East London Hockey Club

27/03/2010

East London Hockey Club's men capped a hugely successful season for the Tower Hamlets based club by clinching promotion in the final match of the 2009/2010 season on Saturday. The Sparrowhawks made it a ninth consecutive win to steal second place in East England Hockey League Division 3SE by a solitary point. The crucial match was played away against another London club, Crostyx. East London began brightly and quick passing and movement throughout the team lead to several opportunities before James Cook finished an excellent worked set play after sneaking in at the far post. Chris Jones continued his goal scoring form doubling the advantage with a deflected finish before the half time whistle. Jones struck again within a minute of the re-start with a stylish reverse stick strike from the edge of the Crostyx Dee. East London looked to be cruising and missed a succession of chances to put the game beyond doubt but when Crostyx pulled one back then men in orange began to look shaky. The award of a penalty flick with less than two minutes remaining made the score 2-3 and set up the nerviest of finishes as East London were forced to defend a final play penalty corner to get the result they required.

The Men's result built on the success of the Ladies' side who, having already secured first place in Essex Women's Hockey League Division 1 the previous week, beat a visiting side from Chelmsford 4-1 to complete a hugely successful season.

The Men's 4th XI also finished off the season in style winning 6-1 against Romford. Goals from Mike Birnie, Ash Bakrania and Matt Thomas as well as yet another hatrick from goal machine Adam Lord rounded off the year consolidating another promotion for club

20/03/2010

East London Ladies Hockey team overcame title contenders Malden and Little Baddow in a 4-1 victory at Mile End Stadium this Saturday to ensure they will be crowned champions of Essex Women's Hockey League Division 1 with a game to spare. East London enjoyed the majority of possession through out the game and although Malden were dangerous on the break goals from Eilis Quinlan and Sophie Hollington gave the Londoners a 2-0 half time lead. Malden hit back in the second period but Esme Oliver-Hobley finished neatly after an excellent East London move to regain the two goal cushion before a top corner strike from Quinlan sealed the win.

The Men's team faced a Havering side battling to avoid relegation, themselves needing to secure the points to keep their promotion challenge alive. As expected it was a fiery contest with some robust challenges from both sides in the early exchanges adding to the heat. East London struck first through Adam Willoughby after excellent work from Kevin Taylor on the left flank. Havering hit back shortly after via an expertly finished penalty corner before Steve Canwell restored the lead, only for it to be cancelled out before the break. The match continued to be fiercely contested with chances at either end, again East London edged ahead but Havering repeated the set piece move which gave them their first goal to draw level at 3-3. East London had a goal disallowed for an off the ball incident during a penalty corner of their own, before late goal specialist Chris Jones popped up with only a few minutes remaining to deflect a driven cross past the visiting teams keeper. The 4-3 victory leaves East London two points adrift of the final promotion spot in the East Hockey League Division 3SE, the remaining game is in hand against 4th placed Crostyx where a win will secure Division 2 Hockey for next season.

Elsewhere the Men's 2nd XI recorded an 0-8 victory away against a Witham side to finish in 3rd place in Division 5SE whilst the Men's 3rd XI beat Division 6SE champions Old de Ferrians 2-0 at Mile End to consolidate their second place and ensure promotion for the 2010/11 season

06/03/2010

A hatrick of strikers finishes from winger Chris Jones and a brace from his full back James Cook helped East London Hockey Club's Men to a 10-0 victory at Mile End Stadium this week. The pacey right flank proved too much for the visitors from Upminster to handle as Jones' and Cook's goals combined with finishes from Adam Larkin, Roeland Doust, Kevin Taylor and Adam Willoughby to give the Londoners their biggest victory of the season. In the opening exchanges Upminster looked like they might make for a closer contest, moving the ball round the back well, but a lack of pace up front and in midfield ultimately ensured East London could take control of the game. Cook opened the scoring finishing at the back post after 10 minutes and repeated an almost identical move in the final stages of the second half to make the score 9-0. Jones wrapped things up deflecting in his third from close range as East London secured another valuable three points.

