Wellingborough 2nd team, proudly sponsored by prop-search.com, secured their promotion from ENER-G East Midlands Division 2 with two games remaining in a thrilling match against Worksop. A first half dominated by Wellingborough saw the scores remain level at half-time through wayward finishing and a missed penalty flick which hit the post.

The second half saw Worksop up their game and put the pressure on a sluggish Wellingborough who struggled to recreate their passing play after the restart. Eventually the pressure told with Worksop taking the lead through a fiercely struck penalty corner and they then doubled it five minutes later leaving Wellingborough looking dead and buried with 15 minutes remaining. Rather than breaking the spirit of Wellingborough the second goal galvanised them and they started to return to their passing dominance of the first half and five minutes later were on the scoresheet after a great passing move saw the ball played to man of the match Michael Paige in front of goal, who, rather than taking the chance to shoot himself, ensured the goal was scored by passing the ball around the goalkeeper for David Marriot to play it into the open net.

The goal gave Wellingborough added belief they could get something from the match and they surged forwards winning a penalty corner which they scored the equaliser from via a straight strike from Luke Linford who smashed the ball past the motionless Worksop goalkeeper. Most teams at this point would have settled for a draw after having stared defeat in the face, however the best was yet to come. Two minutes from time Sam Drage tackled a Worksop forward and won the ball at the right-back position and quickly played the ball inside to Barnaby Webb who passed it on first time to Michael Paige in the centre of the park. Paige swiftly played the ball out to Elliot Knight on the left wing who drove forward with it and after playing a one-two with David Marriott on the edge of the area Knight played the ball across the face of the goal to give Bradley Ferries the simplest of finishes to score Wellingborough's best goal of the season and secure promotion to East Mids 1 in the most spectacular of fashions.

Team: Luke Oakley, Barnaby Webb, Ross Witt, David Marriott, Sam Drage, Luke Linford, Elliot Knight, Michael Paige, Bradley Ferries, Jon Chard, Alex Hall, Tim Gass

MOM - Michael Paige

Wellingborough 2nd team, proudly sponsored by prop-search.com, eased to victory over Rolls Royce by a comfortable margin to tighten their grip on the second promotion spot in ENER-G East Midlands Division 2. The first fifteen minutes saw both teams struggling to hit their stride, however once Wellingborough calmed their play down the first goal was quickly forthcoming through Bradley Ferries. Once the stalemate had been broken Wellingborough were able to add a further two before half-time through David Marriott and Elliot Knight to effectively seal the win in the first half.

The second half saw Wellingborough take complete control, their play epitomised by the central midfield pairing of Michael Paige and Luke Linford, both of whom were constantly available for the ball and then were passing it on quickly to ensure fluidity to Wellingborough's play. Man of the match David Marriott added a further four in the second half with Bradley Ferries completing his brace to complete the rout.

Team: Barnaby Webb, Ross Witt, David Marriott, Sam Drage, Luke Linford, Elliot Knight, Michael Paige, Bradley Ferries, Jon Chard, Ian Knight, Tim Gass

MOM - David Marriott

Wellingborough 2nd team, proudly sponsored by prop-search.com, got back to winning ways to maintain their promotion push in ENER-G East Midlands Division 2. A well-drilled Ramgharia outfit posed some serious questions of Wellingborough's attacking play by defending in numbers and keeping clear-cut goal scoring chances to a minimum. The first ten minutes of the game set the tone for the rest of the match with Wellingborough having the majority of possession but struggling to find the back of the net. A well struck penalty corner by Bradley Ferries was unlucky not to result in a penalty flick when the ball was stopped on the line by a Ramgharia defender, however the umpire missed the infringement. Ten minutes later Michael Paige won the ball in the Wellingborough half and seeing David Marriott breaking away played a sublime aerial pass which cleared the Ramgharia midfield and defence, however Marriott's fiercely struck shot hit the outside of the post to deny a certain goal.

The second half saw Ramgharia start to create their own openings and Wellingborough were indebted to some quick-thinking saves from Luke Oakley and a couple of last ditch clearances from Sam Drage and Isaac Chapman to maintain their clean sheet. As the half wore on the game appeared to increasingly be heading towards a stalemate. However, ten minutes from time a quickly taken free hit in deep in the Wellingborough half by Barnaby Webb saw the ball driven up the left flank to Max Billson who carried the ball towards the Ramgharia goal and play a one-two with Bradley Ferries before Billson hit at goal. The shot though was saved but rebounded to the top of area where it was picked up by the chasing Barnaby Webb who dribbled it past a defender before smashing it home to clinch the three points.

