Congratulations to the under-21 side that claimed the Cheshire County Cup at Oxton on Sunday 9th September 2007.  We have not won this since 1986, does this tell a story about the future of the Hockey Club?

The lads flew out of the traps in the pool stage, destroying Timperley 4-0, before claiming a ‘scrappy’ but significant 0-0 draw with favourites Bowdon.  A 2-0 win over Bramhall put Neston through to the semi-final. The Shrimps then watched a farcical penalty competition between Alderley Edge and Deeside to decide who topped the other pool. Both sides clearly thought that Neston would be an easier option than Bowdon in the semi final, as they deliberately missed their penalties, before a toss of the coin decided that it would be an Alderley versus Neston semi.

Fired up by these shenanigans Neston went on to outplay Alderley, but a late equaliser from the men in black meant the game finished 1-1, and so this game went to penalties. Neston held their nerve to triumph, whilst a late Deeside winner saw them shock Bowdon.

The final was by no means a classic, but the lads tireless work rate just about gave them the edge. Ben Coppack put a penalty wide in the first half for Neston, but generally chances were at a premium for both teams, and it was no great surprise that the game ended 0-0. So to another penalty shoot out. The initial barrage saw the sides still level at 4-4, but the massive presence of Tom Warren in the Neston goal saw Deeside miss the vital flick that brought Neston the title, although it took a few seconds for our boys to actually realise !.

A well deserved victory for the boys, whose effort and attitude was spot on all day. A real team effort, but the Smith brothers deserve particular mention. Carl for probably being the player of the tournament (although I maybe slightly biased!), and also Tom for bizarrely playing with his shorts on back to front all day!. Big thanks to Kenny Gardiner, who managed the team brilliantly and assisted by the waterboy Greg Brooker.

Neston squad:

Tom Warren(GK), Ian Pringle, Tom Smith, Carl Smith, Phil Connelly, James Annakin, Rob Matthew-Jones, Will Hertzog, Steve Elsmoor(Captain), James Rigby, Ben Duckworth, Lawrence Lewis, Sean Chappell, Matt Newall, Ben Coppack.

Match Report Greg Brooker