The ladies side were involved in a closer contest winning 2-1 earlier in the day against a side from Local rivals Wapping. The girls played with only ten players throughout the match but took the lead midway through the first half when Eilis Quinlan finished a well worked move. The match was in the balance until with ten minutes remaining Quinlan doubled the home side's advantage. Wapping pulled one back in the remaining minutes but were unable to find the equaliser. The three points all but guarantees East London one of the two promotion spots to Essex Women's Hockey League Premier division with the crucial match against rivals Malden and Little Baddow in two weeks likely to decide who finishes the season champions of division one.

27/02/2010

Adam Larkin gave a captain's performance to help lead East London Hockey Club's men to a crucial away victory against promotion rivals Thurrock this weekend. The narrow 4-3 win leaves East London two points behind Thurrock with one of their four remaining games in hand. As expected the game was closely contested throughout and Thurrock took an early lead after steeling the ball from the East London defence. However, the Londoners struck back within minutes when Larkin slotted the ball past Thurrock 's wrong footed keeper from a penalty corner. Another goal at either end left nothing between the teams at the break and the second half continued in the same manner. Larkin struck for a second time to give East London a 3-2 lead, despatching a loose ball emphatically into the Thurrock net, only for this again to be cancelled out at the other end. Both teams continued to push for the win and with the game stretched Kevin Taylor found space to slip the ball under the keeper to give East London a slender advantage which they held for the remaining ten minutes.

The Ladies team won an incredible eleventh successive victory after putting seven past Romford without reply at Mile End Stadium. The victory put's them back to the top of Essex Women's Hockey League Division 1. Goals from Martje Langerwerf, Gilly Grey and a Hatrick from Eilis Quinlan were straddled by two strikes from Sophie Hollington. Hollington opened the scoring minutes into the game a wrapped it up from a penalty corner with the last hit of the match.

The Men's 2nd XI followed the Ladies on the pitch at their Mile End home and treated the pitch side spectators to a second victory. East London looked like winning from start and goals from Tom Bullock, Rob Rouse, Sean Channing and Alex Kickham helped them to a 5-1 triumph.

20/02/2010

Yet again East London Hockey Club had another strong week with four out of five teams in action recording a win. The Men's 1st XI, hosting a side from local rivals Wapping, were looking to continue their recent good form. East London were without several key players but a composed performance from midfielders Adam Willoughby, Howard Nicklas and Keith Davison ensured they controlled the game throughout. For the third week running the score was 0-0 at the break but East London Stepped up the tempo in the second half and began to utterly dominate the match. Wapping packed the defence making it difficult to score but eventually Chris Jones swept the ball into the Wapping goal to make it 1-0. Dan Hyden came close to doubling the advantage on a number of occasions before the final whistle but the solitary goal was enough to secure three points and a fourth successive clean sheet ahead of next weeks crunch match with promotion rivals Thurrock.

The Ladies 1st XI made the trip to University of Essex looking for revenge after suffering their only loss of the season in the reverse fixture at Mile End. The match was closely fought throughout but two goals from Eilis Quinnlan cancelled out previous strikes from the university team. East London then took the lead when Sophie Hollington's sixtieth minute screamer thundered into the back board of the opposition's goal giving the Londoners a slender advantage which they held until the final whistle.

The Men's second XI recorded an excellent 1-5 victory away against another local team, Waltham Forest . A third Hatrick of the season from forward Rob Rouse was enough to see off the home side and keep the East London side's slender chance of promotion alive. The Men's 3rd XI swept a visiting team from Colchester aside winning 12-0, with many of the palyer's contributing to the score line the stand out moment of the match was goal keeper Israel McNally's excellent penalty flick save to ensure the clean sheet.

