M6 vs Kettering 4

Raphael Z-F 3, Tim Ireland 2, Ethan M-Mc 1, Stuart Perry 1, Stephen Graves 1

The circle of life continued as the M6s welcomed two more thirteen year olds to join Raphael. With Simon Aldous as a young 50 something the average age was verily plummeting. Even more importantly, the M6 Ultras numbers are really ticking up. It's so good to have touchline support, especially when they write the match reports - thank you Karen!

A refreshingly chilly but otherwise fine start to the match set the team off in positive spirits from the get go. The team quickly settled into a fantastic display of great ball distribution around the pitch and setting up opportunities for the forwards to score. Goals came in thick and fast resulting in an impressive score line of 8-0. They say the league table never lies but it feels a bit early in the season to mention this, so we won't. Raphael aced it with a hat-trick, and we had debuts from Ethan and Will from our juniors. Four goals from penalty corners was more in line with what has become expected and the two Nigels and Tim Ireland combined well to create a host of scoring chances and some equally good saves from their inspired goalkeeper. The mix of more experienced players and the aforementioned youngsters made for an impressive display of hockey, rounded off with a very hospitable post-match tea with Kettering.

Next week the M6s travel to their noisy neighbours at Long Road for another local derby. Ben J and Thomas L will feel like senior professionals on their return.