THE much anticipated end of season girls' hockey competition took place at Friends' between the hosts and Wallace for the Helen Martin Trophy.
Inaugurated in 1997 in memory of Helen Martin, a very influential teacher and great motivator, Helen was a former head of Girls' Games at Friends'. Ten teams play from 1stXI to U12BXI and the points are added together.
The event kicked off with th
e under 12AXI's making their debut. Friends weathered a storm in the first half against a talented Wallace team but Olivia Cumins goal for Friends decided the match. On the other pitch Friends U13BXI matched last year's score with another 4-0 win. These matches started Friends on a winning streak with undoubtedly the most exciting match of the day being the U12B's. Just as the final whistle blew Wallace were forced to defend a penalty corner with a 2-1 lead. Gemma Walker coolly converted the perfect strike.
Friends celebrate their success.
In the second half captain Rebecca Mills drove her team on. Gemma Walker was on target again to win the match 3-2. Friends U14AXI, who have had a great season winning the Junior Plate, got an early shock when Wallace scored in the first two minutes. However Sarah Wells commanded the midfield from then on and was rewarded with a goal to even the match. A silky individual run from Kirsty Walker and another strike from Claire Lloyd sealed the 3-1 win. The wins kept coming for Friends juniors with the tightest game being the U13A match, result 2-1. Catherine McClure scored twice in the U14B 2-0 win to make it 18 points on the board.
It was now up to Wallace seniors to redress the balance and that they did. The 3rdXI won 1-0 as did the 2ndXI to give Wallace much needed points. On the day Wallace 2ndXI were much the better side but they left it late with Caroline Davis scoring in the last minute.
The final two matches were the 2BXI and 1stXI. By all accounts the 2B's put on an exciting display in a 2-2 draw, the one and only on the day. In the 1stXI match captain Sophie McNeice inspired her team to a dominant first half performance linking well with Sophie McClean and Phoebe Preston. Against the run of play however, Emma Canning stole a first half lead for Friends. The second half was a more even affair with Katy Fair dominant in the Friends goal.
Principal Elizabeth Dickson spoke of Helen Martin in her presentation speech as Friends captain received the trophy on behalf of all the players.
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