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1^st XI: The first team found themselves 2-0 down at half time against Bristol University, their second goal was a cracker into the top corner. The first gave it a good go in the second half putting in a lot of pressure on the students goal without getting many clear cut chances. They kept working the ball around and eventually got the goal their play deserved. Gary Roper picked the ball up on the left hand side of the D, cut across the goalkeeper to the right to create a good shooting angle burying his shot past a couple of defenders. The first continued to press for an equaliser, but it was the university who found the net just before the end to win their 5th game of the season and send the firsts to their eighth league defeat having taken only 4 points out of the last 18!

2^nd XI : Terry Watts writes: Off the back of a disappointing lost to West Wilts, the second team faced up to a Bristol Uni side that hasn’t lost since Christmas. They have been beating teams with ease and we were going to have to produce something quite special if we were going to get the three points. The job was made harder with both the skipper Duncan and in form forward Tom Colquhoun missing. As Vice Captain I stepped in to captain a determined Westbury team. We were itching to make up for our poor performance last week. Our game plan was simple, in defense we were to play very narrow and deny Bristol Uni any space in the middle of the park. Going forward we were to maintain our control and composure on the ball and to keep our structure, both of which were missing last week. The game started at a good pace, both sides playing well, our defensive shape was working well and the uni were finding it hard to break us down. Going forward we were controlled and efficient with Greaves and Dawson providing a solid a pivot. However like the uni we finding it hard to create clear chances. Just before half time, Neil Moon and the Bristol Uni left half spent 10 minutes in the bin for a bit of handbags. No harm was done and we went in at half time 0-0. The second half continue liked the first, it was competitive and played at a good pace but not many chances were being created by either side. Every single one of us upped our game, tackles we being won, runs were being made and we were playing with some real purpose. The break through came with 10 minutes to go. Beesley fed the ball to me on the left and still in our own half I looked up to see Catchpole wide on the right and sprinting unmarked into the Uni half. Picking him out with a solid cross field ball Catchpole collected and drove unchallenged into the uni D where he slipped the ball to James Goodman to slot in for a 1 nil lead. The crowd and the team went wild, it was awesome. The win was now within our grasp. The last 10 minutes were tense and we dug in and fought hard. The final whistle eventually went and the feeling was awesome, we had just turned over a side that had spanked everybody before them. A great game, every single player had put in an awesome performance. MOM went to Nick Greaves, although it could have gone to anybody on the team. Final Score: 1-0 Goal: Goodman Legend! We are now back in the promotion race.

3^rd XI : The thirds had the perfect start as Nathan Walkey scored in the first minute against City of Bath. Gareth Nichols made it 2-0 turning on the penalty spot to slide the ball past the stranded keeper. There was some good forward play and more goals seemed inevitable. City of Bath felt aggrieved when they thought they had forced several short corners that weren't given, but they didn't find any form in front of goal. In the second half things turned round with Bath looking the more dominant side. Midway through the half they pulled back both goals as Westbury struggled to find any cohesion in their play. A home short corner saw Steve Puetz deflect in a short corner follow up shot which the visitors questioned as being legitimate, but the goal stood and Westbury looked to have rode out their bad spell and claim all three points. City of Bath were not to be denied and with minutes left they hammered in an equaliser to leave the final score at 3-3. Westbury were very disappointed with their efforts and there were long faces at the end, especially having essentially sewn the game up in the first half. The crowds biggest cheer came when the non-playing skipper went to put his foot on a ball that went over the sideline at some speed. Somehow, as it approached him at speed, it hit a divit and bounced up clobbering him on the knee. Spectating can be dangerous!

Wanderers: The Wanderers went into half time leading 1-0 against second placed O Bristolians. Steve Milman scored his customary goal. The half time talk to a team missing 5 or 6 of the usual line up was, keep it tight, keep your shape and keep your discipline. All this went to pot as shape and control went walkabouts and OBs ran in four goals to win the game.

Wizards: The Wizards played their local derby against W Glos at Badminton School and earned a 1-1 draw. Mark Crofts scored the Westbury goal and captain Chris Cocks was thoroughly pleased with the performance of his team.

Warriors: The Warriors put together one of their best performances of the season and made a number of trips into the Bristol UWE D. Martin Dash, Jamie Cranfied and Martin Palmer all saw shots go agonisingly wide. With a little more composure the Warriors could have opened up a few more clear cut scoring opportunities, but there is a tendency to panic even when an easy pass is on! Alistair Jacklin, Ger Openshaw and Dave Ratcliffe were outstanding for the Warriors and Dash, Harris and Cranfield worked tirelessly in midfield. Unfortunately Bristol managed to score the only goal of the game and it was an ugly one. Somehow a looping shot with no power on it seemed to get a deflection and finished up crawling over the line. A 1-0 defeat was an injustice for a Warriors team that for a second successive game competed on equal terms with their opponents.

