Mens News

The 2nd of Oundles back to back to back homes games was against Loughborough Town 3s, the team which Sat just below Oundle in the table, 1 point separating the 2 sides. In the reverse of this fixture earlier in the season, Oundle won 2-1 in a very tightly contested fixture. Midfield maestro Ollie Bogg scoring the winner and also his first for the club, rounding off a superb team goal. This week saw Oundle’s enforcer, Johnny Crittell, return to the pitch, making his first appearance of the season. Ian Wilkinson also made a comeback in a slightly new look defence for Oundle. Oundle started the half strong, with Virgil Van Jimmy going through 1 on 1 with the Loughborough keeper, only to shoot narrowly wide. This was significant as Jimmy has now lost his 100% shots to goals ratio. A record that has stood for many seasons. Loughborough were not without a threat however, Captain Ben Edis clearing a short corner off the line, and later on he was taken out by Youngy (and not for a nice meal!) to ensure the ball stayed out of the Oundle goal. Oundle went into half time wondering how on earth the score was still 0-0, with Loughborough Towns rear guard proving to be tough to break through. That was until early in the 2nd half when Willow made one of his trademark runs down the right, leaving Loughborough defenders in his wake, a dangerous ball into the D found Dan Phillips who took a touch and slotted home giving Oundle the lead.  Goal a game Dalley claiming he got a touch on the cross and claiming the assist, hoping for the new nickname of ‘Assist a game’ Not long after, George Martin continued his goal scoring form with a trademark strike from a short corner. With Oundle in cruise control, they soon added a 3rd through a rocket of a drag flick from Vice captain Adrian Millan, but he could only look forlornly on as maverick winger Willow got a touch just before the line claiming the goal. Thinking the job was done, Oundle appeared to switch off and started a very tough period where they had to weather some very strong Loughborough pressure. Loughborough got a goal back through a short corner which they shifted to the Oundle right, the resulting bobbly shot going straight through the postman. Loughborough got a 2nd back through a counter attack, with Oundle defence left far behind the Loughborough attack, with 2 attackers vs Youngy. It was a simple task to play it around and score. Oundle legs started to wobble and their play became more frantic. The Loughborough comeback was finished however when George Martin scored his 2nd penalty corner striker of the game nutmegging the keeper on its way through. This goal appeared to knock the wind out of Loughborough sails and Oundle were able to see the game out winning 4-2 and moving a point behind 3rd place. Oundle are at home again next week for the visit of long standing rivals Northampton Saints 3s. HWTL.

For the 1st time in 2025, Oundle would be playing on home astro, returning to Pavilion Drive for 3 straight home games. Rugby and East Warwickshire 4s had the honour of being the first away team to line up on the hallowed astro. In the reverse of this fixture Oundle were 2-0 looking dead and buried before staging a fantastic comeback to win 3-2. The two players battling it out for this season’s Top Gun, George Martin and John Pickstone both players capable of scoring fantastic goals. They proved it back in Rugby with both of them scoring absolute wonder strikes. Oundle lined up with a strong 16 players, due to high availability a couple of players were unable to be selected for the game, with everyone eager to play and avenge last weekend. Oundle lined up with a point to prove, putting last week’s disappointing weekend behind them. They got stuck straight in and Rugby. Oundle piled on the pressure during the early stages of the game, winning numerous short corners, with most shorts resulting in another short. Oundle did everything but score, Millan hitting the crossbar from one of his drag flicks and Albi hit a strong and stable shot which was scrambled off the line by Rugbys postman. It took until the middle of the half for Oundle to open the scoring, the goal came from a short corner, the injection going to castle No 1 for a straight strike from Tristan Ashby gave the Rugby keeper no chance and helped settle any Oundle nerves from the weekend. With Oundle now in the lead, it looked like the floodgates might now open, centre back Virgil Van Jimmy who saw his defending hero of Harry Maguire score an offside goal vs Leicester thought i can do that! Doing typical Jimmy things, he picked the ball up in his own D before driving at Rugby, exchanging a 1-2 pass with Martin inside the Rugby 23, Jimmy found himself free in the D, unleashing a low drive, he first found the side board, then the backboard for his 2nd goal of the season. Making this his most prolific season in Oundle colours and maintaining his 100% shot conversion ratio. The 1st half was all Oundle, with Rugby not able to offer much in reply apart from a couple of dangerous passes into the D which were quickly snuffed out by the Oundle defence and a drag flick from a short corner which went narrowly wide of Youngys left hand post.  Oundle added a 3rd before half time through another short corner, when George Martin scored how Tristan had scored earlier in the half, a ferocious strike into the backboard, again giving the Rugby keeper no chance. George nearly added a 2nd goal for himself if it wasn’t for his strike partner Pickstone who tactically got in the way of a trademark George Martin reverse shot with George loudly exclaiming ‘Get Out The Way John!!!’  