By RICHARD PHILIP
KINGSCLIFF have lost their unbeaten tag in the Women’s JH Williams Hockey League with a one-nil loss to champion Lismore team Glee at Lismore on Saturday.
Glee’s talented midfields put the coast team under constant pressure and while the visitors hit the ball hard out of defence – too many times it went straight to a Glee midfield.
Eventually, under a weight of possession, Glee broke through to score and were one-nil up at the break.
The second half was a repeat performance with Kingscliff again unable to get it past the strong Glee midfield.
It was a better day for the other Tweed Coast first grade team with Casuarina proving too strong for Ballina in Murwillumbah.
Casuarina grabbed the points with a four-nil win with goals to Deb Dolan and Keeley Murray and two to goal-scoring champion Kim Tuckwell.
In the all-Tweed clash at Murwillumbah, Murwillumbah and Waratah Falcons battled out the entire game for a nil-all draw. Both sides had outstanding defence, meaning neither could break-through for the much-needed winning goal.
In the men’s JH Williams Hockey League in Murwillumbah, Waratah Bobcats played East Lismore and came away three-one victors.
Captain Coach Tim Willis was once again inspirational, with yet another hat-trick of goals.
A Willis short corner conversion put the Bobcats up one-nil at half-time and then Willis scored a field goal just after the break – thanks to some great lead-up work from young Kieran Walker.
Another short-corner to Willis had East on the ropes 3/0 up with 10 to go. Not that the Bobcats attack had it all their own way – at the other end of the field Waratahs keeper Mitchell Paron was having a blinder saving all the Easts shots on. However with just 10 minutes left on the clock Easts got a one past his pads for a consolation goal.
In the other Murwillumbah game East Coast Sharks went down six-one to Lismore’s Northern Star. The Sharks are now without many of their star players who have playing duties in Brisbane over the next few weeks. The lack of depth proved costly for the Sharks who had got away to a flyer with an early goal to Matthew Bartell, but all this did was spur Star into action with the visitors running in six unanswered goals.
In Ballina Tweed’s Central Comets played home team Ballina in a nail-biting one-all draw. The Comets actually had a chance to win with a penalty stroke right on full-time but captain Luke McMahon’s stroke was saved by the keeper.
In Lismore, Kingscliff took on Coraki in one of the fastest games this season with end to end speed shots on goal and saves by both keepers before Coraki came home to win three-one.
It was Coraki who scored first with a scrappy rebound goal then an unmarked player deflected the ball in for their second before Kingscliff hitback with a hard-running Henry Prichard pass onto Jordan Wilson who passed back inside for a diving Prichard to score.
But it was the last excitement for the Kingy fans with Coraki scoring again late to put the game beyond doubt.
Next week at Murwillumbah in the men’s competition East Coast Sharks play Ballina at 2.10pm and at 3.35pm Waratah Bobcats take on Coraki. Away in Lismore at 2.55pm Kingscliff Stingers play Northern Star followed by the Comets and East game. For the women, at Murwillumbah at 2.10pm, Murwillumbah play Glee and at 5pm Waratah Falcons play Northern star and in Ballina at 2.55pm Kingscliff play Ballina.
