PENARTH Hockey Club got the competitive portion of the 2015-16 season underway in Swansea at the weekend, but almost as significant as the success down west was the return of the club’s 3rd XI.

The influx of players over the summer which allowed the re-formation of the thirds has also bolstered both the first and second teams and, with the senior side on a week’s hiatus, it was a new-look 2nd XI - led by new captain Matt Birch - which travelled to Swansea for the preliminary round of the Welsh Cup competition.

The unique competition had seven teams looking to reach the semi-finals by finishing in the top two after a gruelling round robin format, with each team playing six half hour games across the day.

Penarth started strongly and played on the front foot throughout their opening game, with the early pressure paying off just before half-time as Will Romain converted a cross at the back post to put the Bears ahead. Despite looking comfortable, at 1-0 the Vale side was always vulnerable to an equaliser before Birch slapped home a second midway through the second half to confirm victory.

Penarth’s second game saw them facing Bridgend, and it was the former who dominated once again. After a few missed opportunities, the Bears finally broke the deadlock with Tom Haran driving through from midfield to tap home a cross. Once in front, Penarth piled on the pressure and added another two in the second half through a Birch penalty corner and a second for Haran.

The green machine maintained its 100 per cent record against a good Swansea Bay side in a closely-fought encounter but, with coach Ben Croxall on the sideline, it took a fightback after a slow start saw Penarth under the cosh and conceding an early goal.

Having found their feet, the visitors started playing better hockey, and their increased pressure eventually led to a penalty flick for a foul on Romain. Sam Chick stepped up, only to put the penalty wide of the post, but his blushes were spared somewhat as Penarth kept up the pressure and eventually forced an equaliser as Romain produced a smart finish to cap a good move down the right.

Croxall made changes to the formation at half-time, and it paid off as, despite both teams playing well in the second half, it was Penarth who grabbed the decisive goal with Chick atoning for his earlier miss by glancing in a Phil Lane pass at the front post. At 2 -1 down, Swansea piled on the pressure, but some resolute defending kept the score in Penarth’s favour to make it three wins from three.

Despite being full of confidence heading into the fourth game, the Vale side came unstuck against Abergavenny after experimenting with a new formation – and promptly finding themselves 4-0 down inside 10 minutes. Although Penarth controlled the game after the whirlwind start, Lane wasted the team’s second penalty of the day, and the game ended without any further scoring.

Under pressure following the defeat, the Bears needed a win against Cardiff & Met to keep hopes of qualification in their own hands. In one of the sloppier games of the day, Penarth fought hard for the victory before finding a late breakthrough as Lane fired home from the middle of the D.

Even with four wins from five, Penarth were still not assured of qualification and needed to pick up at least a point in their final match against Whitchurch. With both sides struggling from exhaustion and cramping up, Penarth knew a victory would be a hard-fought one but, despite having the better of the chances, Whitchurch always looked like they could sneak a winner.

Tensions were finally eased midway through the second half as Birch converted a penalty corner to give the Bears the lead, and Chick ensured both victory and qualification for the semi-finals by adding a second late on.

“This was a great effort from a new-look team in a format many of the team had not encountered before,” captain Birch commented, “I can’t fault the effort from anyone, and I’m sure everyone is looking forward to the chance to play in a semi-final, with a day out on Finals Weekend at stake later in the season.”

Whitchurch ‘F’ 1 Penarth ‘B’ 0

After many seasons with a membership that prevented the club from fielding a meaningful 3rd XI, the early stages of PHC’s ‘20:20 Vision’ realised a long-held dream as a side comprised of a medley of veterans and young talent took on a younger Whitchurch team in Treforest.

Despite the usual pre-match rallying cry from captain Nick Pratt, Penarth were slow to hit their stride and, having denied the home side on a handful of occasions, were finally undone in freakish fashion. A wayward shot was met by a Whitchurch stick on the by-line and the resulting spin generated by the contact took the ball on a crazy trajectory into the Penarth net, despite the best efforts of goalkeeper Matt Noble and defender Graeme Jones.

One down after only 10 minutes, the Vale side needed to sharpen up, and did so as Dev Patel, Rob Harrison and Dave Thomas gradually took control of the midfield. Although there were still too many miss-hit passes, Penarth gradually shifted the balance of play to the Whitchurch end, where Sam Salisbury and Derek Wooding both had chances to equalise.

Despite still being a goal behind at the break, there was no urge to change the way the side was playing, and the second half proved to be an open encounter, with opportunities at both ends. On the occasions when Whitchurch managed to breach the defensive line led by Paul Roberts and Craig Llewellyn, Noble ensured Penarth remained in the game with a string of fine saves, while man-of-the-match Patel continued to drive the Bears forward, setting up chances for Pratt and Thomas that went unconverted.

The second half stalemate meant that Penarth’s 3rd XI returned with a defeat, but simply getting to the point where such a team could take to the field was victory in itself for a club looking to rebuild itself into a serious contender at all levels.

“This game may have been a low-key affair, but it was still significant in terms of the redevelopment of Penarth Hockey Club,” captain and club chairman Pratt confirmed, “We will have three teams in league action for the first time in a long time this season, and we are anticipating good things both on and off the field.”

The 1st XI face their own cup tournament in Swansea this weekend, while the 2nds return to action with an away fixture against Cardiff Medics ‘A’ at Llys Tal-y-Bont.

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 6.30pm and 7.30pm and the seniors between 7.30pm and 8.30pm.

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.

Please contact Craig Llewellyn on 07950 409763 or craig@cardinalpr.com for further details.