By Isle of Wight Observer
The hockey season came to a close with the IW Men’s 2nd XI winning 5-1 at home to Havant, at the Smallbrook stronghold.
After going a goal behind early in the match, Thomas Young struck the equaliser, before player-of-the-match, Seb Foster, surged through midfield and smashed the ball through the keeper’s legs from the top of the D, to put the Island 2-1 ahead. The Island defence consisted of Stuart Allen, Steven Holbrook, Arthur White, and Noah Ford standing strong. Goalkeeper Nate Bower made key saves to preserve the lead at the break despite aggressive play from the visitors.
The midfield unit of Tim Clapp, Peter McClellend, Stephen Woodford, and Rupert King controlled possession and exploited gaps in Havant’s defence, creating numerous chances. Barry Lloyd found space to shoot through a crowded D, and Stephen Woodford cleverly deflected the ball past the keeper for the Island’s third goal. Thomas Young latched onto a deflected pass and smashed home a half-volley for his second of the game. Skipper, Carl Joyce, then weaved his way through the Havant defence, and was fouled, earning a penalty stroke. Taking the responsibility himself, Joyce stepped up but saw his flick saved easily by the Havant keeper.
Before the final whistle, Rupert King capped off the performance by calmly slotting home the Island’s fifth goal, sealing a 5-1 victory for the side to finish fourth in South Central Men’s Division One Solent.
This season the club also saw the Ladies’ 1st XI finish second in South Central Women’s Division Two South, and earning promotion back to Division One.
The Men’s 1st XI finished third in South Central Men’s Division Two South.
The Ladies’ 2nd XI battled hard in a challenging season, having been promoted last year. With several youngsters stepping up to the 1st XI, they unfortunately now face relegation from South Central Women’s Division One Solent.
In Junior Hockey, the U-16 Boys completed their season with an emphatic 8-0 win over Southampton, thanks to goals from Kit McChesney (3), Seb Foster, Nathan Phillips, Rupert King, and Peter McClellend. They finished top of their league, winning 4 out of their 3 games.
The U-14 Boys finished sixth in South Central Boys U-14 Tier Three South, and the U-14 Girls were league champions in South Central Girls U-14 Tier Three South.
The U-16 Girls A secured second place in South Central Girls U-16 Tier Two South Pool One, and the U-16 Girls B side finished eight in South Central Girls U-16 Tier Three South Pool One.