College Hockey: Halifax 4-2 Derwent

Halifax returned to winning ways this Sunday, with a 4-2 victory over a spirited Derwent side, to consolidate their title bid.

Goals from Rory Walker, Graeme Osborn and a double from Dong Oh Shin helped Halifax to victory, but they were pushed hard by Derwent for whom Greg MacDonald capped off an excellent performance with two goals.

On a cold morning, with a hard and still slightly frosty pitch, conditions were not great, but both sides fielded full sides, an achievement in itself.

Halifax started brightly and a spell of early pressure resulted in a goal for Rory Walker, who capped a surging run with a tidy finish into the bottom right corner to give Halifax an early lead.

Derwent however responded positively, and weren’t overawed by Halifax’s reputation as one of the top colleges for hockey. Gradually they began to get a foothold in the game, and they were rewarded with an equaliser midway through the first half through Greg MacDonald.

Both sides continued to play some good hockey, with a mixture of skill, tenacity and determination making it a close affair. Both teams created chances, and short corners for each side promised to deliver goals.

Yet Halifax made the next crucial strike, with Graeme Osborn restoring their lead, denting Derwent hopes. At half time, Halifax led 2-1, but there was still a long way to go in a game which had the potential to go either way.

The teams came out reinvigorated after the break, Halifax looking to make sure of victory which would continue to put the pressure on James, whilst Derwent were looking to claim a major scalp, especially after their 11-1 reverse against Alcuin the previous week.

Derwent’s performance this week was incomparable to their lacklustre display of the previous Sunday. Here they performed admirably, battling for every ball and playing some neat hockey.

Halifax meanwhile continued to show their talents, with excellent pass and move hockey and skill and composure shown on the ball by key figures such as Sally Dolton and Nick Finill. The next goal would without doubt be crucial, and despite Derwent having some promising openings, it fell to Halifax.

A superb pass set Dong Oh Shin through to run towards goal, and he continued to drive forwards before calmly slotting home a clinical finish.

At this Derwent heads could have dropped, but they didn’t and they instead fought back valiantly, soon responding through a fantastic solo goal by MacDonald, whose runs down the left wing posed a constant threat for Halifax.

For Derwent there was still hope of salvaging at least a point, and severely denting the Halifax title bid. Derwent continued to push hard, and they threatened to find the equaliser on more than one occasion.

Halifax, however, showed the steel and resilience of a well knit team, and grabbed a late goal to seal victory. Once more Dong Oh Shin was set free down the right, and his cross-shot was unfortunately turned into his own net by a Derwent defender.

The full time whistle went, and Halifax had earned another crucial victory, but it had been a fantastic performance by Derwent, which they can be very proud of. Despite being on the losing team Greg MacDonald was probably a deserving man of the match, however there were numerous worthy candidates in an excellent contest.