LANCASTER FLYING FISH FLYING HIGH

Lancaster’s water polo players got off to a flying start to their North Lancashire League campaign last week with a dominant 10-1 away win against Fleetwood followed by a 26 – 5 home victory against Burnley.

Although traditionally Burnley provide a more robust opposition and, the return fixture in their own shallow pool is certain to be difficult, the most satisfying win was the victory against Fleetwood.

This match featured three new young faces in the form of Mat Little, Dan Barker and Jonathan Gatehouse who are all hoping to take the step up to Lancaster’s senior squad over the next couple of years. Also present was a third youngster who did make several appearances last year and, who is already showing some inspiring form, Ciaran James. Unfortunately for the Burnley match neither mat, Dan nor Jonathon were available and as a result, Lancaster featured a much older squad.

Fleetwood 1    Lancaster 10

The early play quickly set the tone for the game. Glen Robinson and Ciaran James proving particular thorns for the Fleetwood defence. Scrappy finishing with players trying to wrestle the ball into the back of the net spoiled the forward play but Fleetwood struggled to make any attempts on Lancaster’s goal with Stephen smith in control at the back. Eventually a quick interchange of play involving Sam Broadbent allowed Robinson sufficient space to power the ball home.

Dan barker almost got in on the act only for the Fleetwood keeper to make a fine save but a second goal was not long coming, again Robinson netted when left in space 6 metres out.

Attacking the deep end in the second period Lancaster found the going a little easier. Mat Little’s pace was beginning to help open up Fleetwood’s static defence and it was no surprise when Ciaran James slotted home in acres of space. Zak Sly was having finally called upon to save on his near post but Fleetwood continued to struggle to attack with Rysz Detko taking over where Steve Smith had left off. Although Lancaster wasted a man up situation Dan Barker notched his first goal for the side almost immediately and this was soon followed by a second for Glen Robinson.

Early in the third Detko got his name on the score sheet and both Robinson and James added to their tallies giving Lancaster an 8-0 lead going into the final period. Lancaster’s attack continued to exploit Fleetwood’s defence but failed to convert their chances until a fourth goal for Robinson.

This was followed by a penalty award to Fleetwood in the shallow when Zak jumped out of his goal onto the ball with a Fleetwood player in close proximity. According to the referee the act denied Fleetwood a scoring opportunity and he awarded the penalty which Worthington converted to reward the efforts of the outclassed Fleetwood side. The scoring was ended by Little who rewarded himself for his intelligent counter attacking play with a calm finish after breaking through the middle

Squad: Z Sly, S Smith, C James, M Little, D Barker, G Robinson, S Broadbent,
J Gatehouse, R Detko

Lancaster 26  Burnley 5      

Unfortunately due to the absence of three of their junior players Lancaster had to call upon a couple of their older team mates for their encounter with Burnley. This coupled with the size of the Salt Ayre pool were far too much for Burnley to cope with and they never presented a serious challenge to the Lancaster team. Into the side came Jamie McIlquham, Mark Smith, James Wannop and, Michael Brown, James and Michael helping to bring down the average age of the team.

Ciaran James got Lancaster off to a flying start, his speed startling the Burnley defence and he powered home after just fifteen seconds. Glen Robinson (2) and James Wannop put Lancaster four ahead before Zak Sly was caught unawares at his near post by a speculative Burnley shot. Wannop rounded off the scoring in a first quarter.
At the end of the quarter Lancaster lost the services of Sam Broadbent who has not been feeling well recently and has been struggling with his fitness.

Lancaster added what must be close to, if not, a club record ten goals in the second period. Rysz Detko and Ciaran James both scored hat tricks and they were joined on the score sheet by James Wannop (2), Jamie McIlquham and Stephen Smith. Burnley did grab two of their own but the half time whistle came with Lancaster holding a wopping 15 -3 lead.

Michael Brown was also giving a good account of himself, defending solidly when the more physical Burnley players trying to take advantage of his youth, then punishing them harshly with a good burst of pace on the counter attack.

Not surprisingly the scoring rate slowed in the third quarter. This gave the opportunity to the Smith brothers to show demonstrate their defensive skills. Both players also found enough energy to get themselves up into attack, Stephen even managing to net his second goal. Burnley were then awarded a penalty but to their chagrin Zak made a fine save. Both teams did however mind to find the net twice each in a period which also saw two ‘disallowed’ Lancaster ‘goals’. Lancaster’s scorers were Wannop and Robinson.

