Donaghadee LHC

Senior League 4: DLHC 1XI 1-3 Coleraine

It was first versus second when Coleraine Ladies 1st XI came to Bangor Grammar last Saturday, with Coleraine unbeaten in Senior 4 so far this year. Having lost narrowly to Newry last week, Donaghadee were keen to rediscover the winning ways which had elevated them to the lofty heights of the top of the table.

Indeed Donaghadee started very strongly, enjoying long spells of possession in the opening 15 minutes with Dee midfielders Ali Lawther, Kerry Savage, Kerry Kennedy and Tasha Paxton ensuring that the visitors weren’t able to clear the ball much beyond the half way line. Left wing Ruth Kennedy was able to work herself some space at the top of the circle to get a shot away but Coleraine had sufficient bodies in the way to clear the danger. Kerry K was also unlucky with one of her trademark specials heading for the roof of the net only to ping off the Coleraine keeper’s head and away to safety.

Somewhat against the run of play, Coleraine managed to work their way into the Donaghadee circle and win themselves a penalty corner, which they duly converted. It was then a case of deja vu – a second penalty corner awarded and exactly the same outcome: 2-0 to Coleraine. With the Dee trying vainly to reset after the two goals, a Coleraine forward was afforded too much time at the top of the circle which allowed her to place to ball just inside keeper Siobhan McAdam’s right post to make it 3-0 at half time.

The second half bore witness to further super hockey from both sides, with crisp, quick passing and good movement creating an end-to-end game, with both side doing their best to get the next goal. It went the way of Donaghadee, with a free hit just outside the attacking 25 crashed into the circle by Ali being met by Kerrie Turtle’s excellently timed run, sending the deflection flying past the Coleraine goalkeeper.

The chances were there for both sides, with Donaghadee’s defence called into action on several occasions to keep the score as it was; Siobhan made a couple of diving saves, Paige Reilly cleared off the line and Suzie Ferguson and Claire Stewart combined to ensure the ball continued to be cleared wide. Despite the pressure on the defence, Catherine Armstrong and Victoria Speers kept driving the Dee forward with their tireless running in midfield, feeding the ball to high forward Maura Hennessey as they searched for a way back into the game. It wasn’t to be however, with no more goals for either side. Final score 3-1 to Coleraine. Many thanks to Mike Smyth for umpiring. The Firsts’ next game is away to Parkview on Saturday.

Junior League 8: DLHC 2XI 3-1 Ballymena 4XI

After the last couple of good team performances from Donaghadee’s 2XI with disappointing results, the girls were keen to make their mark on this week’s match as they welcomed Ballymena 4^th XI to Bangor Grammar. Despite the poor conditions overhead Donaghadee were quickly into their stride attacking the Ballymena team. With the initial Dee pressure the team were awarded a couple of penalty corners in quick succession with Tori Rollo pushing the ball out strongly to Melissa Rollo whose clean strike went just wide of the post. The Ballymena defence were quick to clear the ball from the Dee’s second attempt denying any score from this line of attack. However with Donaghadee’s perseverance a long corner ball was played into the circle with the initial strike from Jan Morrow being saved by the Ballymena keeper but captain Deborah Gilmore showed her team how it should be done as she calmly put the rebound into the back of the net.

Unsurprisingly the Dee team and the numerous supporters on the sideline were delighted but Ballymena were quick to retaliate from the restart almost before the cheers from the onlookers had died down. Catching the Dee team unawares, Ballymena carved their way up the pitch and as the ball pinged around the circle they scrambled it past the home defence and over the line to equalise.

The rest of the first half continued as before with Donaghadee dominating play, and the Dee defence of Lisa Alexander, Ruth Howell, Amy Long and Deborah containing the Ballymena attacks with keeper Janice McVeigh pulling off some well timed saves when required.

After half time the Dee started well again and it wasn’t long before right wing Emily Morris broke through from the midfield and, with just the Ballymena keeper to beat, shot from the edge of the circle to put the home side 2-1 up. Ballymena were keen to get the match back level and put plenty of pressure on the Dee’s midfield and defence. Teegan Greer, Tasha Paxton and Tori worked hard to relieve the pressure with Tasha making a spectacular save to clear a ball off the line. Centre forward Jan picked up a loose ball and with some neat passes between Amy and Teegan worked the ball up the pitch only to have her effort cleared off the line.

With just a couple of minutes remaining in the game Emily put the match to bed with another shot from the edge of the circle resulting in a similar goal to her first. Much to the delight of the home team the final score read 3-1 in their favour. Many thanks to both Mike Smyth and Brian McKee for umpiring. The Seconds are next in action on Saturday in the first round of the Minor Cup.

