Stevenage Hockey Club

Crostyx M2 - 2 
Stevenage M1 - 3  (Blackburn, Mould (PF), Ben Oliver)

Stevenage travelled to London on Saturday to take on Crostyx in Division 2 South and in very uncomfortable conditions both sides started at a surprisingly heated pace!
In the first minute Dingley made a good save from the Crostyx forward which started the tempo for the whole game. Stevenage pushed forward and in the first ten minutes could have had four goals with chances falling to Oliver, Gary Brown and Graham Swinyard, however the home keeper was in outstanding form to deny them.  Crostyx took the lead which was harsh on the visitors with a quick counter attack which left the two defenders of Wright and Graves totally outnumbered against four home attackers the resulting effort gave Dingley no chance. At 1-0 Stevenage were regretting the chances they had missed but were soon level when Brown and Ben Oliver combined well to cross for Danny Blackburn who dived along the floor to fire the ball home from close range and give his side a well deserved equaliser.  More chances fell for both side with Chris Strickland clearing off his goal line late in first half and at the other end Mould came close after a great ball from Steve Scholes.
With half time fast approaching a terrible decision by the officials in not awarding Stevenage a clear penalty corner resulted in another counter attack from Crostyx from which they made no mistake in going in at the break 2-1 up.
In the second half the heat was really starting to take its toll on the players and both sets were showing the strain in a very open attacking game.  Richard Hamilton and Jon Oliver were making some good runs and distributing the ball well to the rest of the midfield and forwards. Paul Graves then made a crucial interception and set Strickland on is way, who in turn crossed for Hamilton who hit the post.  A minute later Stevenage got their equaliser, John Mould won a penalty corner from which Blackburn had his effort illegally stopped on the goal-line resulting in a penalty stroke which Skipper John Mould fired home to make it 2-2.
Crostyx pushed forward looking for a winner but the visitors were defending well and repelled any home advance.  Swinyard then set Gary Brown on his way who drew the keeper and gifted Ben Oliver an open goal to make it 3-2 to the attacking Stevenage side.  It could have been more but chances were being wasted to often which could have been costly as in the last few minutes Crostyx pushed forward with Tim Wright clearing a ball off the goal line and Dingley making a good stick save which he turned around the goal post.
The final whistle went in the blistering heat with the visitors gaining an impressive three points in the capital.

Stevenage L1  -  6 (Carly Seaton 2, Debbie Church 2, Caz Ayles, Hev Hemmings)
Crostyx L1 – 1 

Stevenage ladies dominated crostyx from the whistle, immediately putting the pressure on from the forward line. It didn't take long for Stevenage to break down the play and start attacking leading to Carly Seaton getting her name on the score sheet with Debbie Church soon adding a second from a penalty corner. Skipper Caz Ayles added a third a few minutes later with a great finish after good work from Day and Harding. Stephanie Oliver then rushed forward and crossed for Heather Hemmings to add a fourth on half time. The heat was taking it's toll on the team causing several substitutions and tactical changes.
In the second half Man of the match Steph Oliver  who played a part in most the home sides goals created two more for Debbi Church and Carly Seaton to give Stevenage a 6-0 lead. Crostyx caught the home side off guard with an attack in the second half and scored against the run of play but with Stevenage ladies giving it everything till the hot bitter end they sailed through their second game of the season with a convincing 6-1 win making Caz Ayles  a very happy skipper.

Lucy Harvey puts the over stretched Crostyx defence under more pressure

Men:
2nd XI Won - Luton 2nds 3  Stevenage  4  - the goals in a very competitive and physical encounter came from Ollie Holt, Andy Blaxill and two from Chris Watson who was also sin binned late on.
3rd XI Won - Stevenage 4  Hertford 3rds 0  The threes picked up after the disappointment of last week with an impressive victory and goals from Bailey Dingley and a hat-trick from the veteran Roger “Tufty” Barlow (right)
4th XI Lost - St Albans 7ths  3  Stevenage 1  (Andrew Davies)
5th XI Lost - Cheshunt 3rds  1  Stevenage 0
6th XI Lost -  Stevenage 0  Shefford and Sandy 3rds  8