The 2nd half started, but Oundle didn’t, they allowed Rugby to dominate the game and dictate the play. As so often happens to Oundle, they conceded a scrappy goal, directed the ball into the path of one of the Rugby players who prodded the ball in from close range. With Rugbys first shot on target resulting in a goal, Rugby were eager to add another and attempted to test the resolve of Oundle, who had to dig in to weather the Rugby storm.  With the Rugby on top and Oundle nerves looking a little bit shaky, Peter ‘Willow’ Wilson got the ball and flew down the right hand side of the pitch. Entering the Rugby D and drawing the keeper towards him, Willow played a clever pass to the waiting Tristan Ashby who had the simplest of jobs to sweep the ball home into the empty net. The rest of the game passed by very quickly with Oundle doing a very professional job of seeing the game out, resulting in a quiet 2nd half. It was a good and much needed win for Oundle winning 4-1. This result sees Oundle move to 4th place in the table. Next week they welcome the team directly below them to Pavilion Drive, Loughborough Town 3s for another rearranged fixture. HWTL.

With the memory of Saturday’s defeat fresh in Oundle hearts and minds, some sore legs and heads made their way to Melton for the 2nd game of the double header. Melton were relegated alongside Oundle last season where Oundle managed to do the double over today’s hosts. With most of Oundles team playing yesterday there were some fresher faces at least, including the return of Alex Scott, skipper Ben Edis and former coach Peter Ellis. There were also some not so fresh faces, including Harvey Ratcliffe and Phil Rowbotham. Shout out to Phil for a solid weekend of hockey, especially turning up on Sunday when needed. Melton is a game with an added incentive for Oundle as they come up against one of their former players in Everton fan Macca. Despite this incentive, Oundle had a rather subdued warm up, with Youngy notably dreaming he was in a L’Oreal advert with a couple of timed hair flicks. The game began and it was almost an instant disaster for Oundle as Melton were through 1 on 1 with Youngy within the first minute of the game, with his hair modelling career in tatters, Youngy was equal to the shot forcing the ball out for a long corner. With members of the team saying Youngy was worth it after another flick of the hair. Despite some Melton breakaway chances and dangerous passes into the Oundle D, Oundle remained relatively untroubled throughout the 1st half. With the Oundle backline holding when needed, Virgil Van Jimmy sitting deep in the sweeper role collecting anything and everything, despite leaving most of his blood on the pitch at Rugby yesterday. Despite Oundle dominance for most of the first half, Oundle struggled to create anything clear cut. Dalley notably did well to win a short corner on a counter attack, but any short corners came to naught. With the greatest reward for Oundle being a couple of half chances and a goalmouth scramble.   Melton started the 2nd half as they started the 1st, on the front foot, pressuring Oundle, it was not long before they won their first short corner of the game, a decision which Ellis was not happy about, letting the umpire now exactly how he felt, guessing the umpire didn’t know who he was? Despite Brenners being on the post he was able to deflect the drag flick out for a long corner, making a good save on the line. Throughout the game Virgil Van Jimmy was still collecting everything, including a Melton player, resulting in a green card for the outspoken Oundle centre back. But throughout the weekend it was a common theme for Jimmy to pick the ball up from deep and drive at the opposition, beating numerous players. Oundles performance analyst confirmed that he beat as many players as Brenners had had beers on his birthday on Saturday, an impressive feat! With fatigue playing a huge part, Oundle struggled to string 2 passes together for most of the 2nd half and left the Melton goal relatively untroubled. At parts of the half there was a lot of pressure on the Melton backline and goal but Oundle were unable to make the breakthrough. Oundle battled hard in defence, weary but determined to keep only their 2nd clean sheet of the season. Alex Scott made some good runs down the right, but was stopped in a manner similar to how Jimmy earned his green card earlier in the half, taking a couple of knocks but always getting back up and not afraid to take his man on.  Melton were threatening throughout the 2nd half, winning a couple of short corners, a drag flick was surprisingly well saved by Brenners on the left hand post. However despite Oundle resilience, it finally happened in the latter stages of the game when from a short corner, an unnamed Oundle player in their 30s very kindly stopped the ball for them a couple of yards from goal. With the Melton forward gratefully putting the ball into the Oundle net. With the game entering the final few minutes, Oundle looked completely spent and out of ideas with Melton content to see out the clock. The game finished 1-0 to Melton, who recorded both their first win and first clean sheet of the season. Oundle left the field, feeling frustrated and disappointed at the result with no one to blame but themselves. Oundle will finally have a home game on Saturday against Rugby and East Warwickshire 4s. HWTL.

