O.P.M. HOCKEY CLUB
1st XI Match Reports
Season 2007/2008
22/09/2007 (A) vs Ashmoor, South Division 2
by Jason Sweby
OPMs began their new season in South Division 2 with an undeserved defeat away at Ashmoor. The visitors had several chances in the first half to put the game beyond doubt; Jason Sweby dispossessed the central midfielder to put James Frost through but his effort was saved; then Martin Simpson-Scott intercepted a poor 16 yard hit only to see his shot go wide after strong pressure from the nearest defender; then Jason Sweby was put through brilliantly by James Frost, but his first attempt was saved by the sprawling keeper, only for the rebound to be cleared off the line by a defender who had tracked back well. Mozza also hit the post in a frustrating first half but one in which OPMs played extremely well. At the other end, the defence was tight despite the inconsistent rubber crumb pitch and Tim Chalmers made some very clean and decisive clearances, doing well to keep them down. However, the home side broke the deadlock not long before the end of the first half when the ball inconceivably bounced over most of the defence's stick and the Ashmoor striker made no mistake, finding the top of the goal. The half-time talk was for more of the same and although OPMs were asleep for the first few minutes, Ashmoor didn't convert their opportunities. The equaliser came when Simpson-Scott and Frost worked well, and Mozza's cross bounced across keeper and defender to a waiting Sweby who smacked the mid-air ball gratefully into the goal. Which made up for the one he missed a few years ago that Gary Tuckett "could have scored with [his] knob".
An nasty slip from Alex Peacock looked like it could have ended his season when he was clutching his knee but Charlie Haswell's trained hands soon had Peacock moving about again. Not long after, a very good solo run by an Ashmoor midfielder tore the OPM midfield and defence apart and his pass to the forward led to a good 2nd goal, although poor from OPM's perspective. Both sides had opportunities to score, especially Ashmoor who produced a superb stick save from Chalmers on the post which could have killed the game. As it was, 2-1 was enough and OPMs will take heart from the performance and look forward to playing on a proper, recommended hockey pitch for the rest of the season. Score: Ashmoor 2-1 O.P.M.
OPM Scorers: Jason Sweby
Team: Tim Chalmers, Ian Stone, Charlie Haswell, Aaron West (MoM), Laurence Peacock, Alex Peacock, Jason Sweby, Paul Evans, Francois Ravin, Martin Simpson-Scott, James Frost
29/09/2007 (H) vs Bodmin, South Division 2
by James Harding
Three goals from short corners sealed a comfortable and impressive victory over Bodmin. Having humiliated their A team last year by putting 23 goals past them in only 3 fixtures, the OPMs stepped up a gear in order to play the Cornish side thoroughly off the park. Midfield dominance was the key, with the central partnership of Alex and Laurence Peacock coming to fruition in the form of three marvelous short-corner goals. Elsewhere, the defence was watertight again and Tim looked solid once more apart from one panicky moment when the ball was lost under his feet. Up front, Frosty and Stu displayed some brilliant link-up play whilst Simpson-Scott caused problems down the left. The first goal came from a clever PC; the ball was sent back to the injector (Mozza), who then fired the ball across goal to present an easy tap in for man-of-the-match Lozz. We had some chances to double the lead leading up to half time, with Stuart and Frosty going close. Westy and substitute Harding worked well down the right hand side; the former was just inches away from sending in the latter on two occasions. After that there was a fascinating exchange of dominance as first OPMs pushed forwards, with the likes of Alex and Paul exploiting the space well. Then the gallant visitors would suddenly steal possession and put together some half-decent passing moves themselves. This curious conflict for territorial dominance continued until the stroke of half time, when the excellent L. Peacock scored a decisive second short-corner not dissimilar to his first. The visitors began to get a hold of the game in the early stages of the second period, forcing forward to create some half-chances. The team rallied well, with skip Charlie spurring the team on from the touchline where he was