Delting notch up second win in hockey league

Delting recorded their second win in senior hockey’s Association Rosebowl competition, Spurs drew with Burra and beat Whalsay and Juniors defeated Burra.

Association Rosebowl

Burra 1, Spurs 1

A hard-fought and evenly-matched game with both teams taking advantage of the new self-pass rule made for a faster pace. Ava Sim in particular was quick to turn play around in defence for Spurs.

Burra were quick on the attack with good inter-linking play between Josie Jamieson, Stacey Laurenson and Kristen Robertson but they were unable to break the Spurs defence. Louise Moar was a constant threat and made some good clearances.

Spurs fought back and were rewarded minutes before the first half ended with a goal from Emma Gray.

The second half started with Burra determined to even the score and they were awarded several penalty corners. They were unfortunate not to get the final touch in the circle to even the score, Andrea Tait making some excellent saves for Spurs.

Burra continued their attack with more accurate passing and good play from Joyce Adamson who worked tirelessly in midfield throughout.

Spurs were keen to extend their lead and kept on the attack with good play in midfield from Rona Simpson. Burra’s defence held strong with Julia Halcrow thwarting Spurs until she got struck by a stick and had to be substituted.

Burra were quick to recover and were rewarded with a goal from Stacey Laurenson to even the score.

Players of the match were Andrea Tait in goals for Spurs who made some excellent saves and Joyce Adamson for Burra who worked tirelessly in midfield throughout.

Delting 2, Juniors 1

A brand new Juniors team nervously took their place against an experienced Delting. From the start Juniors fought hard for every ball, with perfectly-timed tackles from Lara Kay and Debbie Robertson in defence. With the defence holding strong the Irvine sisters Zoe and Charis made some fast-breaking attacks towards the Delting goal which were unluckily not converted into scores.

Delting’s experienced players such as Jillian Copeland and Julie Kirkness put continuous pressure on the Juniors midfield with Jill Hibbert able to quickly play the ball up to them. In the 30th minute the efforts were rewarded with a goal from Linda Gunn.

Juniors started to settle and were awarded a short corner where Rowan Nicolson cheekily passed it to Rhiannon Inkster who scored the new Juniors’ first goal.

However, Gunn scored again for Delting before the end.

Players of the match were Debbie Robertson for Juniors and Linda Gunn of Delting for her two cracking goals.

Burra 0, Juniors 1

Burra started well with good passing moves between Josie Jamieson, Karen MacKelvie and Joyce Adamson in the midfield area.

It didn’t take the Juniors long to settle down into their game with Zoe Irvine linking well with Bethany Laurenson and Debbie Sneddon. The first half ended 0-0.

The second half started at a fast pace with the Juniors pushing on the Burra defence which resulted in a short corner. Sarah Couper in the Burra goal dealt with the ball, however, kicking it to safety. There was lots of end to end play but both teams couldn’t get the finish they needed.

Five minutes from the final whistle a good pass from Bethany Laurenson found Rowan Nicolson who made no mistake to make the Juniors 1-0 up. Burra gave one last burst but the final whistle went with Juniors taking the points.

Players of the match were Julia Halcrow for Burra and Debbie Sneddon for Juniors.

Spurs 2, Whalsay 0

Whalsay won the pass-back and immediately pressed the Spurs midfield, with Victoria Duthie and Emily Shearer dominating play down the right.

Alison Williamson distributed the ball well from her central position but although chances were created, Whalsay were unable to capitalise. The nimble-footed and sprightly Spurs defence of Susan Morrison, Ava Sim and Gayle Johnson read the game well and consistently intercepted the attacking play.

As the half progressed Spurs began to settle into the game with Emma Gray playing a pivotal role in linking passes to her front line. Her ability to hold the ball and provide well-timed passes allowed Spurs to increase pressure on the Whalsay defence. Just before the whistle, Louise Fraser collected a pass at the top of the circle and slammed it home.

The second half progressed much the same as the first, with each team enjoying intermittent spells of attacking play. Whalsay were awarded numerous short corners but Elaine Smith in goals ably dealt with the rally of strikes.

Shortly thereafter, the tables were turned and it was Spurs who were awarded five penalty corners in succession. Their persistence paid off when Sarah Grogan pounced on a rebound to make it 2-0.

Players of the match were Emma Gray for Spurs and Victoria Duthie for Whalsay.