------------------------------ Match reports for mens games on 12th December -------------------------------
Purley Walcountians snapped their six-match run without a win by thrashing relegation-stricken Ashford 5-1 on Saturday.
With the Middlesex side rooted to the basement of the South Premier table with just three points, PWs knew that a win was there for the taking.
And thanks to a sensational first half the job was virtually done by the time the teams turned around, PWs taking a 5-0 lead into the interval.
A brace from Alex Mowat - including a penalty stroke - as well as two goals from Ed Brown and a fine finish from skipper Lachlan Fincher banished the blues after a run of just four points from a possible 18.
With the game as good as won, the second half lacked the intensity of the first, and Ashford pulled a goal back after PWs had two players yellow carded.
Mowat had a chance to complete his hat-trick - and extend his lead as the league's top goal scorer - but missed from the penalty spot, while PWs went close on a number of other occasions.
The win leaves PWs seventh in the 12-club league with the first half of the season now completed, and a similar run of results after Christmas should ensure a mid-table finish.
But coach John Oliver - who was quick to praise Darren Saunders and Ryan De Beer for their performances on Saturday - is hoping for a strong showing in the New Year.
"We were in a similar position last year and went on to win every game we played after Christmas," he said.
"We are a division higher this season, so realistically that is not going to happen again.
"But we did throw away a lot of points in the first half of the season so I'm confident we can do better in the return fixtures."
Elsewhere, the 2nd XI's up and down form continued, losing 4-0 to league leaders Sanderstead, while a makeshift 3rd XI were disappointed not to come away with more from a friendly against Thames Valley, losing 3-2 to a team top of the division above.
The 4th XI are now four points clear in their promotion race following an impressive 3-0 win over Croydon.
Anyone whose New Year's resolution is to start playing competitive hockey again should get in touch via www.pwhc.co.uk.
------------------------------ Match reports for mens games on 5th December -------------------------------
Purley Walcountians showed their resilience on Saturday, wiping out a three-goal deficit against Chichester on three occasions to earn a point at Woodmansterne.
The remarkable come back was capped by double strike in the last four minutes by man of the match Tom Mullins, who had only been called into the team on Friday night.
The teenager's brace meant that PWs secured their second 5-5 draw of the season, and were involved in a game featuring eight goals or more for the fourth time in five weeks.
It left John Oliver's squad in upbeat mood ahead of their clash with bottom-of-the-table Ashford this coming Saturday, but things had looked bleak in the opening 20 minutes.
Free-scoring Chichester raced into a 2-0 lead early on, and, after Alex Mowat missed a penalty stroke, immediately extended their advantage.
Graham Lester's fine solo effort meant PWs turned around at 3-1 down, but they found themselves trailing 4-1 and 5-2 in the second half.
Mowat atoned for his earlier miss with his 13th and 14th goals of the season, before schoolboy Mullins salvaged a draw with the final touch of the game.
The result leaves PWs without a win in six competitive starts and lying ninth in the South Premier table, but four of those games have been draws and Oliver is confident of victory against Ashford.
"It's a bit early to be talking about a six pointer at this stage of the season, but we need to go to Ashford and get a result, and I've no reason to believe that we won't," he said.
"It's been a frustrating few weeks, but we showed great team spirit on Saturday to come away from something against tough opposition, with Chichester demonstrating just why they are in the top four."
Elsewhere, the 2nd XI picked up a point with a creditable 0-0 draw against Addiscombe, although they could have secured the win had Jas Panesar not missed a penalty stroke.
The 3rd XI remain second in their league after emerging from a local derby with Kenley with a 4-3 victory, while the 4th XI's good form continued - they too are second - with a 7-1 victory over Horley.
Anyone who fancies starting the new year with a return to competitive hockey at PWs should get in touch via info@pwhc.co.uk or visit www.pwhc.co.uk.
------------------------------ Match reports for mens games on 28th November -------------------------------
Free-scoring Purley Walcountians struck another three times on Saturday against Banbury - but more defensive errors saw them slip to their third defeat of the season.
PWs were beaten 5-3 in their South Premier League clash, throwing away a 2-0 lead in Oxfordshire and extending their winless run to five matches.
Only Chichester have scored more times this season than PWs, but their pourous defence has leaked 17 goals in their last four outings.
On Saturday, Alex Mowat and skipper Lachlan Fincher got PWs off to a blistering start before they were pegged back by a Banbury outfit temporarily reduced to 10 men.
A 2-2 half time scoreline soon became 3-2 to Banbury after the break, and despite PWs having countless chances, the home side scored again against the run of play to make it 4-2.
Ed Brown kept PWs in it, but a Banbury counter-attack, which led to a converted short corner, killed off the game.
The result leaves PWs eighth in the table, but despite their poor run of form, the side are still only eight points off top spot.
