PENARTH Hockey Club's Veterans XI completed their preparation for this weekend's Welsh Masters competition by going unbeaten in a mini tournament with local rivals Llanishen and Caerphilly and Dutch visitors Alliance.

With pitch time limited at the home of Welsh hockey in Sophia Gardens, the three teams played a series of shortened games more in keeping with this weekend's national event, with Penarth opening up against the tourists before then taking on the hosts in their second match.

Penarth Vets 3 - Alliance Vets 1

Having seen a couple of mid-week games go by the wayside since their last fixture, Penarth were pleased to field a relatively strong squad for the Sunday double-header, and started confidently against an Alliance side coming off a similarly tight Saturday schedule - as well as a night out in Cardiff.

While goalkeeper Jason Harris was hardly troubled in the opening 10 minutes, Penarth took their time before opening the scoring, wasting several gilt-edged chances before Tyrone Moore took matters into his own hands, jinking through the Dutch defence before leaving the otherwise agile Alliance netminder flat-footed as he fired an unstoppable shot high into the net.

That should have opened the floodgates against an opponent which, unusually, carried a higher average age than the Penarth squad, but the Vale side again proved profligate in front of goal, and were eventually made to pay as the visitors equalised from a penalty corner.

Being pegged back finally seemed to spur Penarth into action, and Moore swiftly re-established their lead, albeit in slightly less spectacular fashion than his first strike. With Mark Robinson orchestrating play from midfield, Dave Watkins and Nick Pratt both had chances to extend the lead before Marc Sawyer finally made the victory safe by forcing a third goal right on the final whistle.

Llanishen and Caerphilly Vets 1 - Penarth Vets 1

Although hosts Llanishen and Caerphilly had also played two games on Saturday - where familiar foe Whitchurch filled the Penarth role - they were always likely to be more of a test for the Vale side, and a better guide to what will be required at the Masters event in Swansea this weekend.

True to form, the Cardiff-based side dictated the play early on and, despite the best efforts of Harris in the Penarth goal, established an advantage after 10 minutes as a miscommunication in the defence left a red shirt unmarked in the heart of the 'D'.

Going a goal down and having to weather some heavy pressure could have seen Penarth wilt on an already humid afternoon, but a determined defensive effort spearheaded by the returning Richard Bromiley, half backs Rob Harrison, Zbig Sobiersierski and Simon Wilkinson and the tireless Paul 'Freddy' Thomas frustrated Llanishen and kept the result in doubt to the end.

Despite going down to 10 men in the final minutes of an increasingly feisty encounter, the stonewall performance was ultimately rewarded, with Watkins picking up an accurate Craig Llewellyn clearance in the Llanishen half and dancing his way into scoring range before slotting home to secure a well-merited draw.

With the hosts also beating Alliance 3-1, Penarth laid claim to a share of the unofficial spoils, sending them into the biggest weekend of the national veterans hockey calendar on a rare high. Two morning group games - against Bridgend and event hosts Swansea - precede an afternoon of play-off games, with the Vale side hoping to earn at least a semi-final spot with a further strengthened squad.

Penarth Hockey Club always welcomes new, old and returning players, umpires, supporters, friends and helpers regardless of age and ability. When the regular season resumes, training will take 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.