nursing an injured hand. Then came the real killer blow to knock the stuffing out of the Bodmin team: an OPM penalty corner converted by Alex, who put the ball into the roof of the net in stunning fashion. It was perhaps debatable whether the goal should have stood, but the umpires conferred and awarded the well-deserved third goal. Bodmin started to pull out all the stoppers now, pouring forward at every opportunity. The second half had seen them get more an more frustrated, and now they were beginning to test our resolve with their most threatening hockey of the game. Our defence was up to the task, though, with Matt Allen, Simon, and Frudey all showing magnificent composure to deny the visitors even a scrap of space in the D. This ensured that the three goals, and more importantly the three points, were preserved. Score: O.P.M. 3-0 Bodmin
OPM Scorers: Laurence Peacock (2), Alex Peacock
Team: Tim Chalmers, Chris Frude, Aaron West, Matt Allen, Simon Quincey, Paul Evans, Charlie Haswell, Alex Peacock, Laurence Peacock (MoM), Martin Simpson-Scott, Stuart Bennett, James Frost, James Harding
06/10/2007 (A) vs PGSOB A, South Division 2
from The Herald
In South Two, OPMs beat city rivals PGSOB A 4-0. OPMs were 3-0 up inside 20 minutes with goals from Stuart Bennett, Martin Simpson-Scott and Francois Ravin. Man of the match and OPM defender Aaron West settled the game with a fourth goal on the hour. OPM captain Charlie Haswell said: "The first 15 minutes was the best hockey I've seen in the three years I've been at OPMs. Every one of my players played his best." Score: PGSOB 0-4 O.P.M.
OPM Scorers: Stuart Bennett, Francois Ravin, Martin Simpson-Scott, Aaron West
Team: Tim Chalmers, Chris Frude, Aaron West (MoM), Matt Allen, Simon Quincey, Paul Evans, Charlie Haswell, Alex Peacock, Laurence Peacock, Martin Simpson-Scott, Jason Sweby, Francois Ravin, Stuart Bennett, James Frost
13/10/2007 (H) vs Bude, South Division 2
by Jason Sweby
OPMs maintained 4th place in South Div 2 with a tense 2-2 home draw against Bude. The Plymouth side took an early lead courtesy of last season's top scorer Stuart Bennett, only for Bude to level with a short corner as the half time whistle was about to blow. Bude took the lead 10 minutes into the second half, after which the game appeared to enter a stalemate. Bude were reduced to 10 men and OPMs to 9 men after a series of rash tackles in a game that didn't deserve any cards, but disadvantaged OPMs equalised 5 minutes from time with a well worked short corner routine, finished off by Bennett. OPM's Laurence Peacock had earlier missed a penalty stroke. Score: O.P.M. 2-2 Bude
OPM Scorers: Stuart Bennett (2)
Chris Frude, Paul EvansTeam: Tim Chalmers, Chris Frude, Aaron West, Matt Allen, Simon Quincey, Paul Evans, Charlie Haswell, Alex Peacock (MoM), Laurence Peacock, Martin Simpson-Scott, Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett, James Frost, James Harding
20/10/2007 (A) vs Yeovil & Sherborne A, South Division 2
by Jason Sweby
OPMs had an excellent away in an incredibly hard fought match at The Gryphon School in Sherborne. Jason Sweby opened the scoring less than 10 minutes into the game, after the home defence had failed to clear. Y&S equalised 10 minutes later, but OPMs regained the lead after Stuart Bennett scored from a rehearsed short corner routine. A mix-up in the OPM defence gave the hosts an easy equaliser not long after but the visitors went into half-time with the lead when Alex Peacock scored from another well-worked short corner with brother Laurence. A couple of needless green cards were issued in the first half, the umpires setting the tone of the game with officious decisions; keeper Tim Chalmers, who had made some great blocks in the opening half, and Laurence Peacock, both were carded unnecessarily. The tone continued throughout the second half, Chris Frude seeing green after talking tactics with Ian Stone, something which the female umpire clearly objected to. OPMs did their best to try and overcome this, and a third well-rehearsed short corner routine paid off when Sweby's ball across the face of goal was gratefully received by Bennett who put away his second. The game continued in a very open manner and Y&S scored a third with a quick and punishing break. OPMs didn't sit and defend however and several more short corners came but the game ended 4-3. Score: Yeovil & Sherborne A 3-4 O.P.M.