Ladies :
2nd XI Won - Aylesbury 2nds  1  Stevenage  4  - A very impressive performance with goals from Alfie Gunther 2, Hannah Collard and Skipper Jo Thorpe.
3rd XI Lost - Stevenage 0  Tring  5
4th XI Won - Stevenage 3  (Jo Siar, Maggie O'Connor 2)  West Herts 4ths  2 
5th XI Lost - Stevenage 0  Vauxhall Chiltern  3

Stevenage M1 -  0
Wapping M2  -  2

Stevenage’s encouraging start to the season was dealt a major blow on Saturday as they came up against a very well organised and skilful Wapping side.
The first half was very even with both sides cautious and working out each others plays like a game of chess.  Stevenage would patiently build up the field with some good passing, however the home side failed to create any clear cut opportunities or threaten the Wapping goal.  Wapping also held the ball well and although very skilful and patient they to failed to really threaten Dingley’s goal.
In the second half Wapping came out the strongest and unfortunately for the home side they were unable to raise their game and would soon be punished.  Instead of playing their normal attacking style Stevenage sat to deep and allowed the impressive visitors time and space on the ball. This started a wave of flowing Wapping attacks which the home side were struggling to contain.  Wapping took the lead through a superb hockey move which the Stevenage defence had no power to stop. An attack starting down the left flank of just passing and movement gifted the Wapping right winger an open goal as the Stevenage players looked on in dismay at what could be described as a perfect hockey goal.  At 1-0 down the home side had to push forward, still with a patient build up just no conviction in the final third. It was turning out to be a very poor performance from what on paper should be a very stong side. Oliver and Brown were getting hardly any service up front and when they did the Wapping defence just shut them out.  Graves and Wright made some good challenges at the back  whereas Blackburn , Swinyard and Mould worked tirelessly with Jon Oliver in the Stevenage midfield but were just outclassed.  Strickland prevented a second goal with a good goal line clearance before Wapping eventually did deal the killer blow with a second in the final minutes to dent Stevenage’s hopeful promotion challenge this season.
Stevenage know they have to up their game for the next match against West Herts and come away with three points to be considered challengers this season, and were left wondering when was the last time  they failed to score at home: some say it was 2008/09 Season.

Hertford L1 - 4
Stevenage L1 - 1 (Lucy Harvey)

Stevenage were hopeful after a 6-1 thrashing of Crostyx last weekend of beating Hertford this week, however just like their mens first team couldn’t rise to the challenge.
With a few regulars missing Stevenage started reasonably well  and got themselves ahead when Jude Weston went on a run down the right wing and crossed for the skilful Lucy Harvey  to sweep home with an amazing reverse stick strike.
The joy was short lived as a few minutes later Hertford went up the other end and through good build up play equalised with a effort which gave Pickard no chance in the away goal.
Heading towards the break Stevenage pushed forward looking to take the advantage once again, however the Hertford keeper made some good blocks!
In the second half Hertford took control and a firm grip on the game. With some flowing moves and using the space on the pitch well they added 3 quick goals to make it 4-1 which totally shell shocked Stevenage.  The visitors tried their hardest to get something from the game but Hertford with their three goal lead just played keep ball and counted the clock down until the final whistle.
A very disappointing result for Stevenage who hope to bounce back next weekend.

LADIES
L2 Drew - Stevenage 1 (Hannah Collard) Shefford and Sandy 1 – The ladies twos were very unlucky not to win all three points on Saturday after a gutsy performance against Shefford and Sandy. The home side had all the pressure and went close through Alfie Gunther early on. Hannah Collard and Jo Thorpe were in top form in the Stevenage midfield and kept the shefford attack at bay. However it was Shefford who took an unexpected lead which was very harsh on the home keeper Nat Leach who made a good point blank save only to see the rebounded shot go past her with no chance of preventing it. In the second half Hannah Collard scored a great goal after good work from Hannah Finch and Liz Gates. Collard then had a goal disallowed for which looked like no apparent reason to the dismay of Thorpe and her team. An impressive debut from Theresa Luciani as well who made her first 2nd XI appearance was almost capped with a goal in the last seconds which would have been deserved however the score remained 1-1.
L3 Won - Hertford 0 Stevenage 1 – Daisy Mould won the short corner however the debate was who scored the goal as both Holy O’Connor and Hanna Wier seemed to claim it?
L4 Lost - WGC 1  Stevenage 0
L5 Lost  - Stevenage 0  Saffron Walden 6

