ROUND 9 of Lower South East hockey saw a determined West outfit bounce back from last week’s defeat at the hands of Tigers, claiming a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Redbacks on Saturday.
In contrast Redbacks hoped to build on early-season form, but was unable to steal an unexpected victory.
Division 1 Men
West 3 d Redbacks 1
The first half saw a very tight affair, with neither side able to stamp its authority on the game.
Defence and mid-field play dominated, with each team only able to make a single mark on the scoreboard by the half-time break.
Darren Vine scored off a penalty corner for West, while Dale Hill – who has shown good form this year in the Redbacks forward line – evened things up with a goal of his own.
Still hurting from last weeks loss, West came out in the second half a little more determined to find the back of the net.
Toby Maddern and Aaron Barry worked hard for Redbacks and repelled many attacks, but West continued to pepper the goals.
Redbacks goalkeeper Mitchell Manser put in a best-on-ground performance with his second half efforts denying West on numerous occasions.
It was only by pouncing on Mitchell saves West was able to score when goal sneak Connor Murphy latched on to a couple of rebounds and sent them into the net to claim the full premiership points.
Division 2 Men
West 3 d Naracoorte Rams 2
IN a close result, West dominated Naracoorte in the early half of the game, showing a high level of skill from Andrew Widdison and Nick Thomas.
Thomas put away the first goal of the night to apply scoreboard pressure on Rams early in the contest.
Rams fired back with Andrew Doecke finding two goals in response to claim the upper hand.
West was then awarded a penalty corner due to an obstruction in the circle and Widdison finished off to level the score at the half-time break.
Both sides came out firing int eh second half, with Naracoorte’s sefensive efforts holding out.
However, a quick turn over saw West claim the final goal to secure the victory.
Portland 5 d Cavaliers 1
PORTLAND’S division two men bounced back to winning form, defeating Cavaliers 5-1 in Mount Gambier.
After a 6-2 loss to Rams last week, Portland put its best foot forward in the win, scoring three goals in an excellent second half.
Shannon Donehue hit the scoreboard twice for the victors and was joined by Chris Saunders, Brad Holman and Simons, who all added singles.
Division 3 Men
Tigers 4 d Strikers 1
TIGERS came into their Round 9 encounter with Strikers eager to stamp their authority on the game early and they did that with the help of their younger brigade, with Shaunn Robinson and Owen Antonio making strong contributions.
The veteran leadership of Chris Crute at half-back opened up the space for Tigers to play a well structured game.
It was only seven minutes in when a clever piece of individual play from Crute found Kenny Crute open at the top on the circle.
The powerful shot was too much for Strikers as goalkeeper David Coombe lost sight of the ball and only managed the slightest deflection as it hit the back of the net.
Strikers play was not as structured, but once the game settled they proved their counter-attacking style could be equally dangerous.
As Angus Hopgood began to find more space in the midfield, Strikers’ opportunities increased.
Some were wasted with wayward shots, but eventually Caleb Lindsay made a confident run down the right, defeating multiple Tigers defenders to finish the play with a pass to Brodie Thorne who scored to tie the game.
With the score 1-1 at the break Tigers had controlled most of the first half, but found themselves under attack.
Tigers stepped the pressure up in the second half and it seemed only a matter of time before they broke the deadlock.
Evan McKee and Kenny Crute peppered the goals, with Coombe and fullback Carl Smith able to hold them at bay.
The Tigers onslaught eventually paid dividends when they were awarded a penalty stroke, resulting in a Chris Crute goal.
With the lead in hand Tigers settled and took a much calmer approach in front of goal and controlled the game to claim the win.
Meanwhile, Portland enjoyed a 1-nil victory against Cavaliers, while the Portland Division 3 women managed a 4-nil victory.
Division 2 Women
Cavaliers 3 d Naracoorte 1
FRIDAY night saw Cavaliers and Naracoorte face off in a tight women’s clash.
Cavaliers came out strong and moved the ball well through their backline to make the most of the field.
This resulted in a surge forward for a goal and the early lead.
An undermanned Naracoorte continued to repel Cavaliers attack, with goalie Chelsea Meulders working tirelessly to keep them in the game.
Naracoorte managed to level the score before half time with an impressive contest between Gayle Ellis and Cavaliers goalkeeper Kate Fabian, with the former gaining the advantage to find the back of the net.
The second half saw each team continue to work hard, but with several penalty corners Cavaliers found two more goals to claim the win.
Meanwhile, Redbacks managed a 4-1 win over Portland.
