Western Wildcats, Inverleith, Grove Menzieshill and Watsonians make the top four

The day at DISC started with Inverleith drawing level with Western Wildcats at the top of the table after a comfortable 7-2 win over Edinburgh neighbours Grange. Goals from Inverleith`s Andrew Clark and Murray Banks of Grange in eight minutes kept things level, but thereafter it was Inverleith who grabbed the initiative and romped 4-1 up by the interval, captain Kyle Taylor and a double from Charlie Jack did the damage.

A sniff of a Grange comeback came with a penalty corner strike by Gordon Amour but that only sparked another Inverleith flow of goals, Jack grabbed another couple for a total of four for the game while Clark made the score sheet again. The reversal leaves Grange firmly in the bottom half of the table.

Uddingston moved alongside Grange on six points with a 4-1 win over Dundee Wanderers in the second match of the day – a game of two halves you might say. The Taysiders held a single goal lead at the break courtesy of a goal from Callum Ross.   But the second half belonged to the Lanarkshire side with a hat-trick from Ben Young being the highlight.   Their other goal came from the ever-sharp Finn Halliday. Wanderers probably did not help their cause with six players visiting the sin bin during the course of the contest which had eight green and yellow cards in total. The result leaves Wanderers firmly in the lower half of the division while Uddingston`s chances of making the top echelon is somewhat limited by their negative goal difference.

Western Wildcats clawed their way to a 7-5 victory over Grove Menzieshill and consequently resumed their three point lead at the apex of the table.  But it was a pulsating contest that ebbed and flowed throughout.

The match pulsated in the following manner – Wildcats held a 2-1 half-time lead through Fraser Moran and Andrew McConnell with Albert Rowling replying for the Dundonians at a penalty corner.  Rob Harwood put Wildcats 3-1 up but Grove Menzieshill were soon level at 3-3 through Chris McFadden and Rowling again.  That was followed by strikes by Jamie Golden, Cameron Moran and Luc Hermsen to put Western 6-3 ahead and looking in control.   But a double from McFadden for his hat-trick reduced the deficit to 6-5 with only a couple of minutes left…and it was game on.  However, the Wildcats secured the three points with a last gasp strike from Golden.

Watsonians confirmed their top four status with a 5-3 win over bottom side Hillhead.  The first half belonged to the Edinburgh side, they went three up after 15 minutes through Jack Cahalin, Dan Coultas at a penalty corner and Fraser Sands, Christian McKenna pulled one back for Hillhead, but Cahalin added a fourth before the interval.  McKenna again and Fraser Ward got two more goals for Hillhead in the second half but Sands again scored a fifth for Watsonians to shut out any revival.

So the top four places were secured before the final round of games – that is Western, Inverleith, Watsonians and Grove Menzieshill.

And then the top sides went on to enforced their superiority.  Inverleith proceeded to a nine goal victory over Dundee Wanderers    Charlie Jack competed another good day`s work with a further  three goals, Hamish Norval also scored three and the others came from Stuart Hatton, Rury Steedman and Sam Hunt.

Western Wildcats went much better with an 18-2 mauling of Grange – this can happen if you play the champions with only seven players.   The Wildcats` scorers were several, but suffice it to say that Jamie Golden scored a double hat-trick, Luc Hermsen got three and there were two each for Cameron Moran and Andrew McConnell.

In the lower echelons Uddingston and Hillhead fought out a 5-5 draw – the latter`s first point in the competition.   It was 1-1 at the interval, Hillhead`s Thomas Cole`s opener was cancelled by a spot conversion by Louis Gardner.   The second half saw a rapid exchange of goals, a treble from Fraser Ward with Andrew Hilton pitching in were Hillhead`s scorers while in return Finn Halliday got two and a Gardner double completed his hat-trick for Uddingston – his final goal coming in the last minute to secure a share of the points.

Grove Menzieshill finally slipped into third place by a single point after a 5-1 win over Watsonians.   But it was the latter who took the lead through Tom Steingold in nine minutes but by the break the Dundonians were 3-1 up through Connor Chapman along with Chris McFadden and Albert Rowling at penalty corners.  There was no way back for the Edinburgh side as Mike Ross and Findlay Duncan added another two without reply for the Taysiders and a comfortable victory.

The final games of the day produced the opening encounters in the bottom half and it’s all about escaping relegation.    After losing 5-3 to Dundee Wanderers it looks like only a miracle can save Hillhead from automatic relegation.   They have only a single point and six points adrift with only two games left next weekend.

Hillhead were 2-1 behind Wanderers at half -time, Bobby Ralph and Kennedy Gibb were on target while Fraser Ward replied for the Glasgow side.  Yan Adams levelled at 2-2 two minutes into the second half but then the Taysiders raced into a 5-2 lead before Andrew Hilton scored a Hillhead consolation.

A single point separates the other three sides – Grange, Dundee Wanderers and Uddingston – to avoid the play-off.   In the final encounter of the day Uddingston and Grange fought out a 2-2 draw, a double from Finn Halliday put the Lanarkshire side ahead in the first half with Kyle Reid replying for Grange.  The only goal of the second half came from Grange`s Murray Banks to secure a share of the points in the end.

 

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