Sunday 27 November 2011

Ards vs portadown Under 15 league Ards 1 Portadown 2

An Ards ‘eleven’ took to the pitch at Garvey on Sunday due to unavailability from the 20 strong squad. Nina Glendinning in goals had a fantastic match and on reflection kept Ards in the match from early on. Ali Carson opened the scoring in the first 2 minutes and she drove home a scuffle round the goal mouth. It was a very open match with both teams creating chances and failing to put them away. Portadown drew level as they broke from midfield and made their chance count.

Play went from end to end as the girls gave it their all knowing if they came off we were down to 10 players. A Portadown corner crept in after 2 saved attempts which left Ards chasing a draw with less than 2 minutes to go. Good attacking play from midfield up to the forward nearly saw a corner awarded which would have given us the last chance of the match but it wasn’t to be.

The girls played very well as individuals and more importantly as a team coach Julie was able to see the improvement in how Tuesday club night is making the players stronger and more aware of their team mates around them. Thanks to Phil Mills for umpiring with Ross and Lynn helping on the side line.

ARDS Under 14 squads had two successful run-outs on Sunday against their Grosvenor counterparts at CIYMS. Pitches were suffering from the drainage problems were persist now at this venue and despite bright conditions overhead the sticky residue of the previous day’s rain was not conducive to good hockey on the deck. With considerable dominance with the ball the A squad were unable to capitalise with many goals but did run out winners with a score that finished either 4-3 or 4-2 although some players had counted 5 Ards goals. The definite goal scorers in the A match were Gabrielle, Shannon, Abbey and then Gabrielle again with most of these coming from crosses from the right.  In the B’s game the play was much more open and less scrappy with young Jenny Beattie making a confident debut in goals to add authority to play at the back which was otherwise well-marshalled by Holly Stephens at sweeper. In a 3-1 victory for Ards goal scorers were Becky Poots, Claudia Coulter and Shannon Boothe. Thanks to Elaine and Jill in managing with Hannah Simpson and Naomi McKnight under the watchful eye of Pamela Chittick as our umpires on the day.

Sunday 23 October 2011  

Ards under 15’s 8 Lisnagarvey B’s 0

A terrible weather forecast couldn’t stop an Ards under 15 squad of 14 players putting in a fantastic display of skill, and top notch goal scoring. Ards lined up in the rain, the defence were put into action from the start as the team got to grips with the weather and their new playing colleagues.

Once settled the team shone in midfield with Jenna Sloan competing well to play through to our strong forward line including Harriet Bradford who created great space and passes into the opposition circle. First half substitutes Megan Spence, Megan Jeffers and Anna Brown showed flare and strength as they battled to make play and score chances.

This provided a number of opportunities from goal mouth scrambles to fierce shots from the edge of the circle. Scorers were Kirsty Boobyer, Bethan Edge, and Sophie Carlisle (2) thus Ards went in at half time 4-0 up.

A quick half time turnaround in deteriorating conditions saw Ards continue where they left off with Bethan, Kirsty (2) and Cara-May Bailie slotting the ball home again from close range with our one and only corner being scored from a straight strike from Kirsty.

Gemma Lyons had a quiet day in goals and responded well on one occasion to keep Ards with a clean sheet. Claire Morrison, Lucy Yourston, Ashleigh Gillanders and Corriander Geddis lined up as a formidable defence and performed well stopping any attacks. No doubt they will come into their own in games where we come under greater pressure.

Thank you to Margaret McCormick for umpiring and to the travelling support on a wet sideline.

Ards Under 14s

OnSunday the Under 14 (A) team braved the elements to play against Carrick Under 15(B) in the Under 15 Development League at CIYMS. They quickly took control of the game and dominated the play.  Nina Glendenning was hardly troubled in nets and any attacks were swiftly dealt with by Florence Ogonda and Sarah Simpson.Good linking play by Abby Larmour and Rachael Powderly continually pressed Ards into the scoring zone where goals from Danielle Falkiner (2), Gabrielle Park (4), Erin Larmour (3), Shannon Booth (1) and Leona Lappin (1) resulted in a comprehensive win. As the conditions deteriorated many of the Bs were introduced in rotation but the Carrick team were more than happy to shorten the second half and limit the damage. With a number of the Ards Under 14Bs already soaked and others arriving anticipating some action an attempt was made to play their fixture against North Down on the less water-logged part of the CIYMS pitch. Unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worse in the opening minutes of this match and with water lying in deep puddles on the pitch it was decided that safest option was for it to be abandoned.

Thanks to all the girls for turning up in the horrendous weather and especially to Jordan Meredith who even arrived early only for her debut match to be short-lived. Thanks to Elaine Larmour and Jill Poots for their managerial input and also a big thank you to Hannah Simpson for umpiring in such dreadful conditions. Possibly the highlight of her day was being allowed to soak Gillian…charities to benefit accordingly! (See photograph attached).

16 October 2011

U13’s 

On Sunday Ards under 13’s turned out for the second series of seven-a-side matches at Deramore Park. An early goal from Grosvenor in the first match was quickly answered by good passing from Louise Bickerstaffe and Amy Rothwell allowing Tarah McGonigle to get the ball past the Grosvenor keeper. A last minute goal from Katie Majury saved the Ards team from defeat against Victorians and the game against Harlequins pulled out good performances from defenders Amy, Louise, Sarah Emerson and goalkeeper Jenny Beattie. Unfortunately, an attempt at goal by Emily Foster was not enough to compensate for the ricochet from an Ards foot that gave the Harlequins team their win. In the final two games the girls performed well and were unlucky the chances at goal by Yasmin Brownlee and Louise remained unconverted. Good performances also by Ferne Blackstock and Anna Thomas. Thanks to coach Paul Osbourne and Hannah Simpson for umpiring.       

