Colchester Men’s 1s (1 v 2) UHC Men’s 1s
Upminster secured a 2-1 victory away at Colchester to kick off 2023 with a win and continue their quest for promotion.
After a cagey opening 5 minutes in which both sides showed no real intent to press forward, Upminster were the first side to gain an opportunity to score – however Callum Berry was unable to make more of two point blank shots at the keeper. Colchester soon responded with a counter attack of their own, but some good play by defender of the match Jack Coleman helped Upminster stay level.
Jamie O’Dell showed no signs of rust post-Christmas, as he converted the first penalty corner of the game to earn Upminster a 1-0 lead and extend his double-digit tally for the season. The away team continued to dominate possession, choosing to remain patient and attack through wide channels Upminster finally doubled their lead to 2-0 just before the close of the half; a wonderful solo run from left back Tobi Dunlea saw him split the Colchester defence before firing a reverse into the roof of the net.
The second half saw Upminster keeper Phil Dixon be called into action early with a host of saves, as Colchester looked to cut the deficit. Multiple penalty corners were kept out by Dixon and his defence, and Upminster were unlucky to not respond with a counter attack goal as Berry and Luke Scrivener were both guilty of back post misses.
Colchester pulled one back after a quick free hit took advantage of some lacklustre Upminster defending to make the score 2-1 heading into the final 10 minutes. Upminster managed to see out the match and collect the 3 points, securing 2nd place in the league table and giving them a welcome boost heading into a vital double header this weekend against Colchester and Broxbourne respectively.
MOTM – Tobi Dunlea
DOTM – Jack Coleman
Bury St Edmunds Ladies 1s (0 v 1) Upminster Ladies 1s
Upminster Ladies 1s travelled to Bury St Edmunds and took all 3 points in another impressive victory which took them into 5th place in the East Women’s Premier Division. Both teams had missed chances to win it but MoM – Ellen Kozlowska scored the winning goal with a finely struck Penalty Corner.
MoM = Ellen Kozlowska
DoM = Charlotte Triggs
UHC Men’s 2s (4 v 0) Havering Men’s 2s
Upminster Men’s 2s returned to action on Saturday 7th January and faced Havering Men’s 2s in this rearranged fixture due to poor weather before the Christmas break.
And it seemed to impact Upminster more than Havering in the early exchanges with the away side controlling the play a lot more. But after 15 mins Upminster began to assert themselves on the game and forced a couple of Penalty Corners and Ollie Cipa converted from the 2nd PC with a strong drag flick past the GK. Upminster kept up the pressure and started to play with a lot more confidence and were unlucky not to extend their 1-0 lead at half-time.
The half-time break made no difference to Upminster and an early PC was again converted by Ollie Cipa to extend their lead. Cipa got his hat-trick after a slick move and an assist from Phil Hudson saw Ollie Cipa slot the ball past the onrushing keeper. Upminster were not finished yet as Steve Wright got a goal with a fine deflection to make it 4-0 at the final whistle.
Upminster remain 3rd in a very tight league with just 6 points separating the Top 6.
MoM = Ollie Cipa
DoM = Dan Boran