13/02/2010

Patience was key this week for East London Hockey Club's Men. A controlled performance away against a Brentwood team who sit at the foot of the East Hockey League Division 3SE, eventually saw the Londoners comfortably win 0-3. A resolute Brentwood were able to see out the first half without conceding, and although East London enjoyed the majority of possession only a handful of goal opportunities were generated. Two early goals in the second half however sent East London on their way. First Rory Feldman flicked a loose ball in the 'D' high into the Brentwood goal before Dan Hyden set up Adam Willoughby whose initial strike was deflected passed the unfortunate goalkeeper. East London then began to dominate , Steve Peck and Dan Tonkin gave yet another outstanding performance in defence, providing the perfect base for the Londoners. With little or no goal threat from Brentwood the match was already won before Hyden popped up again before the final whistle deflecting a well worked short corner over the line to seal the victory.

The Men's 2nd XI lost at home 2-0 to a visiting side from Old Southendian. East London had a raft of chances to score but were unable to find the target. The defeat leaves them chasing a seven point gap to the final promotion spot from division 5SE with only five games remaining.

The Men's 3rd XI faired better returning from Thurrock with a 0-4 victory. A Hatrick from forward Adam Lord helped East London to take all three points and they now hold a strong position lying second in Division 6SE.

06/02/2010

A single goal was just enough to secure three points for East London Men this weekend against visiting Chelmsford . Despite controlling the game from the start East London were unable to capitalise on a string of good opportunities in the first half. The breakthrough came via a penalty flick after a Chelmsford player's foot stopped Kevin Taylors initial effort from crossing the Line midway through the second half. Lee Tickner converted, coolly slotting the ball low into the Chelmsford goal. East London continued to look the more likely to score and thanks to another strong performance from the Londoner's defence the opposition's forwards posed little threat from open play. But further squandered goal scoring opportunities made it a nervous finish with East London needing to successfully defend several late penalty corners to secure the win.

The ladies first XI played away this week against a strong Upminster side and got the best possible start when they scored in the first minute; a text book goal courtesy of Martje Langerwerf. Upminster recovered though and following chances at either end they drew level just before halftime. In the second half Upminster came out strong and initially had a number of chances on goal. However, the East London defence stood firm, whilst the attackers punished the home side on the break, first with a goal from Lucy Bigham followed by a second from Langerwerf. With the score 1-3 and five minutes to go, Upminster scored again via a penalty flick. East London still came away with the three points they deserved which puts them in a strong position at the top of Essex Division 1.

23/01/2010

East London Men's 1st XI recovered from last week's defeat with a 6-0 victory over Saffron Walden at Mile End. The Sparrowhawks were dominant from the start, playing with an intensity in midfield in particular that the visitors couldn't match. Lee Tickner opened the scoring after 10 minutes slotting home after a slick East London passing move opened up Saffron Walden's defence. James Cook and Kevin Taylor added to the score before half time. A second half hatrick from Taylor finished off the game with the vital three points keeping East London in the hunt for promotion.

The Ladies 1st XI also dominated their match against Phoenix and came away with an identical result. If anything, 6-0 flattered the visitors from Braintree as East London 's Ladies exerted total control over proceedings. Stand in Goalkeeper Hannah Stevenson had precious little work to do as goals from Eilis Quinnlan, Lucy Bingham, Esme Oliver-Hobley and Vicky Dawson ensured the victory to keep East London at the top of Essex Women's Hockey League Division 1.

The Men's 2nd XI continued their charge up the East Hockey League Division 5 table with another away win, this time finishing 1-2 against Redbridge & Ilford with goals from Paul Carruthers and Rory Feldman securing the points. The Men's 3rd team produced one of the results of the season winning 15-1 at Mile End. A Hatrick from Ian Allgood and a four goal haul from Rob Rouse helped them on their way.

16/01/2010

East London Ladies showed no signs of rustiness after the Christmas break, beating Witham 4-0 at Mile End Stadium this weekend. Goals from Eilis Quinnlan and Jilly Grey Gave the home team a 2-0 half time lead after they had dominated much of the possession. The good form was maintained in the second period when the lead was extended by Quinnlan before Vicky Dawson fired a shot into the bottom corner of the Witham goal to finish the scoring.