With last week’s game being cancelled, Oundle travelled away to Rugby and East Warwickshire 3s on the Saturday to start off their doubleheader weekend. The last time these two sides met back in October resulted in a very tight contest, with Rugby narrowly coming out on top 2-1 back at Pavillion Drive. Rugby have become something of a bogey team for Oundle, with Oundle only winning once in the past 5 meetings between the two sides. Oundle travelled with a strong squad of 14, including recalls for Tristan Ashby and Neil Salvi, the latter hoping this game would end better than the last time he travelled to an away game. Skipper Ben Edis was away for the day, preferring to save his hamstrings for the Sunday game meaning that Adrian Millan took the armband for the day. The pre match was very cordial between Rugby and skipper for the day Millan, with Oundle wondering which team’s shirt Millan would be wearing come full time. Rugby started the game the stronger of the two sides, not allowing Oundle to settle into any rhythm. Despite this, for the first 10 minutes or so Oundle competed very well, more than matching Rugby with the defence standing firm and not allowing anything past.  Rugby won a number of short corners which were well dealt with by the Oundle backline. The one drag flick which beat Youngy in goal didn’t beat Albi on the post who flicked the ball away with ease. Oundle had a couple of short corners of their own, but were unable to convert, with George Martin eager to reclaim his place at the top of the goals tally. Dalley was looking to reclaim his ‘Goal a game’ record while Pickstone was hoping to extend his lead over George. Rugbys pressure told in the end, agonisingly close to the half time whistle for Oundle, with almost the last play of the half, a drag flick from a short corner found the backboard, with Oundles dogged resistance finally broken. The 2nd half started but Oundle didn’t, as almost instantly an intercepted pass in Oundles own half resulted in Rugby operating a quick counter attack, a pass found their forward in the D, an unfortunate deflection took the ball past Youngy, and into the goal. Oundle nearly had a reply when Oundles version of Usain Bolt, Peter ‘Willow’ Wilson sped down the right wing, setting off every speed camera in Rugby simultaneously, Willow drove into the Rugby D, and unleashed a vicious shot which the Rugby keeper dealt with well. Despite Oundle looking like they had found some form of rhythm again, the luck was still with Rugby after a forward pass wasn’t dealt with, another deflected shot found it’s way past Youngy taking the score to 3-0 to the hosts. Some steely Oundle determination meant that Goerge Martin was able to claw one back, reducing the deficit back down to 2, a reverse shot into the side netting of the Rugby goal, gave Oundle a bit of hope and reminding Rugby that they were still in a game and couldn’t switch off. With Oundle now only 3-1 down at about the midway point of the point of the 2nd half things took a turn for the worse when the umpire had heard enough from John Pickstone, brandishing a green card at Oundles South African forward and this season’s current top scorer.   The final nail in Oundles coffin though came from a short corner 10 minutes from time, after a couple of rebounds the ball fell kindly for Rugby who were able to tuck the ball away for their 4th goal ending any resistance and fight back from Oundle. The final whistle blew with Oundle being soundly defeated 4-1, a result which Oundle will feel hard done by as on another day the score could have gone either way. Oundle will look to pick themselves up tomorrow with the short trip to Peter Albi Alletts home club of Melton. HWTL.

