Back Row Left to Right:- Matthew Couch, Churston Cunliffe, Simon Knowles, Russell Philips, Tom Robinson, Jason Shelbourne, Alex Newman, Jerry Silverton, Iain O'Brien
Front Row Left to Right:- Tom Fayers, Caleb Philips, Tim Lee, Buzz

A semi final between local rivals Hornets and Isca was always likely to be a tasty affair with players from both sides having met many times over the years. This game didn’t disappoint, Hornets started strongly and took the lead in the first 10 minutes as Jerry Silverton fired the ball in to the net, however Isca replied shortly after when Hornets didn’t react quickly enough to a sideline hit. During this period tackling was fierce (but mostly fair) as Churston Cunliffe continually frustrated the Isca wide man resulting in a minor flashpoint between the two players but the handbags were put away. Hornets continued to look the more dangerous of the two sides and duly restored their lead as Tom Robinson (AKA Spritey) dispatched a shot past the keeper to score his seventh of the season. With the score at 2-1 Hornets knew if they could find another that may kill the home side off, this was not to be though as the Isca captain drilled home a penalty corner to level things yet again. Both sides continued to give it 100% before halftime and following the earlier altercation the Isca winger again lost his head making a wild stick tackle and earning himself 10 minutes in the sin bin, despite the extra man Hornets couldn’t make this count and during this period Churston Cunliffe received a nasty cut to his head, then in true ‘Terry Butcher fashion he carried on fully bandaged.

As the second half began both sides will have felt the game was there for the taking and things were quite even for the first 10 minutes when the major flashpoint came, this resulted in a yellow card for one of the Isca players and a straight red for the Hornets forward, no complaints as the umpires were left with little choice. Hornets knew they were in for a struggle having to play a large portion of the second half one man down, and with the walking wounded of Churston Cunliffe, Jerry Silverton and Ian O’Brien this started to show as Isca created more chances but Caleb Phillips held firm in goal and Russ Philips and Matt Couch marshalled the defence well. With five minutes left on the clock Hornets broke out of defence and Tom Robinson played a good pass in to Captain Simon Knowles who slid the ball past the keeper to score the winning goal.

The final five minutes were quite frantic and Hornets had everyone back but managed to hold on for a memorable victory in a highly competitive match. Man of the Match went to Churston Cunliffe who hopefully has now taken the opposing winger out of his pocket, but credit must go to the whole team for the commitment shown and the yards put in (well done Tom Fayers). Now Hornets will all be looking forward to the final against North Devon.

The final scoreline at 4-0 to the visitors suggests a one sided match however this was not the reality, Hornets clearly didn’t perform as well as they have in recent weeks but two key decisions robbed rather ended the game as a contest. The first half was a tight affair, Hornets made the clearer chances however it was Dart that went in to the break one goal to the good after a great shot from a penalty corner. Early in the second half is where the game swung hugely in favour of the visitors, first a penalty stroke was awarded against Hornets for a push on the opposing forward who was running towards goal, all be it from a very tight angle and whilst the decision was correct it is rarely given at this level. Finding themselves two goals behind Hornets stuck at it and following a great through ball by Alex Newman captain Simon Knowles had the keeper beaten and was about to pass the ball in to the goal when stick tackled from behind, if Darts flick was marginal this offence certainly wasn’t, however the umpire for reasons unknown didn’t award the flick opting for a penalty corner instead. This led to a rather scrappy finish to the game as tempers became frayed and Hornets conceded two further goals.

On the day Dart were deserved winners and are a very hardworking side who are difficult to break down but unfortunately their good play was overshadowed by the decisions, Caleb Philips had another good game in goal and mention must also go to Tom Fayers who caused continual trouble with his pace down the right wing.