The Ladies 2nd XI also started the new year with a victory beating Oakway 1-5 thanks to two goals from Belinda Le Mesiuer and a Hatrick from Emily Swithenbank.

The Men's team had a much tougher return to the second part of the season facing league leaders Plashet. Although possession was evenly shared throughout the game Plashet's finishing was too good. A 0-3 half time lead to the visitors was extended to 0-5 before Rory Feldman scored a consolation for the Sparrowhawks to leave the final score at 1-5.

The Men's 2nd XI travelled to Saffron Walden and took home all three points after a thrilling 5-6 victory. After Luke Weatherill opened the scoring East London stretched their lead to 3-1 at half time. However Saffron Walden came out strongly and quickly drew level. East London then hit back with a brace of their own through Weatherill and Paul Carruthers to make the score 5-3 with 15 minutes left on the clock. Amazingly East allowed Saffron Walden two goals to draw level for the third time, however, with 5 minutes to go Alex Kickham dispatched a penalty corner to snatch the victory for the men in Orange.

05/12/2009

East London Hockey club went into the Christmas break in style with all six of their teams with fixtures this weekend coming away with wins.

The Men's 1st XI visited Phoenix HC in Braintree and were able to take all three points thanks to a 2-3 victory. Both teams enjoyed periods of good possession but East London looked more dangerous from open play throughout. Goals from Lee Tickner, Adam Willoughby and Chris Jones were enough to offset two set pieces from Phoenix whos slick penalty corner routine almost earned them a share of the points.

The Men's 2nd XI continued their come back with a 6-1 victory over Phoenix 's 2nd string at the Mile End Stadium to complete a double over the Braintree club. Rob Rouse scored twice to claim his sixth goal in the last two games and send East London to 5th in Division 5SE of the East England Hockey League.

The Ladies 1st XI had their fixture postponed but the 2nd XI were in action against Southend and returned from the far end of Essex county with a 1-2 win. The Men's 3rd, 4th and 5th XI finished the excellent weekend off for the club with victories. The 3rd XI consolidated themselves in second place in Div 6SE as they continue to push for promotion whilst Ali Altaf gave a performance of particular merit for the 5th XI, scoring three times and claiming the Man of the match award in a win against a visiting side from Old Southendian.

05/12/2009

East London Ladies got yet another win under their belts cementing their 3 point lead at the top of Essex Women's Hockey Division 1 at the half way point in the season. East London were strong throughout and their opposition from Old Loughtonians saw little of the ball in the first half but were able to hold out the league leaders keeping the score 0-0 at half time. A more open second half however allowed gaps to appear and first Lucy Bigham then Sophie Hollington took advantage to give the East London team a 0-2 lead which they held till the final whistle.

The Men's 1st XI had a more difficult week loosing only their second game of the season away to struggling Havering. Despite dominating the first quarter of the match East London were unable to convert and Havering took the opportunity to snatch the lead after a number of dangerous counter attacks. After the break East London continued to enjoy the majority of possession and eventually drew level with an expertly finished set piece from captain Adam Larkin. However, as East London pushed for a winner Havering struck twice in quick succession. A final goal from Kevin Taylor was not enough to rescue anything from the game and East London left with nothing with the final score 2-3 to Havering.