Widgets: The Widgets went down 1-0 to Bristol Uwe.

Match comments The only points claimed by the club were surprisingly from the two side who have found getting results the hardest this season!

1^st XI: The first looked very sharp in their home match with Plymouth Marjons. Gary Roper had the first scoring chance of the game but could only find the outside of the side netting. Stuart Blake was almost on the end of a stinging cross. Unfortunately a Westbury defender was caught in posession on the home 25 and the Plymouth forward was gifted an easy one on one which he took expertly. The game was still very even but it was Plymouth who found the net to lead 2-0 at half time. The first came out with style and determination and a brilliant steal from Neil Richardson just outside the D saw him get his feet round the ball and strike a powerful shot into the corner. Westbury then had a long period of being on top, asking all sorts of questions of the visiting defence, only to find them able to answer every one. Somehow several goal mouth scrambles ended in favour of Plymouth, the ball would not fall kindly for the vital touch to square the game. In committing to team to all out attack, the defence was left a bit thin and Plymouth had three break-aways scoring on each and everyone of them. The first finished strongly and a perfect cross was met by a diving Joe Thomas to score a deserved consolation goal. Neil suffered a painful knock from a lofted Jonny Parish pass and as he lay rolling in agony the visiting sweeper shouted "Get on with it he's off the pitch". Fortunately a stern word from the umpire put an end to it. Neil was able to continue with an egg size bump on the inside of his leg! Neil felt there were a lot of positives to come out of the game. The passing control and movement was good, on another day the goals would have come and a different outcome might have resulted. Plymouth played a containing game and proved deadly on the break.

2^nd XI : The seconds came back without any points losing 5-2 to W Wilts. Pat Haynes was on target twice.

3^rd XI : The thirds found it difficult to play the flowing hockey that has been a trade mark of their season so far. With changes in personnel the link up play was not particularly effective. Chewie took the credit for the first goal with what might be described as a virtual touch (hasn't he done that before?) James Pearce-Smith and James Goodman got the other two. With Marlborough scoring 4 times the thirds finished up on the end of an odd goal in seven defeat.

Wanderers: The Wanderers were unable to get a result and fell to a 2-0 defeat against Somerset Gryphons.

Wizards: The Wizards kept the score line down in their tough encounter with Bristol University. Chris Cocks felt the Wizards did really well to contain the score to 1-0 at half time. The students scored two second half goals but a hard working performance ensured that a very good opponent was not able to run away with the game.

Warriors: The Warriors earned their second point of the season with an excellent performance against O Bristolians. With a much more positive midfield led by John Ludley, the Warriors were able to put together a lot of good posession and put pressure on the home defence. Jon Jarvis was unlucky with a one on one with the keeper, but having beaten him he couldn't steer his shot between the posts. He came close on two other occasions. Martin Palmer had a goal bound shot in each half saved by the keeper. At the other end Mike Harvey was only called into action to save from short corners as his defence was outstanding in front of him. Jez Longden, Alistair Jacklin, Brian Nichols and Will Enderby were as solid as rock! A well earned point that with a bit of luck could have been three. The Warriors without any subs had to weather the last ten minutes with ten men after Max Longden, who had a good game, retired with an injury.

Widgets: S Glos opened the scoring at the very start of the game. The Widgets got their equaliser from Peter Ratcliffe, who struck his second goal of the season. The Widgets had a lot of the game and could have won it. The normally reliable Dave Money saw the ball miss his stick when nine times out of ten he would have made contact and knocked it in.

1^st XI: The first team came back empty handed from Swansea Bay despite having scored six goals! Having led 4-1 at one stage in the game the first must have had an eye on all three points. However Swansea Bay found the net six more time to Westbury's two and the points were lost.A promising first half unfortunatley failed to bring Westbury the win they were looking for. Gary Roper reports: A well-high spirited Swansea, once let back in, took full advantage taking the lead for the first time with 2 minutes to go. A good performance from Joe Crill Also Making his debut for the 1st's. Final Score, a goal fest of 7-6 to Swansea Losing 7-6 has only happened once before in the club's history when the first team lost to Long Ashton in a friendly in January 1959. Joe Thomas scored a hat-trick and Paul Macson, Jonny Parish and Gary Roper got once each.

2^nd XI : The seconds moved into second place in their division with a good win against Somerset Gryphons. Last year both league matches were lost to Gryphons along with the away match earlier this season. This result shows the progress the seconds have made. Dave Wornell, Chris Poulsom and James Goodman (back from injury) were on target .Duncan Armsby adds: The 2's had an impressive win at home against Somerset Gryphons to take us into 2nd place in North 1 and into a potential promotion play-off slot. We controlled much of the first half coping well against a curious half-court defensive strategy employed by Somerset. Goals from Chris Poulsom and a scorcher from Man-of-the-Match Wornell gave us a comfortable 2-0 lead at half-time. Our customary 10-minute blip allowed Somerset to get a goal back but James Goodman gave us our 3rd and secured the 3 points. Neil King's strange last minute yellow card allowed Moonie to pad-up and make a nice save to round off a cracking team victory.

