Holcombe Hurricanes 2 - 5 Optimists 6's
The Ops youngsters had another awayday, with a late afternoon fixture at Holcombe. In the usual manner, the 6's had a blend of youth and experience, with 8 junior players featuring.
After two games together, the team have really begun to gel, and the Ops set a terrific pace right from the off. With Evan Carter raiding down the right, and Joel Davison rampaging down the left, Ops had the Holcs 'D' under pressure immediately, and it was no surprise when after 5 minutes Carter's strong run along the baseline saw him square the ball for young Joseph Allon to notch his first adult league goal. Minutes later, a similar barnstorming run saw Joel Davison also notch his first adult league goal. A Deryl Gilham-Jones penalty corner strike saw the Ops 3 up in 15 minutes, and playing the sort of hockey that skipper Steve Letley dreamed of. With Finn Letley, Oscar Daly and Jake Davison joining the fray Ops maintained relentless pressure on the Holcs defence, who when they did break out found Paul Andrews and Letley Sr impassable in the middle of the park. As the game wore on, Holcs began to have some more joy down the flanks, only to find themselves up against the indefatigable Dave Brazier and unflappable Simon Jones in the Ops defence. Young Daniel Andrews showed wonderful composure on the ball, calmly taking on Holcs players and making progressive passes to keep the Ops on the front foot. One scintillating move saw Daly interchange passes with Andrews Sr, with Daly playing a stellar touch past one Holcs defender to put him in on goal, only to be denied by a heroic last ditch tackle. Arthur Ireland began to show his class down the flanks, turning defenders inside out with his silky skills. The half ended 3-0 to the Ops, with them having dominated possession and playing some sublime hockey.
Holcs came out for the second half determined to stamp some authority on the game, and very soon scored their opener, with Charlie Milligan in goal so unlucky not to make the save. Holcs continued to press, but the Ops defence stood firm, with Milligan making several important interventions. Ops finally opened their second half account when some great work down the right by Letley Jr and Daly saw the latter pass to Andrews Sr who stepped in front of his marker to sweep home from the top of the 'D'. All credit to Holcs though, who continued to push for a second goal, which they achieved with a somewhat bobbly effort that wrong-footed everyone. Ops has the last word though, with Arthur Ireland also joining the list of debutant goal scorers in adult hockey, with a fine strike from the top of the 'D' that nestled perfectly in the corner.
A superb display by all of the youngsters, which had captain Letley Sr purring post match.