Team: Luke Oakley, Barnaby Webb, Ross Witt, David Marriott, Sam Drage, Isaac Chapman, Elliot Knight, Max Billson, Michael Paige, Bradley Ferries, Ismael Jaffery, Tim Gass

Wellingborough 2nd team, proudly sponsored by prop-search.com, came up agonisingly short in their top of the table clash with Ashby in ENER-G East Midlands Division 2. Ashby started the stronger of the two teams, quickly falling into a pattern of controlling possession, but failing to create any clear-cut goal-scoring opportunities. Wellingborough started to grow in confidence and snatched the lead against the run of play. A bouncing ball was played into the area to Joe Baillie who took the ball in mid-air and smashed it past the Ashby goal-keeper who had no chance to save it. Ashby did not let this setback deter them and continued their passing play which eventually paid off after a ball was slipped through the Wellingborough defence to find an Ashby forward to slot home. Ashby pressed hard for the rest of the first half and Wellingborough were thankful for a string of increasingly impressive saves from Luke Oakley to keep the scores level at the break.

A reshuffle in personnel at the start of the second half saw Wellingborough start to make inroads into the Ashby dominance; however injuries and a yellow card curtailed their progress as players had to be constantly moved around to cover these setbacks. Ashby took advance of Wellingborough's disorganisation and an amazing goal line clearance from David Marriott when the ball was going into the top left-hand corner was a sign of things to come. Ashby soon after won a penalty corner which they promptly scored from and despite the efforts of the Wellingborough defence to block the shot, the ball somehow snuck through and into the back of the net.

Wellingborough's response was almost immediate, quickly going onto the attack and eventually the ball found Joe Baillie in the area who played a lifted pass to Michael Paige who took the ball first time on his reverse stick to drive the ball home for a spectacular equaliser. Just as it looked as if the youthful Wellingborough team has secured a point, a quick Ashby counter-attack five minutes from time resulted in a break-away goal which secured all three points for Ashby.

Team: Luke Oakley, Barnaby Webb, Ian Knight, David Marriott, Joe Bailie, Sam Drage, Isaac Chapman, Elliot Knight, Dave Grammer, Michael Paige, Bradley Ferries, Josh Stiggles, Tim Gass

Wellingborough 2nd team, proudly sponsored by prop-search.com, earned three hard fought points away to Derwent to maintain their position at the top of ENER-G East Midlands Division 2. Wellingborough controlled possession from the start of the match and looked the more likely team to score. However, Derwent stole the lead after ten minutes through a quick counter-attack which caught the Wellingborough defence short-handed. Wellingborough's response to this setback was immediate and within two minutes they had equalised after intense pressure on the Derwent goal. The goal came from a dribble on the baseline by Joe Baillie into the area and his pass to David Marriott allowed the latter to slot the ball home from close range.

The equaliser relaxed Wellingborough and they started to pass the ball around with aplomb and create a number of half-chances. Eventually the pressure told; a ball out wide to Isaac Chapman on the right-wing saw him find Elliot Knight at the top of the area who took one touch and shot quickly into the corner to score his first goal in men's hockey.

The second half saw both teams compete fiercely but fairly, however Wellingborough's defence played a very calm game playing the ball around the back and frustrating the Derwent forwards, and most potential Derwent attacks were quickly snuffed out by man-of-the match David Marriott who did not miss a tackle all game. However, ten minutes from time goal-keeper Luke Oakley was called into action to pull off a spectacular reaction save from a deflected shot from a Derwent striker which ensured Wellingborough won all three points.

Team: Luke Oakley, Barnaby Webb, Alex Hall, David Marriott, Joe Bailie, Sam Drage, Isaac Chapman, Elliot Knight, Ross Witt, Michael Paige, Bradley Ferries, Josh Wiggins

MOM - David Marriott

Wellingborough 2nd team, proudly sponsored by prop-search.com, won a hard-fought point against Sikh Union to ensure they go into the Christmas break at the top of ENER-G East Midlands Division 2. In the first ten minutes Sikh Union started very strongly almost completely over-running a slight shell-shocked Wellingborough side who were fortunate to keep the scores level. However, Wellingborough gradually played themselves into the game, helped by solid tackling from Ross Witt in the heart of the defence, and once they found their usual rhythm a goal was scored from a Michael Paige from a penalty corner.

Wellingborough went into the break ahead, however the second half saw Sikh Union pile on the pressure, and they scored early in the half through open play. A second goal to give Sikh Union the lead was scored not long after, this time through a penalty corner which took a fortuitous deflection of a Wellingborough player on its way into the goal. Wellingborough did not let this deter them and stuck to their game plan, and the equaliser was eventually forthcoming after great build-up play allowed Bradley Ferris to score. As the game neared the end play began to turn ugly with a Sikh Union player being yellow carded for a heavy stick tackle and another being red carded for insulting the umpire. Wellingborough were attacking heavily in the final few minutes and were extremely unfortunate to have a seemingly legitimate goal disallowed after Elliot Knight played a lofted pass to Bradley Ferris who took it on the half-volley and smashed it in. Although they only secured a draw Wellingborough remain top of the league with their destiny in their own hands going into the new year.