OPM Scorers: Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett (2), Alex Peacock
Tim Chalmers, Laurence Peacock, Chris FrudeTeam: Tim Chalmers, Chris Frude, Ian Stone, Simon Quincey, Charlie Haswell, Alex Peacock, Laurence Peacock, Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett, James Frost, Rob Stroud
27/10/2007 (H) vs Chard, South Division 2
by Jason Sweby
OPMs continued their superb start to the season with a 3-2 home win over Chard. The two sides were only separated by one point before the match. Chard travelled with the bare 11 and OPMs welcomed back Francois Ravin, Matt Allen, Paul Evans & Martin Simpson-Scott, but were without skipper Charlie Haswell. 'Keeper & vice-captain Tim Chalmers took charge. The match started brightly for OPMs, who had most of the attack, but when a series of OPM tackles were missed, Chard found themselves 1-0 up after 10 minutes. The home side were stirred into action and quickly won a short corner. As per the last few weeks, a well worked routine culminated in Stuart Bennett deflecting the ball into the back on the goal for the equaliser. Not long after, Bennett made a solo run and from nothing produced a wonderful reverse stick shot into the goal netting. When asked later if he meant this, he replied, "I didn't mean it to be quite that magnificent"! OPMs went into half-time 3-1 thanks to another well rehearsed short corner routine between the Peacock brothers, resulting in Alex slamming home. The second half was poor for the most part, with a series of badly timed tackles and inaccurate passing from both sides. Chard saw two players sin-binned for tackling, and OPM's Bennett also saw yellow for bringing down a player and himself at the same time, to cries of "Sorry!". However, nothing came of the periods of advantage but Chard did find the goal 15 minutes from the end with an exquisite reverse stick shot from the tightest of angles that nobody was expecting. The visitors had probably deserved that goal and this pushed OPMs into keeping hold of possession and even pushing for a 4th. As it was, the game petered out and OPMs had won again. Score: O.P.M. 3-2 Chard
OPM Scorers: Stuart Bennett (2), Alex Peacock
Stuart Bennett Alex PeacockTeam: Tim Chalmers, Chris Frude, Paul Evans (MoM), Simon Quincey, Matt Allen, Francois Ravin, Alex Peacock, Laurence Peacock, Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett, Martin Simpson-Scott, James Frost, Rob Stroud
03/11/2007 (A) vs Exeter University C, South Division 2
OPMs lost away narrowly to a better Exeter University C side in controversial circumstances. Exeter had most of the play in the opening 20 minutes and put the visitors under tremendous pressure but OPMs struck first with yet another successful short corner routine finished by player-coach Laurence Peacock, having hit the post from another one just moments before. University equalised before half time. Controversy came in the second half when OPM keeper Steve Payne was beaten on the edge of the D and the university shot, which was going wide, clipped Jason Sweby's foot. The umpires conferred and incredibly awarded a penalty flick which was duly converted. OPM, in disarray from this, conceded a third but fought back and scored another short corner, this time from Stuart Bennett. Despite the pressure there wasn't time for an OPM third. Score: Exeter Uni C 3-2 O.P.M.