The Men's 2nd XI picked themselves up from 2 straight defeats with a 9-0 thrashing of Witham. The game started poorly but East London soon picked up the pace and Rob Rouse found himself free to put the ball past the Witham keeper from close range. Rouse followed up with two more before half time, including a stunning strike into the top corner of Witham's net. Tom Bullock grabbed the second hattrick of the day after the break, finishing some good team moves. Alex Kirkham was the games chief provider with 5 assists, but Rouse claimed his fourth goal and with it the Man of the Match award and all three points

28/11/2009

East London Hockey Clubs Ladies 1st XI won a crucial away match against title rivals Maldon and Little Baddow this weekend. The girls made the long trip to Maldon to play the team who are second to themselves in Essex Women's Hockey League Division 1 by virtue of goal difference. East London had a strong opening half but couldn't find the breakthrough they needed although Martje Langerwerf came close on a number of occasions. However, a long stoppage at half time due to a serious injury broke the Londoners impetus and Maldon fought back into the game in the second half. East London's defence though were enough to prevent the home side from taking the lead and a excellently taken goal from Georgie Manley was enough to claim all three points and a clear lead at the top of the table.

The Men's team hosted University of Essex at Mile End and made tough work of earning the victory. East London dominated possession in the first half but spurned numerous clear chances on goal and headed into the half time break with a slender 1-0 lead thanks to a close range finish from Dan Hyden after excellent work from James Cook. The second half continued in the same fashion but the university side began to create chances at the opposite end, converting with twenty minutes remaining to draw the points level. East London continued to press and eventually Cook found an opening again slipping the ball through allowing Adam Willoughby to convert for his fourth goal in five games.

21/11/2009

Torrential rain and strong winds marked a difficult week for East London HC. The Men's 1st XI faced a visit from the team with which they held equal second position in East England Hockey League Div3SE, Thurrock . Both teams were fighting for promotion this season and the importance of the game was obvious from the start. Thurrock enjoyed much of the possession but East London were consistently threatening on the counter attack. East London took the lead three times through striker Kevin Taylor and captain Adam Larkin only for Thurrock to pull back each time. The game finished 3-3 with the two teams still unable to be separated in a closely fought season.

The Ladies team played local rivals Wapping, a team they had convincingly beaten pre season. However, with many of their key players missing the East London girls found this encounter much more difficult and eventually lost 2-1. The girls drop from the top of Essex Women's Hockey League Division 1 for the first time in 3 weeks but remain within three points of the leaders.

Elsewhere in the club The Men's 2nd XI drew 1-1 away, also at Wapping, to keep them within 2 points of the inner city team who currently sit in the second and last promotion spot in Div 5SE. The Ladies 2nd XI faced a skilful Old Southendian team and eventually lost 1-4 despite some excellent goal keeping from Sarah Ward-Davis and a fine goal, which drew the scores level midway through the second half, from Captain Morag Campbell

14/11/2009

07/11/2009

Several teams secured crucial away wins against local rivals for East London HC this week, continuing the clubs good form and excellent season.

The Men's Team made the short trip to Wapping for an early start. East London looked rusty in the opening stages and it took them ten minutes to liven up, but after Adam Willoughby slammed a loose ball into the Wapping goal from a brake away attack East London never looked like losing. James Cook doubled the Sparrowhawk's lead before the break with Dilraj Sahota and Dan Hyden stretching it to a four goal cushion in the second half. The performance was capped with a spectacular reverse stick strike in the closing minutes from winger Chris Jones making the final result 0-5 to East London.

The Ladies visited Romford, the club East London emerged from some fifteen years ago, resulting in a thrilling match. East London controlled significant portions of the game and were 2-0 up after the first fifteen minutes. East London never relinquished their lead but Romford pushed hard till the end, bringing it back to within one numerous times as the teams traded goals. East London eventually saw the game out 5-7 to take all three points and maintain their position at the top of Essex Women's Hockey League Division 1.

The Men's 2nd XI faced a strong Waltham Forest side in a frantic local derby at Mile End Stadium. The home side got off to a great start with goals from Paul Carruthers and Sean Channing leaving the score 2-0 at half time. Waltham came out a lot stronger in the second half and ex-East London striker Wazeem Ahmad pulled one back 5 minutes in. However a captain's performance from Tom Eshelby, scoring and setting up another, was enough to give East London a commanding lead, and eventually a 6-3 victory after a flurry of second half goals.

