Date: Saturday 26th October 2024, 15:00 - England Hockey Championships Tier 4
MOM: Jack Hawkins
Goals: Hawkins x 4, Heayns x 2, Bell, Pennington, Baptist
On a crisp autumnal day, Stokesley Men’s 2s embarked on a slightly longer-than-usual journey to face Leeds Adel 6s in the England Hockey Championships Cup. Despite travelling with a reduced squad and playing in a changed black kit,Stokesley started brightly, exerting early pressure. However, their dominance in the opening exchanges didn’t translate into clear-cut opportunities. Around the 20-minute mark, Stokesley’s quality began to shine through. A fluid move down the left flank led to some intricate passing play, with Middlemiss sliding the ball through to Baptist, who in turn found Harry Bell perfectly positioned at the far post to slot home the opener. 1-0 to Stokesley.

Not long after, Jack Hawkins, making his debut in cup competition, doubled the lead with a superb reverse stick finish, demonstrating composure beyond his years. Stokesley’s third came from a broken-down short corner, with Heayns reacting quickly to convert from a reverse-stick effort. The fourth goal soon followed in somewhat comical fashion—a mishit reverse stick swing/fumble from Sam Pennington somehow found its way into the back of the net, leaving even Mark Armitstead at a loss for words on how to describe it.

Before the half-time whistle, young Hawkins added another to his tally, taking advantage of some slack defending from the hosts. His second of the day capped off an impressive first half for Stokesley, who headed into the break 5-0 up. Throughout the first half, the trio of Middlemiss, Baptist, and Bell were outstanding in midfield, dictating the tempo of the game. Meanwhile, Armitstead and Pennington’s relentless running caused problems for the Leeds Adel defence at every opportunity.

However, just before the half-time whistle, a moment of controversy arose as Shaw Senior repeatedly encroached onto the pitch, much to the umpire's displeasure. Shaw claimed it was simply a misunderstanding due to a “language barrier,” but the incident resulted in a warning to the Stokesley bench.
As the second half began, Stokesley remained resolute, refusing to take their foot off the pedal. The defensive trio of Coates, Tucker, and Enderwick were solid throughout, dealing with any rare Leeds Adel attacks with ease. Even when keeper Hibbet got himself into a tight spot with a pirouette and spin move, the defence was on hand to tidy up the situation. Hibbet, of course, denies his spin was worthy of a "perfect 10" had it been on Strictly Come Dancing!

Stokesley continued their attacking prowess, with Hawkins completing his hat-trick early in the second half with another fine effort, this time from the open side. Baptist made it 7-0 after being fouled in the D but still managing to slot the ball home from the top of the circle. Moments later Baptist should have had his second, however, he managed to send the ball over the bar for what would have been a perfect three-point conversion.
The match was already won when Heayns added another from close range, his close range effort saved however he then calmly flicked the rebound into the net to put Stokesley 8-0 ahead.

The pick of the goals, however, came with Stokesley’s ninth, as Hawkins completed his hat-trick of reverse stick efforts (and his fourth of the day) with a clinical shot from the top of the D. It was a finish that would have made his predecessor Phil Molyneux proud.

At the final whistle, Stokesley celebrated a comprehensive 9-0 victory, a testament to their all-round performance and the depth of talent within the squad. A clinical display from start to finish, they’ll be hoping to build on this momentum as they head into the next round, hopefully with a home draw.

The team will also be looking to carry this rich vein of form into their league campaign.
Next game: Tynedale M1 - Away (Saturday 2nd November 2024, 13:00 pb)
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