Division 2NIpswich East Suffolk 1 Cambridge City II 2A game that was always going to be tough against the undefeated team top of the league nearly turned out to be a glorious victory on Saturday.

Division 2N

Ipswich East Suffolk 1 Cambridge City II 2

A game that was always going to be tough against the undefeated team top of the league nearly turned out to be a glorious victory on Saturday.

IES travelled to Cambridge City's Perse Girls School pitch with five first team players unavailable for what could have been a lesson in how to play hockey. It turned into, however, a lesson in how to stay on your feet on a very wet pitch.

IES started well but were soon under the cosh as a well-drilled City side forced them into silly errors, not helped by the pitch. A debatable penalty corner earned the home side the lead as a simple angled shot was deflected in past Farrow on the left post.

IES kept up their pressure and the ever energetic Boulter levelled the game as he deflected a drilled pass into the bottom corner to make it 1-1. IES were forced back again and spent most of the remaining first half minutes in their own 25. Simon Martin was harshly adjudged to have stick tackled inside the D and City scored an almost identical second goal to their previous effort.

2-1 down at half time and IES worked hard to play simple, quick hockey on the slippery surface. Their efforts were unrewarded however and the main incident of the half was Scott Cole's yellow card for dissent midway through the period. Even with ten men IES defended and thanks to this and some wayward City shooting kept the score to 2-1.

A league break now until 20 January when IES entertain Harleston Magpies II, whom they beat 3-0 at the start of the season.

There is now a dedicated hockey e-mail address for your reports, please send to: hockey@eadt.co.uk.