Truro away always looked like a tough fixture from early on in the season and recent results confirmed that, with Truro sitting comfortably in the top 3 in the league. The first half was a very even affair Truro had more possession but Hornets soaked up any pressure well as the backline of Jason Shelbourne, Churston Cunliffe and Tim Lee held fast ably assisted by Caleb Philips making a number of good saves. It wasn’t one way traffic by any means and Hornets looked very dangerous on the break as Truro struggled to cope with the pace of the Hornets attackers. With it level at half time it was all to play for in the 2nd half and the game followed much the same format, Truro had more of the ball but Hornets continued to make the better chances and probably should have already been in front when Truro opened the scoring following some loose play by Hornets gifting the ball to the Truro forward. Not to be deterred Hornets continued to push on with Dave Squires looking good in the middle and the defenders continuing to break down play well. Hornets finally got their reward when Captain Simon Knowles broke down the right and fired across the ball to Tim Lee who finished smartly having made a marathon sized run from defence to get in to the opposing area. Both sides had further half chances but a draw was probably a fair result, a great game to play in where man of the match was shared between Churston Cunliffe and Caleb Philips. Credit must also go to the umpires who encouraged a free flowing game getting all the major decisions spot on.

Hornets knew this was a key game with Tavistock sitting one point above them in the table, this wasn’t helped with Hornets having 5 regulars away and only the bare 11 so they knew it would be a tough ask. As it turned out it wasn’t, Hornets started strongly and raced in to a three goal lead, Jason Shelbourne scored two great drag flicks from penalty corners and Michael Oberholster slotted a neat shot past the Tavistock keeper. The second half was more of the same as the youthful and energised midfield trio of Jerry Silverton, Dave Squires and Tom Robinson marshalled the game well which allowed Hornets front men Simon Knowles, Tom Fayers and Michael Oberholster to continually break quickly on the Tavistock backline resulting in a goal for Simon Knowles and a second for Michael Oberholster. During this period Tavistock scored twice themselves and Hornets picked up a yellow card reducing them to 10 men. The result never looked in doubt though and it was another satisfying performance continuing a good run where Hornets have won 4 and drawn 1 of their last six games.

Hornets travelled to Chard on a lovely sunny Sunday morning looking forward to hopefully picking up 3 points against the team currently occupying the foot of the table. The first half was a good all round team performance, Hornets dominated possession and took the lead early on with a deft reverse stick shot in to the bottom corner. Despite controlling the game Hornets couldn’t add to their advantage and Chard looked dangerous on the break attacking well down the left flank. At half time Hornets knew that the one goal lead was precarious given their recent second half showings but thankfully this didn’t prove the case as they added two further goals, which included a wonder reverse stick strike from the top of the D followed by a scrappy one much closer in that the Chard keeper will be upset not to have cleared. Hornets looked extremely comfortable and Chard continued to leave 3 defenders back to mark one forward which certainly helped. Towards the end of the game Hornets should have had a penalty flick when the captain rounded the keeper and was then stick tackled from behind as the keeper tried to recover but the umpire deemed it only to be worthy of a short despite a definite goal scoring opportunity from 6 yards out. All in all a pretty straight forward game which gets Hornets within two points of Tavistock who they entertain next week.

With North Devon 9 points above Hornets in the league the home side knew this was a good chance to close the gap on one of the teams above them. Hornets started strongly dominating possession and took the lead early on with an excellent move with some quick one touch passing finished off with a lifted shot over the keeper by Tom Robinson. Shortly after Hornets doubled their advantage as Harry Ackfield drilled the ball in to the bottom left corner from the top of the area. The rest of the first half followed a similar pattern, Hornets had the lions share of possession and North Devon continued to look dangerous on the break but the scoreboard was not troubled further.

Unfortunately the second half not for the first time this season was disappointing for Hornets, North Devon upped their game putting more pressure on the Hornets backline and they duly got their reward through a somewhat soft goal where the Hornets defence will feel they maybe should have done better. The same can be said at the other end as a number of good chances went begging and Hornets were made to pay as North Devon scored with a great shot from an impossible angle to make it two apiece. Hornets picked up the pace again and dominated the rest of the match having numerous short corners and attempts on goal but they couldn’t beat the North Devon keeper. The chance finally came when they were awarded a penalty stroke however the designated taker failed to convert missing the goal low to the right. Shortly after Hornets should have had another stroke as the goalkeeper closed his legs over the ball to stop the Hornets forward taking the shot but unfortunately the umpire didn’t give it.