Under 11s  

An enthusiastic Ards Primary squad played on Sunday 16th October at an Autumnal Deramore Park, Belfast. Ards were off to a determined and sharp start in their first match against a well organised Pegasus team. Some sound and calm Ards defence from Faye McCann and Megan McCann  worked the ball through the two ‘Ellies’ namely Fegan and Robinson to exert some great Ards pressure. Hannah McCann and Ella Ross worked tirelessly up front but a runaway goal from Pegasus changed the tempo of the game. In return an even more determined Ards side launched several purposeful attacks. Eventually, Hannah McCann on the left wing was rewarded with a well worked convincing goal. Faye McCann was outstanding in defence in this game in particular and this calm display inspired her fellow team mates. The final score was a fair 1-1 draw.

The second match proved to be a different game for Ards. Immense pressure from a well drilled Victorians team left Ards reeling at times. However, to their credit they worked as a team and kept positive. Kirsty Cameron, Erin Campbell and Kelsie Long worked well in defence and newcomer, Emma Barnes showed great determination in her tackling as did Lucy McIlmair and Kate Wilson. Unfortunately Ards lost to a far superior Victorians team.

The third match against the home side Harlequins was a hard fought match. This was a fast passed game with end to end hockey. Ards kept the Harlequins defence busy but a last minute surge from Harlequins saw the ball in the back of the net – an unfortunate defeat for Ards.

The final match was an opportunity to involve as many of the players as possible and give the newcomers the chance to play with some of the more experienced players. Rolling subs worked well and all sorts of combinations and positions gave players the chance to feel involved. Grosvenor were alert and quick on the ball catching Ards unorganised at times. The encouragement from the sidelines spurred the players on and Kirsty Cameron who vowed “never to stand still” found herself on the left with only 1 player to beat- this she did coolly and calmly. This was a crowd pleaser and the camaraderie in the team was evident as the team became even more focused and determined. This was encouraging for Giselle and Zara newcomers to the team. Big thanks to all the parents who supported the girls today, to Karen Fegan, assistant coach for the day who also did a great job organising and to Paddy – “our runner” for the day.

Ards Under 14 “A” & “B” Squads

The teams started their campaign in the Under 15 Development League on Sunday at CIYMS.  We are lucky this year to be able to field two teams in this section.

The “A” squad were drawn against North Down but unfortunately they were unable to produce a full team for this fixture.  As Ards had an initial squad of 10 on hand it was decided to help the opposition with a rotation of Ards girls making up their numbers and hold a friendly match.  This gave the Ards coaches a good opportunity to view the girls in match play at the start of the season. 

The ‘official’ Ards side completely dominated the play winning 10-0 with goals from Danielle Falkiner (3) Leona Lappin (2) Gabrielle Park (3) Erin Larmour (1) and Rachel Hamilton (1).

The “B” squad were drawn against Carrick “B” and aided by a few of the “A” squad players, who had braved the weather to stay and help, quickly settled into formation.  Whilst Carrick took an early lead the Ards girls came back quickly with a fine strike from Rhiannon Osborne finding the back of the net.

In the second half Carrick scored again but a well forced goal from Emma Simpson shortly afterwards evened the scoreline.  In the end Carrick slotted home a third goal leaving the end result 2-3. This was no disgrace as the Carrick team were featuring a number of their 4th formers and all the Ards girls playing at this level are still in 3rd form. Special mention must be made to our new goalkeeper Nina Glendinning who played superbly in both matches, and also to newcomer Claudia Coulter who slotted in well to the squad.

Thanks to Julie Stewart who looked after the girls while Gillian made her way back from Solheim Cup excitement in County Meath and also to the senior club members and parents for all their support in the inclement weather conditions. Our excellent manager Elaine Larmour was assisted this week on the bench by Jill Poots.

U13 league at Harlequins

The Ards girls got off to a great start in their opening game against Grosvenor with a super goal from Emily Foster scored during open play.  Ards v Grosvenor 1-0. Although the team was unfortunate to lose the games against Victorians and Harlequins 1-0, Yasmin Brownlee and Katie Majury worked solidly and created many chances up front with a lot of pressure soaked up by Louise Bickerstaff, Amy Rothwell and Kaitlin Stewart in defence.  Good performances also from Katie Lyttle and Georgina Gomes. In the final match with Pegasus, there were a few chances created by Tarah McGonigle and Emily Foster and while these were not converted into scoring, the Ards girls were able to hold Pegasus to a scoreless draw.  Goalkeeper Alex Simpson was fantastic with her very solid performances crucial in keeping the score-line down. Thanks to 1st XI captain Naomi Elliott for looking after the team on the day and Anne Foster managing the preparations in advance. 

Under 11s at Harlequins

Thanks to Karen Fegan for her help in getting an enthusiastic group of primary school players sorted for their opening games in the greatly increased primary end of Ulster hockey. With the Junior club only starting this week it was a big communication effort to get the girls literally into gear. Claire Millar and Lynda Robinson managed the action on the day and reported clear improvement in the young Ards players as the day progressed. With the emphasis on participation rather than competition, the girls drew two games and lost three but showed more strength and speed in the later games. They look forward to another two outings before Christmas.