PENARTH Hockey Club’s 2nd XI prepared for this weekend’s cup qualifying competition in Swansea with a hard-fought success over local rivals Llanishen and Caerphilly at Stanwell School, while the 1st and 4th XIs were both in action to continue their pre-season build-up.

Penarth A 2 - Llanishen & Caerphilly 0

Penarth’s 2nd XI faced a tough task in their opening pre-season friendly, lining up against a Llanishen and Caerphilly side that will be playing in the league above them this season. With club chairman Nick Pratt’s ‘eve of the season’ address calling for league and cup success still ringing in their ears, however, it was a great opportunity for Penarth to test themselves against a strong opponent.

It was also a first test for the new captain/vice-captain combination of Sam Chick and Jamie Davison, who take over the reins from Matt Birch and James Davies, who bowed out after leading the team to De Cymru 2 league success and a cup final appearance last year.

Penarth started strongly and, with a new formation, managed to dominate the opening exchanges, appearing to take an early lead after only 10 minutes when Tom Parkinson did extremely well to find Matt Birch who slapped the ball home at the far post, only for the goal to be controversially ruled out for an earlier offence by the Llanishen and Caerphilly defence.

Penarth and Birch were not to be denied, however, with the former captain converting a second chance minutes later, after Chris McCarthy had robbed a visiting defender inside the ‘D’ and fed the ball to the far post.

Llanishen and Caerphilly tightened up after conceding the goal and, in their frustration, Penarth were guilty of losing their shape a little, forcing goalkeeper Mark Harris into action before the interval. On both occasions, however, the Welsh Over-40s regular was up to the task and the home side went into half-time still a goal to the good.

Penarth were able to regroup during the break and, as in the first half, were again able to dominate the opening exchanges at the restart. In a repeat of the earlier passage of play, their efforts would be rewarded with a goal when an excellent attacking move was neatly converted by Dave Kidby.

Penarth remained on top for the rest of the game, but were guilty of some rusty finishing and were unable to add a third goal before the final whistle. Much credit for the eventual 2 - 0 scoreline must also go to the defensive efforts of the back four, which limited the visitors to a few half-chances and gave Harris a relatively quiet afternoon between the sticks.

The overall performance and final result, however hard-earned, will allow the Vale side to take a lot of confidence to Swansea this weekend for the annual cup qualifying competition.

After losing in the Welsh Challenge final last season, Penarth will aim to go one step further this time around, and can qualify for the semi-finals if they can finish in the top two in the seven-team tournament on Saturday.

Goalscorers: Matt Birch, Dave Kidby

Penarth 7 - North Somerset 5

The 1st XI continued their preparation for the coming season by hosting North Somerset in a high-scoring encounter at Stanwell School.

After a series of unofficial friendlies throughout August, the senior Penarth side upped the ante by facing off against a side from the parallel Conference South division as they look to build on the league and cup double that not only earned some welcome silverware for the Vale club but also elevated them further into the Wales and West echelon of the GoCrea8 Hockey League.

With a handful of new faces in the ranks, attracted to Penarth by the free-flowing hockey exhibited throughout 2015-16, the home side were able to create a lot of pressure on the North Somerset area, but also needed to defend against the strongest opposition faced in some time.

Penarth eventually ran out 7 - 5 winners on an afternoon where both goalkeepers got a good work-out, and will take heart from the performance of a side still missing some of its regulars as it moves closer to its Conference North debut on October 1.

Llanishen & Caerphilly A 4 - Penarth C 0

Bolstered by a number of 3rd XI players, Penarth’s reformed C team travelled to face Llanishen and Caerphilly in their first fixture in more than 20 years.

Having thought that the opposition was going to be comprised of players from the Cardiff club's lower 11s, however, the visitors found themselves facing a side predominantly made up of 2nd XI players.

Despite this, the embryonic Penarth side gave a good account of themselves and, whilst rarely threatening the Llanishen goal throughout a game based around the unusual format of three 25-minute periods, the final 4 - 0 scoreline was hardly a fair reflection on a game where the Bears more than held their own for long periods.

With youngsters Jack Ritchie and man-of-the-match Rhys Meddins making their senior debuts, the future looks to be one of great promise for the club in general and Penarth C in particular.

This Saturday sees the C-siders travel to Newport to face a Gwent B development side with more of the promising youngsters coming through the Penarth youth development programme expected to be given their senior debuts.

All four Penarth Hockey Club sides are due to be in action this weekend with the 2nd XI looking to come through the qualifying stages of the Welsh Cup competitions, while the 1sts entertain Whitchurch A ahead of the 3rd XI’s fixture with Cardiff Medics, as the 4ths travel to Newport to face Gwent B.

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.