Promotion joy for sides (From Penarth Times)

Promotion joy for sides

PENARTH Hockey Club's 1st and 2nd XIs were both celebrating championship-winning seasons on Saturday - and promotion to North 2 and South Wales 1 of the Gerrard Hockey League respectively.

The 1st XI rounded off their excellent season with a 5-2 win against Whitchurch C.

Needing to win the final game to ensure the title and automatic promotion, Penarth put in a champions' display as they dominated from the start - and could well have won by more than three goals.

Nigel Mason opened the scoring after 10 minutes, following a period of sustained pressure by Penarth, and he netted against his old club again just 10 minutes later, to put Penarth in control at 2-0.

Penarth always looked comfortable, and with the back four of skipper Dave Stevens, Jamie and Rob Davison and the reliable Tom Harran working well as a unit, keeper Mark Harris had a relatively quiet time of it.

Penarth had several more chances in the first half, with Mason and Chris Simms coming close on several occasions. The inevitable third goal came just before half-time, as Simms converted a penalty corner, to underline Penarth's dominance.

The midfield quartet of Chris Baker, Mark Thomas, Govind Varsani and Dave Tipping worked tirelessly throughout the game and were always on top of the Whitchurch midfield.

Early in the second half, Penarth carried on where they had left off in the first ,with Simms firing in his second of the match, another well-worked penalty corner routine.

Penarth had a momentary lapse of concentration which saw the visitors nick a goal back, but the ever -impressive Varsani put the game beyond doubt mid-way through the second period to make it 5-1.

There was still time for Whitchurch to get a late consolation goal, but nothing was going to stop the Penarth party.

After the match captain Dave Stevens said "This is a really positive step forward for Penarth Hockey and the culmination of a year of hard work. The players have been excellent throughout and the level of commitment shown has been justifiably rewarded."

It was a similar story in Neath, where Sam Docherty's 2nd XI needed one win from their last two games to secure champion status.

And like the 1st XI, they were always in control.

Two goals from Dave Kidby, and one each from stalwart Dave Watkins and youngster Sam Hackett secured a 4-1 victory on a sodden pitch at Neath Sports Centre.

The 2nd XI have become stronger and stronger as the year progressed, and are unbeaten since before the Christmas break - and they are already looking forward to cutting their teeth in South Wales Division 1 next year.

The 3rd XI went down by 6-0 against Aberystwyth University, but Kevin James' team, despite not having the results they may have hoped for, have been a vital part of the club's success this year, providing a breeding ground for the young players who will be the 1st XI of the future.