Another wonderful weekend of hockey as Wicklow visited on Sunday to play our 3rd/4th/5th class girls. It was a cold and frosty morning but that didn't stop our future stars from playing some great hockey. Showing some great skills and determination, Enniscorthy came out on top. Many thanks to Wicklow for making the trip down to the Astro Active Centre.
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This Saturday the Enniscorthy 1st years girls took on Wexford. Enniscorthy's team was made up of 6th class girls and 1st year girls and they came up against a Wexford side with the majority of their players being in 2nd year. This valiant Enniscorthy side was certainly not over-awed. The Wexford team had far more experience on a full pitch and 11 a side as well as their players playing for school along with club hockey. However, this young Enniscorthy side acquitted themselves very well. Aoife Mahon and Ciara Kelly from the 6th class group were outstanding, playing in positions that they hadn't started in before. Throughout the first half Wexford's superior passing skills had the Enniscorthy girls working extremely hard in defence. However, they kept Wexford at bay for long periods. Eventually the pressure told and Wexford took a 1-0 lead just before half time. With the introduction of Eimear Doyle and Eabha Farrel from 6th class, Enniscorthy created their own chances in the second half and came very close to levelling the scores on numerous occasions. However, with the age and experience gap between the two sides, the pressure eventually told and they scored a further two goals in the second half. The final score was 3-0, but the Enniscorthy team can be very proud having come up against the best side they have played all season. Again this game was a learning curve for the Enniscorthy girls and they will only benefit and learn from the experience of playing against better class opposition.
Team: Alice Medcalf, Ciara Kelly, Katie Sutton, Sophie Gillot, Emer Doyle, Orla May Cullhane, Hannah Sweeney, Aoife Mahon, Aoife Mernagh, Eimear Doyle, Eve Furlong, Elaine Quigley, Eabha Farrel, Laura Smith Enniscorthy's men maintain their lead at the top of Leinster division 7 after defeating Railway Union at a cool and blustery Park Avenue on Saturday. Their hosts had been somewhat of a bogey team in the past as the Wexford men had drawn and lost to the Sandymount side last year, but a resounding 5-0 home win in October meant that the table- toppers were hoping to do the double over Railway.
The visitors travelled up the N11 missing midfield players Glenn Chapman, Jonathon Rothwell and Liam Jowett, as well as defender Kieran Costello. As a result manager Fraser Rothwell was forced into a personnel reshuffle, moving Roy Chapman into the centre of midfield- covering for his brother Glenn- with Andrew Rothwell and David Simmons covering the right and left respectively. A slightly altered defensive line of Martyn Veitch, Clive Rothwell, Keith Ogilvie and P.J. Pierce lined out to help keep Graham Hill’s goal safe. Up front Jason Rothwell, Seamus McAlister and Cathal Ó Suilleabháin provided the attacking threat. In the early stages of the first half Enniscorthy pushed hard down the right wing, testing Andrew Rothwell in his new position, but with the help of Jason Rothwell and Roy Chapman the pressure was put firmly on Railway Union's defence. The D4 side held strong and kept the visiting attack at bay. Mid way through the first half saw Enniscorthy break the deadlock with a great team goal from some flowing passes combining quick touches involving a number of Enniscorthy players. Simmons passed the ball wide to Jason Rothwell who pushed the ball across the D to the waiting McAlister who swept the ball past the Railway goalkeeper into the bottom left corner. One nil to the visitors. Shortly after the scoreline was doubled; Ó Suilleabháin pouncing on a ball after a save from the home 'keeper following a reverse flick shot from Andrew Rothwell. At the whistle the visitors lead 2-0 after an energetic first half. The Dublin side got their chances in the second period, with a number of short corner efforts, but the Enniscorthy defence stayed solid . The Wexford men found themselves under considerable pressure but the visitors were able to maintain their hold on the game and held on for the win. With four games left for the Slaneysiders- all at home- Enniscorthy are in a prime position to claim silverware for the second season running. The first of the four is this coming Saturday as they take on St. Brendans Phoenix Park II, hoping to take a step closer to the title. Enniscorthy Squad: Graham Hill; P.J. Pierce; Keith Ogilvie; Clive Rothwell (c); Martyn Veitch; David Simmons; Roy Chapman; Andrew Rothwell; Jason Rothwell; Seamus McAlister; Cathal Ó Suilleabháin; Daithí Medcalf; Robbie Walshe; Greg Hawkins. This weekend the U14 girls travelled to a cold and windy Kilkenny to take on Carlow in the West Leinster League, with the help of Eabha Farell and Riana Hourihane from the sixth class group.
The girls took on a more experienced and skilful Carlow side, with the majority of their players playing schools hockey as well as club hockey. However Enniscorthy were not overawed. In the first half the game swung from end to end with Carlow creating some very good chances. However they found Alice Medcalf in great form in goal as she made some magnificent saves to keep them at bay. With the Enniscorthy defence working very hard, midway through the first half, Enniscorthy broke quickly and Elaine Quigley won a short corner. From the resulting corner Susannah Doyle and Laura Smith combined for Smith to convert and Enniscorthy to take the lead. The second half began with Carlow introducing their more experienced players and an inter pro. They pressed hard for the equaliser. However with Riana Hourihane, Katie Sutton, Laura Smith and Sophie Gillot working hard they kept the Carlow team at bay. Enniscorthy's mid fielders were like terriers and their forwards, all though with very little ball, worked hard to close down the Carlow attack. With a lot of heart, energy and commitment the Enniscorthy girls held out for a magnificent 1-0 victory. With two wins out of three the girls are well able to play in this West Leinster League. It also gives them much valuable experience and game time on a full size pitch. There's no substitution for games to learn and improve. A Special thanks also to Susannah Doyle, Hannah Sweeney and Laura Smith who stayed to play with the u16's, putting in a great performance. Team: Hannah Sweeney, Susannah Doyle, Eabha Farell, Riana Hourihane, Orla May Cullhain, Eve Furlong, Elaine Quigley, Alice Medcalf, Emer Doyle, Katie Sutton, Aoife Mernagh, Sophie Gillot, Laura Smith. |
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