1’s v Saffron Walden 1’s
3-5 (Ossie Bannister, Jack Wheaton, Jamie Brooks)
Stortford 1s produced a spirited second-half fightback but ultimately left themselves too much to do as a clinical Saffron Walden side edged a high-tempo contest 5–3 on Saturday.
Walden struck early, capitalising on a loose turnover to open the scoring inside two minutes, before adding two further as Stortford struggled to find rhythm during a frantic first half. Despite going into the break 3–0 down, Stortford showed signs of growing control, tightening their structure and beginning to stretch the visitors’ back line.
Walden scored a fourth cushion with another well-worked move in the 46th minute. From there, Stortford responded superbly, playing their best hockey of the match.
Ossie Bannister sparked the revival on 50 minutes, five minutes later, Stortford capitalised on sustained pressure when Jack Wheaton fired home from a penalty corner to narrow the deficit to 4–2.
Belief surged through the side, and Stortford pressed high, forcing errors, Jamie Brooks reducing the deficit to just one. Walden responded immediately, restoring the two goal cushion.
The final 10 minutes saw Stortford pushing hard, creating several half-chances and dominating possession, yet Walden held firm to deny what would have been a remarkable comeback.
2’s v Royston 1’s
0-3
Royston started quickly on their home pitch and struck within the first five minutes, finishing off a swift attacking move to take an early lead. Stortford settled well after the setback, defending with discipline and looking to counter through midfield, but Royston continued to threaten and eventually doubled their advantage later in the half,
Royston added a third in the second half to effectively settle the contest. Still, Stortford refused to fade, continuing to compete hard and creating several late opportunities that tested the home defence.
3’s v Blueharts 3’s
3-4 (Ryan Cruwys, Danut Stoian, Gregg Pettit)
The clash between the league’s only two undefeated sides lived up to its billing as Stortford Men’s 3s narrowly lost out 4–3 in a fiercely contested encounter against Blueharts 3s.
Stortford made the perfect start, taking the lead inside four minutes when Ryan Cruwys powered home from a well-executed penalty corner routine. The hosts looked sharp in the early stages, pressing aggressively and moving the ball with confidence, but Blueharts responded with two penalty-corner goals of their own to turn the game around.
Despite the setback, Stortford stayed competitive throughout a tight first half. The game remained evenly poised after the restart, Danut Stoian fired in another well-worked penalty corner in the 44th minute to bring the score back level but Blueharts struck again from a third penalty corner on 50 minutes to edge back ahead.
The hosts continued to push, and the pressure told again in the 61st minute when Gregg Pettit slammed home Stortford’s third—yet another expertly executed set piece—to level the match.
With momentum swinging their way, Stortford looked the more likely to snatch a winner, but Blueharts delivered a late blow in the final five minutes to snatch the win.
4’s v St Albans 5’s
2-2 (Tunde Adewale, Collin Sharp)
Stortford produced a strong away display, taking the lead through Tunde Adewale in the first half before Collin Sharp restored the advantage after the break. St Albans twice pulled level, but Stortford’s work rate and organisation earned them a deserved point on the road.
5’s v Royston 2
4-1 (James Nash, Haitel Patel, Harry Higgins)
Stortford Men’s 5s put in a dominant performance, taking the lead through James Nash on 20 minutes before Haitel Patel scored twice after the break. Debutant Harry Higgins added a well-taken goal to make it four, with Royston grabbing a late consolation.
6’s v Southgate Adelaide 2’s
1-2
Stortford battled well but were undone by two quick-fire goals late in the first half. Despite a much stronger second-half display and pulling one back, they couldn’t find the equaliser.
