Season Finale

Semi Final - Marlow 5 - Battersea 1

D-Day arrived, and after a good months preparation where Marlow won 4 on the spin, the Men's 1st XI seemed to be peaking at the right time for playoffs. This momentum coupled with the belief and confidence of the team was sure to be a winning formula.

First Semi Final saw Marlow take on Battersea Wanderers, who with ex Marlow payer and co founder of MHC's greatest chart hit 'We are Marlow Hockey Club', were bound to be a tough test. However they did not expect to meet a Marlow side armed with golf balls and yoga mats (big thanks to Kevin Chappell). This gave Marlow an early psychological advantage, as a full 16 man playing squad with management team turned up early and were mid way through their yoga routine when a depleted Battersea team arrived.

Marlow started brightly and the ever electric Alex Land fired home from the top of the circle to put Marlow in front. Battersea showed they were no mugs though and got a foothold in the game and after a neat corner things were back to all square. Marlow responded and stepped on the gas. England U18 captain Jack Clee took his good from the four nations tournament the previous weekend and put Marlow back in front at the half time interval.

The second half Marlow continued their aggressive defensive strategy turning balls over all over the park, but maybe a bit too aggressive as Marlow lost influential midfielder Matt Ashton thorough a hamstring strain, which was to rule him out of the rest of the game and possible the final!

Marlows pressure told and Alex Land converted a well worked corner, before Kelleher showed his class rifling a shot across the keeper and then Jack Clee rounded things off in typical Marlow style to put the Marlow into the final.
Ashford also cruised into the final with a 5-1 win over namesake from Kent.

Final - Marlow 11 Ashford 1

Ashford bought an Army of support with them to cheer them on, but Marlow were quick to silence the crowd, and put on a great show for their own loyal travelling support.

With Matt Ashton ruled out, the management team worked their magic and made some decisive tactical changes, with Jack Turner asked to lead the line a CF - time to stand up and be counted! And stand up he did.

Marlow were in the oppositions faces from the whistle and wrestled control of the possession and never then gave it up without a fight. Kelleher was his usual self orchestrating the midfield from the get go, but the vision to see a marauding Davidson overlap down the left and then the audacity to fling an aerial from centre field to drop just outside the oppositions circle was fantastic and led to Marlow's first PC. After telling Will Strang to keep out of the way, it was left to Davidson to slot home in his usual spot. Only a couple of minutes later Davidson was given another chance, and the keeper who had 'more holes than Swiss cheese' was nowhere near this one also. 2-0.

The ever energetic Lloyd Francis and Alex Land were taking it in turn to pick the pocket of the left back, who really did look like he had been left back in the changing room, and then his day didn't get any better when Jack Clee decided to tear him to shreds before firing a reverse stick high into the back of the net. 3 -0 inside the first ten minutes and Marlow were only just starting to turn it on.

Will Strang welcome to the party! Doing a lot of the hard yards up front, it was his turn to get in on the action and slotted two goals in as many minutes, the last of which he dinked over the keeper to round of an excellent team move down the right hand side. 5-0 and the opposition hardly having a touch of the ball. A perfect first half was then rounded off by a first half hatrick by Ed Davidson. Making it 6-0 at the break!

Smiles were beaming across everyone's faces, but having seen leads slip in the past Marlow knew they had to be professional, but more importantly wanted to prove to themselves they can do what we knew we always could and blow sides away.

At the start of the second half Sam Roberts, who had worked his way back in to the 1st XI with some notable solid performances, showed he can be just as crafty as the rest of us, with an audacious shot form the base line which crept in the keepers near post. Make that 7!

The best was yet to come as Marlow opened up and Ashford disintegrated. Some great team work and fantastic passing patterns was epitomised by a fast flowing attack down the right, with Lloyd Francis sliding in at the far post to finish it off. At this point, the chairman had the champagne on ice and the opposition support was already leaving the stadium. Marlow were not done here though and pressed on, and after firing a few 1 on 1's straight at the keeper, Jack Turner sent a Reverse stick right through him from point blank to make it 9. Ashford better late than never threw players forward and managed to grab a couple of corners, first of which they despatched from near the penalty spot past Pete Harding's head, but the second was swatted off the line and over the fence for a six by younger brother Dave Harding (Pete take note!). So no clean sheet.

Despite all of this action there was still time for Marlow to go up the other end and for Jack Clee to embarrass the left back again to assist Lloyd Francis for the tenth and then round it off himself to make it 11-1.

Being a defender I can't not mention the back four display over the course of both games, and the fact that thy have barely featured in the report just goes to show how good a display they each had, with none of them putting a foot wrong and giving the platform for the attacking players to go play.

I would just like to finish by thanking all the supporters for coming to watch, each of the management team who helped throughout the season and on the day, but most of all to all the players. It was an absolute pleasure to play with you guys over the last few seasons and couldn't have wished for a more enjoyable and way to bow out!

All the best for the future MHC!

David Harding