Hockey: A textbook Bluebirds play defeats Canaries

Bluebirds 2-0 Canaries

Bluebirds settled into their game much quicker than Canaries through a field goal in the third minute by Jill Finnigan. She dribbled into the circle from the right side and  flicked into the goal past the Canaries keeper Tami Ray.

Ray kept the Bluebirds attack at bay, and despite Canaries’ great efforts they couldn’t find the equalizer and the score remained 1-0 to Bluebirds at half time.

In the second half, Bluebirds’ defence did extremely well in keeping the ball out of the danger zone.

And a textbook play by Bluebirds’ Laura Bardgett, who passed the ball from the left to the right side to find Maria Harris, saw the ball eventually find an unmarked Jo-Ann Smith. Smith slammed home the field goal into the far side netting to make it two for the Bluebirds.

Ravens B 1-1 Longtails B

Ravens’ Isabella Boonstra scored a field goal in the fourth minute but they couldn’t see out the win. Budgies’ Jasalle Smith hit back in the 66th minute after a shot by Keishae Robinson was deflected high off the Ravens’ keeper Joanne Bielby’s pads.

Swallows 1-3 Wildcats B

Wildcats went into the lead through Ryce Trott, who scored a field goal in the 19th minute from a rebound shot by Alecia Holder.

Zina Jones then extended the lead, receiving a bouncy ball from the base line that eluded Swallows’ keeper Donna Nicholson.

Swallows’ Liz Stewart pulled one back from a dribble from the 25 metre line but Pier Simons made sure of the win after a dribble down the right side.

She saw her shot stopped by keeper Nicholson, but her persistence won through and she converted.

Wildcats had the better passing game with Trott and Holder holding the midfield well. Swallows, meanwhile, didn’t play up to their potential and let in a couple of goals through loose defensive play.

BHF National Team 3-3 BHF All-stars

Both teams started with eight in their respective squads, with the relatively young BHF National team’s ranks bolstered to nine by seasoned veteran Nigel Deane in the first half.  

So with neither team having a goalie, both teams opted to play with ‘kicking-backs’ who are permitted to use their feet to protect the goal, but otherwise play as field players.  This made for an exciting match, with many scoring opportunities. BHF All Stars’ Mark Finnigan converted a hat-trick of field goals in the 30th, 37th and 47th minutes from several opportunities in the opposition’s ‘D’.

With Deane’s team up 2-0, BHF National team player Donovan Simmons scored a field goal in the after a dribble by Tyler Smith, who crossed to Simmons at the top of the circle for the strike.

At 3-1, BHF National team junior player Nathan Simons, stationed at the left corner post, collected a field goal after a deflection off a wide shot by Nigel Deane.

BHF National Tyler Smith the scored a dramatic equalizer before the whistle in the 70th minute — assisted by a Joshua Thompson’s shot at the goal.

Juniors Hemijah Bean and Nathan Simons played an extraordinary game and earned the praise of the experienced players.