After last week’s game away at Melton was cancelled due to a frozen pitch, Oundles first game of the season was away to The University Of Warwick 3s. With Oundle taking all 3 points in the reverse fixture back in September. Warwick Uni would be ahead of Oundle in the table if not for the 13 point deduction Away posed a different challenge, firstly the Uni side had now played together for 3 months allowing them to gel and get to know how each other plays. But mainly because their pushback time was set for 10am, the earliest the league allows, meaning Oundle had to set off long before the top of the winter sun crested the horizon.  Oundle travelled with a squad of 14 players, with the biggest name absentee being Peter ‘Albi’ Allett, who was busy being strong and stable somewhere else. Oundle were short at the back so it was up to Old Dan Phillips to slot back into the left back position, despite being called Old Dan he actually brought the average age of the fullbacks down significantly from what they usually are. Meanwhile Vice Captain Millan was pushed up to defensive mid, meaning a CB partnership of Brenners and Virgil Van Jimmy. With Warwick having pushback they had to start without their keeper who was nowhere to be seen. It was a cagey start to the game with both sides trying to figure one another out, Oundle were on the front foot playing high up the pitch with Warwick Uni sitting back, praying their keeper would turn up. Warwick Uni struck first, hitting Oundle on the counter attack, breaking down the middle, a ball forward found their forward leaving him 1 on 1 with Youngy, The forward got the better of the encounter on this occasion as he slid the ball past the onrushing Oundle stopper. It’s an old saying that you are at your most vulnerable when you have just scored, and that proved true as Oundle went on the attack and secured the first short corner of the game. The resulting strike from George Martin, hit a Warwick Uni player on the line, giving Oundle a penalty flick.  After hearing what had happened to Oundle player Monty Drewett earlier on in the season, none of the Warwick players wanted to face George Martin, his eyes hungry with wanting to regain the title of top goalscorer and keep the trophy which has been collecting dust on his mantlepiece for the past 5 seasons. Martin rolled the ball into the empty net, leveling the game. With the scores tied, Warwicks goalkeeper strolled onto the pitch and began to get kitted up, Oundle were unable to take further advantage before the Warwick keeper joined the match. With the return of their goalkeeper, Warwick pushed higher up the pitch and became more attacking. With Warwick Uni buoyed by the return of their keeper they steadily added more and more pressure to the Oundle goal, winning a number of short corners of their own, one of these forcing Youngy into a triple save to keep the ball out. As Warwick Uni kept knocking on the door they eventually got their rewards as Oundle were unable to clear their lines from a short corner and Warwick Uni tapped home a rebound to put themselves back in front. The 2nd half started as the first did, with Oundle on the front foot but unable to make the breakthrough, both teams had chances calling both keepers into action. As the half continued the game became more and more stretched and end to end, with both teams feeling the effects of the winter break. The game nearly reached boiling point midway through the 2nd half when one of the Warwick Uni forwards and Old Dan Phillips had a ‘coming together’, the Warwick Uni player then proceeded to give Dan Phillips a tap to let him know he was there. This was not taken well by either Phillips or Jimmy, with Jimmy letting the Warwick player know exactly what he thought about it. Youngy was there quickly to help out his defensive partner pushing the Warwick Uni player away before it could get heated further. Both teams were able to win a number of short corners throughout the 2nd half, while Warwick Uni were unable to take advantage of theirs, It was a short corner which proved to be Oundles salvation, when the ball was fed to Dan Phillips who showed the forwards how it was done with a low shot to the keepers left. With Oundle just getting back on level terms, the worst possible thing happened, Oundle again were unable to clear their lines, and after some pinball in the D a lucky shot found its way into the bottom right corner of the goal to restore Warwick Uni’s lead barely a minute after Oundle had levelled. With the game entering the last 5 or so minutes and Oundle still down by a goal, Oundles attacks became more frantic, one player decided he did not want to lose today, Brenners received the ball and drove at the heart of the Warwick Uni defence, offloading the ball wide, he continued his run into the D, finding himself unmarked on the the penalty spot, to attempt his best John Pickstone impression, heroically falling over while firing home to bring Oundle back onto even terms. It was a well earned point for Oundle who battled hard from a goal down 3 times. This result leaves Oundle 4th in table, level on points 3rd Place Khalsa Leamington. Oundle return to Pavilion Road next week for their first home game of 2025 against the team directly below them in the table, Loughborough Town 3s. HWTL.