Team: Luke Oakley, Ross Witt, Alex Hall, David Marriott, Joe Bailie, Sam Drage, Bardley Ferris, Isaac Chapman, Elliot Knight, Johnny Bowers, Tim Gass, Jon Chard

Wellingborough 2nd team, proudly sponsored by prop-search.com, romped to an impressive victory to move two points clear at the top of ENER-G East Midlands Division 2. Worksop started strongly imposing their superior physical strength on a youthful Wellingborough side that had to repel a number of early attacks. However, Wellingborough gradually played themselves into the game and a quickly taken free-hit just outside the area saw Barnaby Webb power into the area and drive the ball low past the Worksop keeper's left side to open the scoring. Wellingborough quickly doubled the lead through Johnny Bowers who was on hand at the far post to put the finishing touch on a fine passing move.

By this point Wellingborough's superior class was starting to shine through, with the third goal clearly illustrating this. Man of the match Isaac Chapman chased down the Worksop left-winger deep into the Wellingborough half, tackled him and smashed the ball up the line to Joe Ballie in the Worksop half who turned smartly and hit the ball to the far post for David Marriott to tap in. A fourth goal came before half-time, again through David Marriott who scored another close range finish after a quick Wellingborough counter-attack.

The second half saw Wellingborough score quickly from the restart to calm any nervous, this time through a quintessential training ground move which involved David Marriott peeling off from his marker to receive a hit ball from Joe Baillie, with Marriott smashing the ball at the far post where Johnny Bowers was on hand to ensure the goal was scored. Wellingborough continued to control large patches of the match and the sixth goal saw a scrambled effort from a penalty corner result in David Marriott completing his hat-trick. Worksop increasingly threw caution to the wind in search of a consolation goal, however Luke Oakley in the Wellingborough goal was more than equal to anything they threw at him thwarting the Worksop strikers on three occasions in one-on-one situations. Next week Wellingborough play the second placed team in the league with the opportunity to move five points clear at the half-way stage of the season.

Team: Luke Oakley, Barnaby Webb, Alex Hall, David Marriott, Joe Bailie, Sam Drage, Isaac Chapman, Elliot Knight, Johnny Bowers, Tim Gass, Jon Chard

MOM - Isaac Chapman

Wellingborough 2nd team, proudly sponsored by prop-search.com, emulated the feat of their 1st team by beating the league leaders in ENER-G East Midlands Division 2, only in their case they have now taken over at the top of the league. Wellingborough took control of the match from the start, scoring within a few minutes following a pass into the area by Joe Bailie to David Marriott who took one touch and turned sublimely to drill the ball cleanly into the goal. The lead was quickly doubled, again through the same partnership with this goal being deftly deflected in by David Marriott.

Following this there was period of play which saw three goals in as many minutes, with Bradley Wiggins scoring through a deflection, again through a direct assist from Joe Bailie, bracketed by two well worked goals by Rolls Royce which brought them right back into the game. At this point it seemed the game could go either way until Joe Bailie received the ball on the top of the area through a smart pass from Bradley Wiggins and hit a perfect reverse-stick strike into the top left-hand corner restoring Wellingborough's cushion.

The second half started with both teams making chances, however solid defence play from Wellingborough kept their noses in front, with a number of vital interventions from goal-keeper Luke Oakley, a goal-line clearance from Barnaby Webb and a clearance from Sam Drage which took the ball away from the Rolls Royce centre-forward and an almost certain goal. Wellingborough eventually got the goal which effectively sealed the victory in the most spectacular fashion. Joe Bailie driving into the area far on the right and at an acute angle unleashed an unreal shot which flew into the top of the net; certainly one of the best finishes you are ever likely to witness in hockey, so much so it took a number of seconds for most players to realise the ball had actually ended up in the net such was the speed it was struck. After this Rolls Royce pulled one back through a penalty flick and Wellingborough completed their victory with a poacher's finish from Josh Steggles after a mazy run from Joe Bailie.

