Mens
Mens 2006/07; Week 5
SHEFFIELD CELEBRATE
City of Sheffield completed their National League season at Walsall as well deserved champions of Division Three – which leaves Sutton & Cheam and Newton Abbot to contest the runners-up spot when the final weekend takes place at Crawley on 25/26 November.
Sheffield knew they would be in the clear if they won all three games at Walsall and that mission was achieved with relative comfort.
They beat Basingstoke 11-3, Bedford 18-6 and, crucially, completed a double over Newton Abbot, dominating the second half to win 20-11. Goal scorers were Ollie Burkitt (5), Lewis Matthews (4), John Dyer (3), John Faben (3), Ben Caulfield (3) and Tom Kelly (2)
Week 4
If Sheffield were disappointed to drop a point against derby rivals South Derbyshire at the start of the Division Three weekend at Walsall, it wasn’t too costly in the end.
Crunch time came on the second day when Sheffield played Sutton & Cheam and Newton Abbot, who are likely to be their main rivals for promotion at the end of the season. They won both and so, for the time being at least, are the division’s pacesetters by a margin of five points.
Sheffield will acknowledge that they could easily have shipped both points to South Derby, who trailed 11-10 at the start of the final period but led 13-12, then 14-13 before settling for a 14-14 draw when Ben Caulfield netted for Sheffield with 1.27 to go. The outstanding Nick Bird scored seven for South Derby.
Sheffield are sitting pretty at the moment but they will be well aware that Newton Abbot have three games in hand – and the sides meet during the next Division Three weekend, also at Walsall, on 4/5 November.
Week 3
Victories over Newcastle, South Derbyshire and Warley took City of Sheffield to the top of the Division Three table. They will now wait to see how promotion rivals Newton Abbot and Sutton & Cheam – neither of whom was involved at Ponds Forge – progress in their next matches at Walsall on 21/22 October.
Sheffield’s clash with Warley was close all the way through. Warley led 3-1 after the first period and 8-7 after three before Sheffield took control to win 12-10. Carter and Faben were the leading Sheffield scorers with three each while Covington netted three for Warley.
Week 2
Sutton and Cheam look much stronger this season and they also won three times – including a vital 8-7 success against another team with promotion potential, City of Sheffield.
The most important result for Sutton, however, was that narrow win over Sheffield.
Sheffield made the stronger start, leading 3-1 after the opening period. Sutton recovered to take a 5-4 lead near the end of the second and then 8-4 early the last. But that sparked a late Sheffield revival, featuring goals by Ollie Burkett, Tom Kelly and Mike Whiteley. Sutton goals: Charlie Thurley (4), Stephen Bayles (2), Alex Smith, Keiran Bayles. Sheffield: Burkitt (2), Kelly (2), Whiteley (2), Matthews.
Week 1
City of Sheffield Water Polo Club Mens team opened their National Water Polo League season with maximum points, and top Division 3 after the first weekend. Saturday saw a heavy win over bitter rivals Warley Wasps, the first in 9 attempts, winning 14-6. Ben Carter scored 4, with 3 in the first quarter, helping open up a 7-1 lead, and Sheffield were then never troubled by the Birmingham outfit. Stuart MacQueen patrolled the defensive lines with his famous 'wardrobe door' technique, and John Faben scored three, with further goals from Burkitt(2), Dyer (1) Kelly(1) Matthews(1) and Whiteley (2). New squad members, James Alton and Liam McCarthy slotted straight in, and showed no sign of nerves in their first National League match.
Sunday saw an easy win against Newcastle, with Sheffield's squad ruthless in exposing the wanting fitness levels of the North East side. Tom 'Slugger' Kelly scored twice in the opening quarter, but failed to see out the whole game,excluded after 3 major fouls. Goalkeepers James Alton and Josh Smith were rarely troubled, with all the excitement at the other end. Captain Jim Lafferty scored twice, with a flashy reverse shot pleasing the Ponds Forge crowd. John Dyer had a late surge, scoring 3 in the final quarter, putting the final nails in the Tynesider?s coffin, the final score 18-4 to Sheffield, despite many easy chances missed by the dominant Sheffield lads. Other scorers were Carter(2), Faben (1), Matthews (3), Whitely (3) and Girling (2).
