MATCH REPORT

Peele Leisure centre looked resplendent in the sunshine as Long Sutton welcomed the ladies from Cambridge Nomads to Lincolnshire for a Division 2NW league fixture. Always an entertaining game between these 2 teams and this week's game didn't disappoint. For the first time this season long Sutton had a full squad of 14 which was needed with the weather being unusually hot for this time of year. From the umpires first whistle there were some forays from both teams which looked to test both keepers, and for the first 10 minutes it was a significantly even. However, even though Long Sutton appeared to be strolling through the game, the intensity did move up a notch with some nice passing and movement from the home team. Then the break Long Sutton wanted occurred with Lyn Tancred's run to the right channel. Receiving the ball from a beautiful through pass Tancred weaved to the baseline, round a defender and into the D before executing a pass across the Nomads keeper towards the back post where Charlie Leuty arrived with pace to slot the ball home. 1-0 to the home side. This score settled Sutton and although they were not playing at their normal pace they grew more and more into the game. Soon it was 2-0 when Leah Goodley was put through into the D one on one with the keeper, who at the wrong moment chopped across her stick in the act of shooting to concede a Penalty flick. Up stepped the reliable Tania White to slot past the keeper. As the first half continued Nomads continued to threaten, but the defence of Lorraine Wallis, Jess Burton, Gemma Parr, White and Lisa Baker were solid. Leuty and skipper Jo Bland were working very hard in front of the defence to get the ball forward quickly and with the half running out another pass to the channel was met by Connie Gittins, who, found Tancred near the penalty spot and she turned and calmly shot through her legs past the keeper to make it 3-0 at half time. The weather was proving difficult in terms of the team being able to keep the intensity high, but with the use of Amber Jones, Lauren Cooper and Connie Gittins from the bench Long Sutton coped. The second half was a more circumspect affair. Emmie Gittins and Louise Southgate continued their running for Long Sutton out wide, but in effect the home side had the game under control. Nomads were tiring and were conceding Penalty corners and it wasn't long before from one such corner Leuty struck the ball from a second phase past the keepers near post and it was 4-0 to the home side. The pattern of the game remained unchanged. Long Sutton pressed, Nomads tried to play on the break. With 15 minutes to go Nomads got there first penalty corner from a foot incident and a straight strike to Wallis's right pulled one back. Within minutes Sutton had conceded a second corner and again an identical approach from Nomads but this time the result was a big sliding right boot from Wallis and the danger was gone. After that the game played itself out with the home side running out 4-1 winners and continuing their fine start to the season. Next week Long Sutton makes the long journey to Skegness to play Alford at 2pm pushback