Grove Menzieshill retain U18 Boys Indoor Cup

Grove U18 B cup winners

Grove Menzieshill retained their Boys U18 Indoor Cup title, defeating Perthshire in the final.

Bells Sports Centre played host at the weekend where two teams from each district gathered to fight for the title. The competition ran as two pools of four with crossover matches to decide on placings.

The day began in Pool A with last year’s finalists Grange taking on the holders Grove Menzieshill. Cameron Golden grabbed an early lead for the Dundee side, Grange then grabbed an equaliser with six minutes to go before half time. Some great play by Ewen Mackie in his defensive half saw him set up Owen Jenkins Garcia to then give Grange the lead. Golden then grabbed his second of the match from a penalty corner to make it 2-2 at half time. Grove Menzieshill regained the lead straight after half time with a well worked corner, again converted by Golden. Golden was again on hand to further Grove Menzieshill’s lead, making it 4-2. Next, Aiden McQuade got on the scoresheet after a penalty stroke was awarded. Grange grabbed a goal back through Ross Lunn with three minutes remaining before Jenkins Garcia made it 5-4 with two minutes to go, which is how the score remained and Grove Menzieshill took the points.

The other match in Pool A saw Gordonians face Clydesdale and it was the latter who scored three goals in quick succession to give them an early 3-0 lead – Straun Walker netting all three. Gordonians fought back but Clydesdale proved too strong and went in 5-2 leaders at half time. Clydesdale showed their dominance in the second half with three further goals from Walker, bringing his total to six. Tom Hill scored two of four Gordonians’ goals, with Chris Moon and Cameron Stephen netting the others. In the end Clydesdale came away 8-4 winners and took all three points.

U18 Boys Indoor Cup 2

Pool B began with Watsonians against Perthshire. Perthshire took the lead through a John Stephen penalty corner, then increased their lead from another penalty corner with Matthew White netting. Shortly after the break Lewis Pyke made it 3-0 to Perthshire after a well worked field goal. White grabbed his second of the match through another penalty corner, then Pyke again from a penalty corner increased Perthshire’s lead to 5-0. This was the end result which saw Perthshire take the points after a comfortable victory.

Western Wildcats took on Aberdeen Grammar in the second match of Pool B. Wildcats gained an early two goal advantage before Grammar responded making it 2-2 shortly before half time. Wildcats regained their lead right on half time through Andrew McConnell, who netted his second goal of the game. Fraser Moran then grabbed his second and increased Wildcats’ lead to 4-2. Grammar again responded through Cammie Robson and Kieran Christie to bring the scores level at 4-4. Andrew McAllister gave Wildcats the lead through a well-worked field goal before Kieran Christie scored another for Grammar to bring the score level yet again. It was then that Wildcats proved too clinical as they scored three goals in quick succession through Euan Cowan, Moran and McConnell. The final score in the match was 8-5 to Western Wildcats.

Pool A then got underway again for the second group games, which saw Grove Menzieshill take on Clydesdale. Both teams had early chances but were unable to break the deadlock. It was Grove Menzieshill’s man of the moment Cameron Golden who opened the scoring through terrific skill and an equally as good finish. Right on half time Grove Menzieshill increased their lead through youngster Hamish Rice who slotted calmly passed the keeper. Clydesdale pulled one back through Matthew Lonergan before Golden grabbed his second of the game to restore the two goal lead. He furthered his tally moments later to make it 4-1. Nice link-up play between Struan Walker and Ben Galloway saw Galloway slot home and grab one back for Clydesdale. Golden once again scored from a penalty corner making it 5-2 and struck again moments later converting another corner. The final score saw Grove Menzieshill seal a comfortable 6-2 victory.

The other match in Pool A saw Grange overcome Gordonians by eight goals to four. Jonathan Hawley netted a hat-trick with Ewen Mackie scoring four and Sam Weissen scoring the other goal. Gordonians took the lead early through James Morrison but Grange pulled two back to take the lead. The northerners levelled through Sam Hill but Grange scored two quick successive goals to give them a two goal advantage before half time. Grange then showed their dominance and scored three quick fire goals before Gordonians pulled two back through John Hannah and Matthew Davidson. But Grange then sealed the win with seconds remaining.

Then in the second matches in Pool B Western Wildcats took on Watsonians. Wildcats took the lead through Andrew McAllister with a well-worked goal. Euan Cowan doubled Wildcats’ lead shortly after as they began to settle into the match. Cowan netted his second of the contest after a great strike from a penalty corner making it 3-0. Andrew McConnell increased Wildcats’ lead to 4-0 with a well-finished strike. Watsonians grabbed one back through Roddy Craig from a penalty corner. Wildcats regained their four-goal lead through Scott Menzies with two minutes remaining. Wildcats saw out the rest of the game comfortably winning 5-1.

Meanwhile, over in the coaching hall, Perthshire proved too strong for Aberdeen Grammar. Within the first ten minutes Perthshire had gained a four goal lead with strikes coming from Tommy Adams and a Matthew White hat-trick. On the stroke of half time Leon Potts pulled one back for Grammar making it 4-1 at the break. Aberdeen Grammar were determined in the second half to keep Perthshire out and they managed this until there were six minutes remaining when Fin Renton broke the second half deadlock. This result put Perthshire in position for a semi-final place alongside Wildcats. The winner of this group would be decided in the final group game.

