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as of 06/05/2008
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Captain : Paul Rodgers
Match Reports
Inst started this quarter final tie against North Down the firm favourites as the Comber men are in the league below and indeed dominated the early play and took the lead 15 minutes in when an superb angled cross from Michael Eagleson was slotted home at the back post by Thomas Welshman. Then it all started to go wrong for Inst. While they were still able to keep the North Down attack at bay, they found it increasingly more difficult to do anything with the ball when they were in possession. With relief half time came and Inst had kept their early lead with some solid defending from the back four and Chris Harvey in nets. At the start of the second half Inst seemed to have picked up their tempo but were unable to finish any of the corners that they won and as time went on, as they pushed to extend their lead, they began to get caught on the counter attack. It was from one of these attacks with only a few minutes left that North Down equalised. So on to extra time and Inst came out as if they had nothing to lose. They began to gain the upper hand and indeed should have finished off the game in the first extra period when Paul Dickson won a penalty stroke when a defender stopped the ball with his foot on the goal line. Gregg Frizelle stepped up but somehow managed not to score as the ball hit the inside of the post, the back of the goalkeeper's leg but be stopped by a relieved keeper's outstretched arm . It did not look at this point as if it was going to be our day! Still 1-1 then as the teams turned around for the final time. The second period of extra time was end to end and again Inst should have ended the tie, but unfortunately a great save from the keeper touched a drive from Paul Dickson onto the post and to safety. Scott Guiler should get a mention here as he made the most remarkable last ditch tackles that I have ever seen. North Down broke on the counter attack and the right winger was several yards ahead of Scott, heading for goal when 'the ginger one' literally flew through the air to take the ball off the attackers stick on the reverse and out to safety. On a sand based astro pitch this was either brilliant or down right foolish. Either way it was one of the stand out moments of the game. Onto the dreaded penalty stroke competition... Mark McCullough dispensed wise words to the stroke takers: make up your mind where your going to put it and make sure it's on target. Scott Guiler was first up for Inst who put the ball wide! Not the start we were looking for. This became 1-0 down as North Down's centre forward sent Chris the wrong way. Graeme Higgin made it 1-1, placing his neatly in the bottom corner. 2-1 down when William Hayhurst roofed his stroke giving the keeper no chance to make it 2-2. 3-2 down after North Down converted again, then David McCandless coolly sent the keeper the wrong way to level the scores again at 3-3. The next stroke was the decisive one... In a moment of nerves the North Down player took his stoke before the whistle went but it was saved so no re-take was allowed. Gregg Frizelle then had the opportunity to redeem himself, which he took to miraculously put Inst through.
3rds beaten by the odd goal and a farce! On the gravel on a fine spring-like day the 3rds traveled to Malone Park, Downpatrick. Out went the fancy-dan stickwork and in came the blood and thunder of old style gravel hockey. Graham Russell was added to the panel today and indeed started the game and did not look out of place at all. 'Daddy' Eagleson, Steven Rea and Scott Guiler completed the defence standing in front of the fresh-faced Nigel Skillen. Midfield comprised of Paul Rogers, Mark McCullough and Graeme Higgin. Up front was William Hayhurst, Paul Dickson and Thomas Welshman. Things did not start well as Matt Vernon injured himself during the warm-up, leaving only David McCandless on the bench. Play began and Inst pressurised from the start. All three forwards had good opportunities to open the scoring but failed to capitalise with any of them. This was made worse by Down gaining a free-hit just outside the circle late in the first half. Calls of 'Crossgar' from Down, to an 'aul han', would mean only one thing: back post, but the call went unheard and their centre forward found space to stop the ball at the back post and slot home from a narrow angle past Skillen. But Inst were playing well and looked forward to press home their superior fitness and skill level in the second half but they became increasingly anxious as time progressed and it became harder to breakdown a resilient Down defence. That was until the match defining moment with less than ten minutes left. Mark McCullough received the ball on the edge of the circle and proceeded to take it round the goalkeeper who then upended him and left him eating gravel as he was about to slot the ball into the net. The whistle blew and with the exception of the Down goalkeeper, it looked certain that the decision was going to be a penalty flick. The goalkeeper would be lucky to even stay on the pitch for the remainder of the match was whispered around the ground. All eyes were on the umpire... The decision came as a shock to all watching and playing (with the exception of the Down goalkeeper). A hit out. WHAT!!!!!!! So with the exception of the Down goalkeeper and the umpire, the keeper had apparently kicked the ball before clattering into McCullough. My question is: if that was true, the correct decision should have been a long corner. So what was the umpire really thinking? I will leave you to make up your own mind as nobody else including the Down players could understand the decision...
