The men’s 1st team’s performance was stronger than ever before as Oliver Wheatley captained this dynamic team to an outstanding 8-2 victory.
York’s team found their feet quickly, and during the opening minutes of the match James Branton smashed the ball against the backboard, allowing York to take an early lead. Yet this was short-lived, and seconds later, Lancaster equalised.
Tensions rose when York’s wonder-keeper Sam Harriman was penalised for a foul on a Lancaster attacker; the York supporters were equally outraged, but this was not enough to stop the flick from sailing into the net. The score was 2-1: Lancaster had taken the lead.
However, losing was never an option for Wheatly’s team and the team worked hard from then on to prevent Lancaster from extending their goal tally. Leo Watton slipped the ball through a gaggle of defenders from an impossibly angled shot to cross over the line to draw level at two a piece. The lead was immediately extended by Hugo Christie, who slotted the ball to the keeper’s right at lightening speed into the bottom corner of the goal, bringing the score to 3-2 in York’s favour.
York never looked back. After an impressive display of dribbling around countless defenders by Watton, he passed the ball to Kris Siva, who was waiting and ready to receive the ball on the post. Siva slammed the ball into the goal, adding to York’s ever rising tally.
Soon after, and a minute before half time, a short corner was delivered to Christie whose perfectly placed strike made the the ball fly past the quivering defenders on the line. The whistle blew for half time with the visitors leading, five goals to two.
York started off the second half with a series of nail-bitingly close attempts at goal, including being given a short corner, but to little effect. With 10 minutes played and an ever-static scoreline, Lancaster intercepted the ball and attacked once again.
But it was Branton whose deflection on the line prevented the Lancaster goal; a “genius save”, as hailed by the women’s firsts hockey captain, Sally Warrington from the sidelines.
York launched an explosive counter-attack. A sixth for York and his third of the match was scored by Christie after a short, when the lifted ball bounced an inch beyond the line before being knocked out by an indignant Lancaster defender. With the score standing at 6-2, York kept up the pressure, determined for their tally to soar beyond reach and into the realms of embarrassment for Lancaster.
A short corner was passed from the right, before travelling across the D, where Watton received the ball and scored from a raised shot that deflected off the keeper into the top of the net.
York had time to achieve one more spectacular goal before the final whistle blew, and it was Laurie Torrington who stepped up to the task, scoring after a cunning pass from Christie. At 8-2, victory was inevitable, regardless of the bully or Lancaster’s final attempts at goal in the closing stages, and York’s men’s 1sts hockey team conquered.