MEN
M2 Won - Stevenage 7 (Chris Watson 3, Ollie Holt, Geoff Trew, Dan Farnan, Andy Blaxill) Winchmore Hill  2  Stevenage started this game against Winchmore Hill and Enfield with last weeks memory of nearly throwing away a 4-0 lead. When the game started Stevenage immediately took control they did not let go.     
A very high work rate is generally awarded and awarded well, that was the case here.  Stevenage quickly broke down the defence for the first time with some excellent work through the midfield from Geoff Trew and Stephen Hamid which presented Oliver Holt with a one-on-one with keeper.  keeping his head Oliver let the keeper come up to meet him, a quick sideways movement gave an open goal which was not going to be missed.  Winchmore came back strong but solid defence from Tom Shearn and a fantastic last minute clearance from Callum Matthews lead to a fast break lead by the pace of Chris Hall.  Passing at speed and high accuracy presented Chris Watson with his first of two goals of the day, which equalled his impressive tally from last week.       
At 2-0 up Stevenage were awarded a shot corner following intelligent work from Mitch Snares as he weaved between challenges before being fowled.  The ball was received by Andrew Blaxill who draw the defence and slipped the ball to Oliver Holt who had enough time to pick his spot, which was the top left from a lightly lifted aerial to give a 3-0 lead.  The first half was punctuated by Geoff 'Jigsaw' Trew shooting from the top of the D and getting his first goal for over two seasons, leaving the score line of 4-0.
The second half started with pressure from Winchmore who where clearly hoping to make a dent in the score line, but they were up against Terry Kingston and he wasn't letting anything past.  He stole the ball from the opposition and released Andrew Gardner up the wing, an accurate pass to Dan Farnam gave him the opportunity to shoot, instead of taking a quick shot option he held the ball and in a move that almost mirrored the first goal he slid to the side and gave himself a near open goal to shoot at, he made it 5-0.  Winchmore hill got their first of two goals back shortly afterwards but Stevenage kept their head worried about throwing away more of their heavily deserved lead.  A continued pressure and work rate awarded another short corner that Andrew Blaxill put away neatly, which was followed by a very well worked and hard to defend section of 1 -2 passes from Winchmore hill that lead to Stevenage conceding a second.  The final goal came from Chris Watson leaving a final 7-2 score line.  A special note should go out to Zac Shaw who was instrumental for much of the build up work and deserved a goal for his effort.  He was responsible for a shot which when saved by the keeper created such a loud crack of thunder off his pads that there was an audible in take of breathe from the spectators.
This was a very strong team performance and their next opposition should watch out, who just so happen to be Stevenage 3s.
M3 Lost - Winchmore Hill  3  Stevenage 2 (Nick Crocker, Roderick Vaneiij)
M4 Won - Stevenage  5 (Ian Brown 2,Harp Mann, Khalid Mehmood, Si Russell)  MBDA  1
M5 Won -  Stevenage  4 (Dave Wells 2, Dan Davies, Sam Hobbs) Berkhamsted 1 An exciting and by no means one sided confrontation with Berkhamstead; after a Stevenage own-goal, Dan Davis put himself in an ideal position to put one away from the left, ending the first half 1-1. After a 'stirring' team talk from their coach, Stevenage managed to regain their shape and efforts were soon rewarded by a sneaky goal from captain Dave Wells. Then after several attempts from short corners, Wells slotted a straight ball in the bottom left corner. The icing on the cake came from Sam Hobbs, who in the dying moments of the game after having recovered from a hard knock, managed to flick an almost impossible arcing ball into the back of the net from a short corner. A taste of what we're capable of, with recent training sessions starting to show         
M6 Lost - Winchmore Hill 6  Stevenage 0

