Wildcats and Grove extend lead

It was a busy weekend for league and cup action in the world of Scottish hockey, with several thrilling encounters taking place over the course of Saturday and Sunday.

In the Men`s National League, three goals in the space of two minutes either side of half-time gave Western Wildcats an unassailable lead against Inverleith at Auchenhowie, effectively dismissing the Edinburgh club’s hopes of even a second-place finish this season.

In the dying seconds of the first half, Olympian Graham Moodie swept home a pass from David Mitchell for the opening goal. And, seconds into the second period, Moodie set out on a solo run that ripped open the Inverleith defence to such an extent that he simply continued into the circle and scored with a low volley.

Within a minute, the game was effectively over when the Simpson brothers combined their talents, Joe’s final cross eluding the keeper and allowing Scott McCartney to caress the ball into the net.  Four minutes from the end, when a low shot by John Martin found its target, and a late penalty corner effort from Adam McKenzie was successfully shut out.

Meanwhile a hat-trick by Grange’s Irish international Michael Watt destroyed Menzieshill at DISC, putting an end to the indoor champions’ lingering outdoor hopes, culminating in a 5-1 win for the ‘hill. 

And at Bellahouston, after an evenly-balanced first half, Azzurri Kelburne strolled through their game against Greaves Clydesdale to claim a 6-1 victory.

Josh Cairns converted the first penalty corner of the game in the fifth minute, and Kelburne skipper Gareth Hall made it 2-0. William Marshall conceded a penalty stroke, which Clydesdale converted to bring the scoreline back to 2-1.

However there were no further alarms in the second period, as Cairns, Michael Christie and Kenny Bain (2) added to the Kelburne score, while Clydesdale managed to lose Adam Bain to a red card.

In the relegation pool, Dundee Wanderers made their position safe with a 1-0 victory over Watsonians at Myreside, Alan Law the scorer in the 55th minute, while Aberdeen Asset Management picked up their first points of the relegation pool with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over still-pointless CALA Edinburgh. 
 
In the women’s league, Milne Craig Western’s last chance to threaten the hegemony of Bonagrass Grove evaporated at DISC as the champions scored five without reply. Leigh Fawcett and Linda Clement put Grove two ahead by half-time. Sue Hamilton set the pattern again in the second half, followed by Ali Bell, starting and finishing an excellent move, scoring the fourth, and Ailsa Robertson completing the whipping from a penalty corner.

Dundee Wanderers then stepped up and pulled off a similar scoreline against hapless Giffnock, who had travelled to the Jute City last week to get a 10-goal hammering from Grove. This weekend’s defeat resulted from goals by Amy Rowan (2) and Vikki Bunce (3), the latter exhibiting some magic stickwork with which to cast a spell on the visitors from the south.

Earlier, Porcelanosa Kelburne continued their successful run with a 3-1 win over CALA Edinburgh at Bellahouston, and in the relegation pool, Edinburgh University stayed at the top after their 1-0 defeat of Grange; Alpha Data Dunfermline registered their first win since joining the first division when they edged GHK 3-2; and Hillhead defeated Watsonians 4-1 at Tipperlin.

No quarter given in Cup last eight

Sunday’s quarter-finals of the men’s Scottish Cup produced no surprises - and only one goal for the also-rans. In Dundee, the home sides were bundled out of further contention by Western Wildcats and Azzurri Kelburne. In Edinburgh, Inverleith and Grange dominated against second-division Waverley Inveresk Trinity and Granite City Wanderers.

Wanderers never got a sniff at goal against the Wildcats. Ian Moodie scored twice for the visitors within the first four minutes, David Mitchell converted a penalty corner and Scott McCartney cleaned up for the fourth goal just before half-time. Joe Simpson added a couple more in the last five minutes of the game to make the final score 6-0.

Kelburne also had it all their own way against Menzieshill until Gavin Tomlinson got a consolation home goal towards the end. Chris Nelson mishit the first into the goal, Kenny Bain dived to deflect the next one in, and Josh Cairns was his usual efficient self for the third before half-time. A solo run and shot from Nelson resumed the regular carnage, Cairns and Bain also scored again, and Jonny Christie and Alan Forsyth also made it onto the scoresheet for an 8-1 finish.

Inverleith were inspired by two goals from Stephen Dick, with Derek Salmond, John Martin, Ramsay Bell, Callum Milne and Steven McCosh waiting in the wings to put the ball into the Waverley net in a 7-0 mismatch.

And Grange recorded the widest margin of victory of the round with an 8-0 win over the Aberdeen club, Irish international Michael Watt getting his second hat-trick of the weekend after netting a threesome against Menzieshill on Saturday. The other Grange goals came from Gary Cameron (2), Colin McIver, Cammy Fraser and Chris Boyce, his first ever for his club.

Bonagrass Grove stuttered their way into the semi-finals of the women’s Scottish Cup with a 4-2 victory over local rivals Dundee Wanderers at DISC. It looked as if a cricket score was in the offing when Louise Carroll converted two penalty corners in the opening exchanges and then Ali Bell made it 3-0 after only seven minutes.

But Wanderers recovered their composure and pulled one back with a set-piece strike from Sammy Sangster midway through the second half. Any comeback was firmly stifled as Linda Clement made it 4-1, although Amy Rowan made a late impact with a penalty corner strike with five minutes remaining.

Porcelanosa Kelburne romped into the next round with a 10-1 thumping of Giffnock`s second string at Bellahouston. Laura Wrightson grabbed the headlines with a hat-trick, Amy Hislop got a couple and others came from Julia Wilson, Kerrie Nunnerie and Emily Maguire.

Milne Craig Western also brought their shooting sticks to Bellahouston and gave GHK a nine-goal mauling. Former internationalist Kath Gray scored three, Olympian Laura Bartlett grabbed a couple, while sister Kay, Ellie Cockburn, Rachel Malcolm and Holly Cram helped themselves to one each.

But Giffnock's senior squad nearly came a cropper in Edinburgh when they were held to a 4-4 full-time draw by CALA's second strings. The Glasgow southsiders won the resulting penalty competition by the skin of their teeth, too, 5-4 the penalty tally that took Giffnock through the semi-finals.

The scorers in regulation time were Elaine Brierley (20, Louise Fleming and Rhona Stevens for Giffnock, and - coming back from 2-1 down at half-time and then 4-2 down, Mandy Canning, Angie Davie, Suzanne Lang and Danielle Johnstone for CALA.