Penarth Hockey Club Under-13s star in South Wales Cup

The tournament, held at King George V field in Swansea, was the first time this season that the Under-13s had managed to put out a B team as some of the boys have only been playing for a month, but they still showed real potential against more experienced opposition.

This was no more evident than in their first match against a very strong Gwent B side, as Penarth managed to soak up a lot of pressure with Kavan Kalsi-Lucas making some tremendous saves in goal. The whole team defended brilliantly and were rewarded when, with a few minutes to go, Jack Ritchie made a counter attack and saw his shot deflected into the path of Tom Lumsden, who slotted home to give Penarth an unexpected victory.

Buoyed by their win, the boys then played Whitchurch C but, despite having all the pressure, could not score the crucial breakthrough goal. Josh Warne and younger brother Oscar worked tirelessly in midfield, but could not prevent Whitchurch from scoring against the run of play, handing Penarth a 1-0 defeat.

Despite the setback, Penarth were determined to get back to winning ways against Whitchurch B team. Along with some immense defensive work from Ethan Kneale and Owen Kestle, and a very assured performance from Lumsden, Felix Clarke had his best game for the club, providing excellent service to Ritchie up front, while Josh Warne proved outstandingly brave running out on penalty corners. Once again, the team was rewarded for its work at the back, as a wonderful reverse stick strike from Ritchie provided the breakthrough on the way to another well-deserved 1-0 win.

Penarth dominated their final group match against Swansea B, taking the game to their hosts but with Kestle, Lumsden and Kneale always watchful to cover the breaks. Oscar Warne came close to scoring but it was big brother Josh who eventually found the all-important touch to seal the victory for Penarth.

Despite three wins from four matches, however, there would be no further progress for the plucky Penarth side as Gwent, who they had beaten in their opening match, took the group on goal difference. Although disappointed at not going through to the final, the result was still a tremendous one for a team of players including many who had not played competitive hockey before the weekend.

The A tournament took place straight after the B team competition, pitting Penarth against Whitchurch in their first match.

The Vale side started slowly and were denied both space and time as Whitchurch kept their shape well. As a result, there were few attacking opportunities for Penarth, despite some excellent passing from Max Poddar and Lewis Ingram, and Whitchurch underlined their control by taking the lead before half-time.

Penarth managed to create more chances after the interval, with Elys Johnson just shooting wide, and the Cubs were just starting to open up the Whitchurch defence on a regular basis when the Cardiff side got a lucky break and added a second goal to put the result beyond doubt just before the final whistle.

Penarth needed to recover from their disappointing start in time to take on Abergavenny, but made a nervy start and had Gabriel Pryde to thank for clearing off the line early on. Gradually, however, Penarth took a hold of the game with some super skills from Johnson and Iwan Meddins before both took turns to find the net, Johnson with great composure and Meddins with a cheeky one-handed reaction shot.

Both Ingram and Ross John were proving immense in midfield but, once Penarth had gone 2-0 up, the team seemed to ease off and allowed Abergavenny back into the game with a late goal. That produced a tense finish, but Penarth managed to cling on to their 2-1 lead with some excellent defending from Pryde and Aaron Noor-Mohamed, with Kalsi-Lucas again making some important saves.

The final group game put the Vale side up against the giants from Bridgend and, despite Penarth looking a much younger team, they did not let the size difference affect them. Aaron McJennett-House was superb in defence, Ingram took control of the midfield, and Meddins and Johnson again linked up well to create many chances, while John came closest to scoring from a short corner.

The game ended 0-0, but it was enough for Penarth to secure second place in the group and a chance to play Radyr in the knockouts.

The two teams have played several times over the season and, as each encounter has proven to be very close, this was to be no different. The play flowed from end-to-end, with both teams creating chances, but the scoreline remained 0-0 at half–time.

Just as the deadlock suggested penalties, however, Radyr scored with a close range effort. Penarth responded by applying concentrating pressure on their rivals' goal, with Meddins only narrowly missing out on an equaliser, but the Radyr goalkeeper was outstanding on the day and, had it not been for him, the Vale side could have scored several times.

Victory ensured that Radyr went through to the South Wales Finals, but the Penarth boys should be extremely proud of themselves, having played with great skill throughout. With the entire squad having another year left in the Under-13 age group, any improvement akin to this year's will give them a great chance of making the Finals next season.

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.