OPM Scorers: Laurence Peacock, Stuart Bennett
Laurence PeacockTeam: Steve Payne, Chris Frude, Simon Quincey, Charlie Haswell, Francois Ravin, Alex Peacock, Laurence Peacock, Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett, James Frost, Rob Stroud, Aaron West
10/11/2007 (H) vs Mid Somerset, South Division 2
No report Score: O.P.M. 2-2 Mid Somerset
OPM Scorers: Martin Simpson-Scott, Stuart Bennett
Team: Steve Payne, Chris Frude, Simon Quincey, Francois Ravin, Paul Evans, Alex Peacock (MoM), Laurence Peacock, Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett, Aaron West, Martin Simpson-Scott, Matt Allen, James Frost, Rob Stroud, Charlie Haswell
17/11/2007 (A) vs North Devon, South Division 2
OPMs returned to winning ways with a well-earned 6-1 away win at North Devon. Player/coach Laurence Peacock opened the scoring for the visitors before man of the match Martin Simpson-Scott scored an immediate breakaway second. Alex Peacock scored the third before half-time. Stuart Bennett scored 2 in the second half and one more for Simpson-Scott sealed the rout. OPMs move up to third in the table. Score: O.P.M. 2-2 Mid Somerset
OPM Scorers: Laurence Peacock, Alex Peacock, Martin Simpson-Scott (2), Stuart Bennett (2)
Team: Steve Payne, Chris Frude, Alex Peacock, Laurence Peacock, Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett, Aaron West, Martin Simpson-Scott (MoM), Matt Allen, James Frost, Charlie Haswell
08/12/2007 (H) vs Ashmoor, South Division 2
by Jason Sweby Like the proverbial and cliched bus, OPMs wait 10 years for a red card and then 3 come along at once!
OPMs went into this game needing a win after last week's disappointing home defeat against Torbay A. Facing Ashmoor, who somehow were top of the league, they felt this was a match to avenge the opening game defeat on the bouncy castle.
The home side took a deserved lead after 15 minutes when Stuart Bennett crashed in a cross that Martin Simpson-Scott deftly deflected into the goal even though I'm sure he was facing the other way at the time. The first half continued without much incident, no more goals and only the enjoyment of watching the opposition wind themselves up into a furious rage gave us something to focus on at half-time. Ashmoor hit hard in the second half and scored an equaliser that was, frankly, coming, and the game entered a stalemate for about 10 minutes.
Then, it all happened. Unfortunately, given the severity of the incident, and the fact that it and the players are currently under review, details cannot be divulged. Suffice to say that 3 red cards were issued, 1 to Chris Frude and two to Ashmoor players, and the game took 15 minutes to restart. Given the man advantage and the experience of the years, OPMs totally took control of the game and Jason Sweby scored OPM's second goal within minutes of the restart, neatly taking it down in the D on the turn and slotting it past the keeper. The momentum was with the Plymouth side and Stuart Bennett then scored a wonder goal a few minutes later. From what everyone else judged to be a reverse-stick cross to Sweby, the ball sailed straight into the top of the net for 3-1. When Man of the Match Francois Ravin scored from a short corner, the game was over as a contest although Ashmoor capitalised on OPM's complacency to grab a consolation second. Exciting stuff! Update 3rd January 2008: the outcome of the red cards issued was that Chris Frude received a 75 day suspension, as did the Ashmoor player who he was sent off with. According to the umpire's report, this was for "fighting". We are currently in the middle of an appeal against the length of the penalty. The second Ashmoor player to be sent off received a 104 day penalty for a more serious offence.
Score: O.P.M. 4-2 Ashmoor
OPM Scorers: Martin Simpson-Scott, Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett, Francois Ravin
Chris FrudeTeam: Steve Payne, Chris Frude, Alex Peacock, Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett, Aaron West, Martin Simpson-Scott, James Frost, Charlie Haswell, Francois Ravin (MoM), Simon Quincey
05/01/2008 (A) vs Taunton Vale B, South Division 2
OPMs notched up another away win in Somerset thanks to three goals from the Peacock brothers. Player/coach Laurence Peacock levelled with an individual effort after the home side had taken the lead, then his brother Alex put OPMs 2-1 with a great move involving himself, Laurence & Stuart Bennett. Taunton levelled early in the second half but a penalty corner drag flick from Laurence Peacock gave the Plymouth side the winner. Score: Taunton Vale 2-3 O.P.M.