James went on what was almost a one man scoring spree in the final period netting five of Lancaster’s eight goals, the others coming from the solid Jamie McIlquham and from Great Britain Junior captain James Wannop (2).

Burnley will be hoping Lancaster will field a more inexperienced and youthful side in the return fixture!

Squad: Z Sly, S Smith, M Smith, R Detko, J McIlquham, J Wannop, G Robinson,
C James, S Broadbent, M Brown.

Third on Trot

Lancaster 16            Blackpool 4

Lancaster returned to a more junior line up for their third fixture of their North Lancs League campaign. Back came Dan Barker and Jonathan Gatehouse whilst the squad was also joined by Brett Sharpe and Decland Ellwood.

Goals from Steve Smith and Ciaran James put the home side ahead before Blackpool grabbed one back after some slack defending left Zak Sly over exposed in goal. It did not take the home side long to settle into their stride however and with GB juniors James Wannop and Glen Robinson posing a nuisance Lancaster built up a commanding first quarter lead. The main beneficiary of Lancaster’s dominance was Ciaran James with a first period a hat trick whilst other goals came via Steve Smith, Glen Robinson and Dan Barker.

The pace slowed in the second period with Blackpool putting up much more of a battle than Burnley had the previous week. Blackpool scored the first goal of the quarter via one time (remember the early eighties?) Lancaster player Alan Wooding, but Wannop responded with two goals for the home team. Michael Brown and Jonathan Gatehouse  linked well with their colleagues and are showing steady improvement in every game they play. Mark Smith shackled Wooding but Blackpool still managed to pull a goal back towards the half time whilst via Brayfield.

A few player changes in the third quarter sharpened up Lancaster’s play. Decland Ellwood replaced Brown as Lancaster’s most junior player and he continued in the same positive fashion which had been shown by Brown. Blackpool found themselves on the back foot and Lancaster added four to their tally via Detko, Sharpe, Robinson and Wannop.

Lancaster had scored twice more through Wannop and Sharpe before Blackpool added their fourth and final goal of the game. The final word went to the home side however, with Robinson scoring his third of the game and Steve Smith rounding things off with his second.

Team: Z Sly, M Smith, S Smith, C James, J Wannop, G Robinson,
            R Detko, J Gatehouse, M Brown, D Barker, D Ellwood, B Sharpe.

Oldest Debut?
Father& Son Feature In North Lancs League Victory

Lancaster’s water polo team found themselves temporarily short of players when they travelled to Burnley last week to compete in a North Lancs League fixture. Two of the younger players struggled to find the pool initially and the team faced the prospect of playing a man short for the first quarter. Luckily Nigel Sharpe, one of the parents who travelled to watch his son Brett participate was on hand to help the team out and after borrowing two pairs of trunks, made his debut in his first official water polo match.

Burnley 3       Lancaster 13

Although appearing a little nervous initially, Nigel did not let his team mates (and son) down and helped the team into a 2-0 first quarter lead attacking the deep end, James Wannop and Brett Sharpe scoring the goals. Nigel maintained a steady position towards the middle of the pool linking with the front players but being careful not to venture too far forward.

By the time the whistle went for the end of the quarter Nigel, having discovered the enjoyment of playing, was willing to continue should the team have needed him, but by this time late comers Dan Barker and Matt Little had made it to the pool side.

The second quarter continued with Lancaster in control, either Rysz Detko or Sam Broadbent back in defence and Zak Sly having very little to do. Ciaran James(2), Dan Barker and James Wannop added to Lancaster’s tally to build up a comfortable 6-0 half time lead.

After the change over, Lancaster continued to dominate attacking the deep end. Rysz Detko got his name on the score sheet twice with Sam Broadbent scoring in between. James Wannop and Matt Little looked after the Burnley attack and Burnley only had three shots to deal with. Two were dealt with relatively comfortably but one flew past him from close range. Brett Sharpe added his second of the game to finish off the quarter scoring with a noteworthy shot into the top corner. 

The final quarter again belonged to Lancaster though Burnley to their credit did continue to push forward and finally got the better of Zak Sly from the penalty spot. After saving an earlier penalty Sly was called upon to face a second one but this time he was beaten by the shot.

Lancaster continued to press forward themselves and James, Wannop and Little all found the back of the Burnley net. In between Burnley finally managed to score from open play for just the second time in the game to put a slightly more respectable slant on the score line.

Team: N Sharpe, B Sharpe, Z Sly, J Wannop, R Detko, C James, S Broadbent,
D Barker, M Little.

