AFTER one the most important off-seasons in recent memory, Penarth Hockey Club has found itself the talk of the town, but the time for talking finally ended ahead of the opening weekend of the new league campaign, with the new-look 1st XI and resurrected 3rds both scheduled to be in action away from home.

Whitchurch ‘B’ 1 - Penarth 13

While the 3rd XI game was ultimately called off, preventing a trip to Lampeter, the senior side travelled to local rivals Whitchurch determined to walk the walk, with a score to settle after suffering two defeats to their bitter rivals last season.

With the sun high in the sky and the teams ready to duel, it was the visitors who proved quickest on the draw, scoring almost immediately from the initial push back - and incredibly repeating the feat straight away to find themselves 2-0 up within two minutes of the opening whistle.

Penarth continued to dominate the early exchanges but, despite their lightning start, could not find the killer shot, wasting chance after chance to increase their lead. Somehow, frustration led to complacency mid-way through the half, allowing Whitchurch to have their best spell of the game. Enjoying the lion’s share of possession, the home side were able to create chances and fired some warning shots of their own, without actually halving the deficit.

In the relentless heat, however, Penarth’s rolling substitutions came into their own, with the home team’s bare 11 gradually starting to wilt. The Bears took advantage of the situation to bang in four quick-fire goals before the half was out to lead 6-0 into the break and effectively put the game to rest.

As the second half got underway, it was Laith El Khatib who proved to be the quickest gun in town, scoring four goals of his own and bagging man of the match honours with an impressive all round display.

Despite having reached double figures, Penarth refused to let up, playing some free-flowing hockey as the hard work put in during pre-season started to pay off. Despite being 10-0 down, however, Whitchurch showed that they weren’t about to slink away, and broke on the counter before a clever piece of skill fallowed their striker to go one-on-one with goalkeeper Mark Harris and slot home a consolation goal.

Having been denied a clean sheet, Penarth showed no mercy and carried on scoring until the last second. Usman Dhami completed the rout by scoring his first goal for the club, tapping into an open net with the last touch of the game after some good work from new player/coach Ben Croxall left the 'keeper stranded.

A truly professional demolition job thus ended in a 13-1 victory for the visitors that puts Penarth top of the De Cymru & The Marches 1 table.

Goalscorers – Laith El Khatib (4), Chris Baker (2), Ben Croxall (2), David Joyce (2), Phil Lane, Jonny Moore and Usman Dhami

The 1st XI are on their travels again this weekend, heading to Gloucestershire to face Lansdown and prove that their impressive start to the season was no one off. After a bye week in De Cymru 2, the 2nd XI make their GoCrea8 Hockey League debut away at Llanishen & Caerphilly, while the Thirds are on hiatus.

Penarth Hockey Club always welcomes new, old and returning players, umpires, supporters, friends and helpers regardless of age and ability. Training takes place on Wednesdays at Stanwell School, with the juniors on the pitch between 6.15pm and 7.15pm and the seniors between 7.15pm and 8.15pm.

Anyone interested in joining the club at senior or youth level can contact either player-coach Ben Croxall (b_croxall20@yahoo.co.uk) or club secretary Dave Stevens (d_stevens81@hotmail.co.uk) for further information.