31/10/2009

East London Hockey club had another strong weekend of results with all but one of their six teams who were in action securing victory. The Men's 1st XI saw off Brentwood 7-0 with goals from Roeland Doust, Keith Davidson, Dan Hyden, Adam Larkin and Adam Willoughby. East London Goal keeper Tom Driver was also on fine form to ensure a clean sheet and maximum benefit in goal difference which could prove crucial in a tightly contested league. The victory pushes East London to third place in the East England Hockey League Div 3SE, equal in points to second place Thurrock.

The Ladies battled back from 0-2 down to eventually win 4-3 against a visiting side from Upminster, much to the pleasure of the watching East London Supporters. The girls controlled much of the game but Upminster's skilful attack was always dangerous on the break. Fortunately the East London players kept a cool head and secured victory in the last 5 minutes with an excellent strike from captain Zoe Marsden. The East London Ladies now lead Essex Women's Hockey League Division 1, with their excellent scoring ratio from previous games keeping them ahead of the chasing pack.

The Men's 2nd XI also produced a resounding victory. After a disappointing result last week they bounced back to thrash Southend 7-1 after taking the long trip across Essex for the match. Goals from Tom Bullock, Luke Weatherill, Paul Carruthers, Sean Channing, Ali Bell and Rob Rouse gave the travelling Londoners the three points.

24/10/2009

East London Men made the trip up the A12 to Chelmsford this week. Their opposition were sitting one point ahead of them in the league table after four games so the match was a crucial one for East London to continue their challenge for promotion. East London started the game by far the better team and after the first twenty minutes found themselves two goals to the good thanks to two fine strikes from Kevin Taylor. A change in Chelmsford formation though saw the home team get a foothold in the match and in the second half East London , not helped by the terrible pitch conditions, were under pressure. Chelmsford scored four times in a dismal spell for the visitors who looked like they had thrown the game away. However, East London took advantage as Chelmsford sat back to try and defend their lead with on form striker Taylor netting twice more before the final whistle to make it 4-4.

The ladies' side were away against Southend. The travelling team had much of the possession in a frustrating match but were unable to get more than a 1-1 draw. Elsewhere in the club the Men's 3rd XI played old rivals Romford in an exciting end to end match. Despite chances at either end East London found themslevs 2-0 down with a string of excellent saves from goal keeper Phil Messenger keeping them in the game. They then managed to rescue a point after two late goals from Ian Allgood drew the scores level in the last five minutes.

17/10/2009

East London had another strong weekend of Hockey with both Men's and Ladies' teams collecting another three points to their growing tally for the season.

The guys were up first, hosting a Crostyx team who so far had a 100% record after being promoted to the division this season. The visitors had some good possession in the opening five minutes and made the most of this by converting a penalty corner after some scrappy defending from East London . The favour was almost immediately returned though when Dan Hyden managed to push the ball over the Crostyx goal line after Kevin Taylor's initial strike from the set piece hit the post. The second half again saw Crostyx have some good early possession but after ten minutes East London 's superior fitness began to show. The home side began to dominate play with numerous chances being squandered. Finally Roeland Doust deflected James Cook's cross into the goal to put the Sparrow hawks 2-1 up and then, as Crostyx pushed on, Dan Hyden broke through the centre of the visitors defence drilling the ball beyond the goalkeepers outstretched leg. Crostyx pinched a second in the dying moments but East London made it two victories in a row winning 3-2.

The ladies gave yet another team a sound thrashing, winning 1-8 away at Phoenix . The girls have now scored 30 goals in their opening 5 matches and lie 3rd in Essex Division 1, just three points behind the leaders. Sophie Hollington was again in superb form and was seemingly unstoppable as she helped herself to four goals. Esme Oliver-Hobley, Lucy Bigham, and Lucy Glasgow were also all on target as the Londoners start to look like real contenders for the league title this season.

