Weekend of wins for Newry Hockey

Newry 1's 2-1 North Down

After a week break Newry were back in action on Friday night against North Down. The home side had a number of notable absentees, however the players stepping up to fill the spaces were more than up to the challenge. North Down controlled the ball for long periods but without much penetration or clear cut chances being created. It was Newry who looked more dangerous on the counter and went one up when a short corner was stopped illegally on the line and Peter McKnight stepped up to fire home the penalty stroke. The visitors did force a few short corners before the half time break but did not trouble Richard McGivern in nets.  

The second half ebbed and flowed, Newry trying to further their lead and North trying to get back on level terms. Both Andrew Shekleton and Peter McKnight missed chances to put Newry two up before North narrowly missed a golden opportunity to get the match back to one all. Another counter attack lead to a short corner and Peter McKnight got his second of the game with a drag flick. Newry started to manage the game now in order to see out the remaining time. North did not create many chances before the very last hit of the game when they scored from a short corner to leave the score 2-1 at full time.  

Team: R. McGivern, C. Henning, J. Taylor, A. Baird, G. Moffett, J. Greer, P. McKnight, K. Fletcher, N. Davenport, K. McWilliams, A. Shekleton, C. Large, N. McKnight, D. Barlow, J. Porter 

Newry Ladies 2-1 Parkview Ladies 

Newry ladies finished the season with a fantastic 2-1 win against Parkview on Saturday 19th March. A super performance from start to finish and were the deserving winners. 

From the whistle, Newry dominated the first half with great composure among the whole team. Midfield dynamos Steph, Rachael and Kathryn kept feeding the forwards with decisive attacking passes, leading to many chances but were unable to finish. 

Going into the third quarter, Newry were determined to score and kept the pace up showing real determination for each and every ball. This played off when the ball was played from right mid Kathryn down the line to right winger Brianna who played a crash ball into the circle where left winger Laverne picks up the ball and puts it in the back of the net. Newry kept the pressure on and it wasn’t long before a penalty corner was awarded where the ball was slipped to Chrissie at the top of the circle who with a shot on goal put Newry 2 nil up. 

With only 5 minutes to the final whistle, Parkview broke and by slipping the ball across keeper Katie, the ball was deflected into the net concluding the match 2-1 to Newry. 

A very well-deserved win for the Newry ladies who have put so much commitment and determination into both training sessions and matches throughout the season which clearly proved valuable in the final game. 

Team: K Baird (captain), L Inns, R Greer, K McCullough, C McAuley, R Clarke, S McNeilly, A Haire, S Smart, R Murdock, Z Moffett, L Murdock, Emma-Jayne Moffett, J Freeman, M Gregg 

Newry 2’s 5-0 South Antrim 3’s  

In the first match of the league cup Newry ran out emphatic 5-0 winners versus South Antrim on Saturday afternoon. It was a controlled professional performance from Newry as they dominated from the start to the end of the game. Corey Large got his first of the day when he was the quickest to react to a scuffed shot in the first quarter. He then turned provider five minutes later to put one on a plate for Simon McCafferty. Newry could have added to their account but went in at half time two goals to the good.  

The second half started off with a bang when Jonah Lutton smartly flicked over the keeper with only 30 seconds played to put the game to bed. As the match wore on Newry carved out chance after chance, both McCafferty and Large added to their first half goals to give the home side an unassailable 5-0 win and set their sights on next weeks trip to Bangor in the cup.

Team: R. Henning, J. Gregg, A. Baird, J. Lawson, N. Lutton, J. Lutton, S. McCafferty, S. Moffett, G. Moffett, S. Blakely, J. Whiteside, M. McCullough, D. Barlow, J. Porter, J. Greer, C. Large