division 1 News
Poly Down | Cheltenham Scare | Lancaster Celebrate | Ed Stars for Manchester | In-form Rotherham | Penguin Make Top Five | Burgess Sinks Bristol | Lancaster Goal Glut |
PORTOBELLO SEND POLY DOWN
When Polytechnic eased into an early 3-0 lead against Portobello at Millfield School (14 December), their hopes of avoiding the drop from Division One were very much alive.
The proud London club, the only ever-presents in Division One in the 47-year history of the National League - including 17 titles - were still 6-4 ahead at the half-way stage.
However, Portobello, needing a point to send Poly down, were steadily improving and took charge of the match in a decisive third period, scoring four goals without reply through Matt Bayliss (2), Neilson Rutherford and Fraser Rutherford.
Poly's challenge melted away as soon as a Keith Anderson goal stretched the Portobello lead to 9-6 at the start of the final period. Fraser Rutherford (3), Bayliss (2), Neilson Rutherford (2), Alan Anderson, Keith Anderson and Ben Johnston were the scorers for Portobello, whose goalkeeper David Fleming made a number of excellent saves. Alkis Voliotis (2), Danny Davis, Charles Hsu, Spyros Tzamtzis, Penagiotakopoulos, Lorenzo Pallotta and Miguel Ardid replied for Poly.
Big disappointment of the weekend was Penguin's failure to raise a team for matches against Rotherham and Bristol.
Champions Lancaster, without consistent goalscorers Scott Carpenter and Tom Curwen, still managed to complete their programme with an 11-9 victory over Manchester who, strangely, led 4-0 in the opening five minutes but then failed to score for another 15 minutes. Alex Parsonage bagged three for Lancaster and there was also a rare hat-trick by Rysz Detko.
Manchester also led 4-0 early on against Bristol, but on this occasion maintained an advantage all the way through to win 13-7. Robert Rae (4), Sean Ryder (2) and Mike Bourne (2) were the chief marksmen.
In the lower half of the table, Invicta stormed into a 6-1 lead against Welsh Wanderers and eventually won 13-9. Sharp-shooting by Jack Waller (5) and Sean King (4) gave Invicta the advantage.
Invicta were also involved in a thrilling tussle with the rapidly-improving GB Juniors second string, who recovered from 12-8 down to level at 13-13 just over a minute from the end - only to concede a back-handed winner by Invicta's Matt White with 18 seconds remaining.
Cheltenham's David Taylor scored nine in his team's 20-7 defeat of Polytechnic. Rotherham's 19-10 win against GB Juniors featured five goals apiece for Paul Gregory and Adam Scholefield.
Dan Laxton netted five in Welsh Wanderers' 10-8 defeat of Cheltenham.
INVICTA'S NEAR MISS
Invicta narrowly failed to steal a point from Cheltenham in a match at Loughborough University that could have a significant bearing on qualification for the British Championships.
With Rob Parker scoring three times, Cheltenham eased into a 6-2 first quarter lead, which they improved to 10-4 at the end of the third. Invicta then staged a spectacular fightback, chipping away at the Cheltenham lead with goals by Alex Tollefson, Alex Murphy (2), Callum Bailey and Sean King.
But there was no further scoring in the last two minutes and Cheltenham settled for a 10-9 victory.
Results followed a fairly predictable pattern in the top half of the table. Scott Carpenter (7) and Alex Parsonage (6) were the main scorers in Lancaster's 20-2 defeat of Penguin, who played off a reduced squad when a couple of their players missed the game due to a train delay.
Lancaster then defeated their closest rivals, Rotherham, 16-12, including six more goals for Carpenter.
Adam Scholefield's five goals set up Rotherham's 14-10 defeat of Bristol while Mike Bourne netted six and Sean Ryder five in Manchester's 21-5 stroll against Penguin.
Portobello and Polytechnic failed to pick up any points and so their clash at Millfield on Sunday, 14 December, could well decide which club goes down. The Scots lost 16-6 to Welsh Wanderers and 15-11 to Invicta. Poly crashed 17-9 to the Wanderers, for whom Dan Laxton scored five.