Lancaster 19              Kendal 5

In their first match of the week Lancaster had come up against old colleague Myles Little representing Kendal as usual. Once again Myles did his best to be a thorn in the Lancaster side but eventually he ran out of steam, being sent to the bath side permanently half way through the final quarter.

The story of the match was one of a Lancaster side finally starting to gel together with some success and seven individual players getting in on the scoring act. In the absence of the two veteran Smith brothers Jamie McIlquham joined to the side to play a holding role alongside Detko and Brett Sharpe, giving their younger colleagues opportunity to play up front.

Glen Robinson also returned to the side after missing the Blackpool game and once again notched some useful goals (4) for his side. James Wannop in the meantime had a short sharp game when a show of dissent half way through the first quarter, rather harshly led to his permanent exit from the game.

Lancaster were unaffected however despite this and one or two bits of wind up play from a couple of the Kendal players. As a result Glen’s younger brother Mark also found himself excluded from the game at the end of the third quarter following some scuffling with Ciaran James.

All the messing around failed to disrupt Lancaster’s play and after taking a 6-1 lead in the first period (James hat-trick, Robinson, Dan Barker -2), they never looked back. Kendal struggled to contain the home side. More goals followed in the second from Detko and Barker then in the third young Michael Brown and Matt Little also added their names to the score sheet with a couple of powerful finishes.

In between Zak Sly made a fine save from a penalty but was subsequently beaten by a second 2 minutes later. By the end of the third period Lancaster were 13 -2 ahead. Sam Broadbent was often involved up front and scored a deserved goal whilst Brett Sharpe was solid in defence, proving difficult to outmanoeuvre for Miles Little. Meanwhile Robinson had added two to his tally.

Lancaster outscored Kendal again in the fourth by 6-3 with Detko (2), Barker (2), Little and Robinson all netting, Kendal pegged a couple of their own but the result was never in doubt.

Team: Z Sly, R Detko, J Wannop, G Robinson, S Broadbent, C James, B Sharpe,
M Little, M Brown, D Barker, J McIlquham.

North Lancashire League success continues

Lancaster finished their pre-summer North Lancs League campaign recently, with two more comfortable victories, away against Kendal and at home to Fleetwood. They now have just two remaining fixtures against Preston in September in order to achieve a second consecutive 100% record in this league.

Kendal 4        Lancaster 15

Lancaster were expecting a more formidable challenge from Kendal in their small shallow pool but Lancaster dominated from the outset and were always in control. James Wannop, Glen Robinson and Ciaran James again proved the most incisive attackers for Lancaster scoring 10 goals between them. Dave Barker also assisted with 2 goals with Rysz Detko, Matt Little and Stephen Smith adding the others.

Kendal presented only a sparodic threat. Lancaster were three goals up after the first quarter with the opposition attack well under control. The home side did manage to hit Zak Sly’s net four times though Zak produced what has become a customary penalty save.

Lancaster 24            Fleetwood 3

A first quarter display from Fleetwood which saw them restrict Lancaster to a 3-1 lead with goals coming form Ciaran James(2) and James Wannop. By half time the lead was 8-1 thanks to further goals from Jonathan Gatehouse, Steve Smith, Glen robinson and Brett Sharpe.

In the second half of the game the home side really stepped up the pace and put the opposition to the sword. Goals came at regular and frequent intervals and Fleetwood had no answer. The goal scorers also included regular keeper Zak Sly who took a turn out of net to give a debut start to Spanish keeper Ruben Sarle who is currently studying at Lancaster University.

Other goal scorers were youngster Michael Brown, Glen Robinson (3), Rysz Detko, James Wannop (2), Ciaran James (3) and Steve Smith who enjoyed a goal scoring spree netting five times to end up as the games top scorer with a total of six.

Squads included: Z Sly, S Smith, C James, M Little, D Barker, G Robinson,
J Wannop, J Gatehouse, R Detko, B Sharp, M Brown, M Little.

Champions …Again
North Lancashire League Team Finish With a Flourish

Lancaster finished their 2007 North Lancashire League campaign recently with two emphatic victories against Preston recently, and in doing so completed another 100% record in this league. The junior players are continuing to enjoy their outings at this level prior to moving onto the senior squad and the enjoyment is transferred into an open and attacking playing style.

Lancaster 28              Preston 2

Lancaster finished their season minus the services of James Wannop, Glen Robinson and Ciaran James who have all moved on to bases in either Manchester or Grantham to help with their water polo development. The absence of their ‘senior’ North Lancs League players has not however had a detrimental impact in the standard of the water polo played and the remaining players slotted into the groove without any trouble.

