WARRINGTON Hockey Club Men’s 1st Team grabbed a point away at league leaders Brooklands in a closely fought 2-2 draw.
They took the lead within the first minute, a slick passing move down the right ended with James Warburton feeding Carl Fairhurst whose first-time finish bobbled past the goalkeeper and into the goal.
Warrington doubled their lead just before the break with Richard Cook dispatching an unstoppable drag flick into the top right corner past the helpless Brooklands goalkeeper.
Brooklands fought back in the second half, utilising their four extra substitutes – some of which regularly play at a higher level – to take control of the game. Goalkeeper and man of the match Tom Lloyd made a string of impressive saves while every outfield player battled hard to keep their opponents at bay.
Sadly, Brooklands’ pressure paid dividends and they managed to strike twice
through some well-worked passing moves and clinical finishes.
The result leaves Warrington within touching distance of top spot with over half the season still to go.
Warrington Women’s 1st Team secured an impressive 2-1 comeback victory at home against a competitive Deeside team.
The first half was predominantly a battle in midfield with both sides struggling to break through and test the goalkeepers. Tracy Jackson in the Warrington goal had batted everything away until an impressive solo effort from a Deeside forward found the bottom corner to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at the break.
Warrington approached the second half with confidence and quickly took control of the game despite an unfortunate head injury to captain Sarah Gregson shortly after the game restarted. The equaliser came midway through the second half, Helen Fairhurst’s shot on goal rebounded to Lauren Hayes who swept the ball to Emma Thelwell who tapped home to setup a grandstand finish.
The winner followed shortly after. Fairhurst and Hayes combined once again before Hayes on-target effort found Kara Doyle who applied the finishing touch to wrap up all three points.
Warrington Women’s Development Team fell to a 2-0 home defeat against Winnington Park.
A goal in each half gave the more experienced side the victory against a Warrington side which included four junior players – each of which held their own brilliantly in the adult’s game. Despite the result there were a number of great performances. Chloe Bull and Avril Platt were resolute in defence while Frankie Hayes, Bella Thornton, and Daniella Sutton linked up well in attack.
Warrington Men’s 2nd Team didn’t have a fixture but will be hoping to grab some important points next wee