GB Juniors celebrated an excellent 8-5 win over Polytechnic, including two goals apiece for Joe O'Regan, of Manchester Hawks, and Sheffield's Elliott Kelly.
The picture above shows Lancaster with the Division One champions' shield, which was presented at Loughborough. At the back (left to right): Alberto Bertolotti (coach), Jeff Parker (manager), Glen Robinson, Colin Burgess, Dave Bush, Andy Squires, Scott Carpenter, Tom Curwen, Dan Barker, Zak Sly, Matt Little, Duncan Holmes. Front: Alex Parsonage, Chris Hartley, Ciaran James.
LANCASTER'S TITLE - FOR THE TENTH TIME!
Lancaster had to battle hard for victories in their home pool against Manchester and Bristol but, in the end, maximum points ensured the club's tenth championship in the space of 13 years. Only Polytechnic in their heyday can boast a more impressive tally of titles.
Victory was assured because, while Lancaster and Rotherham each still have three games to play and there is a six-point margin between them, Lancaster's two previous wins this season against their Yorkshire rivals ensure they cannot be caught.
Manchester's GB goalkeeper, Ed Scott, did his best to keep the Lancaster fowards at bay but eventually Scott Carpenter's sharp shooting - he bagged five - was the difference between the sides.
Lancaster won 8-5 - and later achieved precisely the same winning margin against Bristol. Bristol started badly, trailing 4-0 in the first quarter, but held their own after that. Carpenter was again on target with three goals and the other Lancaster scorers included GB junior Matt Little.
Possibly the best game of the weekend came in the final match when Manchester charged into a 4-0 lead against Rotherham but then lost the scoring touch, allowing their opponents gradually to stage a recovery. Eventually, a Mark Wade goal just 20 seconds from the end gave Rotherham a 6-5 victory.
There was plenty of last minute drama at the bottom of the table. Polytechnic and Portobello, battling to avoid the drop, drew 12-12 when Portobello's Fraser Rutherford equalised, also with 20 seconds to play.
Poly then threw away a point against Invicta. There were 24 seconds left when an Alkis Voliotis goal brought them level at 6-6. Then a slip-up by Poly goalkeeper Tom Wall gifted the ball to Marc Stephenson and he claimed an Invicta winner almost at the final whistle.
Cheltenham's Rob Parker scored nine against Welsh Wanderers. But Wanderers had their own star forward, Dan Laxton, who notched seven - all leading to another 12-12 draw. Yet again, it was a goal seconds from the end that levelled the match - from Wanderers' Gabor Aliban.
Mike Thomas scored three goals in just one minute at the end of the first quarter to set up Cheltenham's 13-5 win over Portobello. Bristol were too strong for Penguin, Matt Thresher scoring four in a 15-5 success.
GB Juniors again impressed, building an 8-3 lead against Rotherham before winning 12-10. Lancaster's Glen Robinson netted four of the GB goals. Two late goals from Robinson completed an 8-6 GB victory over Penguin.
SCOTT INSPIRES BRILLIANT MANCHESTER WIN
Bristol 1 Manchester 11 . . . no this isn't a misprint! The out-of-sorts 2007 champions, who had beaten Manchester 9-8 only a month previously, simply couldn't find a way past outstanding GB goalkeeper Ed Scott at Bath University.
Manchester, on the other hand, played it just about perfectly. Art Valkenburg led the scoring with five. The other goals went to Brett Perkins, Richard Lawlor, Rafik Tahraoui, Robert Rae, Charles Booth and Kevin Williams.
Scott was very close to claiming the very rare distinction of a clean sheet - the solitary Bristol goal by Jon Hutchings came just one and half minutes from the end.
Manchester also defeated Penguin 14-11 to move ahead of Bristol in third place. Meanwhile, leaders Lancaster have a four-point advantage after beating nearest rivals Rotherham 13-9. Most of the drama occurred in the final quarter, when both the Lancaster coaches were red-carded and Rotherham's Richard Leighton was excluded for a brutality offence.