A draw was still a good result but yet again it’s a game that Hornets feel they should have won.

With Hornets being a league higher than their guests the expectation was firmly on them to get a good result and this is exactly what they did. The performance was not as good as last week’s league match but Hornets did what was required and never looked in any trouble throughout the game. Okehampton had one good chance when they were awarded a penalty stroke but they couldn’t find a way past Caleb Philips in goal who kept his second clean sheet in as many games. Bizarrely there are no scorers to report as Okehampton managed to score 3 own goals. Not a match to remember but Hornets advance to the semi finals so will be more than happy with that.

After two shocking performances since Christmas Hornets now begin a run of matches where they must look to pick up points from the teams just above them in the table. The first half was a close affair East Devon had some good early pressure and Caleb Phillips in goal for Hornets made an excellent save. As the half wore on Hornets saw more of the ball and started to put East Devon under pressure as Alex Newman, Richard Davey and Jerry Silverton controlled the middle. Hornets defence were aalso looking a lot more assured this week and worked the ball around the back well allowing the Hornets wide men to attack quickly down the flanks. With 5 minutes to go until half time Richard Davey broke down the left wing and into the area drawing the East Devon keeper and squaring the ball to captain Simon Knowles who should have done much better with the finish and may possibly have secured a spot in the next Spec Savers advert with that miss.

The second half was all Hornets, East Devon had a couple of good breaks but the home side generally dictated play and duly took the lead when Alex Newman got on the end of Simon Knowles’ through ball to finish coolly past the onrushing keeper having outpaced the defence. Ian O’Brien continued to make good ground down the right wing ably assisted by new player Rich Ingham who made an impressive debut. Hornets finally put the game to bed when Simon Knowles drilled the ball low to the keepers right to wrap up the points. Credit must go to everyone for a great team performance, Jason Shelbourne distributed the ball well out of defence, the middle was marshalled well by Jerry Silverton and Caleb Phillips had a great game in goal. Everyone will now be looking forward to Chard next week but know it’s not an easy place to get a result.

Never was the phrase a game of two halves more aptly demonstrated, Hornet did almost everything right in the first period and went in to the break 1-0 down which could have been 1-1 if they had taken one of their opportunities. The second half was shocking all round and the Uni took full advantage scoring a further 7 goals without reply.

The last game before Christmas was always going to be tough against a high flying Camborne side however it was Hornets that exerted the early pressure duly taking the lead as Captain Simon Knowles picked up a good through ball by Tim Lee and shot passed the keeper in to the bottom corner.  With the match moving from end to end as both teams attacked at pace it was Camborne who were given an opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot but not for the first time this season goalkeeper Caleb Philips made a great save. Hornets kept the pressure on and Camborne continued to look dangerous and it was the visitors who brought themselves level with a well taken goal to make it one goal a piece at half time.

The early exchanges in the second half were much the same as the first and Hornets got their noses in front again as Michael Oberholster broke in to the D and placed the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper.  Hornets knew the game could still go either way and unfortunately due to a couple of missed chances at one end and some slack marking at the other Camborne scored two quick goals to give themselves a fine victory.  Again another great game to play in but unfortunately nothing to show for it which leaves Hornets a big task after Christmas to get themselves out of the bottom four in the league.  Man of the Match went to Callum Pink for another great performance in the middle alongside Jerry Silverton.

With Hornets urgently requiring points they needed a good performance and on the whole that’s what they gave creating the most chances out of the two sides on the day. The early exchanges were fairly even with both sides competing strongly which resulted in a couple of green cards for the home team for pushing whilst trying to make tackles. With neither side looking favourite to take the lead it was Dart who caught a lucky break following a swift move out of defence as a nasty deflection wrong footed the Hornets defender to put the Dart forward through on goal, Carl Bergfield thought he had this covered but unfortunately the attacker miss hit his shot and the ball bobbled over the outstretched goalies stick and had enough pace to cross the line before the chasing defender could get to it.

