Wet and wild fixtures kick off round of high-class action

The All Flags Premier League headed to the Wheatbelt to kick off this weekend’s round of action, with Old Guildfordians Mundaring taking on WASPs in a key men’s match up for the Wheatbelt Festival of Hockey thanks to the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.

On a wet and wild day in Northam, it was WASPs who ran away with the three points in a toughly-fought contest, defeating OGMHC 5-1 in slippery conditions.

Another strong win in the men’s competition came in the form of a 6-0 drubbing of Whitford by UWA, who sit comfortably in second on the table; Jacob and Cain Evans starred with three goals between them, leading the side to a comfortable victory.

In the women’s competition, YMCC are still in search of their first win of the season, suffering a 3-1 loss to Hale at Lemnos Field, with Hale now sitting at the top of the table on the live standings.

North Coast Raiders defeated WASPs as underdogs in a strong win in the women’s competition; goals to Annie Gibbs and Brooke Hurst in the third and 50^th minutes sinking the WASPs and giving Raiders a push towards the top of the table.

YMCC claimed a win in the men’s, defeating their male counterparts 2-0 late in the match.

Goals to Michael Nicoli and Luke Anderson in the 45^th and 49^th minutes sinking Hale, in what was a deadlock between the sides heading towards the final term.

In a strong weekend for UWA, the women’s side also kept their opponents goalless, with Suburban Lion suffering a 3-0 defeat, with UWA dominating the match.

The result now sees the Lions sit only one spot above YMCC at the bottom, with a win needed to bolster their chances of reaching the top half of the table come season’s end.

Sunday’s action saw the Westside Wolves men able to defeat ladder leaders Melville City 2-1, the first All Flags Premier League men’s side able to do so this season.

Goals through Wolves’ Elliot Barton and Tom Harvie in the 19^th and 27^th minutes ensured their team came out with three points, earning their fifth win from nine matches.

Melville City goal-scoring machine James Day was able to find the net in the final minute of the match with his trademark penalty corner goal, however it came too late for the visiting side.

The women’s match between the two sides saw a goal from Ashlea Fey in the eighth minute of play put Wolves ahead, before Melville City came back and were victorious 3-1.

Reds men were able to get the upper hand over Curtin, when four players were able to contribute to a huge 9-1 score sheet and cement their side’s place in the top three.

Young gun Brodee Foster scored a hattrick,  James Cameron scored twice in 60-seconds, and two apiece were netted from Aaron Kleinschmidt and Seb Ewing.

Fremantle Cockburn men’s side were unfortunate to go yet another week without a win, Victoria Park able to put on a strong performance and come out victorious 3-0.

Jason Gabriel’s score after 13 minutes was supported by team mates Dylan Roe and Shane Benfell, resulting in the side sitting in fourth place at the completion of the weekend.

Victoria Park women’s side played a hard-fought match against fellow Perth Hockey Stadium home side Curtin, which resulted in a 1-1 stalemate at the end of the day.

Harriet Collins scored early in the first quarter for the Panthers, with Curtin’s goal coming later in the match through Chelsea Bates.

RESULTS

Saturday 29 May

Men’s OGMHC 1 def. by WASPs 5

Goals:

OGMHC – Liam Woodward (35’)

WASPs – Murray McIntyre (24’, 43’), Duncan Pearce (32’), Jayme Walsh (59’), Paul Robertson (60’)

Men’s UWA 6 def. Whitford 0

Goals:

UWA – Lachlan Busiko (3’), Jacob Evans (7’, 48’), Tim Greenwood (8’), David Edmonds (37’), Cain Evans (47’)

Women’s YMCC 1 def. by Hale 3

Goals:

YMCC – Kira-Lee Gmeiner (50’)

Hale – Georgina Morgan (15’. 58’), Sophie Divine (34’)

Women’s North Coast Raiders 2 def. WASPs 0

Goals:

Raiders – Annie Gibbs (3’), Brooke Hurst (50’)

Men’s YMCC 2 def. Hale 0

Goals:

YMCC – Michael Nicoli (45’), Luke Anderson (49’)

Women’s UWA 3 def. Lions 0

Goals:

UWA – Lil Brazel (13’), Shelly Liddelow (44’), Shayni Nelson (59’)

Sunday 30 May

Men’s Wolves 2 def. Melville 1

Goals:

Wolves – Elliot Barton (19’), Tom Harvie (27’)

Melville – James Day (60’)

Men’s Victoria Park 3 def. Fremantle Curtin 0

Goals:

Vic Park – Jason Gabriel (13’), Dylan Roe (22’), Shane Benfell (34’)

Men’s Reds 9 def. Curtin 1

Goals:

Reds – James Cameron (15’, 15’), Aaron Kleinschmidt (19’, 34’), Brodee Foster (24’, 34’, 48’), Seb Ewing (37’, 44’)

Curtin – Corey Weyer (57’)

Women’s Wolves 1 def. by Melville 3

Goals:

Wolves – Ashlea Fey (8’)

Melville – Neasa Flynn (9’), Beatriz Monger-Molowny (14’), Courtney Smedley (57’)

Women’s Victoria Park 1 drew Curtin 1

Goals:

Vic Park – Harriet Collins (9’)

Curtin – Chelsea Bates (47’)