UNDER 15 GIRLS CUP

This Sunday the U15 Girls continue their England Hockey Cup run in the quarter finals against Canterbury at Newlands, 1pm pushback - please come and support them.

ANNUAL DINNER
As you've heard or seen the Annual Dinner is on the 16th April. Currently 17 tables have been allocated to teams and individuals, leaving only 3 tables left (30 tickets). If you haven't spoken to your team captain or social rep re the Hockey Dinner and tickets, you need to urgently or if their tables are full, please call Bob Hance on 0780-1411928 or email bob.hance@bt.com marking your email "Annual Dinner".

Tickets are £30 with full sit down dinner, Disco, speeches and awards and full licensed bar, the evening starts with drinks at 7pm, and last dance is at 12:30a.m.

EASTER TOUR 2005 - FOLKESTONE
The decision has finally been made and we have decided to go back to Folkestone for another year of seaside antics!!

Dates are Thursday 24th - Monday 28th March and we will be staying in the ever popular Southcliffe Hotel. Prices are £125 for the 4 nights and this includes Accomodation (B&B), Tour Shirt and Tournament entry. If you would like to go for only a few nights then other prices are available.

There are now lists up at the club for you to put your name down for going, please do so ASAP so that we can get an idea of the number of people who we have going.

If you have any questions or quries then please do contact Geoff Brown on geobrown@ge.cokecce.com or cokemonkey81@hotmail.com or 07732 428111.

The series of softball training sessions continues at the club this Sunday with this week's session starting at 1pm.

SIX NATIONS RUGBY

The club will be open for the following games in the final round of matches of the championship:

Saturday 19th March
Italy -v- France (1pm)
Wales -v- Ireland (3.30pm)
England -v- Scotland (6pm)

Thank you to the following that umpired for us last weekend:

Team: Fyffe; Watson; Cartledge, Parker, Brothwell; Ruxton, Teasdale, Frick, Hewitt; Coates, Patterson; Sub. Bullock, Reape, Peters.

A&C made the long trip north to face Newcastle on Sunday in the quarter-finals of the Ladies Vase. With both teams holding 100% league records this season the game was always likely to be a close one and so it proved to be as it was only decided with three minutes to go.

Newcastle started the brighter and Tanya Fyffe was soon called upon to make a couple of excellent saves. A&C gradually settled and, after 13 minutes, Sarah Cartledge produced one surging run up the right which resulted in a penalty corner. From this, the ball was switched to Alex Teasdale who cracked the ball in.

A&C's lead was short-lived though as Newcastle responded three minutes later with a thumping strike from a penalty corner of their own and would have gone ahead but for another fine save from Fyffe.

Laura Patterson and Erin Ruxton then started to make some probing runs which forced the Newcastle defence back. It was following good work by these two that set-up Caroline Coates but her shot was well saved.

At the other end again, Newcastle threatened again and Abbie Heaton, their top goalscorer, looked certain to score when, having first been denied by Fyffe, Catherine Watson then made a great interception just in front of her goal.

With a minute remaining of the first-half, Annie Brothwell passed the ball into the middle of the pitch for Ruxton to pick up and drive forward into the D before unleashing a crisp strike which the 'keeper stopped with a diving save. From the resulting long corner though, Ruxton was not to be denied as she worked her way into the D and flicked the ball into the top corner of the net.

Although they might have been a bit fortunate to be ahead at the break given the balance of play in the first-half, A&C enjoyed much greater spells of possession and pressure in the second-half. With the Newcastle defence being pushed back deeper, few clear-cut chances were created in open play although Teasdale and Ruxton's persistent probing from midfield and Patterson's runs down the wing always looked dangerous.

A&C had to settle for a series of penalty corners which they could not quite capitalise on although from one of these, Coates shot just wide. Newcastle's main chances came from counter-attacks and following one of these they equalised after 52 minutes with another well struck penalty corner. A&C still looked the more likely winners though but it was not to be as another Newcastle counter-attack caught them out with minutes remaining.
On Saturday, A&C's impressive league season continued with a 3-0 win over third-placed Bracknell in a sometimes bruising encounter. The goals were scored by Natalie Durkin, Erin Ruxton and Laura Patterson.

MESSAGE FROM ANNIE BROTHWELL
On behalf of the Ladies 1's, I would like to thank both CPSA and Amersham & Chalfont Hockey Club for their financial support in subsidising some of the cost of the ladies trip to Newcastle Upon Tyne to compete in the Quarter Finals of the EHA National Vase Competition. I would also like to thank our supporters who gallantly travelled with us to cheer us on.

A&C Seconds went into their penultimate game of the season knowing that three points were vital to save us from relegation but also knowing that we were playing the league winners who had lost only once... oh dear! We were very aware of the fact that relegation could be decided on goal difference, so a capitulation to the league leaders would not have been a good idea. This has been a hard season but the one thing that has not been lacking in recent weeks is commitment and this game had loads of that. The first 10 minutes of the game belied the positions of the two teams... we were attack minded and passing the ball well while Milton Keynes were sloppy and lacked any attacking ability. We had a couple of efforts that slipped wide or were saved and then MK struck. A speculative pass picked up in the middle of the pitch, players out of position and MK players steaming through. A shimmy past Colin at the top of the D and a shot under the body of a diving Paine. One

At half time, we decided to keep playing as we were and our chances would come. The second half was different to the first in that Painey had virtually nothing to do. We pressed and harried and hassled and MK knew that they were in a game. Shots went wide from Tony and Andy. Their keeper made a couple of good saves. Chances from one on ones were saved. All in all an excellent performance in spite of the final result.

On the balance of play, we deserved something out of this game but our fate is still in our own hands. A win against Newbury guarantees survival. One game to go.

Team: Paine, Byrne, Edwards, Wardman, Westaway, Wolfenden, Laubser, Rhys-Davies, Watts, Stephenson, Hewston, Carruthers, Wilson