University's Shaun Furtado and United's Deinma Dede vie for ball. Photo by
Fred Husted.

University's Julian Wright releases the ball as United's Josh McClelland moves
in. Photo by Fred Husted.

United's Sam Acutt keeps pace with Mitchell Smith. Photo by Fred Husted.

University's Greg Collins arrives too late to stop United's Gareth Hughes from
getting a pass away. Photo by Fred Husted.

BRISBANE HOCKEY LEAGUE – Round 12

Bulimba 2 (Troy Elder 2) defeated Commercial 1 (Kye Hawgood) at the State Hockey Centre, Colmslie.

Bulimba sit alone at the top of the ladder for the first time in four years, after two goals to former Australian international Troy Elder helped the Bulls leapfrog Commercial and assume the competition lead. After teammates Dan Ginnaw, Tom Newport and Mitchell Grant had shots saved or drift wide of the net, Elder scored the only goal of the first half after 24 minutes, his low flick from a penalty corner flying over the outstretched leg of Cobras goalkeeper Steven Green. Opposing goalkeeper Stephen Lambert was called into action soon after, saving Kye Hawgood’s reverse stick shot. Commercial had more circle penetrations than Bulimba, but Cobras forwards Matt Spink and Cale Cramer were unable to take advantage of the Bulls’ makeshift defensive unit of Allan Dale, former striker Liam Brown and Sean Quinn, playing his first game of the season. Bulimba, who entered the match without four key players, found themselves down to nine men when Grant and Jaryd Cutler spent time on the sideline for bad tackles. Soon after, Hawgood wiped the smile off the face of his father, Bulimba coach Geoff Hawgood, when he deflected Tom Brough’s penalty corner shot into the top of the net. However, Elder restored Bulimba’s lead just one minute later, swatting the ball into the goal after Brown’s penalty corner shot was blocked by Cobras fullback Leighton Stock. The woodwork came between Dylan Elliott and an equalising goal, allowing Bulimba to become the first team since Easts in 2008 to beat Commercial twice in the same season, after the Bulls toppled the Cobras 4-2 in April – Lee Oliver.

 

Easts 10 (George Clutton 5, Andy Ridgewell 3, Scott Boyde, Dale Gohdes) defeated QUT 1 (Mark Masefield) at the Clem Jones Centre, Carina.

Five goals to George Clutton and a first career hat-trick for Andy Ridgewell paved the way for Easts’ second straight nine-goal victory against QUT. The final scoreline belied a strong first half performance from QUT that was one of their best 35-minute efforts of the year. The Ibis didn’t take a backward step early on against the Tigers, with Mark Masefield rounding Easts goalkeeper Casey Lee and flicking the ball into the net to cancel out Clutton’s opening score, which saw him dive to deflect in a pass.  While Masefield’s goal followed circle penetrations and shots on goal from teammates Anders Kinsella, Rob Kruger and Chris Gilmore, Easts made better use of their scoring chances. Tigers forward Brad Mathers, who set up Clutton for his first score, again gave the last pass for the former Queensland Blades star to claim his second goal seven minutes out from halftime, before Clutton netted from a penalty corner three minutes later to give the home side a 3-1 lead at the break. Clutton then scored his fourth goal eight minutes after halftime and his fifth score, a well struck reverse stick shot that beat QUT goalkeeper Blair Burden into the corner of the net, with 25 minutes left to play. With QUT’s defensive resolve shattered, the floodgates opened for the Tigers. It took Tweed product Ridgewell just five minutes to bring up his maiden hat-trick of goals for the Tigers, to make the score 8-1. When Scott Boyde’s tomahawk shot hit the target and a Dale Gohdes shot powered through Burden’s pads, Easts had notched 50 goals in their past five games against QUT – Lee Oliver.

 

Pine Rivers St Andrews 5 (Ryan Gibbs 2, Mitchell Bolton, Ryan Kilpatrick, Dan O’Flaherty) defeated Labrador 3 (Joe Reardon, Mark Harris, Grant Smith) at Keith Hunt Park, Labrador.

A depleted Pine Rivers St Andrews outfit has broken through for their first win at the Gold Coast since Labrador entered the Brisbane competition in 2007.  Labrador was without some talent of their own, but missed a golden chance to record their first major scalp of the season.  The home team made a dream start, with Grant Smith scoring in the opening minute, but the Saints quickly regrouped, scoring two goals in five minutes.  First, Luke Reddiex pierced the Tigerstix defence to find Ryan Gibbs in space, who drew goalkeeper Matt Woods, allowing an unmarked Mitchell Bolton to tap in.  Then Ryan Kilpatrick accepted a pinpoint pass from Andrew Richards, before shooting past the advancing keeper.  Gibbs then pounced on a rebound to make it 3-1, but Saints undid some of their good work, giving away a penalty corner in the last minute of the half, from which Mark Harris scored with a drag flick. It was all Labrador for 20 drama-filled minutes after the break, as four temporary suspensions placed the away side under extreme pressure.  Joe Reardon tied the scores with a powerful strike in the 41st minute, but the ability of the Saints defence to minimise the damage to one goal, during a period when the side was twice reduced to nine men, proved telling.  Having regained a full complement of players, the Saints went ahead when Gibbs emerged from a goalmouth skirmish with 12 minutes on the clock.  Promising youngster Dan O’Flaherty then showed great poise to round Woods and shoot past two defenders to score his maiden first-grade goal, and seal the club’s gutsiest victory in recent memory – Nicholas Bolton.
 