Coach Martin Kelly was ecstatic, 'We've laid down a marker to the rest of the division. We top the division after weekend 1, and those clubs who wrote us off do so at their peril. We will be going back into training for the next fortnight to come back even better in Nottingham'.
City of Sheffield play at Nottingham University on September 23/24 with fixtures against Bedford, Basingstoke and Sutton & Cheam, and return to Ponds Forge on September 30th/Oct 1st, with games against South Derbyshire, Warley and Newcastle. The club website is www.cospolo.ik.com and the National Water Polo League is www.nwpl.co.uk .
FLYING START TO NEW CAMPAIGN !!
Crowned National league division 3 champions in 2006 City of Sheffield Men began their campaign in the higher league with the opening weekend of Division 2 held in Lancaster on 15/16 September. And what a start !
Sheffield were first game on against Tyldsley – a team who only a few seasons ago were in division 1. Sheffield’s tight press was too much for Tyldsley to handle and they were often forced into long range shots which Sheffield goalie Josh Smith coped with admirably. With goals from Mike Whiteley 4 Tom Girling 2 Tom Kelly 1 John Faben 1 Olly Birkett 1Lewis Matthews 1 and Tom Norfolk. Sheffield eventually won 11-7
Next up Birkenhead, relegated only last season from the top flight. Again Sheffield played an excellent defensive game and with Josh Smith inspired in goal Birkenhead became increasingly frustrated in front of goal. Even though Sheffield’s passing game was off the mark at times the work rate never faltered and final score was 11 – 6 to Sheffield. MikeWhiteley weighed in with another 3 goals along with Tom Kelly 2 Richard Rattlidge 2, Olly Burkett Ben Carter Liam Humphries, Lewis Matthews
Final Game was against local rivals Leeds. With two teams that know each other so well and a Leeds team renowned for being so difficult to beat this was always going to be a tough game. But Leeds were without one or two key players and again Sheffield were very successful in keeping the opponents’ main goalscorers quiet. Although Sheffield perhaps didn’t punish Leeds on the counter attack as much as maybe they should have, they were very much in control for most of the game –score - Sheffield 12 Leeds 8 goals from Mike Whiteley 3 Tom Kelly 3 John Faben 2, Olly Burkett, Ben Carter, Lewis Matthews and Tom Norfolk
A tremendous performance from all the lads:
Josh Smith was magnificent throughout at times seemingly unbeatable, Mike Whiteley with some inspired goalscoring at crucial times, Tom Kelly was such a handful at centre forward creating many of our man up situations, and what seemed like tireless energy and work rate from Lewis Matthews and Ben Carter. John Faben and Rich Rattlidge were rocks in the centre of defence, with Tom Girling and Tom Norfolk making the right flank their own and Olly Birkett and Liam Humphries giving variety to our attacking options. Which just leaves Elliot Kelly making his National League debut at the ripe old age of 14,-looking comfortable and more than capable of handling the game at this level.
Early days in what will be a very tight division, but could we have dreamed of such an opener. Bring on Ponds Forge in two weeks !!
Loughborough 13th & 14th Oct
Sheffield’s topsy-turvy season continued. Having won all three matches on the first weekend of the season and lost all three on the second, they managed three more wins – 7-5 against Birkenhead, 9-6 against Sutton and then 12-1 in the Yorkshire derby with Leeds.
Further information can be obtained from Jim Lafferty (0114) 2694 808 or 07973 745 669
Martin Kelly (0114) 247 0183
Denry Leighton (0114) 277 6481
