PENARTH Hockey Club continues to push for promotion on three fronts in the GoCrea8 League despite only one of its teams winning on a weekend where the 1st and 3rd XIs faced top-of-the-table clashes.

Bristol UWE 2 - Penarth 1

After three successive weekends on South Wales soil, the 1st XI were back on their travels for the seventh game of the Conference North campaign, heading to the University of the West of England in Bristol for a showdown with the students.

Having won their previous three matches, the Bears were in confident mood, but travelled without talisman Ben Croxall for the first time as they took on a UWE side that had played one tier higher - in the Championship division - just last year. That pedigree showed as the home side proved capable of moving the ball well early on but, despite several forays into the Penarth 'D', they failed to break the deadlock, and it was Penarth who actually came the closest to doing so.

The visitors really established control in the final 15 minutes of the half, transferring the ball across the back before finding their way into the final third of the pitch with ease. However, although they earned a number of penalty corners, Penarth also failed to grab a goal and went into the break at 0 - 0.

The second half started just as the first had ended, with Penarth in control and winning numerous penalty corners. The breakthrough eventually came after 50 minutes, with Laith El-Khatib flicking the ball under the UWE 'keeper to put the visitors a goal up, but, despite maintaining possession thereafter, they couldn't add a second, allowing the students to remain in the game.

After earning a string of penalty corners of their own, the university side eventually evened the scoreline with a well-controlled flick into the bottom corner, and went into the final part of the game with the greater momentum. Under pressure, Penarth also found themselves on the wrong end of a number of umpiring decisions in the final 10 minutes, and were dealt a heavy blow when defender Tom Haran was sidelined for the remainder of the game after a bad challenge.

To make matters worse, UWE took the lead from the resulting penalty corner and Penarth, despite generating pressure with only 10 men, simply couldn't find a way back in the final stages, falling for the first time this season but remaining second in the division heading into a tough run of games against top six opposition.

Goalscorer: Laith El-Khatib

Penarth A 6 - Cardiff Medics A 0

The 2nd XI’s season has taken an upturn in recent weeks and Sam Chick’s side looked to make it three wins on the bounce as they hosted their Cardiff Medics counterparts at Stanwell School on Saturday.

The home team started well and, after a handful of thwarted efforts, finally took the lead midway through the first half, as a well-placed aerial ball caught the Medics’ defence napping, allowing Phil Lane to drive into the ‘D’ and slot home past the hapless ‘keeper. The lead was doubled soon after, with Lane again making the difference as he powered home to add to Penarth’s advantage, but the tempo dropped off towards the end of the half, allowing the Medics to come back into the game, although the few chances they created were met with some resolute defending that prevented them from troubling goalkeeper Simon Comfort.

Despite being ahead at half-time, Penarth knew 2 - 0 was still a vulnerable scoreline, with the next goal likely to be crucial in determining the outcome. With their effort re-fired by the interval, and concentrated by an injury to influential midfielder Mark Thomas, it was the home side who grabbed the score, man-of-the-match Sam Salisbury doing superbly to smash a ball to the back post for Steve Davies to add the finishing touch. Like Lane before him, Davies quickly doubled his tally, this time slapping home a scuffed Chick shot after good work from Dave Stevens, driving forward from right back.

With the Medics fading between sporadic attacks, Penarth made it five after a perfectly-weighted through ball from Lane saw Chick’s shot well saved by the ‘keeper, only to fall for Christian Holzbaur to calmly claim his first goal for the Bears. The scoring was rounded off by Chris McCarthy, following good build-up play by Jamie Davison, and the 6 - 0 scoreline helps Penarth climb to third in the De Cymru 1 table with four games remaining before the Christmas break.

Goalscorers: Phil Lane (2), Steve Davies (2), Christian Holzbaur, Chris McCarthy

Penarth B 1 - Swansea University C 5

Top-of-the-table Swansea University visited Stanwell to take on a Penarth 3rd XI buoyed by the previous week’s crushing victory over Swansea City.

Knowing that the winners would be De Cymru 3 leaders at the end of the day added a little extra frisson to the occasion, but it was the student side that started quicker and, within a couple of minutes, were 1 - 0 up after a well-worked goal. Two further goals - one a penalty flick - gave the visitors a comfortable lead by midway through the half, but Penarth gradually managed to find their feet and, despite losing James Davies to a dead leg, the Bears started to build some attacks of their own through Richard Cousins and Mark Robinson in midfield.

After going close through a couple of penalty corners struck by Nathan Townsend - one of which seemed to be stopped by a Swansea leg on the goal-line - a drive into the ‘D’ by skipper Dave Watkins resulted in his cross being diverted into the net by a Swansea stick, making it 3 - 1 at the break.

The second half proved to be much better for Penarth, as the defence of Simon Wilkinson and Matt Birch stopped the Swansea attacks with relative ease and provided the foundation for numerous quick breaks that should have resulted in a goal or two for the home side. That could have swung the game in Penarth’s favour, but they were made to pay for their wastefulness as they appeared to tire in the final five minutes, defensive errors twice gifting goals to a university side who would be the first to admit that the eventual 5 – 1 scoreline did not reflect the game as a whole.

Goalscorer: Dave Watkins

Three of the four Penarth sides will be in action this weekend, with the 3rds taking their turn to have a Saturday off. The 1st XI will hope to bounce back as they open a run of hugely important fixtures by taking on Bristol University at Stanwell School (1.45pm start). The 2nds head to Swansea hoping to make it four in a row and keep the pressure on the top two in division, while the 4th XI provide the warm-up for the senior side by hosting Gwent at Stanwell (noon start).

Penarth Hockey Club will be holding a quiz night - featuring Paul 'Freddy' Thomas' famous curry - on Friday,November 25, starting 7.30pm at Penarth Athletic Club.

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 7pm and 8.15pm.

Anyone interested in joining the club at senior or youth level can contact club secretary Dave Stevens (d_stevens81@hotmail.co.uk) for further information.