West Herts M2 - 2 
Stevenage M1 – 1 (Ben Oliver)
Stevenage mens first eleven travelled to Watford on Saturday  to try and get their league campaign back on track after the disappointment of last weekend’s defeat to Wapping, but were slow from the offset and looked to have a hangover from last weeks game. Tim Dingley had to make a early save which luckily seemed to awaken the visiting side. Possession was shared in the early stages with both sides trying to outmanouvre their opponents.
West Herts seemed the more comfortable but Stevenage were playing at a much better tempo than the previous week.
The first real chance came when Mould put Oliver through, his shot however went wide. The busier of the defences though was Stevenage with the likes of Wright, Graves and Hamid having to make some crucial interceptions. Strickland and Matt Oliver combined well several times down the right but to no avail as the Herts midfield and defence stood solid.  Blackburn then robbed a defender on the edge of the area only to see his fierce shot saved by a defiant home keeper.  West Herts then created a couple of good chances with some flowing hockey down both wings, the second chance producing a short corner and their first goal of the afternoon which gave Dingley no chance of stopping as the flick flew in to the roof of the net.
At 1-0 Herts could afford to sit back and see out the half even though it almost cost them when Jon Oliver intercepted a weak defensive clearance and after a good one-two with Swinyard hit his shot just wide.
In the second half both sides pressed each other to see who would get that crucial second goal of the match. After both sides created good openings it was the home side who took advantage even if a little lucky with the finish! After a Stevenage attack broke down West Herts attacked with pace and the result was their second goal even though it looked like a total mishit from the striker.
With a two goal deficit it looked like Stevenage were out of the game and it got worse when Brown was sin-binned for what the referee felt was a terrible challenge, moments earlier Brown had almost equalised with a reverse strike which had clipped the bar.  Then West Herts had a player sin-binned for elbowing Blackburn to the ground.  Graves and Wright were trying to start attacks from the back but Herts were well organised and breaking up the plays.  Mould then went on a run before crossing for Ben Oliver to roof the net from an acute angle to make it 2-1.  The final whistle went as soon as play was restarted giving Stevenage another massive blow to a disappointing start to the season.

Stevenage L1 – 0
Blueharts L1 – 3
Stevenage ladies continued in the same run of form as their male counterparts with a disappointing 3-0 defeat at the hands of local rivals Blueharts. Both sides were evenly matched early on with some good battles emerging in the middle of the park.  Ayles saw a shot well saved whereas at the other end Pickard made a couple of point blank saves to keep the scores level.
Harding was having another impressive game down the right with Weston and trying to create chances for the likes of Hemmings up front.
As the first half was in its latter stages Blueharts were pushing forward and the extra player in midfield was starting to take its toll on the Stevenage side.  Seaton was making good challenges backed up by Jeffreys and Biggs, however late in the half Blueharts struck twice in quick succession with two impressive counter attacks! Both goals were swift flowing moves which the home defence and keeper Pickard could do little about.
In the second half Stevenage pushed trying to create themselves a lifeline but were finding it hard to break through.  Ayles and Church both had efforts but couldn’t find that crucial goal back!
Late on as Stevenage pushed forward Blueharts countered resulting in their third goal and the final killer blow for Ayles team.
So a disappointing weekend for both first elevens who will be hoping to pick up next weekend.

MEN

M2 Lost & M3 Won : Stevenage M2 - 1 (Chris Watson) Stevenage M3 -  3 (Gary Fung, Roger Barlow, Roderick Vaneiij)
M4 Won : Stevenage - 12 (Harp Mann 3, Khalid Mehmood 3, Ian Brown 2, Simon Russell, Laurie Brown, Ryall Schwartz, Ton Woolley)  Welwyn GC - 0
M5 Won & M6 Lost : Stevenage M5 - 9 (Michael Tyler 2, Dave Wells 3, Aaron Schwartz, Josh Poulton, Richard McGavigan, Stuart Jones)  Stevenage M6 - 0  Genius or madness (see left)? A strong 5s team, buoyed by last weeks success, broke into their own spontaneous (and some would say undisciplined) version of 70's 'Total Football', risking everything by pushing just about everyone except the goalkeeper into the attacking D to overwhelm the 6s Defence. On this occasion the gamble paid off, bringing the half-time score to 4-0, and the final score to 9-0, only falling one goal short of the captain's predicted target. Whilst unclear at the time, post-match analysis confirmed the scorers. Sam Hobbs missed the penalty flick that might have made it 10. A compelling performance from the 5s, but it remains to be seen whether or not this homage to retro football is likely to bring home the bacon in this month's remaining fixtures, and stronger emphasis will be placed on defending. 