Senior League 4: Cooke 1-2 Donaghadee LHC 1XI
Donaghadee Ladies Hockey Club’s First XI’s superb start to the season continued on Saturday when they travelled to Shaw’s Bridge to play Cooke LHC. With only Tasha Paxton missing from the Dee line up – unfortunately injured during Friday night’s 2XI match against Bangor – coach Brian McKee and Captain Ruth Kennedy were delighted to have the full 1st XI squad at their disposal.

The match was late starting thanks to the previous game overrunning but the pitch was bathed in unseasonably warm – but low – autumnal sunshine. Electing to play into the sun in the first half, Donaghadee were quickly into their stride and with forwards Kerrie Turtle and Ruth causing the home defence problems early on. Donaghadee earned themselves a penalty corner which Carolyn Scott struck low to the right beyond the outstretched foot of the Cooke keeper to get the scoring off the mark.

With Cooke playing much of their hockey through the middle of the pitch, central midfielder Ali Lawther needed to be on her mettle to keep defenders Suzie Ferguson, Claire Stewart and Lisa Higgins protected, with additional support coming from Kerry Kennedy, Kerry Savage and Paige Reilly in midfield. Donaghadee’s lead was slender however, with Siobhan McAdam called into action several times in the first half to make necessary saves to keep the home side at bay.

After the half time restart, Donaghadee were a little slow off the mark and Cooke were awarded a penalty corner following an infringement in the Dee circle early in the second half. The home team managed to scramble the ball over the line to make it 1-1 to set up an interesting finish to the game; with both sides intent on attack and searching for the winner, the game quickly became very stretched. Lisa pushed up from the back into a more attacking role for the Dee and, ably assisted by Victoria Speers, the extra body helped Donaghadee to regain some of the midfield ascendency they had enjoyed in the first half. Up front, Maura Hennessey was proving a willing runner down the wide channels to keep the forward momentum going, and it was from another penalty corner where Donaghadee got their second goal – Kerry Kennedy taking advantage of a crowded circle to slot home to make it 2-1. There were more chances for both sides but with no more goals to add, the Dee girls were delighted to continue their superb start to the season with a fourth win from four played.

Junior League 9: Bangor 1-0 Donaghadee LHC 2XI
Donaghadee LHC Second XI made the short trip to the Aurora to play Bangor Seconds last Friday night. The game got underway with strong attacking work by Natasha Cameron and Karen Fegan on the left, with Donaghadee storming into the Bangor circle to give Karen a great shot at goal, only for it to be saved by the keeper. Bangor were quick to take the resulting hit out and they worked the ball towards the Dee circle. Tori Rollo put in two solid block tackles to break down Bangor’s attack.

Shortly after, a quick dash to the circle by the home side caught Donaghadee off guard, resulting in Bangor coming away with the opening goal of the game. Bangor continued to force play into the Dee’s half and called on Amy Long and Ruth Howell to put in goal-saving tackles to clear the ball wide. Donaghadee were determined to do some attacking of their own and a great ball from Paige Reilly found Victoria Speers deep in Bangor’s half, resulting in a short corner being won as the ball struck a Bangor foot in the circle. A strong first time strike by Melissa Rollo was unfortunately deflected by the Bangor keeper. The play was end to end and Donaghadee’s keeper Janice McVeigh put in several diving saves to keep the score 1-0 to Bangor at half time.

The second half got off to a fast start with Tasha Paxton storming through Bangor’s defence towards the circle, only to be heavily tackled, resulting in Donaghadee losing Tasha to injury. Despite this blow, Dee midfield players Deborah Gilmore and Carmen van der Schyff worked continuously to tackle back and put Bangor under pressure. A great interception by Teegan Greer gave the Dee another attacking chance but to no avail; Donaghadee unfortunate to be denied their much deserved equaliser. Final score 1-0 to Bangor, with a great team effort shown by all of the Donaghadee girls.

Many thanks to Mike Smyth for umpiring duties. Next up for the 1st XI is a trip to the North coast on Saturday for their match against newly promoted Ballycastle, while the Seconds are at home to Instonians 2nd XI.

DLHC 1st XI 2014/15 Back row (l-r) Tasha Paxton, Suzie Ferguson, Ali Lawther, Carolyn Scott, Siobhan McAdam, Claire Stewart, Kerry Kennedy, Paige Reilly, Brian McKee Front row (l-r) Lisa Higgins, Kerry Savage, Ruth Kennedy (Capt), Kerrie Turtle, Victoria Speers, Maura Hennessey

Senior League 4: DLHC 1XI 2-0 PSNI 1st XI

Donaghadee Ladies Hockey Club’s 1st XI were at home to PSNI on Saturday – the first of a home double header for the Dee against PSNI, with the 2nds against the same opposition in the second slot of the day. Confidence was high and optimism plentiful, with DLHC 1st XI having won their opening two league matches against South Antrim and Ballynahinch. PSNI came down from Senior 3 at the end of last season and were therefore an unknown quantity for captain Ruth Kennedy and her team but Dee coach Brian McKee was clear in his instruction to continue trying to play the expansive passing game which has stood them in good stead so far this season.

