Archive for June, 2009
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Sunday, June 28th, 2009
Just a quick post to let all our wonderful readers that we’ve now turned comments on which allows you all to leave feedback on articles we publish… so feel free to let us know what you think.
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First take on the new rules
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Along with a few other members of the Letchworth Roller Hockey club I went along to one of the sessions being held regarding the new rules for roller hockey which (along with some local by-laws) are being adopted by the NRHA. These new rules are to be introduced at the start of the 09/10 season in the UK and will be first trialled at the pre-season Allen Mezzanine and Leonard’s cups.
I thought, as a taster, I’d put up here what the ‘highlights’ of the new rules were.
- * There are no longer separate anti-play. The centre line is essentially now the antiplay line
- * There is now a single direct free hit spot each half. This is situated 2m back from the penalty spot.
- * Smaller goal keepers ‘D’
- * The attacking team have 5 secs to go back over half way line (the new anti-play line) and get ball back out. This is allowed to be done 5 times per ‘attack’.
- * Notional 40 seconds of passive play allowed.
- * There are no more yellow cards
- * 3 blues make accumulated red
- * Technical blues do not count towards accumulated total
- * After 10 ‘team fouls’ a direct free hit is offered to the other team… and then every 5 after. It is the timekeepers responsibility to keep count of team fouls and notify the referee once a direct free hit is due.
- * The referees must also indicate fouls when playing advantage as these are included in the team foul tally.
- * For direct free hit and penalties all other players must be in the other penalty box
- * No whistle for penalty… 5 second countdown. Players can’t move until ball is struck.
- * When a player receives a card (in most situations) there is a ‘power play’ scenario where the penalised team will lose a player for a certain amount of time (2 mins for blue card, 5 mins for red) or they concede a goal.
These rules are being introduced to make for more flowing games with higher scorelines.
* caveat – these were my initial understandings of the rules and should not be taken as concrete.
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We are the champions!
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
That’s right, the Letchworth senior team have taken the title of National Division 1 champions! The team sealed the deal on Sunday 14th June at the final tournament for the division. The squad had to take two wins from their four games of the day to be crowned league champions.
The day started with a 10am start against a Farnham team that has seen some old faces come back and a rejuvenated side. Letchworth took the initial lead and maintained it throughout with a final score of 3-1. The game was seen as the toughest of the day so things were certainly looking promising.
The second game against Cambridge seemed to go much more to plan with Letchworth playing the ball around confidently and having the lion’s share of the control of the game. Cambridge were pushed back and had to resort to shooting from long range… something which keeper Ben Howes took all in his stride. A final score of 7-2 to Letchworth lifted any pressure the boys had of securing their title.
Up next was Plymouth B, and with Letchworth now dominating their games and really making some excellent space the only task left to achieve was to have Todd Halfpenny score for the first time in 2009. Service was provided again and again until finally he managed to flick the ball just above the Plymouth keeper’s shoulder… the team rushed Halfpenny and bundled him to the ground (of course Howes was not one to waste this opportunity to get out of the goal). With this out of the way the day was certainly coming along well… and with the team playing like they were it was now a battle to see who could get top-goal scorer of the tournament. The onslaught of goals continued and the game ended Letchworth 13, Plymouth 0.
The final draw was against a slightly depleted Norwich team and was the only hurdle left between Letchworth and a 100% successful day. Once again Howes was as strong as ever in goal and the team seemed to play well around him. It could be seen that the boys were however getting tired after a long day and there were a couple of late and sloppy challenges which meant a few names entered the referees book. Letchworth managed to keep their cool and saw the game through to a 7-2 victory.
With the hockey out the way and the champions thrilled but worn out after a long day of hockey all that was left to do was to crack open the champagne and tally up the goals.
For the final tournament the goals were split as follows:
- Todd. Halfpenny: 2
- Andy Allen: 4
- Graham Busolini: 4
- Neil Warre: 5
- Nigel Allen: 7
- Stuart Langley: 8
A big thank you should also go to our splendid timekeepers for the day who did the club proud.
The 2008/2009 Senior National Division 1 squad: Andy Allen, Nigel Allen, Graham Busolini (Captain), Todd Halfpenny, Ben Howes (GK), Stuart Langley, Andrew Stewart, Neil Warren
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Match Report – Letchworth v Bury
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
So the big night came… it was the national cup semi final between the home team Letchworth and Bury. It’s only fair to say that our boys were the underdogs and although the squad consisted of a few ex-England players the majority of the team had never even played at Premier league level. Compared to the current Bury line-up which comprised of their Premier league offering which included current International players… Letchworth certainly had a lot to play for. The winners of this game would proceed in the campaign and clash with Herne Bay United’ premier league squad in the final… it was a big game for both clubs.
The level of the game was matched by an excellent crowd that attended and many thanks go to all of them for their support not only of Letchworth Roller Hockey Club but of the sport as a whole.
The game kicked off at a blistering pace, one not often seen by the Letchworth players and their support. Letchworth held their own fantastically from the off and managed to keep the Bury side, despite their speed and agility, at a good distance from the goal. That’s not to say that Ben Howes didn’t do an impressive job as he definitely did by making some strong saves in return to such large slap shots coming in from distance.
Letchworth continued to defend with strength and despite having some more of the ball than perhaps they had imagined the first half ended 3-0 to Bury. Two of Bury’s goals coming from penalties and Letchworth having more than one or two attempts on goal… with the only the goal-cage denying them on one occasion following a Stuart Langley shot.
After a good team talk at half time and the crowd still cheering the teams on the second half started just as fast as the first. This half though Bury seemed to tire slightly and eased off on the pressure defence. This gave Letchworth more time with the ball and they continued to push on the Bury goal. A lapses of concentration (and some hard luck) caught Letchworth by surprise and Bury took full advantage of these opportunities and increased their lead further.
Letchworth had further attempts on goal, including another one that rattled off the metal-work but they were unable to convert these chances following a fine display by Bury’s keeper.
The match ended 7-0 to the Visitors but Letchworth and their fans (and staff) can be proud of themselves for taking the game to Bury and making the whole night a success. Bury now go on to face Herne Bay United in the National Roller Hockey cup final.
The Letchworth Squad consisted of A. Allen, N. Allen, G. Busolini, T. Halfpenny, B. Howes (goal), S. Langley, A. Stewart, N. Warren
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