The final game of 2024 was finally upon Oundle, bringing a home game with Berkswell & Balsall Common 2s (BB2s) as the opponents.  This fixture also brought another surprise, as one of Oundle Hockeys founding players and club legend came out of retirement for the game. The self proclaimed ‘Hockey God’ isn’t the nickname his team mates would choose for him but all were happy to see him shake the dust off of his ol’ reliable hockey stick. Neil Salvi and Alex Scott both made their returns to the side today. Depending on who you ask, thankfully John Pickstone turned up for the game despite believing an away game at Melton was on the cards. Oundle were without top scorer George Martin who was still on international duty and Adrian Millan, thinking he was still the proper captain and didn’t need to play. To help Pickstone remember where they were playing, instead of shouting Oundle before the game, some of the Oundle players shouted ‘Melton’ one can only assume to show their support to their South African team mate. The game started and Oundle immediately pushed BB2s back into their own 23. With Oundles resident farmer, Virgil Van Jimmy, or Jimmy Maguire as he prefers to be known, decided that his defensive partner of Ben Edis didn’t need any help, started playing in the midfield. The early stages of the game were Oundle harrying BB2s at every opportunity and controlling the play. Despite this Oundle were unable to make the breakthrough with BB2s adopting a low block with 1 forward left on the halfway line. It was not until the first rotation when Alex Scott came on, that he showed how easy it can be. Collecting the ball in the BB2s half he drove at the fullback beating his man with ease, entering the D down the right handside he fired the ball across the face of goal finding the unmarked Brenners who had the simplest of tasks to slot home from a yard out. It was not long before Oundle thought they had doubled their lead when John Pickstone had the ball in the net, again from a yard out, the goal was originally given, however after some protest from BB2s and a quick discussion between umpires, this was ruled out as Brenners who had crossed the ball to Pickstone, had done so at chest height. The longer it remained 1-0 the more BB2s started to grow into the game and get higher up the pitch. Despite spending large proportions of the game penned into their own half they had 1 or 2 quick players on the counter attack, one of these nearly paid dividends as they broke down Oundles right hand side to leave the winger 1 on 1 with Youngy, now there was some confusion about what actually happened as the umpire and some of the players believe that Youngy got the ball and others believe that he missed the ball completely, the BB2s winger was on the floor after contact with Youngy and Jimmy was on hand to tidy the ball up. About midway through the half Oundle struck again, when again some good play down Oundles wings resulted in another cross being met by an Oundle stick, or two in this case and both Pickstone and Bogg went for the same ball, resulting in Bogg getting there first and tapping the ball home to double Oundles advantage. Bogg wanting the absent Dalleys nickname of ‘Goal A Game’ Brenners was unlucky not to add to his tally when he was 1-on-1 with the BB2s keeper however he decided to fall over him instead. Oundle did manage to add a 3rd shortly before half time when Gareth Watt scored a drag flick from a penalty corner, low to the left hand side of the goal. He was later quoted as saying ‘I’m very proud to have scored this goal for Oundle, I was inspired by Adrian Millans drag flick at Beeston 2 seasons ago.’ The half time whistle went with Oundle 3-0 up. The 2nd half started with more of the same from Oundle and a 4th goal was quickly added when Pickstone played a 1-2 off the keeper and bounced the ball into the net. Pickstone wasn’t done here however as he added his 2nd of the game, Oundles 5th with a tidy finish leaving the BB2s keeper no chance. As the 2nd half wore on, Oundle became a bit flat and BB2s were in the ascendancy, they had a couple of half chances but were unable to break down the resolute back line and goalkeeper of Oundle. Through a bit of luck they did manage to get on the score sheet from a rebound off of Youngy which was tapped home. Leaving Youngy fuming at his defence, making his feelings known. After this goal Oundle sharpened up and were back in cruise control and added a 6th later on when ‘Strong and Stable’ Peter Allett struck home from another penalty corner for his first of the season. The game was over with another dominant Oundle home win, BB2s had their keeper to thank that Oundle didn’t get double figures, producing a brilliant performance and making many notable saves, including from Old Dan, Phillips who shot with what he thought was an open goal only to be amazed when it was cleared off the line by a heroic dive from the BB2s keeper which started from outside the goal. Oundle go into the winter break in 5th place, level on points with Khalsa in 4th. Oundle will go again in the new year against Melton 2s who Oundle know well from last year with both clubs suffering relegation. HWTL.