The second half was more of the same, Hornets continued to attack but Dart defended excellently and are undoubtedly the best tackling side Hornets have faced this year. Early in the second half Ian O’Brien picked up a yellow card for a bad tackle which whilst not disputed was somewhat confusing given the two green cards shown to the opposition in the first half. Unfortunately things went downhill from here, a number of blatant stick tackles on Hornets players were not punished and when Tom Robinson was stick tackled from behind whilst about to shoot in to a partially unguarded goal a penalty stroke seemed the only outcome but unfortunately a penalty corner was awarded. Hornets continued to press and Dart attacked well on the break with only the post and a questionable tackle from the Hornets Goalkeeper stopping them from increasing their lead. Credit must go to Dart who were a tough side to breakdown and undoubtedly will prove stiff opposition in the return fixture however Hornets not for the first time this season have left the pitch feeling a bit perplexed. Man of the match went to Russell Phillips.

Following yesterday’s result it was good to have the chance to play again in the same weekend and it was a much improved performance. Hornets started very strongly and took the lead early on as Simon Knowles fired the ball past the keeper. Plymouth Uni were back on level terms shortly after with a well worked goal. Hornets continued to press and duly took the lead again when Paul Earnshaw popped up at the far post latching on to a great cross to coolly slot the ball home. Not to be outdone the Uni side again equalised again. Despite further chances and some imperious play by the marauding sweeper and man of the match Paul Earnshaw it went in to half time all square.

The students upped their game in the second half and whilst Hornets continued to trouble them with their pace and some strong running down the right my Michael Oberholster they didn’t manage to capitalise. The Uni grew in confidence and their efforts were rewarded when they won a penalty stroke which they converted to give themselves the lead which they added to shortly after giving themselves a 2 goal advantage with 15 minutes to go. Hornets kept at it with Jerry ‘Duracell’ Silverton in the middle working tirelessly, ably assisted by Callum Pink and Dave Squires with Jason Shelbourne tackling well in defence. Their hard work paid off when captain Simon Knowles scored his second which was a simple tap in following a great pull back by Michael Oberholster. Still needing one goal to force a penalty shootout Hornets continued to press and with one minute to go Paul Earnshaw brought Hornets level with a flick in to the top corner to score his second.

With the tension running high Hornets nominated their five penalty takers and got themselves 4-3 in front with the students having one flick remaining, up stepped their nominated man as Hornets goalkeeper Caleb Philips stared him down and duly made a great save to put Hornets through to the next round.

Hornets were without 4 defenders and knew they would be up against it versus a high flying Truro side. The first half was quite an even affair and it was only thanks to their goalkeeper that Truro went in to halftime leading by one goal to nil. The second half started well for Hornets however they couldn’t make any of their chances count and once Truro got their second they ran away with the game winning by six goals to nil. On the face of it not a good result however the Truro keeper excelled and the game could have been a lot closer, no complaints on the outcome though.

Confidence was high going in to this match following two good performances in previous weeks where Hornets were unlucky to only come away with two draws. The match started well with both sides enjoying periods of possession however neither managed to find the cutting edge in front of goal. It was Tavistock who took the lead midway through the first half from a short corner that should never have been as the original offence of the ball hitting the foot occurred outside the D. The game continued to be an even affair but unfortunately it was Tavistock that added to their lead when a bad stick stickle was not given by the umpires and Hornets switched off somewhat in disbelief as Tavistock broke through and scored their second.

The second half was much the same as the first seeing Hornets produce some good pockets of play without managing to trouble the scoreboard. All in all a frustrating afternoon which was summed up as Hornets were awarded a penalty flick at the close of play which they failed to convert.

A changed Hornets side took to the pitch with a return to 3rd XI action for Andy Barker and Matt Couch, despite having many players earlier in the week Hornets took to the pitch with the bare 11 partially thanks to a late injury to Ian O'Brien as he injured his back putting his kit in the car, one of the downsides to a high average age this year!

