JERSEY’S bright young hockey stars demonstrated their worth over the weekend as both U16 Boys and Girls sides progressed with relative ease through Round 2 of the England Hockey Tier 2 KO Championships.
Epsom 2 – 7 Jersey Girls
Megan Jerrard x3
Lola Gomersall x2
Elina Durbano
Tallulah Spry
On the road is always an exciting experience for young sports teams, and the Jersey U16 Girls wasted no time in asserting their dominance over opponents Epsom.
A fast start saw them come close to a goal on a couple of occasions inside the first five minutes, before being rewarded when captain Megan Jerrard opened the scoring. Within a few minutes further, Elina Durbano had doubled the lead, finding the corner with a powerful finish.
Epsom then grew into the game and had Jersey under significant pressure for a 15-minute spell. However, Jersey held firm with some brilliant defending marshalled by the imperious Addison Barclay. Eva Mallet in goal was called into action, making a number of good saves and was supported by an amazing goal-line clearance from Hannah Rigby.
Having soaked up the pressure, Jersey scored their third goal through a well-taken Lola Gomersall finish and looked to be heading into half-time with a comfortable 3–0 lead, before a little fortuitously Epsom pulled a goal back just before half-time.
With the hosts chasing the game at the restart, they inevitably pushed forward and Jersey were ruthlessly able to exploit the space behind using their pacey forwards to launch counter-attacks. Bethannie Wood had a fantastic game driving down the right wing, creating a number of chances and winning a succession of penalty corners.
With a goal-bound shot hitting an Epsom foot on the line, Jersey were awarded a penalty stroke which Tallulah Spry dispatched.
Epsom kept plugging away and scored a well-taken second and, despite the Epsom goalkeeper making some inspired saves, Jerrard notched her hat-trick with two more clinical finishes either side of Gomersall’s second of the match.
Having hit the post a couple of times and seen a brilliant finish by Wood unfortunately ruled out, in the end Jersey were unlucky not to hit double figures in what was a “very impressive team performance.”
Coach Michael James was understandably delighted with the result, saying: “The girls played an outstanding match and it is very rewarding to see the whole squad improving individually and collectively as a team week in, week out. Jersey Hockey is very grateful for the continued support provided by the generous sponsorship of Walkers, which enables us to offer so many opportunities to our junior players.”
Walkers U16 Girls Squad: Megan Jerrard (c), Addison Barclay, Bethannie Wood, Elina Durbano, Eva Mallet, Florence Kelly, Hannah Follain, Hannah Rigby, Jemma Wery, Khloe Kingham, Lexi Edward, Lola Gomersall, Morgan Benander, Tallulah Spry
Coaches: Michael James & Rebecca Durbano
Guildford 2 – 4 Jersey Boys
Zane Simpson x3
Josh Winstanley
For the second year running, Jersey Walkers U16 boys were drawn against Guildford Hockey Club in the England Hockey Tier 2 Cup second round.
After observing a minute’s silence, Jersey started brightly with captain Zane Simpson leading from the front. His positive ball carrying at speed was too much for the Guildford midfield, and inside the first five minutes, he had several strong D entries and converted two of them to give the islanders a solid early lead.
The first was a powerfully struck shot to the bottom corner, and the second a composed finish after winning the ball and running through the Guildford defence from the halfway line.
Jersey’s relentless pressing didn’t let up, with the forward line of Lucas McAllister, Sam Le Boutillier, and Josh Winstanley putting the Guildford defence under constant pressure. The midfield pair of Rex Frigot and Rufus Aston provided a solid base in the middle of the park, and when Aston cleverly found Eddie Johnson in space on the right, he quickly set Simpson free again. This time Simpson drove into the D, committing the defence before delivering the ball neatly to Winstanley for a composed finish on the far post.
The Caesareans weren’t finished there, and the attacks kept coming. Meanwhile, in goal, Theo Bell had little to do with the Jersey defence mostly being called upon to support the attack in possession and spread the ball around the pitch.
This continued pressure brought about the fourth goal of the first half, after Rex Frigot drew a foul in Guildford’s D. After two previous failed penalty corner attempts, man of the match Simpson completed his well-deserved hat-trick after a one-two with Aston to put Jersey 4–0 up going into the break.
Guildford came out for the second half a different team. A change in tactic pressed Jersey deep into their own half, giving themselves a better platform from which to attack.
Eventually, the pressure told, and Guildford drew one back despite Bell’s best efforts in goal. Some doubt set in to the Jersey team, but a composed Ralph Griffin was on hand to mop up the pressure, combining well with Aston to control the back line.
Still, Guildford pressed high, and with ten minutes to go, scored their second, teeing up a frantic finish. The high Guildford press did leave plenty of room to exploit on the counter-attack, and Jersey did so well, coming close on a couple of occasions.
A third goal from the home team would have created a nervous finish, however, solid defence and some good goalkeeping stopped any Guildford resurgence, and the match ended with a 4–2 win. Jersey progress to round 3 in the new year with confidence.
Coach Dominic Simpson summed it up perfectly, saying: “Bill and I, as coaches, were delighted with the boys’ performance. The first half was exceptional, and it was good to see them tested and dig in during the second half. Having the opportunity to compete at this level against boys of their own age is invaluable experience and great fun for them.”
Walkers U16 Boys Squad: Theo Bell, Benjamin Wilson, Benjamin O’Mahoney, Ralph Griffin, Reuben Thomas, Rex Frigot, Rufus Aston, Zane Simpson, Lucas McAllister, Josh Winstanley, Sam Le Boutillier, Edward Johnson, Willoughby Spry
Coaches: Bill Aston & Dom Simpson