10/10/2009

With the new season hotting up and several teams from East London HC making a good start in their respective leagues, another good week was required from the Sparrowhawks, and that's exactly what they produced.

The Men's team were away against Saffron Walden. Both teams were evenly matched in the first half but East London made the best of their chances and took a 0-1 lead into the half time break thanks to an opportunistic goal from Kevin Taylor. The second half though saw a long spell of dominance from East London who capitalised on this with goals from Adam Larkin and Chris Jones to make it 0-3 with only five minutes remaining. However, a lack of concentration allowed Saffron Walden, who had looked dangerous at times, to grab two quick goals back and even have a third disallowed in the final minutes leaving the visiting team feeling relieved to take all three points back to the capital.

The Ladies also had an away fixture but against Witham. East London dominated the game from start to end and showed why they consider themselves potential league title contenders this season. With eight goals without reply the Londoners left Witham with all three points and riding high, third place in Essex Division 1.

The men's 2nd XI also had a memorable victory beating Redbridge and Ilford 7-1 at their home ground at Mile End Stadium. Again the East London team were dominant from the start with goals from Rob Rouse, Jeff Courtney, Keith Davidson, Dominic Mullender and Tom Eshelby leaving the result in no doubt.

03/10/2009

East London Hockey Club's Men suffered their first defeat of this season to old rivals Plashet on Saturday. A high tempo and highly charged first 20 minutes saw Plashet score 3 early goals to shock the visiting East London team. However Keith Davidson opened East London's account before half time changing the complexion of the game. The second half saw the teams trade goals with Lee Tickner and Dan Hyden scoring for East London . However, despite an excellent performance from centre back Steve Peck Plashet's skilful attack always looked threatening and they ran out 6-3 winners

The Ladies team's strikers were out in force this weekend with a superb 1-6 away win against Chelmsford . East London pressured the defence from the offset and after a few near misses the visiting side were eventually rewarded with a well deserved goal from Esme Oliver-Hobley. East London maintained the pressure and were again rewarded with a further two goals before the half-time whistle from Isobel Harbison and Sophie Williams. The second half mirrored the first with another three goals for East London . Harbsion and Williams added to their tally whilst Robyn Shears scored her first of the season.

The Men's 2nd XI played a Saffron Walden side which had gained an impressive 4-0 victory on the opening day of the season,but East London made all the early running and Tom Bullock cut in from the left and scored with a finely placed shot to put his side 1-0 up. Saffron Walden hit back immediately on the break, but East London didn't let their heads go down. Further goals from Alex Kickham and a spectacular 4 goal haul from Roeland Doust ensured East London ran out 7-2 victors.

26/09/2009

East London Hockey Club Men's team played their first game of the season this Saturday and saw off Phoenix HC 5-1 at Mile End Stadium. The travelling team who were relegated from the league above last season were no match for the East London Boys who looked sharper and fitter from the start. Dan Hyden opened the scoring and then Lee Tickner finished a spectacular passing move to give the Sparrowhawks a 2-0 half time lead. With Kevin Taylor scoring twice and James cook adding a fifth in the second half the game was already beyond doubt when Phoenix managed a solitary goal in the last 10 minutes. Final result, East London 5 Phoenix 1

The Ladies team were unable to continue their great start to the season and lost 2-3 at home to University of Essex. The girls had the majority of the possession and deserved at least a share of the points but were unable to convert numerous chances. Excellent performances from Vicky Dawson and Hannah Stevenson in the East London midfield ensured University of Essex were camped in their own half for much of the second half but the equalising goal was frustratingly allusive.

Elsewhere in the club the men's 2nd XI travelled to Braintree to face Phoenix 2nd XI but struggled to find goals despite a strong performance. The Ladies' 2nd team were beaten 3-1 by opposition from Southend. The Men's 5th XI thrashed a visiting team from Old Southendian HC 7-0 in the last game of the day at Mile End Stadium helped along with with a Hatrick from new player Tom Bullock