Scott Carpenter led the Lancaster scorers with six and there were two apiece for Alex Parsonage, Tom Curwen, Colin Burgess and Ciaran James. Leighton netted four and Adam Scholefield three for Rotherham.
Rotherham's consolation was a 22-10 victory over Penguin, including five goals by Scholefield.
The lower section of the division produced some very close games. Welsh Wanderers strolled into a 7-nil lead at the start of the second quarter against Polytechnic - and then almost lost the match. Poly, inspired by six-goal Robert Tofani, battled back to level the game at 8-8 midway through the third before Wanderers reasserted themselves and grabbed a 13-12 victory.
Polytechnic were out of luck again against Cheltenham. The Londoners, still without a win all season, led 9-5 at the start of the final period but then collapsed to a 10-9 defeat as Cheltenham scored through Joel Taylor (2), David Taylor (2) and Mike Thomas.
It was a good weekend for Invicta, who beat Portobello 13-10 - including six goals by Sean King - and Welsh Wanderers 11-8.
GB Juniors also pulled off a notable double. Jack Waller hit six in GB Juniors' 13-11 defeat of Bristol. Then the juniors beat a below-strength Lancaster side 17-13, with King netting seven.
ROTHERHAM AT THE DOUBLE (OCTOBER 2008)
Rotherham have served notice that they intend to mount a serious challenge to Lancaster and champions Bristol for this season's Division One title.
Five-goal Richard Leighton and Adam Scholefield, who scored three, inspired a 14-8 victory over Bristol. It was much closer for Rotherham the previous day against Manchester, who trailed 5-2 after three periods to goals by Scholefield (2), Chris Kirby, Paul Gregory and Neil Swainson before hitting back through Richard Lawlor and Charles Booth. But Rotherham held on to squeeze a vital 5-4 win.
Bristol experienced a mixed weekend. The defeat by Rotherham followed their success in ending Lancaster's 100 per cent record the previous day. The score was 7-7 early in the last period before goals by Sean Coles, Danny Williams and Jon Hutchings gave Bristol the points at 10-8. Alex Parsonage scored four for Lancaster.
Parsonage (5) and Tom Curwen (4) spearheaded Lancaster's 12-3 win over Penguin.
Former GB star Jerry Birmingham made a surprise comeback to Division One polo with Cheltenham, who made hard work of beating Portobello 11-10. The Scots led 7-5 in the third period before their opponents took charge. Birmingham was among the Cheltenham scorers - so was another ageless ex-international, Dave Edwards.
Cheltenham also defeated Invicta 11-9 thanks to late goals by Shaun Hotchkiss (2) and Mike Thomas.
GB Juniors made an excellent start to their campaign, defeating Penguin 15-6, including three goals apiece for Richard Lawlor, Jack Waller and Jake Vincent.
The younger GB junior side struggled against experienced Welsh Wanderers, who won 12-7. Dan Laxton and Chris Taylor both scored four for the winners.
ATTILA SHOCKS CHELTENHAM (October 2008)
Cheltenham must have thought their top five place was secure, even when they crashed 18-8 to in-form Lancaster towards the end of day two at Cardiff's magnificent new international pool.
Penguin had other ideas. A point from a 13-13 draw with Invicta - featuring a seven-goal performance by Attila Banhidy - had raised the Londoners' spirits. And, against all the odds, they managed to follow up with a thrilling 10-9 defeat of Rotherham.
It meant that Penguin and Cheltenham finished level on points at the cut-off point of the season. But Penguin's 6-5 victory when the teams met in Manchester in September ensured that they qualified for a top five place in the second half of campaign against Lancaster, Bristol Central, City of Manchester and Rotherham.
Cheltenham must battle for honours against Welsh Wanderers, Invicta, Portobello and Polytechnic in the lower tier of the division.
Rotherham led Penguin 5-3 at the end of the first period, but Penguin soon levelled and then worked their way to 9-6 at the start of the fourth. In little more than a minute, Rotherham then hit back with goals by Gimbaretti, Richard Leighton and Jake Vincent. But Penguin held on - and it was Bruce Elder who hit the winner with 42 seconds to go. The other Penguin goals went to dangerman Banhidy (3), Wayne Jacobs (2), Karl Monfort (2) and Mike Bond (2).