Things didn't start well for Hornets as North Devon struck twice within the first 10 minutes, this frustrated Hornets as they felt they should have done better clearing their lines. Heads didn't drop and shortly after sweeper Churston Cunliffe pushed up the pitch and rifled a shot just inside the post high to the keepers left giving him no chance. Unfortunately almost straight from the restart North Devon scored again with a well taken goal. Hornets put some good pressure on in the last 10 minutes of the half winning a number of short corners as Michael Oberholster and Captain Simon Knowles attacked at pace following some great through balls from midfield pairing Callum Pink and Matthew Couch. The short corners were working well with Jason Shelbourne firing a number of good drag flicks at the goal however the North Devon keeper was up to the challenge, Hornets changed the next routine and passed the ball short to Tom Robinson who rifled a shot passed the keeper from a great angle.

With the score 3-2 to North Devon at half time it was anyones game, North Devon were enjoying vocal support from a large crowd and were keen to put on a performance in the 2nd half. If the crowd were worried the second half wouldn't live up to the first they didn't have long to wait for the answer as Michael Oberholster latched on to a great through ball drew the keeper then calmly slotted the ball in to the bottom corner. Things then got interesting North Devon had a player yellow carded for a high stick but Hornets couldn't capitalise and it was North Devon shortly after returning to 11 men who again took the lead through a hotly disputed short corner as the North Devon Striker hit the post on the original attack but the umpire deemed there was no advantage.

This fired up Hornets, Andy Barker continued to make tackle after tackle and Tim Lee controlled the back line well. With Hornets pressuring and working the ball round well it was Tom Robinson who got Hornets back on level terms with another rocket past the keeper. No sooner was the ball back in play then Michael Oberholster made a great break getting to the back line and pulling the ball back across goal where Simon Knowles finished coolly with a reverse stick shot. If that wasn't enough Russell Philips picked up a yellow card for obstruction and during this period North Devon scored their fifth with a weak shot that wrong footed the Hornets keeper.

The whistle finally sounded at 5-5, a great game to play in and whilst disappointing not to hold on for the win a fantastic all round team performance.

Hornets went in to this match with the 11 players so knew a hardworking and disciplined performance would be required. PGSOB looked the better of the two sides early on as Hornets sat back and comfortably soaked up the pressure, this was the pattern of the first half with PGSOB having more of the ball and Hornets hitting on the break.

The 2nd half was a totally different story as Hornets became more offensive with both Churston Cunliffe and Ian O’Brien pushing up from defence and Callum pink having another good game in the middle. The only mystery will be how Hornets failed to score, the keeper made a number of excellent saves coupled with a large number of easy ones as the Hornets forwards struggled to pick their spot. Jerry Silverton came close with a number of short corner strikes and was maybe unfortunate not to win a penalty flick when the ball hit the feet of one of the defenders on the way to goal, one of the umpires raised this but the other umpire was unmoved. In the midst of this the visitors had a goal correctly disallowed for using the wrong side of the stick. All in all a good team performance that should have resulted in 3 points, Man of the Match went to Michael Oberholster who seamlessly adapted his new centre forward position.

Hornets went in to this match full of confidence and started well in the first 10 minutes putting a lot of pressure on Penzance however it was the home side that took the lead with a goal against the run of play, soon after the restart Rob Yarde had Hornets back on level terms with a well taken goal. Unfortunately this was as good as it got for Hornets as a number of mistakes at the back gifted Penzance three goals in quick succession giving them a commanding 4-1 lead at half time. The second half was better for Hornets but nothing really clicked as they continued to struggle to convert their chances up front and Penzance continued to take advantage of Hornets poor positional play scoring a fifth goal. Onwards to next week where a better performance is needed and Hornets will need to learn from their mistakes this week.

