Cambridge school Kettering

After KM1s had plundered the team below them for players due to having several regulars missing, featuring excuses ranging from Christian camp (like Vegas - what happens there, stays there...) to afternoon tea, KM2s were left with a team that included both familiar and some unfamiliar faces. Jake Coleman and Mark Hawkins had returned from the Third Team to help out, bringing with them the green Josh Cox for his Second Team debut. Luke Linford also played his first game for the KM2s.
Cambridge's facilities were the Eden of hockey pitches yet there would be no Fall for the home team. In a bizarre start to the game that bastion of sportsmanship captain Rafael Payne was definitely secretly proud of, Cambridge passed the ball straight to Kettering from pushback as if the game was a friendly. However, the away team couldn't mount an immediate attack and a war of attrition began. Cambridge were looking most likely to score first - in no small part due to an outstandingly good midfielder wearing bandana who won Cambridge their first short corner of the match. The man at the top of the 'D' slammed his shot between the goalie and post-man Adam Duell to make it 1 - 0. Cambridge now began to press Kettering high up the pitch. Despite some good transference of the ball, Kettering struggled to make it out of their half. Before long, bandana-boy had scored the home team's second, driving along the baseline with ease - dodging any tackle that came his way; he sold the keeper with a fantastic fake pass - all he had to do was slot the ball near post. 2 - 0. Kettering kept pluckily playing though - Ben York's hold-up play allowed Kettering some time to regain composure and when Josh Cox came on from the bench he impressed by adapting quickly and not making the same mistake twice. Sadly, Cambridge's wannabe-pirate broke through again, even defensive maestro Archie Colwill was powerless against him, and created a cross which was poked in at speed by a Cambridge forward to make it 3 - 0 at half-time.
The second half saw better hockey from Kettering, though nothing resulting in more than a couple of shots at goal. Cambridge were simply too wily for Kettering. Luckily, Jake Coleman's fluorescent shoes blinded the umpires to his football in the 'D'! Cambridge's fourth and final goal came from an unmarked forward driving into the 'D' and having all the time in the world to pick his spot. Michael Lavender was instrumental in the creation of many Kettering attempts at surging forward and Colwill took it upon himself to take out Cambridge's playmaker by "accidentally" launching the ball at him, chest height, from a few yards away. As much as young Colwill protested this wasn't done on purpose, it seemed obvious to all this was an act of revenge after being put to the floor by Bandana's skills. Kettering gained a couple of short-corners that clearly resulted in nothing worth mentioning.
A game where Kettering couldn't begrudge Cambridge the result - they'd simply been outplayed. It's a must-win game against Wisbech next week...

MoM: Michael Lavender/Josh Cox

DoD: Jake Coleman