QUT's Adam Rankin and Shaun Lu put the squeeze on Labrador's Joe Reardon.

Labrador's Nicholas Heyns takes on QUT's Chris Rawlings.

QUT's Lyndon Evans and Labrador's Andrew Ward collide.

Labrador's Mark Harris surges towards goal.

BRISBANE HOCKEY LEAGUE - ROUND 7

Valley 2 (Dean Jeffrey, Anthony Woodward) drew with Redcliffe Leagues 2 (David Halliday, Shane Kenny) at Burringbar Park, Chermside.

A gallant Valley side has halted Redcliffe Leagues’ winning streak at seven games, coming from two goals down to snatch a deserved late draw with the competition leaders.  The Diehards, second from bottom on the ladder, matched their more fancied rivals early but missed several good scoring chances, including seeing Dean Jeffrey’s shot hit the post and Braden O’Callaghan and Andrew McGuckin’s attempts saved.  Valley was made to pay, with two goals in five minutes seeing Redcliffe Leagues lead 2-0 at halftime.  David Halliday scored first when he powered a shot past Valley goalkeeper David Watts from out wide, before Shane Kenny bettered his teammate’s effort, scoring with a backstick shot just a couple of metres from the backline.  With 20 minutes left to play Jeffrey got Valley on the score board, flicking into goal to finish off good lead-up work by Kyle Rush.  After his side had squandered several penalty corner chances, Anthony Woodward deflected the ball into the net from Mark Pocock’s pass for the tying score in the final minute.

- Lee Oliver

Pine Rivers St Andrews-Norths 5 (Brent Garske 2, Nicholas Bolton, Ryan Gibbs, Craig Smith) defeated Easts 4 (Dale Gohdes 2, Treva Mills, Jacob Webber) at Burringbar Park, Chermside.

Pine Rivers St Andrews Norths have continued their impressive form resurgence, grounding out a vital 5-4 victory over Easts.  The Saints, taking advantage of facing a Tigers outfit missing their Junior World Cup representatives Matt Gohdes, Jacob Whetton, Tim Bates and Michael Bates, enjoyed the early field advantage.  A Nicholas Bolton deflection in the 17th minute put Saints ahead before another deflection, this time from striker Brent Garske, earned his side a two-goal buffer.  However, Saints’ ill discipline left them with ten men and gifted Easts a short corner, and Treva Mills made no mistake.  Despite remaining undermanned, Saints stretched their lead early in the second half through a second to Garske.  Yet Easts wouldn’t go away, as an outstretched Jacob Webber replied immediately.  Further field goals to Saints’ Craig Smith and Ryan Gibbs appeared to seal the result with five minutes left, but a Dale Gohdes’ double ensured Saints endured some nervous moments. 

- Nicholas Bolton

Labrador 7 (Mark Harris 4, Kane Gillingham, Craig Bigham, Nicholas Heyns) defeated QUT 1 (Ashley Burns) at the State Hockey Centre, Colmslie.

Labrador’s Mark Harris scored four goals to help his team settle the score against QUT after losing their last encounter against the students.  It was a slow start to the game with a no-show from the umpires causing the first five minutes of the match to go unplayed. When the game did eventually hit off QUT was forced into deep defence for most of the first half, but Labrador wasn’t able to convert until Kane Gillingham scored an easy tap-in from a penalty corner after the half-time buzzer. Tigerstix pair Craig Bigham and Nicholas Heyns scored from penalty corners after the break to extend their team’s lead. The 42nd minute marked the beginning of Harris’s scoring rampage when he netted three goals in the space of 10 minutes. Shortly after QUT goalkeeper Anders Kinsella was replaced by Luke Gurieff, but he too was no match for Harris who bagged his fourth goal five minutes later. With six minutes to play QUT scored their only goal of the match to when an Adam Rankin pass found the stick of Ashley Burns and caused the ball to lob over the head of Labrador goalkeeper Tom Rendell-Woodley.

- Rebecca Kirchner

Bulimba 4 (Kyle Richardson 2, Mitchell Grant, Ben Flemming) defeated University of Queensland 3 (Damien Queisser, Luke Emerson, Hamish Baron) at the State Hockey Centre, Colmslie.

A controversial disallowed goal came back to haunt University as the students lost a tight clash against Bulimba.  Damien Queisser's rejected first half score from a penalty corner deflection could have made the difference as the students ultimately endured a heartbreaking defeat.  The students fought back from a two-goal deficit to tie the game 2-2 at halftime, after Mitchell Grant and Kyle Richardson had both scored impressive goals for Bulimba inside 17 minutes. The students’ two-goal reply came in the last three minutes of the first period.  First Queisser scored from a penalty corner, then New Zealand import Luke Emerson volleyed a shot into the net with 40 seconds left after David James had sliced open the Bulls’ defence. Bulimba re-established its lead midway through the second half when Richardson netted his second goal, before University fought back again to level the scores through Hamish Baron with less than two minutes left.  However, the final twist in the absorbing match favoured the Bulls, with Ben Flemming deflecting the ball past University goalkeeper Adam Dinsdale in the final minute.

- Lee Oliver

Commercial 9 (Kye Hawgood 3, Wayne Barry 2, Cale Cramer, Chris Beale, Adam Barry, Tom Brough) defeated United 3 (Adam McClelland 2, Miebaka Dede) at Burringbar Park, Chermside.

Commercial extended its winning streak to six matches with a commanding 9-3 victory over United.  Coming off a big win against Valley, the joint venture’s defence failed to show Commercial adequate respect, and they paid a heavy price.  Cobra Cale Cramer opened the scoring in the ninth minute, before Adam Barry doubled the lead minutes later.  United’s Adam McClelland scored to stem the flow, but two goals to Kye Hawgood and one to Chris Beale in eight minutes effectively ended the contest.  There was further misery for United when Wayne Barry scored a penalty corner on the stroke of halftime to make it 6-1.  Commercial continued their clinical attacking display after the break, courtesy of goals to Wayne Barry, Hawgood and Brough in a ten-minute spell.  Trailing 9-1, United’s Miebaka Dede and McClelland managed to score the last two goals of the match, but it was little consolation.  McClelland, picked in the Australian Under-21 indoor hockey team over summer, has scored two goals in each of his last four games.

- Nicholas Bolton

POINTS:

Commercial 19, Redcliffe Leagues 19, Labrador 11, Pine Rivers St Andrews-Norths 11, Bulimba 10, Easts 9, University of Queensland 9, United 7, Valley 5, QUT 0.

LEADING GOAL SCORERS:

12  -  Shane Kenny (Redcliffe Leagues)
10  -  Adam McClelland (United)
  8  -  Chris Beale (Commercial)
      -  Cale Cramer (Commercial)
      -  David Halliday (Redcliffe Leagues)
      -  Mark Harris (Labrador)
  7  -  Dale Gohdes (Easts)
      -  Kye Hawgood (Commercial)
  6  -  Wayne Barry (Commercial)
      -  Jarrod Black (Easts)
      -  Andrew Newman (Redcliffe Leagues)
      -  Luke Paine (Bulimba)

University's Sam Burns hits the turf against Bulimba.

Bulimba match winner Ben Flemming creeps up on University's Nathan Krisanski.

University's Craig Mackintosh pushes the ball past Bulimba's Sean Quinn.

Bulimba forward Mitchell Grant takes on University fullback Joel Cuming.

 Compiled by Lee Oliver.