Lancaster were strengthened by the presence of Hungarian Szaba Kerekes  who was eager to get in some match practise and training to improve his fitness for the National League season and also, by the return after a short absence of Anthony Trafford.

Preston on the other hand were somewhat overawed by the Salt Ayre pool and were never at the races. Zak Sly and Reuben Sarle had very little to keep them occupied in goal with some stalwart defending from Kerekes, Steve Smith, Brett Sharpe and Rysz Detko.

Dan Barker, Matt Little, Michael Brown and Anthony kept up a relentless counter attacking game throughout the match to which Preston had little response. Barker (7) and Trafford (5) inflicted much of the damage with Kerekes also taking the opportunity to show off his ball skills with 5 goals on his North Lancs League debut.

Lancaster led by 7–1 at the end of the first quarter thanks to efforts from Baker (3), Trafford (2), Kerekes and, the ever influential Detko. By half time the lead had stretched to 13-1 and it was simply a case of whether or not the home side would take their foot off the pedal. Goals in the second period came from Barker (3), Trafford, Kerekes and Brett Sharpe.

Although Preston worked hard to make inroads against the home team Lancaster refused to let their opponents off the hook. Little (2), Barker, DetkoTrafford and Kerekes scored in the third with Preston managing to sneak their second against Sarle who had now taken over in net from Sly.

In the fourth quarter Sly found a new lease of life playing outfield. His unusual presence around the pitch did nothing to ease the pressure on Preston and he even managed to notch 3 of Lancaster’s 9 goals during the period. Other goal scorers were Little, Brown, Trafford, Barker, Kerekes (2) and Brett Sharpe.

Preston 8        Lancaster 22 

For the away fixture Lancaster welcomed Rysz Detko’s young nephew Stef Detko into the squad for his North Lancs League debut and despite the physically larger Preston players the youngster acquitted himself well, narrowly failing to get on the score sheet when he forced the Preston keeper to deflect the ball overfor a corner when the ball seemed destined for the top corner of the shallow end net.

Lancaster, without Anthony Trafford also welcomed back Sam Broadbent who had,been unavailable for the corresponding home fixture the week before. Otherwise Preston faced the daunting prospect of another difficult match.

Lancaster started off dominating the game with veteran Detko grabbing two early goals attacking the deep end goal. As with the previous week Steve Smith and Szaba Kerekes were in dominant form in defence and after Barker and Kerekes had extended the lead it was somewhat a surprise when Preston pulled a goal back. The quarter ended with Lancaster noses in front however when Sharpe netted his first of the game with a powerful finish and Smith also got his name on the score sheet after scoring form the centre forward position.

Attacking the shallow end in the second period proved a little more difficult for the Lancaster side as Preston’s players were able to improve their mobility in defence by using the bottom of the pool. It took a long range effort from Kerekes to finally breach the shallow end defence. The match went from end to end before Barker (2) then Little added goals for Lancaster.

Preston then grabbed a couple of goals themselves when Lancaster’s defence decided to counter attack before their side safely had the ball. On the first occasion, despite a fine, first time save from Sly the ball rebounded to a Preston player and on the second attempt the ball flew into the back of the net. Half time arrived with Lancaster sitting on a comfortable 10 – 3 lead.

The second half of the period followed a similar pattern to the first. Broadbent netted the first goal after the restart and the older (slightly) Detko was also proving a thorn in the oppositions’ side adding two more to his tally. Little also broke away to score and further extend the lead. Preston netted a couple of times highlighting the need for Lancaster’s youngsters to ‘swot up’ on some of their defensive skills.

Barker and Kerekes added a couple of ‘typical style’ goals a piece, Barker form close in and Kerekes from around 6 metres out and Broadbent also added his second. Sarle emulated Sly’s earlier performance in goal with a two handed one on one save, but Preston still managed to scrape to a respectable goal tally though the game ended with Lancaster in the ascendancy. The slightly nervy but ever improving Michael Brown blasting home  a deserved goal, Stef Detko having his close effort tipped round the post but Brett Sharpe finishing off the scoring with one of his typical blasters.

Thanks go to all the table officials from Lancaster who have helped at home games, to the staff at Salt Ayre for help with the equipment and of course, to the referee Ken Potts who kindly made himself available for the home games.

Squad included: Z Sly, R Sarle, S Smith, M Little, D Barker, J Gatehouse,
   R Detko, B Sharp, M Brown, M Little, S Broadbent, S Detko,
   S Kerekes, A Trafford