LADIES

L2 Lost : Bedford - 3  Stevenage - 2 (Jo Thorpe, Bex McGrellis)
L3 Won : Welwyn GC - 1  Stevenage - 4 (Theresa Luciani, Daisy Mould, Nicky Reynolds, Claire Wakefield)
L4 Drew: Stevenage - 1 (Gill Hamid) Saffron Walden - 1 A great performance from the team pictured left (but not needing the pram) to hold a strong visiting side.
L5 Lost : Leighton Buzzard - 9  Stevenage - 1 ( Vicky Marquis) An extremely gutsy performance despite the scoreline.

Stevenage M1 - 4  (Ben Oliver, Gary Brown 2, John Mould)   Potters Bar M1 – 1
Stevenage bounced back from their consecutive defeats with an impressive win against Potters Bar on Saturday even if it took them a half to get going! Stevenage tried to consolidate in the early stages by holding possession deep in their own half and  frustrate their opponents.  This worked for a while but half way through the half the visitors made a couple of dangerous attacks which caused the home defence a few problems!
Stevenage did have two half chances which fell to Graves from a short corner then Jon Oliver who hit just wide. As half time approached Potters Bar had the best chance of the game which forced Dingley  to make a fine save.
In the second half Potters Bar started the better and took the lead after a mix up in the home ranks! Within twenty seconds of the re-start Ben Oliver (left) equalised after great work from Swinyard and Mould.  After this there was only going to be one winner as the home side just kept powering forward.  It was soon 2-1 when Mould and Blackburn combined for Brown to slot home past a stranded keeper.  Tim Wright the centre back made some rare drives in to unknown territory and after being sent flying won a short corner from which Mould drag flicked home to make it 3-1. Challenges were starting to fly in and a couple of cards were shown for some over keen tackling. Matt Oliver made some piercing runs down the right and crossed for Brother Ben to hit the post., before Stevenage got their fourth and final goal of the game. Hamilton crossed to Blackburn from a short corner, his shot was kicked off the goal line before Brown followed up and fired home. Potters Bar had a couple of late chances but the defence of Graves, Wright and Stevie Hamid stood tall and repelled any advance made by their opponents.  The final whistle went with Stevenage gaining three crucial points in the hope of making a promotion challenge.

Sunday HA Trophy :  Stevenage M1 (Danny Blackburn) – 1  Long Sutton M1 – 5
The mens Trophy got underway Sunday with Stevenage entertaining Premier opposition Long Sutton.  With over half the first team unavailable several reserves were blooded with cup debuts given to Chris Hall, Dan Farnham and Stevie Hamid.
Stevenage were always going to be the under dogs in this encounter and were put under pressure early on by some fluent Sutton attacks. After enduring several attacks from the premier outfit Stevenage finally settled down and almost took the lead when Peter Hamid found Holt clear whose shot was well stopped by the away keeper.  It wasn’t long before the visitors took the lead with a well worked goal which gave keeper Church no chance of stopping.  Mould then put the ball across the area and Brown was inches away from equalising! Stevenage were battling hard but a very impressive move from the visitors made it 2-0 close to the break.
In the second half the home side held a bit of possession knowing the next goal could be crucial to the destiny of this game. Strickland controlled the back and made some invaluable tackles to keep Long Sutton out. Brown and mould then combined to win a penalty corner from which the goal of the game came. Danny Blackburn received the ball at the top of the penalty area and smashed the ball home to give his side a lifeline. The hope was short lived as a few moments later Long Sutton’s impressive right winger ran past several challenges to fire home his sides third goal and the killer blow for a feisty Stevenage side. Long Sutton added two more goals before late on Blackburn forced another fine save out of the impressive away keeper. The final score was 5-1 but A young Stevenage side can take a lot out of their performances and hopefully a bright future with impressive run outs from Hamid, Farnham , Hall and Gardner.