"We created plenty going forward but we just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net," said coach John Oliver, who has arranged a friendly against Epsom for Wednesday night in a bid to restore the confidence of his team.
"Every game this season has been a big one, but our home fixture on Saturday against Chichester now takes on even more importance. The bottom line is that we need a result."
Elsewhere, PWs' three other men's teams all recorded resounding wins.
The 2nd XI were 6-1 winners against London Wanderers and will travel to Addiscombe on Saturday with renewed optimism after good results in recent weeks.
The 3rd XI moved to second place in their league with a 3-1 victory against Guildford, centre forward Brian Riddick making a welcome return to action with a goal in each half.
In Surrey Division Five, the 4th XI also moved to second place with a 5-1 demolition of high flying Epsom.
------------------------------ Match reports for mens games on 21st November -------------------------------
Purley Walcountians dropped two more points at home on Saturday in the South Premier League – but their coach says the title race is far from over.
Having missed out in a nine-goal thriller against Staines last time they played at Woodmansterne, PWs shared 10 goals with Maidstone on Saturday as they drew 5-5.
Having raced into a 3-1 lead, PWs were trailing 4-3 and 5-4 in the second half, but on both occasions found a way back into the game, Clive Chandler following Lachlan Fincher, Glen Tutts and Alex Mowat (2) on to the scoresheet with a late equaliser.
And even though they finished the match with 10 men after influential Julian Lewis was controversially sent off, they nearly snatched victory in the dying seconds but missed a penalty corner.
The result means that despite only two losses this season, and having the league’s leading goal scorer in Mowat – whose brace on Saturday took his tally to 11 – PWs currently lie eighth in the South Prem.
But with pacesetters Staines and Wimbledon both slipping up on Saturday, PWs are still only seven points off top spot.
Last season they were even further behind the two automatic promotion spots at Christmas, before going on a lengthy winning streak and finishing second.
And coach John Oliver is confident that a similar run is just around the corner.
“After the game I spoke to the team and told them we could have been two or three points clear had we played just that little bit better over the last few weeks,” he said. “All it is going to take is one win and we’ll be flying. The league is wide open this year and we can get back in the race.”
This Saturday, PWs travel to Banbury, but will be without Lewis, whose red card will not be rescinded even though the match umpires admitted after the game that he should not have been dismissed.
Elsewhere the 2nd XI picked up a point with a 3-3 draw away at Surrey Old Boys, while the 3rd XI inflicted table-topping Reigate Priory’s first defeat of the season courtesy of an Adam Smith double in a 2-0 win.
Like the 3rd XI, the 4th XI are third in their league, cementing their position with a a 6-1 hammering of Addiscombe.
------------------------------ Match reports for mens games on 14th November -------------------------------
Poor finishing and a controversial umpiring decision conspired to deprive Purley Walcountians of two points in their South League clash with Teddington on Saturday.
PWs were held to a 2-2 draw in west London, but could have run out comfortable winners had they taken their chances.
Things looked ominious in the opening minutes when top scorer Alex Mowat missed a penalty stroke, and PWs profligacy in front of goal was repeated throughout the match.
Julian Lewis did give PWs the lead in the first half, only for Teddington to even things up by half time, and then go ahead against the run of play in the second half.
Lewis restored parity, but only after PWs had had what appeared to be a legitimate goal disallowed, leaving coach John Oliver fuming.
"I spoke to the umpires after the game and even they couldn't tell me why the goal wasn't given," he said.
However it wasn't just the officiating that Oliver was disappointed with.
"We made a series of schoolboy errors in front of goal and that cost us the game," he said.
"Afterwards Teddington's coach apologised to me because we were so much better than them. I told him that it's not his fault my forwards can't put the ball in the back of the net."
PWs have still only lost twice this season in the league, but the result sees them slip into the bottom half of the table for the first time since the opening weekend, increasing the pressure ahead of this Saturday's visit of Maidstone.
"We've thrown away five points in the last three weeks, and we should be in the top three," added Oliver.
Meanwhile the 2nd XI lost a nine-goal thriller 5-4 to Reigate Priory, conceding in the dying seconds in a game which they could easily have won.
The 3rd XI braved the elements to run out 4-2 victors against local rivals Sanderstead, while the 4th XI's match away at Croydon fell foul of the weather, the game cancelled because of a water-logged pitch.
------------------------------ Match reports for mens games on 7th November -------------------------------
Despite one of their best performances of recent years, Purley Walcountians ended up on the wrong end of nine-goal thriller against high-flying Staines on Saturday at Woodmansterne.
With the 5-4 defeat, PWs are now eight points adrift of Southern Premier league leaders Staines - but had their finishing been better they could have been sitting just two points behind them.
A fast-paced first half ended at 3-3, with PWs going a goal down early on before restoring parity through Graham Lester and twice taking the lead courtesy of Barney Hilsdon and an Alex Mowat penalty stroke.
