Ipswich 14 IES 0

National Women's Veterans Cup

Ipswich 14 Ipswich East Suffolk 0

Ipswich thrashed their close town rivals Ipswich East Suffolk in their first veterans game for two years.

Playing in the Suffolk round of the national competition, Ipswich were missing several players and could only field a team of ten.

What the side lacked in numbers they made up in quality though, with seven of their ten players either current or ex-first team players, not to mention goalkeeper Jo Thompson who won an Olympic bronze medal in 1992.

With such a strong side Ipswich were always favourites but with several players having not played for a good few years it took a little while for the team to settle.

Ipswich finally opened the scoring in the ninth minute, Kirsten Spencer firing in a trademark short corner strike.

Despite the early breakthrough it took Ipswich another 18 minutes to extend their lead through Emma Millar and there then was a lengthy stoppage as an IES player suffered a nasty blow to the head from an attempted undercut shot at goal.

From the restart Fiona Lane scored her first of two goals to make it 3-0 and then Claire Ferguson made it four just before half time.

The second half saw Ipswich begin to play more flowing hockey as players began to gel and, in the 40th minute, Sarah Bamfield opened her account with a trademark strike.

Three minutes later it was goalkeeper turned striker Nicky Osborne who scored the sixth goal and her first of four.

To their credit IES never stopped working and only some good defending by Annette Strange, Kirsten Spencer and Sarah Logan kept them at bay.

The Ipswich goals flowed regularly as the game progressed on, a spell of four goals in six minutes ending with Amanda Little scoring the 12th in the 68th minute.

IES did have one very good chance to grab a consolation but Thompson in the Ipswich goal showed she has lost none of her talent with a fine save on the near post.

Top scorer Osborne then wrapped things up with the 14th goal in the 70 minute.

Ipswich now face Sevenoaks, Bishop Stortford, Havering and defending champions Cambridge City next Sunday at the Pearse School in Cambridge. The winners of that round will progress to the National Finals on Sunday 4 May.