St Albans L3 - 3  Stevenage L1 - 4 (Caroline Ayles, Carly Seaton, Heather Hemmings, Lucy Harvey)
After a frustrating defeat last week Stevenage ladies first team travelled to St Albans with something to prove. With Hoskins and Oliver on the side with injuries the team had to take it to the opposition right from the start. Stevenage pilled on the pressure from the off with great runs from Heather Hemmings and Lucy Harvey , which earned Stevenage a string of short corners early on in the game. St Albans seemed unphased and managed to keep the score 0-0 . St Albans stepped up their game and were unafraid in going forward. Great defending from Jo Biggs, Jeffrey, Day and Harding helped in keeping it an end to end start. After some great saves from Lisa Pickard in goal Stevenage were unlucky to have a goal put past them minutes before the half time whistle blew - against the run of play! At half time Stevenage were more than positive and began the second half just as hard as the first and st Albans were lucky to get the ball out of their defence. With great distribution from Carly Seaton in the middle the ball was played around with great composition and Stevenage continued to threaten the defence. Stevenage equalized when a great ball From Ellie Biggs was met by Rachel Jeffrey who calmly gave the ball to Caroline Ayles who beat the keeper with ease with the reverse stick. Stevenage were unlucky when almost within 5 minutes another goal from St Albans made it 2-1. Stevenage unphased threw everything they could in to matching the score but ended up conceding a penalty flick. Which was taken with great power which beat Pickard in goal. Stevenage kept the pace of the game high and worked as a unit throughout. Great play from Jude Weston met Sasha Parker who earned a short corner for the focused Stevenage side. The score line changed to 3-2 as a strike from Carly Seaton (right) thundered the backboard. Stevenage with a new level of energy were to score again within minutes as a well worked out ball from the defence found Jo Biggs in the midfield who slipped the ball through the defender's legs to find Heather Hemmings who almost unchallenged beat 3 defenders and left the the keeper stranded with a strike from full stretch to make it 3-3 . Finally Stevenage had regained full control of the game and finished the time with 4 short corners. St Albans hung in for the first 3 as Stevenage worked the ball around to try and seal the win. Finally the ball met Lucy Harvey, Player of the match, who slotted the ball past the keeper after spotting a gap near post and from the oblique angle brought home the victory. A very exciting and deserved win for Stevenage first team. Stevenage are hoping to continue where they left off when they travel to Norwich next Sunday for a cup game.

Men
M2 Won: Stevenage - 4 (Dan Farnham, Zac Shaw, Mitchell Snares and Freddie Stirling Brown)  Blueharts - 0  M2 went top of their league with a 4-0 victory over Blueharts  4’s
M3 Won: Bedford - 1  Stevenage - 8 (Roderick Vaneiij 2, Nick Crocker, Harry Wheeler, Bailey Dingley, Barlow, Niall Anderson and Pinger)
M4 Lost: West Herts - 4  Stevenage - 3 (Khalid Mehmood, Harp Mann and Laurie Brown) Defeated by a goal in the dying seconds of the game
M5 Won: Stevenage - 3  Luton Town - 1 (Richard McGavigan, Sam Hobbs and Stuart Jones) Another encouraging win for the 5s, this time against Luton Town who were second in the table. After a very strong start for Stevenage, the first half finished 2-0, with goals from wandering midfielder Richard McGavigan and Michael Tyler. After half-time, Luton came out much stronger, putting the home side under significant pressure for some time, and eventually scoring from a short corner. However, Stevenage regained their shape, and despite missing numerous opportunities in front of the Luton goal, were finally rewarded with a final goal from Sam Hobbs. Another strong performance, with training exercises showing their value when it matters, taking the 5s to second place in league 9SW. 
M6 Lost: Hertford - 6  Stevenage - 0

