Hockey: Deeside Ramblers and Chester suffer damaging defeats

Dec 1 2011 by Paul Wheelock, Chester Chronicle

IT WAS a weekend of woe for the first teams of Chester and Deeside Ramblers.

Chester went down 3-1 at home to fellow strugglers City of Manchester on Saturday before the Ramblers saw their winning run come to an end 24 hours later.

Olton & West Warwicks were the team to claim the scalp of the Tarporley outfit as they withstood a fightback to record a 4-3 victory.

The result leaves the Ramblers second from bottom in National League Conference North. But the outcome could have been different had it not been for their slow start.

The hosts raced into a four-goal lead inside the first 30 minutes before Ed Peel reduced the deficit with two well-taken goals from open play.

Spirits in the Ramblers camp were raised further when Ali Ghazanfar scored from a penalty corner two minutes after the restart.

The visitors pushed forward in search of an equaliser – and they would have got one had they been able to convert a penalty stroke.

Chester’s defeat on Saturday means they remain in the thick of the North League Division One relegation scrap.

Chester were fast of out of the blocks and they took the lead through Bart Ryan-Beswick’s superb solo effort.

But the home side, for whom John Roper was the man of the match, were soon exposed by the fast, counter-attacking hockey deployed by visiting City of Manchester.

Mike Mugford offered a consolation as Chester 4ths lost a hard-fought North West League Division Six South derby 4-1 at home to Deeside Ramblers 5ths.

Chester 5ths were beaten by the same scoreline at Brooklands 6ths in Division Seven South although they did score the best goal of the day as Geoff Hall rifled in a penalty corner.

Chester Ladies won their North Women’s League Premier Division basement battle at home to Harrogate Ladies 4-2 thanks to a Nia Hughes opener and a stunning Donna Richards hat-trick.

Claire Gledhill and Claire O’Hara also impressed for Chester, who ran out 6-0 Cheshire Women’s Cup winners at home to Bowden Ladies 3rds on Sunday to set-up a semi-final showdown against Deeside Ramblers.

Hughes (2), Richards, Kristina Roper and Kate Wozniak (2) struck.

Chester Ladies 4ths moved off the foot of Cheshire Women’s League Division Five with a vital 3-2 home victory over Knutsford Ladies 2nds on Saturday.