Leadenham Hockey Club complete another clean sweep

The team not in action last weekend was the men’s thirds as they at out their final bye of the season.

The day’s action started with the men’s first team, as they hosted St Neots.

Leadenham started strongly as their high press kept the visitors pinned in their own 25. Incisive passing and movement earned the home side an early penalty corner which Ian Sanderson converted.

Leadenham continued to dominate, and shortly before half-time, captain Sam MacAllister doubled the advantage with a smart strike which nestled inside the far post.

Early in the second half, MacAllister netted following a scrappy penalty corner to further extend the lead to 3-0.

This sparked a response from the visitors, who began to see more of the ball and pressure the Leadenham defence, finding a breakthrough in the last 10 minutes.

This proved no more than a consolation, however, as Leadenham carefully managed time and possession to see out the match and record another vital win.

* Leadenham Ladies hosted Louth and began in much the same way as their clubmates, keeping most of the play in their opponents’ half.

Unfortunately, despite the consistent pressure, the two sides remained level at the break.

Katie Ireland broke the deadlock midway through the second half, swiftly followed by Flo Ireland’s strike.

Louth struggled to break out of their own half, and rarely threatened the Leadenham back line.

Katie Ireland’s second, with 15 minutes remaining, sealed a comfortable victory.

* Floodlight troubles threatened to be the only event of note in a tight contest between the men’s seconds and Bourne Deeping, causing a 10-minute delay in the second half.

Up to that point, there had been few opportunities in an even game, but the lights seemed to spark Leadenham’s attack into action.

Jack Cullen opened the scoring, combining well with younger brother Max, whose recent form had earned a promotion from the third team.

He continued to impress, topping off a man-of-the-match performance by doubling the lead.

Neil Ireland added two more, one from a short corner and the other a sensational strike from the edge of the D.

The Seconds now boast an impressive 14-0 record as they hunt promotion.

The club would like to thank all of the umpires, opponents and sponsors Mountains Skip Hire.