3^rd XI : The thirds played Team Bath Buccs and found themselves under some serious pressure to start with. Andy Pound needed to be at his best to keep out the shots raining in on goal. It looked like a damage limitation job as the harried defenders worked to stem the tide of Buccs attacks. They successfully weather the storm and started to build some forward play of their own. they had a three on one but couldn't turn it into a goal. Buccs were sharp going forward (and an incredibly vocal team - Ian Small could hardly be heard on the pitch!) By half time it was Westbury who were pressing for the goal and forcing the young visiting keeper to make some good saves. At half time the score was 0-0 and everything to play for. Within minutes of the restart goal-machine Nathan Walkey was at hand to bang in the first goal of the game. The thirds were by now brimming with confidence and Buccs hardly able to press Andy Pound into action! Then came a swift attack. Gareth Nichols swept the ball first time to Ian Small , Small attacked the D, drew the defender and slipped the ball to the unmarked Nathan who made no mistake in knocking the ball past the diving keeper. A great team goal. This gave them the cushion to control the play and create more scoring opportunities. Steve Puetz injected a short corner, the ball eventually found his way back to him at the near post and he slipped it in. Nathan was unlucky not get his third after appearing to be bundled off the ball only for the hit to be given against him. The hat-trick did come courtesy of Gareth Nichol's skill on the right and delivering the ball to the back post for Nathan to score his twelfth goal in five games. This was an impressive performance by the whole team and moves them into second spot in the division.

Wanderers: The Wanderers stunned Firebrands into submission with an outstanding display of hockey to win 6-0 at Failand. Steve Millman was full of praise for the way the team set about winning the match. Dave Harris and Alex Taylor (playing his second game of the season) notched two goals each. Steve got his inevitable goal and Will Jones scored his first for the club

Wizards: The Wizards played a cracking game at O Bristolians. Chris Cocks was impressed with the way his side took on OBs who are second in the table. Unfortunately two soft goals were conceded in the last few minutes of the game to rob the Wizards of what would have been a very good point! OBs were a well organised and effective team and the Wizards matched them for 65 minutes.

Warriors: The Warriors defence were once again in top form, they are getting the majority of practice each week and showing great resilience and skill. Jon Jarvis played well in goal yet again. Alistair Jacklin, Brain Nichols and Pete Thomas were solid in front of him. Will Enderby playing his first game since recovering from pneumonia was man-of-the-match. Yate bundled in a first half goal but were unable to add to that. In the first half Harry Newington used his long reach very well and pulled of some very well timed tackles. In the attacking zones the Warriors matched last week's two shots at goal, with neither of them on target. In the last ten minutes the Warriors did mount some pressure on the Yate defence but never really looked like being able to get in the telling pass into the D. The game finished in a 1-0 defeat.

Widgets: The score line was close so the game must have been very tight as the Widgets lost 2-1 the Bristol UWE. Dave Money got his customary goal! The Widgets were only able to field ten men, but gave it a very good go. Dave's goal was a late equaliser and the Bristol winner was agonisingly even later! Richard Gee played very well in goal in his second game back playing for the club.

Veterans: In the HA Veterans' Plate 2nd round match at Oxford, the vets found the pace and skill of the home team a little hard to handle. Having survived a foot on the line with only a short corner given, the ball still finished up in the net with a deflection from the injector's stick. Having been under pressure the vets responded well with several attacks and Dave George's slap at goal was touched in by Mark Crofts. City of Oxford play in the Wessex Vets League and looked a team used to playing with each other. By half time they had built up a commanding 4-1 lead and looked to be heading for big score. George Banting called for passion and commitment in his half time talk. The team responded and had the home side on the back foot for a lot of the second half. Westbury earned a penalty stroke and Steve Millman put it away with a powerful flick. Another goal would have put the wind up Oxford, but it just wouldn't come. Pete Farrell was the unluckiest player on the pitch. On another day he would have finished the game with five goals, but on this occasion the ball did not find the net. In the first half Alan Spark's great run set him up, but his power strike flew over the bar as did a flick not long later. He also shot wide on another attack. In the second period Pete cleverly flicked the ball again only to see it clear the bar and in the final minutes needing a firm contact to sweep in a square pass, his shot flash across the goal not into it. The team had an excellent second half and pushed a well organised home team to the limit. With a bit of luck a couple more goals might have earned a win. City of Oxford were a sociable crowd and it was good to see former Westbury player Alex Cock who is a member of the Oxford club umpiring the match - he did give George a green card! Team Lilly, Cocks, Taylor T, Banting G, Thomas P, Ratcliffe D, Ludley, Sparks, George, Harvey, Farrell, Millman S, Crofts, Palmer M.