OPM Scorers: Laurence Peacock (2), Alex Peacock
Team: Tim Chalmers, Chris Frude, Rob Cross, Alex Peacock, Laurence Peacock (MoM), Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett, Aaron West, Martin Simpson-Scott, Charlie Haswell, Paul Evans, Pete Honey, Rich Davies
19/01/2008 (H) vs PGSOB A, South Division 2
OPMs completed a league double over city rivals PGSOB A with an uncomfortable 2-0 home win. An early short corner goal from French midfielder Francois Ravin gave the home side the lead, but the visitors dominated the rest of the half with better passing and strong attacks, often forcing a good save from 'keeper Tim Chalmers. OPMs were reduced to 10 men after only 15 minutes when defender Simon Quincey limped off with a pulled hamstring and OPMs were without substitutes. The second half was more of an even contest and a soft goal from OPM midfielder James Frost doubled the home side's lead. Score: O.P.M. 2-0 PGSOB A
OPM Scorers: Francois Ravin, James Frost
Team: Tim Chalmers, Simon Quincey, Matt Allen, Charlie Haswell, Laurence Peacock, Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett, Aaron West, James Frost (MoM), Francois Ravin, Tom Langridge
26/01/2008 (A) vs Bude, South Division 2
OPMs recorded an incredibly hard fought 3-2 away at Bude. The two teams were level on points before the match and OPMs went into the match missing Frudie, Paul, Alex and Mozza. However, Westy, Matt Allen and Si Quincey stepped up to the challenge despite their injury troubles and OPM legend Ian Stone returned to the 1st XI fold. The match started furiously and both sides had early chances, birthday boy Tim Chalmers making some great point blank saves to keep the home side from taking the lead. OPMs took a surprising lead after 15 minutes, even more surprisingly courtesy of Simon Quincey, who was the right place at the right time to smash a rebound into the net. Bude stepped up to the plate and levelled 10 minutes later. 1-1 at half-time and a very even match so far. OPMs started the second half miserably, allowing Bude to totally dominate and unsurprisingly take the lead. The home side looked sharper and faster and they looked set to extend their lead when they broke into the D. However, Chalmers stepped across the player who went crashing down. After a long consultation, during which period Bude had accepted the keeper's apology and assertions that it was just clumsy, the umpires decided to issue a yellow-card to the OPM vice-captain and so the game was stopped while skipper Charlie Haswell squeezed his considerably more slender frame into the keepers pads to face the penalty stroke. Incredibly, the Bude striker hit the cross-bar and OPMs were spared, although they had to face a period that the Americans refer to a "power-play". However, this was a wake-up call and a bit of shuffling around gave OPMs a new drive. Stuart Bennett and James Frost switched positions and Bennett grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. He won the ball in his own half and went on to win a short corner, which he duly converted although thanks to a bit of a bounce over some Bude sticks on the line. At 2-2 and with Chalmers back on the pitch (after another delay to swap kit), the game entered the final frantic phase. Haswell saw green for volleying the ball right into an opponent's mid-riff, and Chalmers made a terrific point-blank double save to keep the game level. Eventually, a clearance ball from Stone at the back made it through to a lone James Frost who charged past the defender and slotted it past the oncoming keeper to win the game 3-2 and claim a massive victory in a match we would have taken a draw from. Bude deserved more from the match but these things level themselves out and this week it was OPM's turn to steal the points. Score: Bude 2-3 O.P.M.
OPM Scorers: Simon Quincey, Stuart Bennett, James Frost
Tim Chalmers Charlie Haswell Team: Tim Chalmers, Simon Quincey, Matt Allen, Ian Stone, Charlie Haswell, Laurence Peacock, Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett (MoM), Aaron West, James Frost, Francois Ravin
02/02/2008 (H) vs Yeovil & Sherborne A, South Division 2
OPMs led 2-0 but deservedly lost to a better Yeovil & Sherborne side. The game started in OPM's favour despite aggressive umpiring, Stuart Bennett and Martin Simpson-Scott combined excellently to open the scoring after 15 minutes. 10 minutes later, Jason Sweby's cross went through the entire defence to Mozza who, still with work to do, converted again to give OPMs a 2 goal advantage.
