DIVISION 1 MEN WEST 1 d STRIKERS 0
IT was the sweetest of sweet victories for the West Division 1 men’s hockey side on Saturday, as they finally rose to premiership glory after defeating Strikers one goal to nil.
The game was a tight tussle in the first half, with both goalies called to action but no goals conceded.
West had a goal disallowed for back of the stick, much to the relief of the Strikers defence, who were well led by goalie Mason Hill.
With much of the action in the mid-field, West’s David Vine played a crucial role, marshalling his team and looking to keep the pressure on the Strikers defence.
Jordan Millhouse and Connor Millhouse combined well for Strikers but lacked the final touch to press hard on goal.
The game heated up in the third term and Darren Vine had a rest in the sin bin care of a rough tackle, but Strikers could not take advantage of their extra number.
West’s Aiden Cameron stepped up in the second half in the middle and threw his body at everything, to both repel the Strikers attack and press forwards.
After three straight penalty shoot-out loses in the last three grand finals, it was obvious West was desperate to win it in normal time and in the final quarter the magic moment finally came, thanks to a short corner conversion by Darren Vine.
West then hung on and celebrated the long-awaited victory in front of their delighted supporters. Cameron was named player of the final after his stellar contribution.
DIVISION 1 WOMEN WEST 2 d REDBACKS 1
West completed the Division 1 double with a fifth consecutive title to the woman’s side.
The first quarter saw the two evenly-matched sides jostling for advantage.
The first goal to West came in the second quarter, off the stick of young gun Lily Delaland.
Dana Jones was forced to work hard in defence to keep out Zara Blackwell and Lauren Manser, who piled on the pressure and eventually scored in the third quarter through Blackwell.
Best and fairest Steph Wighton and runner-up Sarah Mutch both worked overtime in the mid-field for their sides.
With only 20 seconds to go Jones pushed forward and drew the penalty corner for West.
The short was trapped by Gemma Ballantyne and pushed across to Tess Kenseley, whose shot on goal was initially saved by the keeper.
However, the rebound was picked up by Tayla Wilson-Smith, who pushed it to the spot where it was converted for the winning goal by Ballantyne in a dramatic finish.
Mutch was awarded player of the final.
DIVISION 2 MEN TIGERS BLACK 2 d CAVALIERS 1
In the Division 2 men’s match, almost unbackable favourites Tigers Black were pushed all the way by an impressive performance from Cavaliers.
Tigers seemed off their normal game and uncharacteristic errors allowed Cavaliers to shut down their normally free-flowing style.
Harry Robinson was kept busy in goals for Tigers and had a number of first-class saves to keep the sheet clean for his side.
League best and fairest Simon McCourt was kept relatively quiet by his standards by the Cavaliers defence and it was not until the third quarter where Tiger’s were finally able to break the deadlock and take the lead.
Their joy was short lived, as less than two minutes later Josh Aston manufactured a goal for Cavaliers out of nothing from a cross to the post player to level the scores.
Tigers had the final say in the last quarter, with a goal to Stephen Bartholomew enough to seal the win.
Tigers’ Mathew Fenwick was named player of the final.
DIVISION 2 WOMEN WEST 2 d TIGERS 0
In the Division 2 women’s match, West was simply too fast and strong for Tigers, winning in convincing fashion.
Carly Emmerson was a classy inclusion this year for West, coming back from a knee injury that saw her miss last season.
She was named player of the match for her contribution in the middle.
DIVISION 3 MEN TIGERS 2 d REDBACKS 0
In the Division 3 men’s match, Tigers finally claimed what has been an elusive premiership, with a 2-0 win over Redbacks.
Jesse Hewitt and Mathew Hinton were dominant for Tigers and leading goal scorer Shane Fenwick showed why when he put Tigers ahead.
Blake Vause and Rod Sparks worked overtime in defence for Redbacks and gave their team plenty of rebound balls, but Evan McKee and Martjin De Vos were solid in the backline for Tigers.
Tigers were able to extend their lead in the last quarter to make it a more comfortable scoreline to defend and held on for the win.
Vause was named player of the final.
DIVISION 3 WOMEN TIGERS 3 d CAVALIERS 2
Cavaliers’ Ella Simmonds scored in the first 30 seconds of the Division 3 women’s match, to catch Tigers napping.
Tigers were getting pinned in their defensive end with the pressure applied by Cavaliers, who made it two-nil part way through the third term to take what looked like an unassailable lead.
However, Tigers were not done and the third quarter was when it finally all clicked, with midfielders Jo Hopgood and Amanda Winkley getting good balls through to centre-forward Haylea Crowe, who scored to bring some life back to the game.
Tigers then scored from a short corner to take the game to 2-2 and extra time was required.
At the three-minute mark of time-on Hopgood got an intercept in the middle of the field, dribbling into the circle to draw the short corner for her side, which was converted off a variation between Winkley and Crowe to complete the comeback and give Tigers the premiership.
Hopgood was named player of the final.
UNDER 15 BOYS REBACKS 2 d WEST 1
Redbacks completed their undefeated season in the Under 15’s boys match with a 2-1 win over West.
West scored first and looked full of running, but Redbacks were able to hold their nerve and strike back twice to take the victory after a dominant season.
Blake Vause backed up his best of ground for the Division 3 men with another individual accolade.
UNDER 15 GIRLS STRIKERS 2 d TIGERS 1
Strikers capped off back-to-back premierships with a 2-1 victory over Tigers in the Under 15’s girls final.
The key difference was the speed and goal scoring of Scarlett Creek, who was named best on ground for her performance.
Strikers scored early in both the first and second quarters and despite a valiant fight back from the young Tigers group, Strikers held on to celebrate a well-deserved premiership.
UNDER 12 BOYS STRIKERS 3 d TIGERS 2
In the Under 12 boys Strikers reversed the result from their qualifying match with a 3-2 victory over minor premiers Tigers.
Harrison de Garis has been a stand out all season for Strikers and played well when it mattered most, claiming best in the final for his performance.
UNDER 12 GIRLS WEST 2 d STRIKERS 1
In the Under 12 girls West pulled off a huge upset, defeating the previously undefeated Strikers in an exciting game for spectators.
Both goals were scored by Rosie Cheisa, who was in the right place at the right time to convert.
Sophie Grosse and Tahlia Carter both played strong defensive games to nullify the attack of Strikers, with Carter taking out best player for her efforts.