University of Queensland 3 (Greg Collins, Shaun Furtado, Daniel Biase-McInally) defeated United 2 (Gareth Hughes, Matt Argent) at the State Hockey Centre, Colmslie.

University kept their finals hopes alive by beating United for the third straight match.  The students entered the clash with a skeletal version of their regular side, and their makeshift defensive unit was found wanting four minutes after the hit-off, when United’s Gareth Hughes started and finished a passing movement that stretched from one sideline to the other. After United shifted the ball from the left wing, Matt Argent slipped a ball behind the University defence to Jacob Jennison, with Hughes providing the finish with a decisive slap shot. University looked likely to equalise when Simon Doull set up Daniel Biase-McInally, but the unmarked striker put his shot wide. B made up for his blemish soon after, deflecting in Greg Collins’ penalty corner shot to tie the scores. University came close to snatching the lead when Doull dispossessed Aaron Lund and fed the ball to Byron Davey, but goalkeeper Brett Curry, on debut for United, nullified the one-on-one contest. The Redmen took a one-goal advantage into the sheds after Collins’ penalty corner shot took touches from the sticks of United’s Shane Cowling and Dane Robinson and found the net after the halftime hooter. United were back on level terms eight minutes after the restart when Argent’s low penalty corner flick was too quick for goalkeeper David Watts. With 19 minutes left Shaun Furtado scored the match-winning goal, deflecting Collins’ low penalty corner flick into the net, before the students repelled sustained late pressure from United to record their third victory of the season – Lee Oliver.

 

Redcliffe Leagues 3 (James McAlpine 2, Shane Kenny) defeated Valley 1 (Alwyn Krusi) at Mary Nairn Fields, Redcliffe.

James McAlpine joined Bulimba’s Justin Douglas on top of the goal scorers chart, finding the net twice as Redcliffe Leagues duplicated their 3-1 triumph against Valley from Round 3. Not only did the scoreline replicate Redcliffe Leagues’ victory from April, it was another come-from-behind triumph for the Redmen against the Diehards, who opened the scoring at Redcliffe. Alwyn Krusi netted his tenth goal of the season in the 12th minute of the match as Valley, who entered the clash without key players Lewis Short, Gary Nielson, Kane Posselt and goalkeeper Ben Borrensen, got an early jump on the home side. Neither replacement Valley goalkeeper Kris Maslowskyj or Redcliffe Leagues shot stopper Daniel Pink had too much work to do for the remainder of the half, with scoring chances for both sets of strikers limited. It took until the 50th minute for the higher-ranked Redcliffe Leagues outfit to respond with their first goal of the match, with McAlpine finding the back of the net for the fifth straight match against Valley with the first of his two penalty corner conversions. With the match evenly poised, two goals in two minutes was enough to turn a possible Valley triumph into a Redcliffe Leagues victory. First McAlpine sent his second drag flick in five minutes past debutant Maslowskyj, before having a hand in the game’s most decisive goal with 13 minutes remaining. McAlpine provided the lead-up for the final goal, running the ball down the backline and feeding the ball to new Redcliffe Leagues signing Steve Schulz, before Shane Kenny provided the finish – Lee Oliver.

 

POINTS:

Bulimba 30, Pine Rivers St Andrews 29, Commercial 28, Redcliffe Leagues 27, Easts 16, Labrador 16, Valley 13, University of Queensland 10, United 3, QUT 3.

 

LEADING GOAL SCORERS:

16  -  Justin Douglas (Bulimba)
      -  James McAlpine (Redcliffe Leagues)
15  -  Jacob Webber (Easts)
11  -  Ryan Gibbs (Pine Rivers St Andrews)
      -  Ryan Kilpatrick (Pine Rivers St Andrews)
10  -  Kye Hawgood (Commercial)
      -  Alwyn Krusi (Valley)
  9  -  Daniel Beale (Commercial)
      -  Troy Elder (Bulimba)
      -  Adam McClelland (United)
  8  -  Chris Beale (Commercial)
      -  George Clutton (Easts)
      -  Brent Garske (Pine Rivers St Andrews)
      -  Mitchell Grant (Bulimba)
      -  Mark Harris (Labrador)
 

Commercial captain Tom Brough runs away from Bulimba's Tom Newport.
Photo by Fred Husted.

Cobras forward Matt Spink stretches to reach Bulls midfielder Kyle Richardson
Photo by Fred Husted.

Shadowed by Bulimba halfback Sean Quinn, Dylan Elliott flicks an inside pass
for a Commercial teammate. Photo by Fred Husted.

Easts goalkeeper Casey Lee smothers an attack from QUT's Anders Kinsella.

Ibis forward James Kruger prepares to pounce on Jamie Mills of the Tigers.

Easts youngster Scott Boyde gives chase as QUT Chris Gilmore streaks away.

Compiled by Lee Oliver.

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