The Isle of Man junior OAK-sponsored hockey teams travelled to across on Sunday to continue their England Hockey Tier Two Championship campaigns.
The island under-18 girls took on their Lichfield counterparts at the University of Cumbria in Lancaster on Sunday and, while they suffered a defeat, they went down fighting
The girls worked extremely hard but lost narrowly 2-1 – on another day with a bit of luck on their side they could have taken victory. Missing their core midfield meant it took a while for the Manx team to settle, but a special mention to the under-16s girls Ela Blackmore, Elena Claey, Evie Watterson and Macey Crellin who stepped up brilliantly.
Also mention to Lucy Passey, captain Sophie Bowers and Isabella for whom this was their last junior fixture.
The Isle of Man under-18 boys travelled to Altrincham Grammar School to take on Timperley u18s. Unfortunately, they were on the wrong end of a heavy 7-1 scoreline which didn’t reflect the hard-fought nature of the contest, with Timperley proving very clinical by scoring five of their seven short corners.
LOCAL LEAGUES
On home turf, the local men’s and women’s leagues are nearing the midway point of the season following another busy day of action on Saturday.
The inter Ramsey Crookall Bacchas derby in the Men’s Premiership ended with a 12-2 victory for the A side, while Motorworx Valkyrs A came very close in their second-half fightback but were unable to beat Canaccord Genuity Vikings A, losing out 4-3.
Both in search of their first wins, J. Qualtrough & Co Castletown A came away with a 2-1 victory over Athena Healthcare Harlequins A.
In the Women’s Premiership, Athena Healthcare Harlequins A took their first top flight win in style by defeating J. Qualtrough & Co Castletown B 6-1. Canaccord Genuity Vikings A just edged out Motorworx Valkyrs A in a highly competitive fixture, while reigning champions J. Qualtrough & Co Castletown A claimed a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Ramsey Crookall Bacchas A.
Men’s Division One saw clubmates Canaccord Genuity Vikings B and C face off, with the second string team winning 4-0, while Exceed Business Services Ramsey A continued their push for promotion with their 10-0 win against Athena Healthcare Harlequins B.
Standing in the northern side’s way are Motorworx Valkyrs B who stayed top of the table after defeating J. Qualtrough & Co Castletown B 3-1.
Women’s Division One saw the game between Ramsey Crookall Bacchas C and J. Qualtrough & Co Castletown C end 3-1 in favour of the whites, while in a tight contest Canaccord Genuity Vikings B beat Motorworx Valkyrs B 2-1.
Elsewhere, Exceed Business Services Ramsey A managed to come away with a 4-3 victory in a goal-fest against Ramsey Crookall Bacchas B.
The first of the two matches in Men’s Division Two saw J. Qualtrough & Co Castletown C narrowly beat Motorworx Valkyrs C 1-0, while Ramsey Crookall Bacchas D took a step away from the bottom of the table after defeating Exceed Business Services Ramsey B 4-1.
Rounding out the senior fixtures, in Women’s Division Two Motorworx Valkyrs C won 4-0 in their contest against Canaccord Genuity Vikings C.
The top-of-the-table clash between J. Qualtrough & Co Castletown D and Athena Healthcare Harlequins B finished 4-0 in favour of the southerners who remain title favourites. Finishing the senior divisions, Exceed Business Services Ramsey B defeated J. Qualtrough & Co Castletown E 3-1.
In the Under-15s League, Ramsey Crookall Bacchas won 3-0 against Exceed Business Services Ramsey Rogues & Rascals and rounding off Saturday’s fixtures Athena Healthcare Harlequins defeated J. Qualtrough & Co Castletown Sabres 2-0.
The under-12 girls In2hockey tournament took place on Sunday which saw Motorworx Valkyrs crowned champions of the girls Isle of Man county round.