From the outset it appeared that Durham were dead set on avenging themselves for February’s loss and in the first 10 minutes they kept York penned back in their own half with some fast and spirited attacking play. A succession of penalty corners were well defended by the home side and Henry Meller nearly gave York an unmerited lead with a quick counter attack which ended with him hitting the post. This clearly enlivened York and midfield playmakers Billy Walsh and Andy Harris, who had previously been forced too deep to feature, began to dictate play allowing York to put together some slick passing moves. The breakthrough came after around 25 minutes when Harris, in a relatively unthreatening position on the right hand side of the Durham ‘D’ was inexplicably flattened by the Durham keeper and Alex Feakes smashed home the resultant penalty to give York the lead.

The second half proved to be a tense affair for the hosts. Despite numerous chances the second goal, which would have sealed the game, was not forthcoming. Feakes and Harris both shot wide from corners, whilst Dan Alder missed a gilt-edged chance when unmarked at the far post late on, and the possibility of Durham snatching a late equaliser remained. York’s defence, especially the highly impressive Richard Larkin, held firm. Although some last gasp tackles were in order Durham did not help their cause when they were reduced to ten men, losing a player to the sin bin for continued dissent.

The final whistle would have been music to the home players’ ears, wrapping up a hard-earned victory. Durham will feel hard done by, and must hate the sight of the York astroturf given their recent experiences, but York’s solid performance was worthy of taking the points.

From the outset it appeared that Durham were dead set on avenging February’s loss and in the first ten minutes they kept York penned back in their own half with some fast and spirited attacking play. A succession of penalty corners were well defended by the home side and Henry Meller nearly gave York an unlikely lead with a quick counter attack which ended with his shot hitting the post. York drew encouragement from this, as their midfielder playmakers Billy Walsh and Andy Harris, who had previously been forced too deep to feature, began to dictate play with some slick passing moves. The breakthrough came after around 25 minutes when Harris, in a relatively unthreatening position on the right hand side of the Durham ‘D’ was inexplicably flattened by the Durham keeper and Alex Feakes smashed home the resultant penalty to give York the lead.

The second half proved to be a tense affair for the hosts. Despite numerous chances the second goal which would have sealed the game was not forthcoming. Feakes and Harris both shot wide from corners, whilst Dan Alder missed a gilt-edged chance when unmarked at the far post late on, and the possibility of Durham snatching a late equaliser remained. York’s defence, especially the highly impressive Richard Larkin, held firm although some last gasp tackles were in order and Durham did not help their own cause when they were reduced to ten men, losing a player to the sin bin for continued dissent.

The final whistle was music to the home players’ ears, wrapping up a hard-earned victory. Durham will feel hard done by, and must hate the sight of the York astroturf given their recent experiences, but York’s solid performance was worthy of the win.

Photo by Daniel Gilks

The men’s hockey 1sts were beaten 3-1 yesterday despite playing most of the match against a York St Johns team with only ten men. Although coming back from 1-0 down to equalise after half-time, York were undone by two quick goals that sealed the win for a spirited St Johns side.

York started the more strongly, pressuring the St Johns defence and forcing the opposition goalkeeper into an excellent reaction save early on following a short corner. Fast down the flanks and smooth in their build-up play, York were impressive in the early stages.

Annoyed by their inability to control the game, frustration started to get the better of  some of the St Johns players, with one being sent off after only fifteen minutes for repeated dissent against the referee. This should have been the cue for York to go on and win the match, but instead the sending off seemed to galvanise a previously lacklustre St Johns side, and with ten minutes to go until half-time they scored after neat work from a short corner.

At first shocked by this unexpected turnaround, York regained their composure after the interval to level the tie 1-1. In a goal similar to St Johns’ earlier effort, Andy Harris picked up the ball from a short corner and swept it powerfully into the corner of the net. Although only having ten men on the field, St Johns were the team that created more chances and looked increasingly the more likely to score. In spite of Billy Walsh’s impressive composure in possession, York were slowly losing their grip on the match. With fifteen minutes to go, St Johns converted their dominance into goals, hitting York with two clinical finishes in quick succession. York tried to drag themselves back into the match, at one stage grazing the bar of the goal with a shot, but St Johns never looked seriously troubled.

Along with the football this was one of the most enthusiastically supported matches of Varsity weekend, but unfortunately the home side couldn’t capitalise on this strong backing. The win was a deserved one for a St Johns team that showed admirable skill and determination after having a man sent off early on, but the men’s hockey team will be disappointed with a performance that should have been better.

Photo by Daniel Gilks

York women’s hockey team survived a second half scare to secure a 1-1 draw in a tight and entertaining match to ensure no damage was inflicted to York’s growing Varisty points advantage.

The first half saw chances restricted for both teams as the conditions and tempers each got the better of the players. York were the first team to fall foul, suffering the ignominy of losing a player to the sin bin, but St John’s soon followed suit, a defender being punished for a dangerous tackle. Tempers may have been hot but the temperature was anything but. If it was bitterly cold for spectators wrapped in several layers it must have been painfully so for the players, added to which York were growing increasingly frustrated as over-hit passes skidded off the damp surface and out of play. The only real chance of note cannoned agonisingly off the bar as York dominated possession but failed to create openings.

Given renewed optimism after their stalwart defending in the first half St John’s came out for the second half full of belief, and were rewarded for their optimism when some poor defending from the home side combined with quick counter attacking from the visitors ended with the ball being smashed home from just inside the box to give St John’s a 1-0 lead. York’s attempted to reply immediately, their desire not to lose being demonstrated by Charlie Bartlett who refused to take a break from the action despite the ball forcefully striking her arm. Despite St John’s having numerous opportunities to extend their lead as York pushed for a goal, they did not take them and were left to regret it. Entering the last ten minutes Karen Wallace broke through the middle and coolly levelled the scores with a low finish.

York would have expected to win given their first half performance but after St John’s glut of chances in the second half a draw was a fair result, even if it will have disappointed both teams.