Bristol Central won their three matches to leapfrog Rotherham and City of Manchester into second place. Their 12-11 victory over Cheltenham in the West Country derby was settled when ex-international Jez Sherman scored two late goals.
Polytechnic have a fight on their hands to avoid dropping out of the top division for the first time since the league began in 1962. They were 7-5 ahead at one stage in their basement battle with Portobello, but four goals from Neilson Rutherford ensured Portobello's first win - 12-11.
BURGESS'S LATE CLINCHER (septEmber 2008)
A goal 25 seconds from the final whistle by former GB forward Colin Burgess earned Lancaster a vital 8-7 victory over 2007 champions Bristol during the second weekend of Division One action at Manchester Aquatics Centre.
It was the first time Lancaster had been ahead throughout the match. At the end of the first three periods, Bristol had led 2-0, 4-3 and 6-5 - but they just failed to hold out in a fiercely contested final quarter.
James Wannop levelled, only for Matt Thresher to restore Bristol's advantage at 7-6. There was little over a minute to go when Scott Carpenter equalised - then Burgess claimed the winner.
The weekend was doubly disappointing for Bristol because they also went down 14-10 to Rotherham, who trailed 6-3 midway through the second quarter before recovering in impressive style. Adam Scholefield and Richard Leighton scored four apiece for the Yorkshire club.
Lancaster, meanwhile, ensured they remained the only side with a 100 per cent record from six matches, easing through againt Welsh Wanderers (17-4) and Polytechnic (27-6).
It was a wonderful weekend for promoted Invicta. Four goals in one period by Sean King set up an 18-10 win over struggling Portobello. Invicta then beat Polytechnic 12-3 and then took their tally to five points with a 9-9 draw against Welsh Wanderers courtesy of a late Jack Waller goal.
Cheltenham managed a single point from their three matches. A goal with 32 seconds remaining gave Penguin a 6-5 victory. Cheltenham then drew 12-12 with Manchester - Robert Rae struck a Manchester equaliser a minute from the end - and lost 15-3 to Rotherham.
Consolation for Bristol was a 12-10 victory over Penguin.
LANCASTER'S RECORD SPREE (septmber 2008)
Lancaster, Bristol Central and Cheltenham claimed the only 100 per cent records after the first weekend of Division One action at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.
In truth, there were very few really competitive matches. It will have given Lancaster little satisfaction, for example, to record what is almost certainly a league scoring record when they thumped Portobello 38-4.
Scott Carpenter, Division One's top marksman in 2007, helped himself to ten goals and there were nine apiece for Tom Curwen and Alex Parsonage, the club's new recruit from Cheltenham.
Bristol also made luckless Portobello suffer, winning 30-6.
Lancaster's toughest match was against improving Manchester. The sides were all square at 8-8 going into the final period, when goals by Carpenter and Parsonage put their side clear.
Welsh Wanderers edged out Penguin 11-10 in a real cliffhanger finish.The match was even all the way through. Then it was settled in a matter a few seconds just over a minute from the end when Penguin missed a man-up and then immediately had a defender excluded - leading to Dan Laxton's fifth and decisive goal.
Cheltenham were comfortable winners of their three games - 18-6 against Polytechnic, 13-8 against newly promoted Invicta and 21-12 against Welsh Wanderers. Their one big disappointment of the weekend was an automatic two-match ban for Rob Parker, excluded for brutality against Poly after he had scored five times.
Bristol built a 5-nil lead in the first five minutes against Invicta. Sharp shooting by Callum Bailey and Alex Murphy brought Invicta back to 8-6 at the end of the third period before the more experienced Bristol side eased clear to win 11-8, including five goals by Matt Thresher.
Manchester beat Rotherham 12-8 thanks mainly to an outstanding third period, when they scored five times compared to Rotherham's single goal. Sean Ryder and Mike Bourne scored hat-tricks for the winners.
For results and a Division One table, click on the appropriate page.
