Pembs. teach students a lesson

SWANSEA UNIVERSITY 1

PEMBS. HOCKEY CLUB 7

Pembrokeshire Hockey Club, away to Swansea University, were without key players Nigel Thomas, Ian Fordham, Tim Lounds and Sean Irving. Tom Colley, in his first game back after 12 months away, made an excellent substitution for Lounds and new club member Tom Stamp, joining from Chippenham Hockey Club, made an impressive first appearance. Jon Moore took over Fordham's spot and created a new club record with his first touch of the ball.

Pembs. couldn't have asked for a better start. From the starting whistle, Colley won the ball from the opposition and passed it across field for right-half Robbie Woods who sliced through the Swansea defence and unselfishly passed the ball to Moore for him to slot home Pembs.' first goal in just 19 seconds!

Woods worked tirelessly down the right flank throughout the match, causing mayhem in the Swansea students' defence and supplying striker Jamie Smith, who was on equally fine form.

Pembs.' second came from an intelligent ball from right-back Stamp to Woods, whose cross into the opposition's goal area was pounced on by Kendrick to reverse sweep it into the goal.

With the Pembs. midfield in control and the defence coping well with the Swansea attacks, Jamie Smith was given the opportunities for him to score a first-half hat-trick. Smith's first was high into the net via another fine pass from Woods. His second, a fine individual goal stolen from a defender straight after the students had restarted, produced two goals in the same 17th minute, and his third was neatly taken after good work from centre-half Colley.

The Pembs.' defence of Moseley, Hannaford and Stear were pressured by the Swansea forwards on many occasions and one attack brought a fine save from Miller in goal to keep the score at 5-0 at half-time.

The restart saw Swansea come back into the game, pressuring the Pembs.' defensive area and winning several short corners which were dealt with well. The Swansea forwards strung together several fine attacks, but in losing the ball in the Pembs. half, a surging run out of defence by young left-back Hannaford saw a penalty corner awarded. Colley pushed out and Smith scored his fourth goal of the match over the right shoulder of the despairing 'keeper.

Swansea, to their credit, never gave up and were rewarded with a consolation goal after a sharp breakaway, which saw 'keeper Miller with no chance when confronted with two attackers in front of his goal.

Pembs., however, had not finished and Smith took his fifth goal in the 65th minute for Pembs. to run out winners 7-1.

The game was played in a fine spirit by both teams and was well controlled by both umpires.

Next weekend, Pembrokeshire Hockey Club are hosts to Pembroke County at 2 pm at Pembroke Leisure Centre.

Team: D. Miller, A. Stear, S. Moseley, H. Hannaford, T. Stamp, S. Kendrick, B. Wheeler, T. Colley, R. Woods, J. Moore, J. Smith and D. Ferguson. Umpire - Jane Wheeler.

Match sponsors: The Fish Course, Milford Haven.

Seconds snatch victory

PEMBS. HC 2

WHITCHURCH 1

Pembrokeshire Hockey Club 2nd XI took to the field on Saturday with a team missing a few regular players. Captain Sean McCarthy knew that this game would not be easy with a reduced team.

With Dave Ferguson seconded to the first team, it meant that Pembs. would play with C. Rodgers as sweeper and a defensive line consisting of A. Kendrick and N. Beynon.

The forward line consisted of the two youngsters, C. Harrison and A. Makin, playing in these positions only for the second time, together with McCarthy.

It was the away team that started the game, but within a minute of starting, the midfield of P. Morris, T. Lounds, J. Moore and T. Ferguson had dispossessed the visitors and were moving the ball up field. A short corner resulted and Makin crossed the ball for Beynon to put the home team in front.

Pembs. dominated the half and attempts at goal were plenty, but an addition to the tally never came. Right-back A. Kendrick sent a ball into the D, but no one inside the circle could get the required touch to make it count.

It was McCarthy who added a second when a move involving Morris, Lounds and the final pass from Moore saw him one-on-one with the goalkeeper and he managed to slot it into the back of the goal.

Despite a few attempts on goal by Whitchurch, Kenniford and the defensive line remained unbeaten in the first-half.

The second-half began as did the first, with the home team dominating most of the play, but a goal proved elusive. However, as the half progressed, Whitchurch managed to penetrate more and more into the Pembs. half.

Twenty minutes into the half, Whitchurch managed to pierce the defensive line and narrow the gap between the two teams.

Immediately Pembs. responded, with the ball being placed two inches wide of the right-hand goalpost by Moore.

Ferguson provided a cross into the goalmouth from a short corner, which was not utilised by the forward line.

McCarthy failed to add his second to the game when he was forced to take the ball over the back line by the Whitchurch sweeper. Within minutes, Makin found himself in the same position and the ball went just outside the Whitchurch goal post.

The last 10 minutes were played at a frenzied pace. As the rain fell and the cold wind blew, both teams were desperate to grab another goal.

However, the game ended 2-1 in favour of the home team and the result sees them back in fifth place in the division.

Squad: J. Kenniford, S. McCarthy, P. Morris, N. Beynon, A. Kendrick, C. Harrison, T. Lounds, P. Lewis, C. Rodgers, T. Ferguson, A. Makin, J. Moore.

Umpires - Keith Edwards and Gill Lewis.