Ben Orme and Hitchcroft. Leading by example, captain Tim Norman pounced on Gloucester indecision at the back. His shot was deflected by the keeper but fortuitously caught a defender’s foot and crept over the line to give Stroud a more comfortable 2-goal cushion at half-time.

The second half began with Gloucester piling on some pressure. Stroud’s defence could have been overpowered but rallied to keep out the marauders, Rob Gleed flying across the back at times. When Gloucester scored a rather soft goal, Stroud’s advantage looked in jeopardy.

It was all hands to the pumps as forwards and midfielders including Nik Sen and Paul Ratcliffe worked hard to keep them out of Kev Sinden’s goal.

A few anxious moments followed before McColl came away from defence and produced an accurate long pass to Orme on the opposition 25. He drove into the D to despatch a perfect shot through the oncoming keeper’s legs for Stroud’s 3rd.

This was just what they needed and weathered Gloucester’s futile efforts in the closing minutes to take a hard-fought but deserved victory. Jarman’s solid play and hard work earned him the man-of-the-match award, but it was an all-round strong team performance that really won the day - a good result to take to their home match against Hereford A, 12:30 start on Saturday.

Stroud Ladies’ 1st XI 1 Clevedon Ladies 2 STROUD played admirably against top of the table Clevedon.

Clevedon went ahead with an early goal, but Stroud’s counter-attack resulted in a good goal from top scorer, Lucy Bishop. Mopsey Bridges played well in a new centre back position and Sarah Tudor too command of the midfield, blocking much of the Clevedon attack.

Clevedon managed a second goal from a short corner in the second half and despite hitting the post and having balls stopped on the line the Stroud team just wasn’t able to pull in a draw. Star player: Jade O’Connell.

STROUD Mixed came from behind to defeat Painswick 5-3. Meanwhile, Stroud Men’s 3rd XI were beaten 4-0 at home. Stroud Badgers U16s were beaten 3-0 away to North Somerset.

Elsewhere, Stroud Ladies’ 2nd XI had a convincing 2-0 win against Colwall 2nds.

Nikki Aylmer was in fine form as Painswick Ladies held Blockley to a draw.