The hosts had chances to go further ahead, Sweby firing a rebound wide and the keeper making some good saves. But Y&S came back into it and scored just before half-time. The second half was a disaster for OPMs; green cards for Si Quincey and Charlie Haswell (taken for the team after persistent dissent, although easy to see why) and an inexplicable yellow card for James Frost who, having been scythed down and won a free-hit, was dismissed for remonstrating. The visitors scored 3 successive goals to give them a 4-2 lead, and playing against the umpires as well, OPMs did well to produce as many shots on goal as they did. The Y&S keeper was always well placed and the defence was strong, and in the end OPMs had little to offer as the game ebbed away. Another match with a lack of substitutes didn't help OPM's cause, especially while the game was stopped to deal with Sweby's head injury. Paul Evans's & Mozza's returns to the side were excellent, Bennett & Frost also played well up front and the defence did a good job against the waves of attack. Score: O.P.M. 2-4 Yeovil & Sherborne A
OPM Scorers: Martin Simpson-Scott (2)
James Frost Simon Quincey, Charlie Haswell Team: Tim Chalmers, Simon Quincey, Aaron West, Charlie Haswell, Laurence Peacock, Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett, James Frost, Francois Ravin, Martin Simpson-Scott, Paul Evans
23/02/2008 (A) vs Mid Somerset, South Division 2
No report
Score: Mid Somerset 1-1 O.P.M.
OPM Scorer: Stuart Bennett
Team: Steve Payne, Simon Quincey, Charlie Haswell, Matt West, Laurence Peacock, Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett, James Frost, Francois Ravin, Martin Simpson-Scott, Alex Peacock, Rich Davies
01/03/2008 (H) vs North Devon, South Division 2
OPMs dominated the first half at home to struggling North Devon but in the end were fortunate to come away with a win. OPMs struck twice in the first half with goals from Stuart Bennett and Martin Simpson-Scott. The visitors scored early in the second half but OPM player-of-the-match Simpson-Scott scored OPM's third after a carving run through the defence by Jason Sweby. North Devon struck again to make it 3-2, before James Frost scored OPM's fourth. Once again the away side weren't beaten and scored their third to make it a tense end to the match but OPMs held on for their first win since the end of January. Score: O.P.M. 4-3 North Devon
OPM Scorers: Stuart Bennett, Martin Simpson-Scott (2), James Frost
Laurence PeacockTeam: Steve Payne, Chris Frude, Charlie Haswell, Matt Allen, Laurence Peacock, Jason Sweby, Stuart Bennett, James Frost, Francois Ravin, Martin Simpson-Scott (MoM), Alex Peacock, Tom Langridge
15/03/2008 (A) vs Torbay A, South Division 2
by Alex Peacock
On a very wet Saturday OPM's put up a brave fight away to Torbay. We were always going to be up-against-it, with only ten men available. Some courageous defending from Chris Frude, Aaron West and Simon Quincey kept the home team at bay, until a great breaking run from Chris saw him receive the ball back at the top of the dee which he duly slotted home nicely to put OPM's in front. The whole team continued to battle hard to hold onto the precious lead, when a very unlucky ball was put into the OPM dee, only to bounce off the post and fall kindly for a Torbay striker to score. We weren't without our chances in the first half but were unable to capitalize and went into half time at 1 - 1. OPM's did their best to battle on in the second half but being a player down began to tell as tiredness and frustration saw two yellow cards for Gareth Logan and Matt West. Goals from James Frost and Gareth Logan saw OPM's kept in it fighting until the last, when Torbay finally pulled away after being awarded a penalty flick. Score: Torbay A 5-3 O.P.M.
OPM Scorers: Chris Frude, James Frost, Gareth Logan
Matt West, Gareth LoganTeam: Steve Payne, Simon Quincey, Chris Frude, Aaron West, Matt Allen, Alex Peacock (mom), Laurence Peacock, Matt West, Gareth Logan, James Frost