NE14 Hockey East Division 1 NorthIES Ladies 1st 3 Braintree Ladies 2nd 0After two wins, IES confidence was high and the home team began the match passing the ball well and optimising pitch space.

Saturday 9th February 2008

NE14 Hockey East Division 1 North

IES Ladies 1st 3 Braintree Ladies 2nd 0

After two wins, IES confidence was high and the home team began the match passing the ball well and optimising pitch space. For much of the first half IES had Braintree on the back foot, with the midfield marshalled well as usual.

The second half began with no goals but IES continued to pen Braintree into their own half. The breakthrough came with a beautifully weighted pass from Claire Pearsons down the right hand-side, leaving Annette White to negotiate a tricky angle and pop the ball behind the keeper for the first goal. Minutes later Pearsons once again threaded a pass through to Anne Edney who cleverly beat the keeper with a reverse stick shot.

Braintree were awarded a penalty flick at the other end but keeper Faye Godden added to her match-winning stops and kept it out. The final stages saw IES finally convert a short corner, with Maria Whelan scoring and topping off a victorious afternoon for the Ipswich side.

NE14 Hockey East Division 2 North

IES Mens 1st 5 Cambridge City Mens 3rd 2

IES barely had 11 players as they took on fellow mid-table side Cambridge City 3rds. However, with Marshlain and Mayhew back in midfield IES were confident of a win.

They did indeed start with a goal through James Klug, who deflected Taylor's pass in past the luckless visiting keeper. Just after the re-start IES conceded a penalty corner, with a well struck shot deflected towards goal only to be pushed over the bar by Lane. IES rallied and hit their second through Taylor, who smashed a well-worked penalty corner in to increase IES' lead to two. Man of the match Cole, who beat the last defender into the D and flicked past the keeper, made it 3 before the visitors scored a dubious goal back from what appeared to be a back stick.

IES led comfortably at 3-1 at half time, and their strength continued in to the second half with some excellent hockey. Midway through the half, the ever active Taylor scored his second goal from a neat deflection and Klug grabbed his brace with another deflection, this time a result of Brown's excellent pass from midfield. The visitors scored a consolation as IES were left stranded at a free hit, but the home side held on to their three-goal cushion and now sit fifth in Division 2 North. The team travel to Sudbury on Saturday, hoping to grab their eighth win of the season.