Goodricke 1sts and James 2nds both emerged victorious yesterday in the College hockey plate semi-finals, and in turn assured their place in next week’s final.
Goodricke swept to a comfortable victory over a depleted Langwith 1sts team, as Tom Wilkinson led his side to victory in the absence of captain Ben Crawley. Aidan Pilgrim and Sam Kemp both continued to impress, as Goodricke prevailed 5-0 in the battle of the teams from Heslington East.
The defeat puts an end to Langwith’s hopes in this year’s College Cup, with both teams out of the competition. Nevertheless it has been an encouraging season for the side, with definite signs of improvement being apparent.
Goodricke will meet James 2nds in the plate final, as Ollie McGaw’s side bounced back from the disappointment of missing out on a place in the Cup by recording a 6-4 victory over Derwent 2nds. A competitive and closely fought encounter, this contest was one of the most absorbing of the day, as the James team in particular fought off the hangovers from the previous night’s Presidents’ Ball.
James 2nds have been one of the most impressive teams to date this year, and they will be looking to round off their season on a high. After their 1sts were knocked out in the Cup semi-finals, they are the only representatives left from their college, and stand every chance of returning with the plate trophy next week.
In the vase meanwhile Halifax 2nds and Goodricke 2nds both emerged victorious, in controversial fashion. Halifax’s opponents, Vanbrugh 1sts, had only four players in their ranks, and therefore with Halifax cruising to a significant victory the game was abandoned at half time, and the largest college on campus was handed the victory by default.
The failure to put out a team rounds off a miserable year for Chris Baldrey’s Vanbrugh side, who have been severely blighted by unavailability throughout the year. Glimpses of talent have been apparent, but they have been far too rare for a college which has significantly underachieved in college hockey over the past 12 months.
Goodricke 2nds meanwhile booked their place in the vase final against Halifax 2nds by beating their own third team. The game though was a rather farcical affair, with the 2nds playing several individuals from the 1st team, and the contest becoming a heated affair, much to the frustration of the 3rds. The result will be subject to investigation and deliberation over the next few days, with protests likely to be held towards who progresses through to the final.
All of these results cap off a weekend, which has seen Alcuin 1sts and Derwent 1sts progress through to the final, and once more demonstrated the levels of talent present at the College level. All three finals will be played next Sunday.