THE Jersey Hockey Leagues continued their thrilling season with a stacked week of exciting fixtures across all divisions between Friday to Monday.
In the Men’s League Division 2, Affinity JHC Panthers claimed a hard-fought 5-3 victory over Jersey Ladies 1st XI.
Stephen Ritzema reports ….
Panthers got off to a lightning start when Sean Bilson scored within the first minute of the game.
Receiving a ball in from the right, he turned swiftly and slotted it into the bottom left-hand corner with aplomb.
In fairness to Jersey Ladies, the early setback did not faze them.
They stuck to their game plan, with their midfield and forward lines moving fluidly and finding gaps in the Panthers’ midfield and defence.
Their hard work paid off when a ball into the D found Aimee Aikenhead at the top right-hand side.
Before the Panthers’ defenders could react, Aikenhead turned and buried an unstoppable shot into the opposite corner, leaving shot-stopper Adrian Noon with no chance to react.
Five minutes later, the Ladies bagged their second.
Again, excellent interchanges in midfield created an opening for Aikenhead, who calmly lifted the ball over the advancing Noon to put her side ahead.
Panthers were on the back foot, facing a barrage of short corners as the Ladies continued to press forward.
Resolute defending kept them in the game, with Chris Griffin making an excellent goal-line stop to prevent a certain third.
The half-time whistle was likely more welcome to Panthers than it was to the Ladies.
Using the break to regroup, Panthers made the perfect start to the second half when Peter Taylor intercepted a wayward pass out of the Ladies’ defence.
Despite the acute angle, Taylor expertly drilled his shot into the far-left corner, the ball flying past the keeper before she had time to react.
With their confidence growing, Panthers began to dominate in midfield.
The evergreen Dom Simpson and the dynamic young Rory Baines, in particular, started making inroads into the Ladies’ backline.
One such foray from Baines earned a short corner.
From the injection, the ball was slipped left to Simpson, whose firm push beat the keeper to give Panthers a 3-2 lead.
Not to be undone, the Ladies fought back to regain parity with 20 minutes remaining.
A ball struck into the Panthers’ D arrived at chest height, deflected off a defender’s stick, and flew at pace toward the far post. Hannah Scriven reacted brilliantly, drilling an overhead shot down into the goal – a fantastic finish.
However, the Panthers were not finished.
Ten minutes later, they scored a superb team goal. From their own 16-yard free hit, Steve Ritzema found Dom Simpson, who passed to Harry Wild.
Driving forward from left back, Wild picked out young Charlie Bore on the left, midway inside the Ladies’ half.
Bore’s clever pass found Conrad Evans, whose through ball split the defence to find the onrushing Baines.
With composure, Baines placed the ball past the keeper to restore the Panthers’ lead.
Just three minutes later, Panthers earned another short corner, and Dom Simpson notched his second with a laser-guided strike.
The ball zipped inches inside the left-hand post and the keeper’s kicker before thudding into the backboard.
At 5-3 and with minutes to go, Panthers held firm, keeping the Ladies at bay to secure a hard-fought three points.
Saturday’s action opened with a closely contested Men’s League Division 1 match, where Hautlieu 1st XI edged Victoria College 1st XI 3-2.
Hautlieu’s Tiaan Kruger scored twice, with Sam Maguire adding another to secure their second win of the season.
Ben Heelis and Jake Le Boutillier found the net for Victoria College, but they remain rooted to the bottom of the table.
In Men’s League Division 2, Affinity JHC Lions and OV Victoriana played out an enthralling 4-4 draw. The Lions, led by a brace from Jake Le Boutillier, and singles from Nick Heins and Sascha Benson-Cooper, matched Victoriana, who saw stand-out performances from Jordan Ramsay (2), Euan McArthur, and Jacob Bell.
The draw helped Victoriana earn a valuable point in their battle to climb the table.
Sunday’s matches featured key contests in the Ladies’ divisions.
In the top flight, Caesarean Flames fell to JLHC 1s 3-2, which keeps JLHC in strong contention for the title.
Meanwhile, Quackers 1st XI secured an emphatic 4-0 win over JTC RWB.
Goals from Olivia Labesse, Natacha Kay, Jamey Henderson, and Eve Anthoine demonstrated the Quackers’ attacking prowess, moving them into the title race.
In Ladies’ League Division 2, Quackers 2nd XI and Nomads played out a goalless stalemate, a testament to both teams’ defensive resilience.
In Men’s Division 1 on Monday, OV Convicts extended their unbeaten run with a thrilling 4-3 win over their younger counterparts, Victoria College 1st XI.
Convicts’ goals came from Peter Millar, Phil Cuming, Alex Anthoine and Chris Thomas, while Victoria College battled valiantly with a déjà vu double from Le Boutillier and a single from Ali Webster.
This win solidifies the Convicts’ position at the top to four points over Crusaders, while Hautlieu’s win moved them further from the bottom, leaving Victoria College 1st XI anchored with just three points.
In Men’s League Division 2, Affinity JHC Panthers’ victory over Jersey Ladies 1st XI pushed them closer to the top three, though Hunters and Affinity JHC Lions remain dominant.
On the Ladies’ side, JLHC 1s now lead Division 1 with 11 points, thanks to RWB being upset by Flames.
In Division 2, Walkers Eagles remain in control with an impressive 13 points and a +29 goal difference.