With Ali Lawther and Kerrie Turtle both returning to Donaghadee’s starting line up, the Dee had their strongest team available for the fixture. The girls were quickly into their collective stride, with Lisa Higgins, Kerry Savage and Ruth Kennedy finding joy down the left and Kerry Kennedy and Carolyn Scott combining on the right to stretch the visitors. Kerry K has started the season in scintillating fashion with 3 goals in 2 games, and her run of good form continued when she worked some room for herself at the top of the opposition circle to unleash a stunning reverse stick shot into the roof of the net to open the scoring for Donaghadee.

PSNI responded with much of their play coming through the middle; fullbacks Suzie Ferguson and Claire Stewart were quick to snub out any forays into the last third from the visitors. One ball did sneak through however and a lone PSNI forward found herself one on one with Dee keeper Siobhan McAdam. She failed to control though, and Siobhan was able to watch the ball over the back line to safety without having to make a save.

Donaghadee were making good use of their subs to keep things fresh with Paige Reilly slotting into Claire’s position – proving herself a more than able deputy in the defensive role beside Suzie. The relentless Donaghadee pressure continued with Victoria Speers working tirelessly in tandem with Ali in midfield to keep the momentum going, with forwards Maura Hennessey and Tasha Paxton coming on to add extra pace to the Dee attacks. Centre forward Kerrie added goal number two to the Dee tally when she went through on the PSNI keeper and, while there were certainly chances for more, Donaghadee were delighted with the final 2-0 scoreline to keep their 100% record intact.

DLHC 2nd XI 2014/15
Back row (l-r) Tori Rollo, Lisa Alexander, Jan Morrow, Janice McVeigh, Ruth Howell, Amy Long, Emily Morris
Front row (l-r) Deborah Gilmour (Capt), Carmen van der Schyff, Natasha Cameron, Teegan Greer, Melissa Rollo, Karen Fegan

Junior League 9: DLHC 2nd XI 0-1 PSNI

Donaghadee LHC’s 2nd XI were straight on to the pitch following the 1st XI’s win looking to emulate the performance of their clubmates. With many of PSNI’s players playing in both matches, Donaghadee were able to start the match strongly and broke through the middle of the pitch, with Natasha Cameron having a shot at goal within the first minute of play. This opening shot was saved by the PSNI keeper, clearing it wide to force play back into the Dee’s half. A strong ball from the half way line found a PSNI player free in the circle to have a shot at goal. Donaghadee keeper Janice McVeigh was quick to react with an excellent save, keeping the score at 0-0.

A string of good passes between Emily Morris and Jan Morrow got Donaghadee back in to the PSNI circle for another attempt on goal, which again was cleared by the PSNI keeper. PSNI repeatedly forced play down the Dee’s left side, putting continual pressure on defensive players Melissa Rollo and Lisa Alexander to break down the attacks. A quick switch of play by PSNI to the far side of the pitch then called on Tori Rollo to defend her goal with a strong reverse tackle, stopping the ball making it to the circle. Both teams had a number of chances at scoring but the score remained 0-0 at half time.

Donaghadee came out fighting in the second half with captain Deborah Gilmour and Carmen van der Schyff getting through a lot of work in midfield to try and release centre forward Karen Fegan high in the PSNI circle. The visitors’ defence didn’t falter however and any through balls by Donaghadee were coming straight back. A PSNI attack resulted in a penalty corner being awarded. A first time strike allowed PSNI get off the mark to a 1-0 lead. The Dee central defensive duo of Amy Long and Ruth Howell were working hard to keep the play in the home side’s favour, with Emily doing well to get another few shots on target. The PSNI keeper stood firm however and Donaghadee failed to get the ball in the back of the net.

The final whistle went just as PSNI were awarded a penalty corner. With 10 PSNI players lining up around the circle against 5 Donaghadee defenders, the outcome seemed inevitable. First runner Teegan Greer thundered to the top of the circle and intercepted the ball however, clearing it wide and denying PSNI a second goal, signalling the end of the match and a final scoreline of 1-0 to the PSNI.

Many thanks to Mike Smyth for umpiring both matches. Next week, DLHC 1st XI are away to Cooke while the 2nd XI are away to Bangor 2nd XI for the second time this season following the amalgamation of Junior 9a and 9b. The club would like to wish 2nd XI player Hannah McAdam all the best as she heads off to play for her university team at Coleraine – adding an extra interest to the Donaghadee v Coleraine match in a few weeks’ time!

Senior League 4: Ballynahinch 2-3 DLHC 1st XI