The Team

League Match - Double Header
SUN 15 APR, 2pm	Manchester Stingers	1	v	2	Bolton Ambassadors
SUN 15 APR, 4pm	Bolton Ambassadors	0	v	1	Manchester Stingers

Scorers
Nichola Moran 20mins / Nichola Moran 8mins

Player of the Match
Rachael Scouse Brown / Jinny Ursell

Match Report

Bee ’s Eye View Part One:

After Stingers defeat at Buxton the double header against fellow title challengers Bolton Ambassadors assumed even greater significance on Sunday. This (and perhaps – but only perhaps - the rather wonderful weather) brought the Yellows supporters out in force to cheer on the team, quaff a cold (and ridiculously cheap) beer (or five vodkas and coke), get a suntan and watch the second half of the Chelsea / Blackburn FA Cup semi final.

The extra tension didn’t seem to get to the Whalley Range players as they started the first half the better of the two teams, having most of the possession and creating plenty of chances. This pressure finally paid off when Irish Nic, stood on the edge of the area, volleyed in a superb goal, created by a great cross from nippy winger Rachael Taylor.

Needless to say though, despite all the home team’s dominance, it was the Blues who struck next: A ball over the top bounced off the face (no, I’m not being rude, this is what she told me!) of their speedy centre forward, who, like Nic, lashed a volley in from the edge of the area. The same player increased her tally for the season (28 goals and counting) minutes later as a slide-rule pass split the Yellows’ defence, and she ran onto the ball and chipped Mickey in nets.

Despite the high tempo of the game and increased pressure in the second half, the Ambassadors defence stood firm with their number 6 and 13 snuffing out any danger. I reckon an extra 15 minutes might have seen Stingers equalise, but the shorter length of the half because of it being a double header meant they just ran out of time. Bugger!

Effort of the match: That’ll be Shelley ‘Jet set’ Hollyhead actually getting to the match at all, having only landed in the country a few hours before, on her way back from Thailand.

Idiot of the match: Scouse, for choosing an uplifting pre-match song, downloading it onto her iPod, bringing the iPod to the ground, and then not being able to make it work.

Bee’s Eye View Part Two:

The inspired idea of hiring a between-match masseuse worked a treat in taking everyone’s minds off the previous game… and putting them all on the between-match masseuse. Talk about a lesbian (and heterosexual lady) football team: I’ve not seen that many women come out of a room saying “ooh, she’s very pretty” and looking all starry-eyed since a gang of my friends all met Kylie backstage at the Apollo.

The actual purpose of the massages – to loosen tired muscles – paid dividends in the second match and gave Stingers that extra edge, as did their renewed do-or-die attitude to the game, fighting for every ball, working harder than ever and playing some great football. The frantic action led to some heart-in-mouth moments at both ends of the pitch, with the Yellows strapping centre forward Armstrong or tenacious winger Jinny going close up-front and the back four of Maxine, Scooby, captain Shelley and Katie arriving just in time to make some last ditch tackles.

Halfway through the first half, and with Bolton’s defence as hard to break down as ever, up stepped Irish Nic again, arrowing in a shot through a forest of legs (not a ‘forest of veg’ as my scrawled notes on a paper plate seemed to read) from the edge of the box. The last 40 minutes went past in a blur, but Stingers battled hard and hung onto their slender lead until the final whistle. Hurrah!!

So, another three points gained and no injuries sustained – next stop Frodsham at home.

Effort of the match part two: Shelley, for managing to stay on the massage table for a full 15 minutes.

Support of the match: Maxine’s Bridget Jones style hold-it-all-in pants, which had to be rolled down from just bellow her bra to apply some spray to a back injury. Sexy!

Philippa "the Bee" Jarman