Hornets picked up where they left off last week and took control of the game early on however despite creating numerous opportunities they couldn’t find a way past the Chard goalkeeper who made an excellent start to the match. The break through game when a Matthew Couch shot took a fortunate deflection to wrong foot the keeper. Shortly after Hornets added a second when captain Simon Knowles robbed the defender and broke in to the opposing area squaring the ball for Callum Pink to sweep the ball in to the goal. With 3 points possible it was important for Hornets to remain focused and match the first half performance which they managed to do. Chard continued to work hard in the second half but never really threatened for any long periods and Hornets duly added a third when Rob Yarde finished a mazy run along the backline to cheekily slip the ball behind the keeper with a reverse stick finish. Churston Cunliffe and Ian O’Brien continued to nullify any threat from the Chard wide men and rarely looked troubled until Ian failed to back off the required 5 metres before tackling and earned himself a yellow card. With full time looming Michael Oberholster added a fourth deflecting a Matthew Couch shot past the stranded keeper. Jerry Silverton put in another tireless performance in the middle and will be missed next week as Hornets make the long trip to see the pirates in Penzance.

Hornets were keen to register their first points of the season and despite a reasonable start they went a goal behind after a well worked East Devon short corner which was somewhat fortunate following a couple of stick tackles on Churston Cunliffe as he tried to clear the ball prior to the offence. East Devon added a second shortly after with an excellent finish giving Caleb no chance in goal as the ball shot past in to the roof of the net. Hornets stuck at it and began to take control as the half wore on and finally got their reward when Tom Robinson was slipped the ball and shot past the keeper in a well worked short corner. The second half again started well for hornets as they continued to pressure East Devon, unfortunately though poor discipline looked like it might cost them as two of their players had a falling out which resulted in Tom Robinson seeing yellow and earning a 10 minute break. Despite this Hornets continued to attack and thought they had equalised when Michael Oberholster shot past the keeper hitting an East Devon foot as the ball crossed the line, the goal was given and then bizarrely disallowed despite no complaints from the opposition. With Hornets feeling hard done by they picked up a second yellow as Ian O’Brien made a hard tackle on an opposing player. Despite this Hornets knew they could still get something and were unlucky when Harry Ackfield rocketed a shot towards the roof of the net hitting the keeper in the faceguard and flying to safety. Hornets finally got back on level terms through Rob Yarde’s second of the season leaving the score 2-2 at full time. A very competitive game in which either side could have won and Hornets will perhaps feel they deserved to.

Hornets knew they would be up against it facing a strong University side and also bringing in a number of new faces. The game started off well with Hornets threatening the opposing goal on numerous occasions however it was the Uni who dominated possession and they finally made the breakthrough when they were awarded a penalty stroke which they coolly converted. Hornets kept at it and shortly after Michael Oberholster (Zim) made a great break down the right hand side and crossed the ball leaving an easy finish for captain Simon Knowles. Hornets continued to attack on the break and went in front as Rob Yarde got on the end of a Jason Shelbourne through ball with an excellent deflected finish leaving the keeper stranded. Shortly after Hornets were unlucky as a foul on one of their defenders was missed and this led to another penalty stroke being awarded which brought the score line back to two goals apiece. With halftime looming Simon Knowles picked up the ball just inside the opponents half and beat the last man however he couldn’t find the finish so it remained level at the break.

The second half was not as good for Hornets, 10 minutes in Michael Oberholster was yellow carded for a push in the back of a Uni player, this was shortly followed by a Hornets player hitting the ball away resulting in a short corner for the visitors which they duly dispatched. Unfortunately at this point Simon Knowles compounded the problem by arguing with an umpire and picking up a yellow also meaning Hornets were down to 9 men for a short period during which the Uni scored their fourth. With Zim and Simon back on the pitch Hornets continued to look dangerous on the break with Callum Pink putting in another good performance, but the Uni continued to dominate possession as their fitness showed coupled with their 5 substitutes. Hornets were unlucky to concede a fifth as Tim Lee who had stopped the initial shot on the line managed to hit it back in to the goal with the wrong side of the stick. Jason Shelbourne also picked up a card as he was playing the whistle which never came when the ball went off but despite this he was given his marching orders.

Jerry Silverton as always put in a tireless performance in the middle of the park and mention must also go to Harry Ackfield for an excellent debut. There were lots of positives for Hornets in this match and if a few things had gone their way during the game and the discipline was better (something to work on) the result could have been much better.