MEN'S DEVELOPMENT TEAM BEAT NOTTINGHAM 2's IN CLOSE ENCOUNTER

31/10/07

Warwick Men's 2nd 7 @ 3 Nottingham 2nd

A much more structured Warwick team achieved their first victory in a hard fought match against a competitive Nottingham squad. The game saw an expanded and slightly modified team from the previous two fixtures against Liverpool and Birmingham and there was significant improvement in all areas of the game.
The presence of first team players Aaron Fox and Jon Treacy gave a confidence to the side, and helped to structure all three sections of Warwick’s team.

Abakar Saidov’s consistently strong face offs gave Warwick much of the possession throughout the game and allowed Warwick to take control from the start. The team was rewarded with a 1-0 lead at the first break courtesy of a goal from fresher Ed Freeman, slotting away Simon Robinson’s pass from behind goal – unchartered territory for Warwick 2nds who had never won a quarter before this moment. Credit for this must be attributed in part to Jason Nazareth who did well to maintain a clean sheet in this high pressure quarter. Also notable was the brevity of Fox’s presence on the pitch due to his ‘atrocious’ high check of an innocent Nottingham defender!! In defence of this rare lapse in discipline from one of the most experienced members of Warwick Lax, Fox argued “he was just so small”.

The second quarter saw Warwick consolidate this initial lead with further goals from Freeman, Jamie Powell and Abakar Saidov with fresh keeper Will Foster letting in just one goal during this period. The defence, coordinated by Jon Treacy, were sturdy for the entirety of the game, their solid structure preventing Nottingham’s hesitant attackers from causing significant damage. Billy Halani and James Faulkes stood out in D with their assured use of long poles.

A 4-1 lead at half time gave Warwick the confidence they needed to remain on top. Though a persistent Nottingham side scored twice more in the second half, further goals from Tom Corcoran, Jamie Powell and the now hat-trick scoring Ed Freeman ensured a comfortable win. Also in this final quarter Powell tried his hand at face offs winning several.

All considered, the victory proved great for the morale of a developing Warwick team and all those involved can take something positive from a match that was played in good spirits. Second team captain Ben Cuddeford said of the game “everyone, particularly the freshers, stepped up to the plate and I am really happy with the outcome of this match having worked so hard to get to where we are. With such potential it makes my job much harder picking a squad for the next game, but this is great news for the future of Warwick Lacrosse”.

Warwick 2nds - 7 v 3 - Nottingham 2nds

Freeman (3,0)
Powell (2,0)
Saidov (1,0)
Corcoran (1,0)
Robinson (0,1)

Season record: (1-2)