Mixed team produce valiant effort against top of the league but fall short in double-header
It was a terrific effort from the mixed team but Warwick were just too good on the day as they continue to look like league champions once again with a 16-11 victory in Staffordshire.
Dimitri Chambers continued his hot scoring form with four goals. Captain Marcus Howe also contributed with two as did vice-captain Paul Chandler who collected a couple of vital goals. Shane Hall and Kristina Goggin also managed to get their firsts goals ever for the mixed team.
Despite the loss, Howe was pleased the performance as this is usually Staffs' hardest match every season. "I was so impressed with the team and the guys that took the time to come and play. I honestly thought that we could have won at some points during the game but the score was about what I expected" said Howe.
Today also saw Staffs use three keepers that surprisingly was quite effective and is something that captain Howe could use more often. "The rotation of keepers does seem to help at times in games but I think we will be using the one keeper during Varsity but it is something that could be looked at."
When teams face a team that is top of the league, you usually expect the best this league has to offer. But as Staffs took a 2-1 lead after the first quarter, there was a realistic chance of an upset thanks to goals from vice-captain Chandler and Stephen Jinks. The second quarter saw the visitors find their game and began to expose Staffs' back line to take a 6-4 lead going into half-time. But a second goal from Chandler and a first ever goal in mixed for Shane Hall kept the hosts in it.
The half-time break seemed to get the situation into Warwick's heads as they showed why they are top of the league. They out-scored Staffs 6-1, and this quarter would prove to be the one that confirmed the win for the visitors. The hosts could only answer with one goal from Chambers who came out as an outfield player for the rest of the game and was replaced by Jinks.
With the score now 12-5, a third change of keeper was needed as Amy Rattenbury came in to replace Jinks to give Staffs an extra man in the outfield. This seemed to help as the hosts closed the gap, with Chambers collecting three goals, captain Howe scored two and Goggin got her first ever goal after collecting a rebound from a Chambers shot.
But Warwick still powered their way to get four goals in the final quarter to make sure Staffs were not given a chance to get something from the game.
This loss now puts pressure on the mixed team to keep their third spot with Leicester and Birmingham waiting in the wings. "It is going to be a close finish I just hope that the lads start to turn out in better numbers to help secure that third spot."
Another thing Howe will have to look at is Varsity as it is now just over five weeks away, the emergence of new players and new goalscorers is making Varsity selection a lot harder for captain Howe. Expect the squad to be announced soon.