Staines made it 4-3 in the second half, but when John Jaunty - a surprise inclusion after recovering from a hamstring injury - drew his side level at 4-4 it looked like PWs could go on to take all three points.
However a controversial umpiring decision allowed Staines to retake the lead despite PWs protests that defender Darren Saunders had been obstructed in the build up.
With their goal under siege in the dying minutes, Staines held out for a win that sent them top of the South Premier, left PWs languishing in sixth place - and had coach John Oliver lamenting what might have been.
"The margins for error in this league are so small," said Oliver. "We've thrown away five points in the last two weeks because of lapses in concentration and it is very frustrating.
"We could now be joint top rather than back in the chasing pack, but the fact the league is so open this season means that we can quickly get back into the title mix."
PWs go to seventh-placed Teddington on Saturday, with Oliver confident that his squad will return with three points.
The 2nds got back to winning ways with a 4-0 victory at Richmond, while the 3rds snapped a run of three consecutive defeats with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against a strong Barnes XI.
The 4ths remain third in their league after a 1-0 home victory against Leatherhead.
------------------------------ Match reports for mens games on 31st October -------------------------------
Purley Walcountians stretched their unbeaten run to four matches on Saturday but were left ruing defensive errors which cost them two points at Brighton & Hove.
PWs, who haven't lost since the opening day of the Southern Hockey League season, were held to a 2-2 draw on the south coast having twice led through penalty strokes.
With the game entering its final stages, PWs appeared to be on course for their second away win of the campaign, but Brighton & Hove equalised from a short corner with just minutes left.
Purley had begun the game strongly, skipper Lachlan Fincher earning a penalty stroke after he was crudely fouled in the circle, and top scorer Alex Mowat converting.
PWs continued to dominate the first half with Brighton & Hove having three players sent to the sin bin, but the home side hauled themselves back into the game just before the interval with a well-worked short corner.
A second stroke was awarded to PWs in the second half, this time Scottish international Chris Holmes scoring his first goal for the club from the spot.
But back came Brighton for a second time, scoring again from a short corner as PWs failed to see the game out.
The result means PWs slip a place to fifth, but they will be hoping to bounce back immediately against joint league leaders Staines on Saturday at Woodmansterne.
"It was definitely a case of two points lost and I was very disappointed that we didn't hang on for a well-deserved victory," said coach John Oliver.
"Although we had most of the play, our defending wasn't good enough at times and we got punished. However we have an excellent opportunity to put things right at home against Staines on Saturday."
Elsewhere, the 2nd XI were unlucky to lose 4-3 at home against Surbiton, while the 3rd XI contrived to let an early 2-0 advantage slip and were well-beaten by Cheam, the final score a hurtful 8-2.
The 4th XI continued their promotion push with a 2-0 victory over Old Reigatians.
------------------------------ Match reports for mens games on 24th October -------------------------------
Purley Walcountians took the students of Oxford University back to school on Saturday with a 5-1 victory in the South Premier Hockey League.
Alex Mowatt led the charge with a four-goal haul as PWs recorded their best win of the season and went third in the table.
Graham Lester, with a reverse-stick shot into the roof of the net, completed the scoring as PWs' campaign gathered momentum.
Mowatt had given his side - still missing a number of key players through injury - the lead within minutes of push back, adding a second just before half time following a good move down the right.
More goals followed in the second half as PWs doubled their advantage, and although Oxford University pulled one back to make it 4-1, the home side had the last word.
Coach John Oliver was understandably pleased with the display, hailing the efforts of Mowatt and his fellow forwards John Jaunty and Lachlan Fincher, as well as Scottish international Chris Holmes, who had a solid game in defence.
"We've had a very tough start to the season, and if I'd been offered it when I first saw our opening fixtures, I would have taken seven points from our first four games," said Oliver.
"Whether we are strong enough to challenge for a top two spot in the league remains to be seen, but we are going to give it a good go."
On Saturday, PWs travel to fifth-placed Brighton and Hove, who will be anxious to protect their unbeaten home record, and Oliver described the clash as "massive".
Elsewhere there were mixed results for PWs, with an under-strength 2nd XI crashing to a 7-2 defeat away at Walton and Weybridge, and a new-look 3rd XI losing 4-2 at home to Reigate Priory.
The 4th XI kept up their good form with a 4-3 win over Sanderstead, and strengthened their grip on third place in their league.
------------------------------ Match reports for mens games on 17th October -------------------------------
Purley Walcountians claimed their first win of the league season on Saturday with a dominant victory away at Tulse Hill and Dulwich.
After the previous week's 3-3 draw against Southern Premier League favourites Wimbledon, PWs went into the game full of confidence - and duly delivered.
The eventual 2-0 winning margin could have been much bigger had PWs taken all their chances in a match they controlled for all but the first five minutes.