With the sun already well past it’s zenith, Oundle set off for their last away game of 2024 vs Atherstone Adders 2s.  Despite another week of no training because our captain doesn’t like being a bit chilly. Oundle travelled with yet another strong squad with 14 players available, including former skipper Tristan Ashby and a return for fullbacks Ian Wilkinson and Phil Rowbotham. There was no Captain Ben Edis this week, so Adrian Millan took the armband for the first time this season. There was also no top scorer George Martin who preferred Miami to Atherstone to have a honeymoon with his wife. Oundle started the first half with their usual tenacity and high press which caused problems and it was not long before they won their first short corner of the match. Unlike last Saturday, this short corner hit a bump in the pitch causing the injection to fly at Dan Phillips head, surprisingly Phillips was unable to bring the ball under his spell. With the 1st half wearing on, Atherstone grew into the game, and won a couple of short corners, neither of these particularly troubled Oundle apart from the fallout from the 2nd short in which Atherstone thought they had the ball in the back of the goal, with the umpire ruling it out for a foul by the Atherstone player. One pass that was particularly effective throughout the game was the long ball from Jimmy to Brenners, splitting the Atherstone team and allowing Brenners to isolate his defender. But Oundle were unable to take advantage of these plays. A 0-0 at half time where both teams failed to have any meaningful chances. It was a quiet half with neither team having any particularly clear cut chances. Atherstone started the 2nd half the brighter and after Oundle failed to clear their lines, Atherstone broke the deadlock with an attack down the right, a scrappy goal which was squeezed in at the near post. This goal spurred Oundle into action, everything Oundle did became sharper, quicker passing, better receiving of the ball, and more movement off of the ball. Despite this, Oundle were unable to find a reply to Atherstones goal. Oundle tested the Atherstone keeper on numerous occasions, but most shots not stretching the Atherstone keeper. Ollie Bogg embodied this Oundle work ethic. Winning his first 50/50, then his 2nd 50/50 which left him 1 on 1 with the keeper, a calm finish left the Atherstone keeper standing in disbelief but was just the leveller that Oundle deserved. The Farmer Jimmy to Brenners pass was still proving effective with Atherstone only able to cut some of the long passes out. Brenners was usually left 1 on 1 with his man and was able to create numerous chances for both himself and the other forwards. Oundle came close but not able to find that 2nd goal. Despite Atherstone being hemmed in their own 25 for large portions of the half, they did carry a threat on the counter, and also picked up a lot of loose passes from Oundle all over the pitch, Atherstone were able to create a few half chances but tended to shoot straight at Youngy. As the game entered its final moments, an Atherstone pass split the Oundle defence to leave their forward 1 on 1 with Youngy, the forward shot wide and seconds late was flying through the air, as Youngy slid through the player, with one Atherstone forward appealing strongly to the umpire for a flick. The umpire was unmoved. It was a result Oundle will feel disappointed in having played so well the week before. But it appears to be a proper case of Newcastle syndrome, playing so well at home and struggling when away. Oundle return to home for their final game of 2024 against Berkswell & Balsall Common 2s. HWTL.

After last week’s disappointing result, Oundle returned to home astro to face mid table Warwick 3s. The big name players such as strong and stable Peter Allett, old Dan Phillips, schoffel model George Martin and Vice Captain Adrian Millan returned to the line up deciding that they did want to play today. Special mention to Pete Ellis and Tim for umpiring today, mainly because it was raining and Ellis said he enjoyed reading the match reports. Another special mention to Allan Simpson who was drafted in last minute to replace Tristan Ashby who thinking he’s still captain, decided that he’d rather be in Dublin drinking Guinness. Oundle started with pushback and immediately went on the attack, barely a minute had gone before Oundle won their first short corner. An injection to castle no 1, a no nonsense straight strike from the returning George Martin found the backboard and Oundle were 1-0 up. Oundle didn’t stop there, with an incredibly high press, Warwick were unable to get out of their own half. Just as the clock went into its 10th minute Oundle won their 2nd short corner. Another short, another George Martin straight strike, this one was carefully stopped on the line by maverick winger Pete ‘Willow’ Wilson. Willow then proceeded to fire the ball in off the keeper to double Oundles advantage. Putting his goal stealing in training to good use. The 2 quick fire Oundle goals set the capacity crowd of Phil Rowbotham and Neil Salvi in absolute raptures. Despite Oundles early dominance, Warwick were not without a threat on the counter attack. Warwick won a short corner but shot straight at Youngy. With all of Oundle, bar Youngy firmly entrenched in the Warwick half, it was only a matter of time before Oundle scored again. Which they did, another short corner striker by George Martin, in off the keeper’s right post hitting the top of the backboard. Warwick were unhappy with the goal believing the ball to have been too high. Meanwhile, Oundle just couldn’t believe that they’d scored 3 from 3 short corners.   