13th February 2012
EHL resumes with two wins and a defeat
Swansea 2, Gloucester City 0
Swansea kept up the pressure on leaders Buckingham with a brace of goals from Natalie Blyth separating the two teams. The promotion play-off spot is now a two horse race with Swansea having a 12 point gap over 3rd place Isca although with Buckingham winning again Swansea remain 4 points off the top spot.
Cardiff & UWIC 1, Cheltenham 0
Cardiff & UWIC earned a hard fought victory against Cheltenham in a game in which both sides showed that they had not played for some time due to the league break and recent weather disruption.
Cheltenham are in a dog fight to avoid relegation and played with great purpose and team spirit. The result was a close first half with few clear cut chances. Cardiff managed to spurn the best opportunity failing to capitalise on a 2 on 1 situation with a poor decision. An excellent penalty corner routine should have resulted in the first goal but Luke Hawker failed to make sufficient contact on his deflection and the ball fizzed past the right post. Coach Walid Abdo will wish to improve on the discipline of the team as too many players failed to live up to the high standards set in the first half of the season.
Early in the second half Cardiff were reduced to 10 and then 9 men with two yellow cards and it was during this spell that a superb run down the left side of the pitch from deep in his own half into the Cheltenham D by in-form Lucas Eriksson led to the ball breaking to Steffan Ray-Hills who calmly slotted the ball home.
Cardiff’s superior fitness meant that they controlled large parts of the second half and they played out the reminder of the game without any scares.
This was a crucial start to the second half of the season for Cardiff & UWIC achieved without the imposing influence of the missing Henry Eriksson. Coach Abdo was delighted with the outcome and has now set the objective for the second half of the season to target the top three positions in the league.
Although they lead arch rivals Whitchurch by 5 points the rearranged game between the two Capital City clubs on 23rd February could also prove vital for the race to take the Welsh 1st ranking spot in the EuroHockey club tournament next season.
Fareham 6, Whitchurch 4
Whitchurch’s return to EHL Conference West action ended in a disappointing 6-4 defeat at mid table Fareham. Adam Barker gave Whitchurch a great start, firing home from open play in the 3', but Fareham equalised just a minute later through Craig Peel. In an absorbing attacking match played at a furious pace both sides created chances but a second Fareham goal from Alex Boxall midway through the half and a third from Ben Hibberd 10' later gave Fareham the ascendancy. Barker hit the bar with a fierce shot and then Joe Naughalty pulled Whitchurch back into contention with a penalty corner strike on the stroke of half-time. Peel extended Fareham’s lead to 4-2 5' into the second period and then completed his hat-trick on the hour, both goals from open play. Naughalty’s second goal of the game also on the hour set up a fascinating finish but Boxall struck again 5' from time to extend Fareham’s lead to 6-3 before Naughalty completed a fine hat-trick for Whitchurch from a penalty corner 2'. Whitchurch have no EHL fixture this coming weekend – they are representing Wales in the 2012 EuroHockey Indoor Club Challenge 1 Tournament in Padova, Italy.