Once those initial nerves were out of the system, PWs took an early lead through Alex Mowatt, who added a second after half time following a sweeping, length-of-the-pitch move.
Mowatt would have completed his hat-trick had he not been penalised for kicking the ball, while John Jaunty also had a number of chances to extend PWs' advantage.
Tulse Hill and Dulwich were left clinging on at the end after being reduced to 10 men following an off-the-ball incident, with the outstanding Clive Chandler putting in a particularly eye-catching performance.
The win, which lifts PWs to sixth in the embryonic league table, came despite the side missing four key players, but understudies - including Jas Panesar and Glen Tough - proved more than adequate replacements.
"This was a fantastic team performance, and with every passing week I am getting more and more confident about our prospects for the season," said coach John Oliver.
"We wouldn't have been flattered had we won by four or five goals."
This coming Saturday, PWs host Oxford University as their tough start to the season continues - the students go into the game in fourth place off the back of a 4-0 win.
Elsewhere the 2nd and 3rd XIs have both vowed to bounce back following unexpected losses against Woking.
The 2nds went down 3-0 at home after missing a string of chances, while the 3rds lost 3-2 away in a bizarre game in which they spent long periods camped inside the Woking half but simply couldn't score.
The 4th XI continued their strong start to the season with a 2-2 draw at home to the same opposition.
------------------------------ Match reports for mens games on 10th October -------------------------------
Purley Walcountians nearly secured a remarkable win over league favourites Wimbledon on Saturday.
Instead PWs had to settle for a point after sharing six goals – and fighting back from 3-0 down.
With Wimbledon winning 7-0 last weekend - and PWs going down 4-2 to Spencer (Wandsworth) - the South Premier League fixture always looked a tough one.
And PWs were left fearing the worst after the first half, during which they shipped two goals and struggled to contain the attacking threat of their opponents.
Despite a stern talking to by coach John Oliver at the turn around, PWs went 3-0 down early in the second half, and there were fears the floodgates would open.
They did, but at the other end, as PWs fought back in stunning style.
Alex Mowat gave the home side hope from a penalty corner, Julian Lewis added a second from a similar situation just minutes later before Barnie Hillsden leveled things up from open play.
In the end Wimbledon - who fielded a number of England U21 players and recently retired Great Britain international Ben Marsden - were relieved to hear the final whistle at 3-3.
"We were playing a very strong team and it was undoubtedly a question of one point gained rather than two points thrown away," said Oliver, whose side plays Dulwich and Tulse Hill on Saturday.
"I was very pleased with the second half fight back and it bodes well for the rest of the season."
Elsewhere, games involving the 2nds, 3rds and 4ths saw 26 goals scored – and three wins for PWs.
The 2nd XI went two points clear at the top of their league with a 4-3 win away at Barnes, Greg Panesar again among the scorers.
At Purley, the 3rd XI raced into an early 4-0 lead in their top-of-the-table clash with Richmond, and then survived a second half scare to record a 5-3 win and cement their position as league leaders.
The 4th XI bounced back from a 3-0 reverse last weekend to chalk up a 7-4 victory away at Sanderstead.
------------------------------ Match reports for mens games on 3rd October ------------------------------
Purley Walcountians’ return to the South Premier League ended in defeat on Saturday –but coach John Oliver insisted there were plenty of positives to be taken from the game.
After securing promotion on the final day of last season, PWs were handed a tough opening assignment with a trip to last year’s third-placed side, Spencer (Wandsworth).
Despite creating plenty of chances, PWs eventually succumbed to a 4-2 reverse, playing catch-up from early in the first half when they fell behind to a well-worked goal.
Striker John Jaunty got PWs level after good work from Graham Lester and Julian Lewis, but Spencer went into the break 2-1 ahead, and stretched their lead soon after half time with a breakaway goal.
Skipper Lachlan Fincher gave PWs hope with a stunning, instinctive shot into the roof of the net, but a fourth goal for the hosts killed off the game.
“I can’t say we were the better side because Spencer scored four goals and we only got two,” said Oliver.
“But after a poor opening 20 minutes from us the game was very even, and we put together some good hockey.
“From what I saw on Saturday, we are going to have a very strong season.”
Oliver added that he was particularly pleased with the way in which new recruit, Chris Holmes, played in the centre of defence with old hand Darren Saunders.
Next up for PWs is a home fixture on Saturday against Wimbledon, the early pacesetters in the South Prem following an impressive 7-0 opening-day victory against Ashford.
Meanwhile, PWs 2nd XI got their Surrey Division Two campaign off to a flying start with a 6-1 win against Old Georgians, with a brace each for Elliot Tanner and Jas Panesar.
The 3rd XI remain top of their league following a 3-1 win over Croydon, which extended their 100% record this season to four games, while the 4th XI went down 3-0 to a strong Goan outfit.
