Porkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Tavistock Pumas . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
TAVISTOCK Hockey Club Pumas team played their opening fixture against Porkers in the Plymouth District mixed hockey league and despite controlling most of the match, left being victims rather than victors.
Under captain Fiona Dunn, the midfield quartet of Mathew Way, Emma Bowden, John Barratt and Rebecca Mystique kept the pressure on the opposition defence. Great saves by the Porkers? keeper prevented the goal-hungry strike force of Damian Heard, Becky Hutton and Carl Jeffery from finding the back of the net.
Against the run of play Porkers took the lead which was soon cancelled out by a superb edge of D shot by Way. The Pumas looked like the game should now be a formality.
The Porkers clawed their way back into the match in the second half after the individual skills of Heard had put the Pumas back into the lead. While keeper Martin Osborne and full backs Steff Mills and Ricky Bellard had little to do all game, none of them could be faulted for allowing the opposition to level and eventually take the lead.
Tavistock Pumas . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Porkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
SEEKING revenge for the previous week?s defeat, the Pumas? mixed hockey team took the field in a positive frame of mind and were soon pressing the Porkers in their own half.
With skilful stick play by Emma Bowden and the youthful Nick Boot-Handford it was surely only a matter of time before the strikers Damian Heard and Becky Hutton slotted the ball home.
Porkers scored from a well-struck shot from the edge of the D that eluded the outstretched foot of keeper Martin Osborne.
Tavistock levelled the scores prior to half-time through a strike by Heard.
Following positional changes in the second half, they pushed for the win while maintaining a tight defensive line by Fiona Dunn, Steff Mills and Rob Kirby, ably supported by the super fit John Barratt. Excellent midfield ball and stick work by Kath Collar and Carl Jeffery allowed Damian Heard to put the Pumas in the lead.
Following the restart Nick Boot-Handford scored an excellent individual goal.Despite the opposition mustering some final onslaughts Pumas held firm to record their first win in division 1 of the mixed summer hockey league.
Tavistock Pumas . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Torbay Strikers . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
TAVISTOCK Pumas? mixed hockey team entertained the top team of the league and the scoreline does not reflect the closely fought contest.
As usual, the Pumas pinned the opposition in their own half.
They peppered the goalkeeper with shots, went behind to a lucky strike and then scored a superb goal from a well rehearsed short corner routine that saw Mathew Way laying the ball off for Sharon Jeffery to strike to the far post for Nick Andrews to flick into the goal.
The midfield combination of Lisa Butler, Emma Bowden, Mathew Way and John Barratt controlled the game for a long period and for the Pumas to survive in this league they have to capitalise on the advantages they have.
With the scores level at half time, the Pumas looked forward in eager anticipation to the second half and found that they were playing a very different formation.
A near miss by striker Damian Heard was possibly the turning point in the game.
Despite the introduction of specialist midfielder Phil Edwards, the defensive line of Fi Dunn, Steff Mills and Rob Kirby appeared to be outnumbered as the opposition stepped up a gear in a purple patch of 15 minutes and seemed to swarm from everywhere.