Ladies
L2 Lost: Bishops Stortford - 2  Stevenage - 1 (Bex Vier)
L3 NO GAME
L4 Lost: Stevenage - 1 (Gill Hamid)  Blueharts - 2
L5 Lost: Letchworth - 2 Stevenage - 0 (Non League Game)
 

Saffron Walden M1 - 3  Stevenage M1 - 2 (Gary Brown 2)
A depleted 1st XI faced many challenges in this 3-2 defeat and both sides had already missed chances when Saffron Walden opened the scoring – visiting goalkeeping deputy Dave Church appeared to have made a good save but the ball just trickled over the line. Captain John Mould and fellow forwards Ben Oliver and Gary Brown had chances at the other end but it was Saffron Walden who added to the score with a well worked attack in which Stevenage were outnumbered, Church having no chance as the ball found the very corner. Stevenage continued to press with teenager Chris Hall, making his debut, combining well with Jon Oliver. However, some cracking opportunities were missed with Mould and Ben Oliver both failing to get past an inspired home keeper when put through.
Stevenage upped their passing game in the second half, increased their possession and were back into the game courtesy of a short corner, Brown (right) powering accurately into the bottom corner. They were then punished for missing two good chances when Saffron Walden came back to regain their two goal advantage. The Stevenage defence believed the ball had gone out of play before it was pulled back and rifled home from close range.
The majority of play went Stevenage's way after this and they did capitalise when Brown again used his power to force the ball through two attempted blocks, but it wasn't enough as the clock ran down.

Sunday EHL Trophy: Norwich City L1 - 6   Stevenage L1 - 1 (Rachel Jeffrey)
A weakened Stevenage L1s travelled to Norwich to face higher ranked opponents. In a very even first half, Stevenage came from a goal behind to go in 1-1 at the break: Rachel Jeffrey arrowed home from a penalty corner. Young defender Jess Day took a ball to the side of the head early in the second half and had to leave the field for treatment and this severely affected the flow of the game and the home team took advantage with goals as the visitors lost confidence.
 

M2 Drew: West Herts - 0  Stevenage - 0
This was an entertaining and keenly contested scoreless draw as for 70 minutes possession changed hands but the defenders controlled the game as neither keeper really had a save to make. The match was summed up at the end when Stevenage skipper Tom Wharton was about to end the deadlock only to find a team-mate in his way.
M3 Won: Stevenage - 5  WGC - 2  (Roger Barlow, Niall Anderson 2, Gary Fung, Roderick Vaneiij)
The 3rd XI strolled to victory despite conceding two sloppy goals late on.
M4 Drew: Shefford & Sandy - 1  Stevenage - 1 (Scott Davies)
Stevenage scored early and were ahead for most of the match, with 14 year-old keeper Daniel Dove saving a penalty stroke, but conceded an equaliser with 15 minutes remaining.
M5 Lost: Winchmore Hill & Enfield - 2  Stevenage - 1 (Dave Wells)
A painful dose of reality for the 5s after their recent winning run, peaking at 2nd place in Division 9SW. Stevenage started strongly against the experienced home side, with an early goal from captain Dave Wells and several frustrated attempts, most notably a disallowed goal for David Spicer. After half-time, an unrecognisable home side emerged, with a change in shape and a new attacking approach, taking advantage of the very slow-running pitch. Unable to contain the revitalised home midfield, Stevenage conceded two goals before the end of a very disappointing second half.
M6: Stevenage - 0  Cheshunt - 5
A well fought game Cheshunt put pressure on the 6's from the start and over whelmed the defence a few times we fought back and had several shots on goal but to no avail and were 3-0 down at half time, we regrouped for the second half and made more of the game but still could not score and with tired legs conceded 2 further goals making a fine result of a 5-0 defeat.
 

No league fixtures for the Ladies Teams this weekend.
L2 Lost: Letchworth 1-2 (Bex McGrellis)
L3 Lost: Leighton Buzzard 1-6 (Claire Wakefield)
L4 Won: Enigma 4-2  (Gill Hamid, Nikki Davis 2, Leanne Bailey)
L5 Lost: Letchworth 0-4