BOTH Penarth Hockey Club sides achieved their end-of-season goals by taking victory on the final weekend of the 2014-15 Davis Wood Hockey League season.

Cirencester 4 Penarth 6

Penarth’s 1st XI made the long trip across the border to Cirencester for the final game of their season, determined to put the disappointment of the previous week behind them and finish on a positive note.

Fourth place in a closely-contested De Cymru & The Marches 1 was at stake for the Bears, with a victory required to ensure that the goal could be achieved without again relying on results elsewhere. With glorious sunshine overhead, it was the home side that dominated proceedings in the first half as Penarth struggled, both literally and figuratively, to find their feet.

Cirencester attacked with fluidity and were soon 3-0 up thanks to the combination of good build-up play and poor Penarth marking, but the visitors gradually got a toehold, and eventually hit back through a Chris Baker brace to make the score 3-2 at half-time.

As Warren Gatland had stirred his team into life earlier in the day, so outgoing skipper Mark Thomas (and others) roused the Penarth team after the break.

With Baker again the inspiration, the Vale side launched a spirited second half comeback, with three further strikes from the wand of the midfield magician being complemented by a great poacher’s goal for the impressive Tom Parkinson to make the final score 6-4 in Penarth’s favour.

Victory for Penarth provided a fitting end to a battling season.

Penarth ‘A’ 5 Bridgend ‘B’ 0

With their rivals for fifth place in De Cymru 2 just a couple of points behind, the 2nd XI knew that only a win would do if they were to accomplish their aim of topping the ‘division within a division’ behind the runaway leading quartet.

Bridgend may have occupied a lowly position in the table, but had already proved to be no pushover in the reverse fixture, which Penarth edged 2-1 in Pencoed, and continued to provide tenacious opposition despite starting the game with only 10 men.

Stern defence thwarted Penarth’s early efforts, but the Vale side finally made a breakthrough as the visitors’ missing man emerged from the car park.

Typically, it was veteran forward Dave Watkins who provided the valuable strike, exerting enough spin on the ball to ensure it crossed the line after striking the inside of the far post and, riding the home side’s increasing momentum, turned provider just minutes later as he supplied fellow ‘old hand’ Derek Wooding with the opportunity to make it 2-0.

The early cushion appeared too comfortable for Penarth, as they seemed to sit back on their lead for the remainder of the half, allowing Bridgend to get into the game.

With pressure switching to the home end, Penarth were grateful for a couple of saves from goalkeeper Jason Harris that preserved the advantage to the interval.

Despite being reminded that, based on recent performances, two goals would not be enough to guarantee victory, Penarth started the second half sluggishly, despite the best efforts of Rob Harrison and Dave Thomas to get play flowing forward, and had to rely on the defence to keep Bridgend at bay in the opening minutes of the second period.

The visitors again earned a string of penalty corners, only to be denied by the running of Graeme Jones and Paul Roberts, while remaining defensive combinations of Richard Bromily, Ian Smith, Craig Llewellyn, Zbig Sobiersieski and Nick Pratt – and some determined tracking back from Paul Thomas – rebuffed any attacks from open play.

The score remained 2-0 into the final quarter of the game, but the return of Penarth’s preferred passing game finally wore the visitors down, with Davesh Patel feeding Watkins for his second of the game and then Harrison providing the finest of touches to make it 4-0.

With James Davies having provided an alternative outlet down the left, there was still time for the Penarth to add a final flourish to their season, with Watkins fittingly completing his hat-trick in the closing minutes.

With their rivals managing only a single point between them from their respective fixtures, the result ultimately proved academic, as the Vale side secured fifth spot by a comfortable four points, but victory ensured that the post-match end-of-season curry – provided by consummate all-rounder Thomas P - tasted all the sweeter.

With no league fixtures until the resumption of hostilities in September, there will be more than a few players at a loose end in the coming weekends, but the club will once again be in Veterans XI action through the summer, building up to the inauguration of its new home pitch at Stanwell School later in the year.

Penarth Hockey Club always welcomes new, old and returning players, umpires, supporters, friends and helpers regardless of age and ability.

Training takes place on the artificial turf at Barry Sport Centre every Wednesday, with the juniors in action between 6pm and 7pm and senior between 7pm and 8pm.

Further information can be obtained from club secretary Dave Stevens at d_stevens81@hotmail.co.uk.