SWINDON FLAMES MATCH REPORTS - 21/09/08
The Swindon Flames Senior squad came to within one point of clinching the 2008 league title as they stormed to victory in both their games at this weekend’s SASH league meeting at the Farnborough Leisure Centre on Sunday.
SWINDON FLAMES SENIORS 9 v HEATHROW REAPERS 4
With the Flames occupying the league’s top spot with a 4 point lead the Swindon side hit the rink in the day’s first game determined to stay in control of their own fate and secure all the points against an opposition who, despite losing to the Flames in both of their previous encounters, had scored more and conceded less than the league leaders and were quite capable of causing an upset. Keen to avoid any complacency the Flames started brightly and were rewarded in the first three minutes of the game when wily veteran Mark Lane coolly slotted the ball past the Reaper’s net-minder to give the Flames the cushion of an early lead. As the Flames stepped up the pace the Reaper’s defence began to look strained and two minutes after the first goal they conceded a penalty which left them one man down against a Flames side that had now settled into their stride. Within seconds of the power play the Flames were two to the good as the team’s, and league’s, leading striker Craig Davies blasted the ball into the back of the net. Returned to full strength the Reapers sought to stem the tide but a goal from Swindon’s Luke Swaby seemed to signal the end of their resistance with Flames captain Jim Grey finding the net and Davies completing a hat-trick to give the Flames a convincing 6 nil lead going into the final minutes of the first period. With one eye on half time, a momentary lapse in concentration allowed the Reapers a late goal to take the teams to the break with the Flames deservedly 6-1 in front.
The second period began with the Flames immediately restoring the lead through a Craig Davies strike and with the team in complete control the bench began to mix up the lines and give all their players an outing. As the pace slowed the Reapers took the opportunity on offer and pulled back 3 goals but despite this the Flames were never in trouble and goals from Jamie Baker and another from Davies, bring his tally to five, saw the Flames to the final whistle with a convincing 9 –4 victory.
SWINDON FLAMES SENIORS 8 v BANBURY BULLDOGS 1
The Flames second outing of the day saw them facing off against bottom of the table Banbury Bulldogs. Again, despite the gulf between the two teams, the Flames were determined not to lose focus or to under-estimate their opponents. As a result the Swindon side took the game to the Bulldogs from the off and within the first two minutes Flames captain Jim Grey put his side into the lead. The completion of a hat-trick for Grey and a goal from Mark Lane saw the Flames to a halftime lead of 4-0. The second period started in much the same way as the first with the Flames keen to stamp their authority on the remainder of the game and an early goal from Dan King set the Flames on course for a one sided victory with Jim Grey, Mark Lane and James Bayliss completing the rout. The Bulldogs managed a late consolation goal in the dying seconds of the game but the Flames ran out comfortable 8-1 winners.
With the points secure the Senior Flames now require only one point from their last game to be certain of lifting the trophy, although, should their closest rivals, Ash Avalanche, fail to win all three of their remaining games the title could well be in the bag before the Flames face off against Oxford Shamal for their last league fixture of the season on October 12th.
SWINDON FLAMES PEEWEE REDS 5 v ASH AVALANCHE 6
The Flames development side, the Peewee Reds went into their game against Ash Avalanche looking to bounce back from last weeks 28-0 mauling by top of the league Oxford and an early goal from assistant captain Charlie Browning saw the Reds off to a good start. Minutes late team captain Jake Latham doubled the Reds lead when he found the back of the net and the Reds seemed to have taken complete control of the game when Latham added another to the Swindon scorecard. Despite the 3-0 score the Ash team refused to be bowed an bravely fought to get back into the game and were rewarded for their determination with two quick fire goals to close the deficit to one. The Reds responded through a strike from Browning but not to be denied, Ash hit back to score twice in the dying minutes of the period to draw the two sides level at 4 all. The second half saw some tense, end to end hockey as both sides sought to secure the upper hand but it was Ash who broke the stalemate when they scored their fifth goal of the game to snatch the lead. Minutes later the Flames managed to peg back their opposition with a goal from Latham but just when it looked as if a draw would be the most likely outcome Ash snatched the winning goal in the last minutes of the game to claim their first win of the season.
SWINDON FLAMES YOUTH 3 v OXFORD TORNADOES 7
With both these teams tied on 16 points at the top of the table this match was seen as a potential championship decider as they met for the third and final time this season. With each team having won once in their previous encounters, a close game was expected. Both teams arrived for the game missing some of their senior players, although the shortages left the Flames with only 3 recognised forward players. Facing off in the final game of the day at Farnborough a somewhat tense and nervous game ensued with both sides probing for early openings as each side successfully killed off penalties. Unfortunately it was Oxford who opened the scoring in the 7th minute and they doubled the lead two minutes later. Oliver Thompson eventually opened the Flames account with just over 8 minutes of the first half remaining. The slower pace of the game seemed to suit Oxford better as they exploited their advantage with shots from distance which they followed up at every opportunity and these tactics paid off with a third goal with three and a half minutes of the half remaining. As the first period neared to a close a Jack Townsend shot just crept over the line to leave the Flames trailing 3-2 at half time. The second half mirrored the first as both sides cancelled each other out during the opening minutes. Eventually Connor McKenzie was pulled up for a 2 minute penalty and Oxford took full advantage to score a forth goal after seven minutes. Again Oliver Thompson managed to pull a goal back 4 minutes later as the Flames continued to put up stubborn resistance. With just over 6 minutes of the game left Oxford again pulled out a two-goal advantage with a fifth goal. With the Flames chasing the game and visibly tiring Oxford scored 2 further goals in the last two minutes of the game which gave the final score a somewhat flattering look in what had been a keenly contested game. The Flames never really got their fast passing game together and this gave Oxford’s more conservative defensive tactics the decisive edge. The win looks to leave Oxford as title favourites with a 2 point advantage as both teams have two remaining fixtures.