The final match of Pool A saw Grove Menzieshill going for top spot in the group and they managed to score after ten seconds through Cameron Golden. Jamie Golden netted his first of the match shortly after with a great finish from a cut back, and then he netted again from a field goal. With only five minutes gone Jamie Golden grabbed his hat-trick making it 4-0. Aiden McQuade got his name back on the score sheet with a drag flick from a penalty corner. Grove Menzieshill again proved to be clinical from a corner, this time through Jack Cross. Grove Menzieshill were dominating the game and scored again through Argis Fagerson, making it 7-0, Fagerson then scored another to make it 8-0. Keir Robb made it 9-0 moments later. Matthew Davidson got one back for Gordonians just before half time, making it 9-1 at the break. Jamie Golden grabbed another with a flick from a penalty corner; Jack Cross got his second also with a flick from a penalty corner; and Nathan Soutar got on the scoresheet making it 12-1, which was the final score. This result meant that Grove Menzieshill topped the group and advanced to the semi-finals.U18 B indoor cup final

The other match in Pool A was a battle for a place in the semi-final. Clydesdale took on Grange in what was a very close match. Grange went 2-0 up after six minutes but Clydesdale pulled two goals back in the eighth minute. Grange regained their lead through Owen Jenkins Garcia before Clydesdale levelled again. Grange once again took the lead through Sam Weissen before Clydesdale scored three quick goals in succession. Clydesdale were 6-4 up with three minutes left on the clock however they were unable to hang on and Grange scored three goals in three minutes through Stuart Thurlow, and a double for Ewen Mackie. Mackie’s dramatic last goal was right on the buzzer signalling Grange as 7-6 winners and advancing to the semi-final.

The final matches in Pool A were vital as Perthshire and Western Wildcats were fighting for top spot. Within seven minutes Perthshire had a three goal lead with goals from Matthew White, Lewis Pyke and John Stephen. Wildcats were able to pull one back before half time through Andrew McConnell. Shortly after the break Perthshire struck again through Matthew White before Wildcats grabbed two goals to get themselves back into the game. However, late on, Perthshire dealt the final blow after a calm finish by Ryan Cummins. This result meant Perthshire took top spot and would face Grange in the semi-final with Wildcats facing holders Grove Menzieshill.

Aberdeen Grammar took on Watsonians to claim second place in the Pool. With Grammar having the better goal difference only a win would see Watsonians take third. James Graham gave Watsonians the lead early before Kieran Christie levelled the score. From then on Watsonians dominated the game scoring four consecutive goals without any response from Grammar. Leon Potts grabbed a consolation goal for Grammar before Roddy Craig finished it off for Watsonians, winning 6-2.

The drama heated up for the semi-finals and the crossover matches for placings. Firstly Grove Menzieshill took on Western Wildcats and were not wasting any time to show they deserved to be in the final. After only six minutes of play Grove Menzieshill were five goals to the good before a response from Wildcats. The second half was similar to the first with Grove Menzieshill grabbing a further three goals, two of these from Cameron Golden. Wildcats grabbed another through Andrew McConnell but this was in vain and Grove Menzieshill advanced to the final with an impressive 8-2 victory.

The second semi-final was a closely fought match between Perthshire and Grange. Perthshire took the lead through Harris Wilkie before Grange equalised through Sam Weissen, who was in contention for Most Valuable Player of the day. After the break Grange took the lead through Ewen Mackie. However Perthshire took the game to penalties after a late goal from Lewis Pyke. Perthshire then claimed a place in the final after a 3-2 win in the penalty shootout.Grove Perth U18 B final

Over in the coaching hall it was an Aberdeen derby to battle for 7th and 8th as Aberdeen Grammar took on Gordonians. Gordonians broke the deadlock after ten minutes through Matthew Davidson. However Aberdeen Grammar responded right before half time, and advanced their score straight after giving them a 2-1 lead. Gordonians regained their lead with two quick goals from Chris Moon. However Aberdeen Grammar then levelled through Leon Potts. This goal sent the match to penalties where Gordonians proved victorious with a 1-0 win.

Clydesdale were to take on Watsonians to fight for 5th and 6th. In what was a good match of hockey by both teams, Clydesdale proved too strong and were 4-1 up at the interval. Watsonians fought their way back into the match with goals from Roddy Craig and Murray Cannon, but it was not enough to stop Clydesdale as they ran out 6-4 winners.Sam Weissen MVP

In the penultimate game of the day Western Wildcats took on Grange in the battle for 3rd. The match got off to a flyer with Grange taking the lead before Wildcats levelled. Then Grange took the lead once more through Sam Weissen. Wildcats however, came out fighting in the second half and scored four goals to give them a comfortable lead, two of these goals coming from Andrew McConnell. Grange pulled a goal back late on from a penalty stroke but it was not enough and Wildcats held on 5-3 to take 3rd.

Sam Weissen’s performance in this match sealed the MVP for him as he was voted the best player of the tournament.

It was then time for the final and the question of whether holders Grove Menzieshill could retain their title, or if rivals Perthshire could take it from them. Both teams had chances early on but were unable to break the deadlock. Matthew White netted the first goal of the match from a penalty corner to give Perthshire the lead. Right on half time it was Cameron Golden again to level for Grove Menzieshill from a penalty corner. After the break Golden netted a further two strikes to increase his team’s lead. Perthshire fought back into the game with a goal from John Stephen but Golden was on hand again to seal the victory, and claim his 20th goal of the day. Grove Menzieshill retained their title with a superb 4-2 win.

Perthshire U18 B cup

Final Placings:

1st– Grove Menzieshill

2nd– Perthshire

3rd– Western Wildcats

4th– Grange

5th– Clydesdale

6th– Watsonians

7th– Gordonians

8th– Aberdeen Grammar

Congratulations to all teams involved and a huge thank you to all the technical officials and umpires for making the day possible.

Photography by Mark Pugh and Duncan Gray

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