Senior League 3: Parkview 0-5 DLHC 1XI
The 1XI of Donaghadee Ladies Hockey Club made it 10 goals in two games on Saturday when they beat Parkview 5-0 in Ballyclare on Friday night. In stark contrast to the monsoon-like conditions of the first round of the Intermediate Cup the previous weekend when they beat Club KV 5-0, conditions were mild overhead and dry underfoot which made no small contribution to the fast, free-flowing hockey that the Dee produced to win this game.

Despite dominating for long spells in the first quarter with Donaghadee peppering the Parkview goal, there was only a single Carolyn Scott goal in it. A combination of both posts getting in the way – both Carolyn and Kerry Kennedy hitting one each, shots narrowly wide, and several terrific stops from the home keeper left the game very much in the balance.

Parkview had a couple of opportunities of their own but good defending from Paige Reilly in the heart of defence flanked by Georgia Ferguson and Jan Morrow meant that Dee keeper Nicola Patton spent numerous spells spectating from the back as play unfolded well away from her. 

The half time turnaround saw plenty more Donaghadee pressure with the midfield of Helen Herron, Kerry and Chloe Ferguson playing the ball around well as they tried to find the space needed to release the forwards. Indeed a quick start caught the stoic Parkview defence napping, and a terrific angled ball from Kerry to the left of the Parkview goals found Kerrie Turtle making a run along the base line. A swift one-touch pass from Kerrie cut between the keeper and her defenders with Carolyn on hand to sweep it into the net to double the Dee’s advantage.

From there Donaghadee used the momentum to build on the phases of play with one shot stopped on the line by a defender’s foot resulting in a penalty stoke being awarded. Leanna McGimpsey-Young stepped up and made no mistake with an emphatic finish to make the score 3-0.

Parkview had arguably their best spell of the match as the third quarter drew to a close, and Donaghadee were grateful for a timely intervention from Natalie Jamieson to snuff out what looked to be a threatening attack down the Dee’s right. Deborah Gilmour also played her part on the left of the Dee defence, working hard to thwart the speedy Parkvew right wing.

With Emily Morris on in the final quarter to give Donaghadee fresh legs in midfield, the Dee kept pushing on, and they were rewarded with their fourth goal thanks to a great finish from Leanna with her second of the day. Kerrie then got her first – Donaghadees fifth – when she slotted home at the back post.

A super win for Donaghadee as they look forward to welcoming Cookstown to BGS on Saturday for what is sure to be a tough mid-table clash. Pass back at 1pm. Star Player for the Firsts went to Helen for her tireless performance in midfield and she thanks Mike Smyth for umpiring.

Junior League 9A: DLHC 2XI 1-1 Lisnagarvey
On Saturday the 2Xi of DLHC took on Lisnagarvey in the eighth round of the Junior 9A league. 

Straight from the whistle Garvey were keen with a series of attacks down their right wing only to be met by Donaghadee’s left back Miya Van Der Schyff who did really well to prevent the Garvery player from getting in a shot each time. After the first five minutes Donaghadee found their own pace with an excellent break down the left wing with the ball coming in across the Garvey circle to Erin Hamilton, her excellent shot only to be saved by the visiting keeper. The quarter ended 0-0. 

Defenders Zoe Turtle, Georgia Ferguson and Floss Scott worked to protect keeper Janice McVeigh from the dangerous Lisnagarvey attacks. Two excellent saves were made by Janice diving and two consecutive penalty corners were cleared to ensure the opposition did not score.

Dee took these attacks in their stride and won three consecutive penalty corners just as half-time was approaching. With time having been called, all the outfield players from Donaghadee surrounded the circle and the pressure told when Molly McKee’s shot was saved with Emily Morris on hand to lift the rebound into the net to end the first half 1-0. 

The penultimate quarter saw Donaghadee dominate with Caroline Davison and Vicky O’Neill working the ball tirelessly up the pitch. The Garvey keeper had a busy quarter with five saved shots from Donaghadee, whereas Janice found herself relatively untroubled in the Dee goal with the home defence winning every tackle.

The last 30 seconds of the quarter saw Katie McKee take a direct hit to the forearm at close range ending her game early. The quarter ended with 1-0 to Donaghadee, with the home side now down to ten players. 

The final quarter saw both sides tire and just as it looked as though Donaghadee had held their position to secure the win, Lisnagarvey broke through the defence to score the latest of equalisers with 90 seconds to go thanks to a one on one against Janice. Final score 1-1 in an entertaining end-to-end game. 

This week’s Star Player was a close run thing with a number of players playing extremely well but the final vote went to Janice McVeigh. Thank you to Nicola Patton and Carolyn Scott for umpiring and to all the lovely supporters who came along to enjoy the game.

The Seconds are playing Bangor on Friday night at the Aurora with an 8.15pm pass back, all support is welcome!

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