Team: Luke Oakley, Barnaby Webb, Ian Knight, Ross Witt, Alex Hall, David Marriott, Joe Bailie, Sam Drage, Josh Steggles, Isaac Chapman, Eliot Knight, Michael Paige, Johnny Bowers, Bradley Wiggins

An extremely young Wellingborough 2nd team, proudly sponsored by prop-search.com, were desperately unlucky to come away with nothing in a tight match in ENER-G East Midlands Division 2. The first half saw Wellingborough start the better of the two sides driven on by the midfield engines of Ross Witt and Alex Hall. Enterprising forward play from Joe Bailie saw a few half-chances created for Wellingborough but they were unable to take the lead. As the half wore on Ramgarhia came more into the game and started to dominate possession. Despite this they only created one clear opening, a straight strike from a penalty corner which was easily saved by last-minute replacement goal-keeper Barnaby Webb in his first match between the posts.

The second half saw both teams struggle to break down the opposing defences, although Wellingborough did lose their shape at times which allowed Ramgarhia to control large patches of the game. However, a well built up attack from Wellingborough nearly resulted in the goal they needed, with the ball being driven through a melee of players and coming to Ross Witt at the far post who just failed to put the killer touch on it. Ramgarhia responded quickly to this missed opportunity, breaking up the pitch and playing their striker in to slot home. Wellingborough continued to push for a goal and were denied by the cross-bar from a deflected shot from David Marriott by the post off a strike from a penalty corner, however the goal was not forthcoming and Wellingborough fell to an undeserved defeat.

Team: Barnaby Webb, Tim Gass, John Chard, Ross Witt, Alex Hall, David Marriott, Joe Bailie, Sam Drage, Josh Steggles, Ismael Jaffery, Isaac Chapman, Eliot Knight

Wellingborough 2nd, proudly sponsored by prop-search.com, showed great effort and enthusiasm against a solid Ashby team but came unstuck through a lack of experience in their East Midlands Division 2 match. Ashby started the match at full pelt, taking Wellingborough by surprise and securing the lead in the opening minutes. Despite Wellingborough having the majority of the possession Ashby used the ball extremely effectively and created a number of openings, scoring three more goals in quick succession to leave Wellingborough slightly shell-shocked. However, Michael Paige started to take control in the centre of the pitch and drove Wellingborough forward, helping to win a number of penalty corners. One of these, on the stroke of half-time, broke down however the ball fell to Joe Bailie wide on the left who expertly made some space for himself to smash a reverse-stick shot home and give Wellingborough some hope.

Wellingborough quickly doubled their advantage through a spectacular strike from Michael Paige. Taking the ball into the area in a seemingly innocuous position wide on the left Paige let fly with a lifted shot which flew into the absolute top-right hand corner of the goal. The Derwent goal-keeper did not have a chance to move before the ball hit the back of the net.

The second half saw both teams struggle with their attacking play. Wellingborough enjoyed plenty of possession but could not make any telling passes in the final third to unlock a steady Derwent defence, while at the other end of the pitch the Wellingborough defence comfortably dealt with the Derwent attacking threat to see out the victory. This result sent Wellingborough top of the league and next week they have a top of the table clash against Ashby.

Team: Luke Oakley, Tim Gass, John Chard, Barnaby Webb, John Wilson, Alex Hall, Michael Paige, Joe Bailie, Max Bilson, Eliot Knight, Sam Drage, Tim Hooper, Bradley Wiggins

Wellingborough 2nd, proudly sponsored by prop-search.com, continued their perfect start to the season in ENER-G East Midlands Division 2 by making it two wins out of two and are additionally yet to concede a goal. In a first half which was largely dominated by Wellingborough the lead was snatched after 15 minutes through a deflected shot by Joe Bailie following an incisive pass from left-half Alex Hall. However, the Derwent goal-keeper should have easily dealt with the shot as it had little power on it, however a mistaken call to leave the ball from a defender who thought the ball had not been touched in the area resulted in the ball being left to slowly roll into the goal.

The second half saw Wellingborough reorganise and become more off a solid unit, greatly helped by Alex Hall who dropped into a defensive midfield role and continually broke up the Ashby attacking play and distributed the ball well. Wellingborough continued to press Ashby strongly with much off the game being played in the Ashby half, however clear-cut chances were at a premium as a clearly paniced Ashby got as many men as possible behind the ball. However, one attack resulted in the ball falling to Sam Drage whose intelligent thinking and first time pass played in Josh Steggles to sneak a true centre-forwards goal in past the Ashby keeper on his debut. Wellingborough continued to press for further goals, however this resulted in gaps at the back and one Ashby attack near the end exploited this and saw a fortuitous deflection of a tackle from centre-back Jon Chard result in a goal which ended Wellingborough's hopes for getting something out of the game.

Team: James Bishop, Tim Gass, John Chard, Barnaby Webb, Ross Witt, Alex Hall, Michael Paige, Joe Bailie, Sam Drage, Josh Steggles, Ismael Jaffery