[visiongallery set=72157629799579420]
Photos: Adam Green
The excitement continued on the JLD astro, as the pick of the games saw a stunning Halifax 2nds fightback, whilst there were also wins for Vanburgh and James 1sts.
The annals of history are littered with the words of great men and women, leaders and warriors, scientists and sportsman who refused to give up. The speeches of Churchill and Emerson would have offered little comfort however, to a Halifax left reeling from a first half that left them staring at a three goal deficit with little hope of recovery. Two finally wrought goals from the indomitable Sam Dower and a lethal finish from Doug Jayatilaka provided Langwith with the lead they so desperately wanted and undeniably deserved. Any thoughts of an early finish, jubilant celebrations and a refreshing pint in the courtyard were quickly silenced by a Halifax renaissance. The white clad hockey army descended on their college rivals and clawed the score back to 3-2.
Matt Shaw provided the first glimmer of hope with a neat finish at the near post and the recovery continued seconds later when Graeme Osborne was awarded a penalty goal for being cruelly denied by a wandering Langwith foot. Salvation was in sight, the impossible suddenly seemed probable. The Alamo that was Langwith’s early dominance had been swept away by a tidal wave of Halifax pressure and the recovery was complete five minutes from time when Matt Pheasant swept home the long anticipated equaliser. With seconds left the crowd believed they were to be left with an unsatisfactory draw, a banal conclusion to what had been an epic tale of heart and courage. The pendulum however, would swing once more. The referee would have a decisive role in the match, seconds from time space opened up for ‘fax atop of the Langwith area and coolly slotted it home, time stopped, the crowd held their breath, Langwith remonstrated, the goal stood. In the dying embers a white phoenix had risen and Halifax had stolen the points from their rivals with a heroic 4-3 win.
There was also great excitement, as Vanbrugh had to deal with a resilient effort from Goodricke 2nds, to claim a hard earned 8-5 victory, in an entertaining game. Vanbrugh raced into an early lead with goals through Jess Winnan, Mylo Scurr and Hannah Harrison. 6-1 to the good, Vanbrugh looked as if they would sail to a comprehensive victory, but Goodricke launched a superb comeback. On the stroke of half time, Goodricke managed to claw a goal back. That then inspired them after halftime, and through a momentous effort they brought the scoreline to 6-5, and it seemed as if we had a thriller on our hands.
Goodricke held the momentum, but Vanbrugh weren’t prepared to allow their lead to slip, and led by Jon Waghorne and Mylo Scurr, they held firm. Two more goals extended their lead, and despite Goodricke’s efforts, they suffered the disappointment of a second defeat. Vanbrugh also later played the replay of their match against Derwent 2nds, due to the controversy of the previous Saturday. Inspired by Jess Winnan who was in superb form, they secured a comfortable 10-2 victory over a hard-working Derwent side.
Meanwhile James 1sts made it two wins out of two, as they overpowered Derwent 2nds, in a feisty and competetive encounter. Taking a 2-1 lead into the break, James managed to build on that in the second half, and claimed their second victory. Derwent battled willingly, but it wasn’t enough to hold off a James team, who seem one of the favourites to progress from group 2 at these early stages.
Vision Player of the Group: Jess Winnan