Not too long after, a stroke of luck for Warwick, when against the run of play, a deflection fell kindly to their forward who was able to squeeze the ball in. The 2nd half didn’t start well for Oundle, when Ollie Bogg received the first green card of the match I believe for a cumulative effort of back sticks. But Warwick were unable to take advantage. With Warwick frustrations growing, one player finally said something, arguing with Ellis about a decision, after a while a green card was shown to the player who continued to make his case and the card was upgraded to a yellow. Like Warwick, Oundle were unable to take advantage of the man extra and when it was time for the disgruntled Warwick player to return to the pitch he refused. Warwicks only sub was injured and despite the pleas from his team he did not move from the bench, leaving his team to fight on a man down. Oundle had numerous chances through the half, Dalley unlucky not to score from a 1 on 1. Phillips now playing right back, was seeing plenty of the ball and even felt comfortable enough to pass the ball to Youngy. The roar of Neil and Phil was deafening, a lot louder than stadiums like the Etihad and Stamford Bridge thats for sure. Neil starting ‘WE WANT 4 MORE’ but goals or half time pies no one knows. Oundle were playing a short sharp passing game, and it was from this that Oundle made the opening for their 4th goal. Martin found his strike partner John Pickstone who was left 1 on 1 with the goalie, showing a calmness and composure that no one thought possible, Pickstone sent the keeper to the floor before flicking the ball over the sprawled keepers head. Oundles 5th goal was added shortly after, a Warwick short corner was intercepted at the top of the D by Virgil Van Jimmy, who proceeded to run at the Warwick defence, playing a 1-2 with Martin, he ended with a tight angle to shoot from. But goal a game Dalley was in the middle looking for his customary goal. Jimmy looked at Dalley and thought ‘nah’ and shot himself adding Oundles 5th. Credit should go to the injured Warwick player who came back on and attempted to struggle on but to no avail. Warwick were able to create a couple of chances but nothing clear cut. Youngy and the Oundle defence keeping them out. The final whistle went for a 5-1 win for Oundle, the perfect answer after last weeks heavy defeat. Oundle remain in 5th place in the table. Next weeks penultimate game of the year sees Oundle take on Atherstone Adders 2s. HWTL

With a few big names unavailable this week, such as strong and stable Peter Allett, Old Dan Phillips and Vice Captain Adrian Millanovic, a slightly weakened but numerous Oundle side made the first of many trips to Warwick this season to face the team directly above them in the league, Khalsa Leamington 3s (KL). With his head not over a bucket this week Harvey Ratcliffe was in line for his 2nd appearance of the season, there was also a first appearance of the season of Umpire Neil Salvi. Another addition to the squad, late in both being called up and arrival to the game was full back Brandon Ingle making his first appearance of the season. Oundle got off to the worst possible start when one of the defenders was tackled inside his own D giving the KL player a free shot from close range, the KL forward made no such mistake with the finish. Things did not get better for Oundle when shortly after, a wayward pass was intercepted by KL who broke forward at speed, a couple of short passes left the KL forward 1 on 1 with Youngy who rounded the goalkeeper to pass the ball into the Oundle net, leaving Oundle 2-0 down with not long gone. With Oundle settling down, to quote the old cliche, things went from bad to worse when Monty Drewett closed down the KL centre back, only for the ball to accidentally end up striking the side of Montys face. The result was a lengthy stoppage while he got treatment. Monty was taken to hospital where an x ray revealed that he had broken his jaw in 2 places and would require an operation to insert a metal plate. Now if anyone actually reads these things, what happened was a freak accident and umpires, KL players and venue staff were fantastic throughout, so massive thank you to them. Shout outs also go to: first, Neil Salvi who volunteered to go with Monty to the hospital and stayed with him until Montys family arrived. The 2nd shout out goes to Brandon’s Dad who took Monty to hospital. Thanks to both gents. After the lengthy stoppage the game resumed with about 10 minutes to go in the first half. With Oundle down by 2 goals and 2 men, they did the unthinkable, and went on the attack.  