3rds beat League Leaders Lisnagarvey! The 3rds proved on Saturday that they can compete with the best in the league when they defeated the unbeaten league leaders at Comber Road. Inst took the lead after a good start with an excellent reverse stick finish from Nick Louden into the top corner of the net after 10 minutes. Both sides played some nice hockey and Lisnagarvey had their fair share of chances and should have equalised if was not for the figure of Nigel Skillen in goal. With the 2nds in fine form and strong it good to see that we now have strength in depth as shown by the 3rds four substitutes including goalkeeper all of whom got at least a half game. At half time the goalkeepers swapped and Chris Harvey stepped between the posts. He continued where Nigel left off producing a good save with stretching to his right to knock the ball away with his stick. This kept the game at 1-0. The game opened up more in the second half allowing Nick Louden, William Hayhurst and Thomas Welshman exploit the extra space. A run from William led to Inst's second goal. A good run down the right was supplemented by an excellent cross to Paul Dickson who beat the goalkeeper to his right into the corner. Paul was unlucky not to extend Inst's lead even further when another run from William produced a cross to Paul who only had to slot the ball in from a yard out. Somehow the defender got a touch on the ball to cause the ball to come off the edge of Paul's stick and go straight up in the air. While Paul looked all around for the ball, others apparently saw the ball land on the top of the crossbar and go out of play. Solid performances from all players contributed to a team win. Bring on Kilkeel next week!
3rds beat Bangor 4ths Inst made several important changes to their team this week. Back from injury came Steven Rea into defence, Nick Louden and David Wilson were available from the 2nds squad while this game saw the return (again) of Nigel Skillen between the posts. The 3rds really needed a win to re-start their season and got it in a return to their passing game. The game was not without concern as the defence was breached on more than one occasion. But once the attacker was through, they still had to beat Nigel Skillen. A superb performance with the pads ensured the leagues meanest defence was mean again after the last couple of weeks poor performances by their high standards. Thomas Welshman opened the scoring with a tap in, followed by Nick Louden with corner variation 142. William Hayhurst completed the victory with a well taken goal in the second half. The spirit of the team was lifted with this win and it will be necessary as they visit the league leaders next week, Lisnagarvey.
3rds lose again! On a wind and rain drenched afternoon the 3rds lost narrowly again. It started badly with them going one down shortly after the start but this was quickly cancelled out with a perfectly placed short corner from Paul Dickson right into the sideboard of the goal. What followed can only be described as an ice-hockey game as the game flowed from end to end and goals were traded at will. 25 minutes of madness later Instonians were 4-3 down with Thomas Welshman and David Wilson being the other scorers. Half time appeared and everyone was taking bets on the second half being scoreless. I should have taken the bet! The weather deteriorated to a point when if we had continued much longer the game would surely have been abandoned. Inst tried their best to get another goal but with slippy sticks and tiring legs it was not to be. This is becoming the story of their season. Things need to improve next week as they face Bangor 4ths.
3rds lose to Portadown
3rds defeat Harlequins Inst conceded an early goal again this week when a lapse in concentration allowed the Quinns forward through to finish from a tight angle. The scores were leveled 10 minutes later when Matt Vernon won a penalty corner by keeping a cool head. Paul Dickson hammered home the equaliser off the keepers pads. Half time scores level at 1-1. Inst came out in the second half and started to play the sort of hockey that we know this team can play. William Hayhurst was romping down the wing, supported by Vernon and Gareth Scott. It was from a Scott cross that Inst took the lead. Graeme Higgin finishing in fine style on the volley. Graeme got his second from another cross, this time finishing in even finer style high into the net. Graeme then completed a remarkable hat-trick with a run that beat 5 or 6 Harlequins players taking the ball into the circle then flicking the ball home into the bottom corner. Paul Rogers opened his account for the season with a composed finish, low under the keeper to complete the scoring.
3rds beaten by Cookstown Inst were 1-0 down before they had got out of their cars paying the price for arriving late for a 1pm start, Cookstown started brightly and finished well before our defense had time to organise. Things got worse when we went 2-0 down when we conceeded from a short corner. Jonny Wales was alert enough to see Paul Dickson standing alone in Cookstown's half from where he was able to take the ball unopposed into their circle and beat the keeper at the near post. At half time the conversation we had was what should have occurred before the game. Inst came out in the second half and played the better hockey, not letting Cookstown settle on the ball. Unfortunately the equaliser was not to come but encouraging signs and many positive things could be taken from the game.
3rds beaten by Kilkeel Inst struggled to come to terms with this team and could not keep their composure against inferior opposition. Kilkeel played as they always do, good basics and a never-say-die attitude. Their goalkeeper made several excellent saves from Paul Dickson, Graeme Higgin and Charlie Marks. Kilkeel scored the only goal of the game from a short corner in the first half. Inst rallied in the second half but played too much of a long ball game which prevented the midfield from supporting attacks.
3rds Draw with Experienced Garvey Team Good effort to draw with this team as they draw upon experience from the highest level along with a few younger legs. Inst managed to hold their own and contrary to newspaper reports, it was Inst who were unlucky not to take all the points as it was Charlie Marks who hit the post in the second half...
3rds overpower a weak Antrim 3rd XI Right from the start, Antrim looked like they would be struggling. They started with only ten men with no reinforcements on the horizon. Inst quickly got into their stride and made excellent use of the extra width and had wave after wave of attack. At half time the score stood at 4-0 but Inst were determined to ram their advantage home scoring 8 in the second half. The surprise of the day was from David McClure who was given the opportunity to play up front. He rewarded the new captain's faith in him by scoring 4 goals. Paul Dickson also chipped in with a hat-trick. William Hayhurst was unlucky not to also have bagged 3 as Paul nicked his third from off William's stick (sorry about that William!). Also on the score sheet were Graeme Higgin and David McCandless. The 3rds are off to a flyer, let's hope it can continue!
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The Ashes
Rugby Challenge
3rds
beat North Down 3rds on strokes to progress to Junior Shield semi-finals!
