Both the island’s women’s A and over-45s teams were in England Hockey Championships quarter-final action on Sunday.

The over-45s travelled to Liverpool University to take on a determined Sheffield side in a competitive and hard-fought EH Women's Vase encounter.

The match began at a hectic pace, with both teams eager to settle into their rhythm. Early pressure came from the Isle of Man whose forward pairing of Donna Harrison and Kerry Cowley showed excellent running and movement, immediately testing the Sheffield defence.

It quickly became clear that Sheffield’s goalkeeper was a formidable shot stopper. Recognising this, the Manx side began working hard to move the ball around the keeper, looking to create better angles in the circle.

Harrison went agonisingly close to scoring on three occasions in the opening half but was denied each time.

Sheffield responded with strong attacking pressure of their own, repeatedly driving into the D and winning several short corners.

But some excellent goalkeeping from Jo Hicks, supported by the defensive short-corner unit of Lynne Valerga, San Moore and Kirsty Guy, kept the English side at bay with a series of well-organised defensive efforts.

The breakthrough finally came in the 27th minute when Harrison worked skilfully around the goalkeeper’s feet and calmly slotted the ball home to give the Isle of Man a deserved 1-0 lead.

In the second half, the island side made good use of their width, with wide halves Elaine Wiseman, Jo Quine and Niamh Goddard creating several promising attacking moves down the flanks.

Harrison and Cowley again went close to extending the lead, both narrowly missing the target by inches.

As Sheffield pushed hard in search of an equaliser, the island midfield triangle of Sharon Pope, Sam Franklin and Ros Lynch held firm, working tirelessly to disrupt their opponents’ build-up play and maintain control in the centre of the pitch.

Further defensive resilience came from Jan Lewis and LeeAnne McNaught who collected numerous loose balls and absorbed sustained pressure as Sheffield pressed forward late in the match.

Through disciplined defending and determined teamwork, the Isle of Man women held on to secure a well-earned 1-0 victory after a spirited and competitive performance from both sides.

Elsewhere, the island women’s A faced a hard battle against their Chester counterparts. A tough decision led to an early flick which proved difficult to come back from against a very defensive team who caught the Manx side out on counter-attacks.

While the island team went close to scoring on many occasions, they just couldn’t find the net to score and get them rolling.

Despite a gritty and determined performance throughout the match, as shown by no goals being scored by either team in the final quarter, the game ended 5-0 to Chester.

RACHEL ANDREW

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