A number of shots came in for Oundle, with KL defending for their lives, just about getting their blocks in. In the pursuing goalmouth scramble, the ball fell to Dalley who had not yet got his standard goal a game. Knowing this, he fired home to reduce Oundles deficit to 1. With the 1st half coming to a close, both teams were eager to alter the score prior to half time. KL did just this from a well worked short corner which was passed around the Oundle D before the shot came from close to Oundles right post, restoring KLs 2 goal advantage. Brenners was not about to take this lying down, getting the ball from push back he drove at the heart of the KL defence beating players at will. One can only assume that at halfway he ran out of puff and decided to play a fantastic forward pass to Harvey Ratcliffe, who was left 1 on 1 with the KL keeper, looking up with the time to pick his spot, he struck right into the bottom corner. Oundle went into the scheduled break 3-2 down but importantly still in the match. Eager to make things right Oundle started the half on the front foot and were unlucky not to score with Dalley and Al both going close. Oundle kept the pressure up and forced KL back but were unable to find the levelling goal. KL were not without a threat and used the counter attack to great effect, keeping their forwards, who had pace to burn, high up the pitch. They won a number of short corners. Up until now all of the KL short corners involved some clever passing around the D before trying to get the shot off, a change worked for KL when they instead tried a straight strike which found its way into the corner. KL added their last 2 goals in relatively quick succession, their 5th goal came from their CB who was allowed to slowly walk forward into the Oundle D and was allowed a free shot. Their 6th goal came from another short corner which was deflected into the net by the post mans foot. It was a very disappointing result for Oundle who suffered their heaviest defeat of the season losing 6-2. Oundle look to pick themselves up and go again back at home next week against Warwick 3s. HWTL.

For the first time in almost a month, Oundle were back on home astro against table topping Towcester 1s. Towcester had been free scoring so far scoring 23 goals in their first 5 games. Oundle meanwhile, had not been free scoring, but had been tough to break down, boasting the 2nd best defence in the league conceding only 6 from their first 5 games. It was another strong line up for Oundle with 15 players showing up, and 1 who had heard about the captains exploits on a previous captains brand new carpet and wanted to replicate.  Oundle were without Old Dan Phillips who had suffered a recurrence of his previous injury. Goal a game Dalley made his return to the team following two weeks out, looking to stake his claim as this season’s top scorer. Towcester pushed back to get the game underway, the early stages seemed slightly nervy from both teams, trying to figure one another out. Oundle came against a similar high press system to the one they have been playing this season. Towcesters style of play caused Oundle some issues with the defence given no time on the ball. Oundle though had the first chance of the game and were unlucky to not open the scoring with Willow, who beat his man and ran into the D, his low shot narrowly wide. It took until midway through the first half for Towcester to make their breakthrough with their right winger running past the Oundle full back like he wasn’t even there. He broke into the D, and hit a pass across the middle of the D, Oundles centre back was unlucky not to stop it, his touch taking directly into the path of the onrushing Towcester forward who scored. Both teams had received a short corner in the first half but were unable to make them count. Towcester won their 2nd short corner of the match right on the stroke of half time. Towcester flooded forward, their drag flick coming off the stick of the right postman nutmegging him as it dribbled in. Despite being 2-0 down at half time, Oundle had played well and were still in the match. Oundle started the 2nd half quickly with Towcester unable to make it out of their own half. Oundle won a number of short corners, castle no 1 being the preferred option today, despite having three bites at the cherry. George’s third attempt was hit well but high and hit the Towcester postman square on his wrist. With Oundle slightly on top everyone pushed forward. Unfortunately this left some gaps at the back which Towcester looked to exploit. Towcester were able to break down Oundles left, reliable vice skipper Adrian Millan rushed over to make the tackle not once… but twice… both times missing the ball, the umpires left with no choice but to brandish a yellow card. Towcester nearly added a third goal when they broke into the D down the left hand side hitting the ball in across the face of goal. An Oundle foot deflected the ball towards the Oundle goal forcing a last second goal line clearance to prevent Towcester from adding to their lead. Throughout the match Towcester proved to be a physical side, Dalley being body checked off the ball in the first half being one notable mention. Midway through the 2nd half was one too many for Towcester who received their first yellow card of the match. Towcester added their third late on in the 2nd half after a goalmouth scramble in which Oundle failed to clear their lines. Well the clearance fell straight to Towcester whose initial shot was deflected home from close range.  It wasn’t the result Oundle wanted who came away feeling disappointed at the result. After this weekend’s round of fixtures Oundle find themselves 5th in the table. Next week Oundle go again, travelling to the team directly above them in the league table; Khalsa Leamington 3s. HWTL.