Penultimate indoor hockey weekend has much to play for

Grove Menzieshill Hillhead indoor

The indoor first division championship reaches its penultimate stage this weekend, and it’s set to throw up some exciting encounters in the process.

Looking at the points currently on the board, the men`s semi-finals seem more likely to pair the Edinburgh rivals Grange and Inverleith, while Grove Menzieshill look like they may take on Bromac Kelburne. However, there are a couple of important details to be sorted out in the earlier games of the day before Grange and Grove Menzieshill can claim their official places in the semi-finals.

In Pool A Hillhead are three points behind Grange but with a better goal difference, to upset the applecart the Glasgow side would have to beat high-flying Kelburne and hope that Grange lose to bottom side Uddingston. It is a similar scenario in Pool B, this time Clydesdale would have to overturn Inverleith and Grove Menzieshill would have to lose to Wildcats.

If it should pan out that Grove Menzieshill and Grange progress to the semi-finals then Grange face a big clash against Edinburgh neighbours Inverleith, and with the competition entering the knock-out stages anything can happen in a one-off encounter.

Good omens are definitely with Inverleith in search of their fifth indoor crown; they have won every game since their 8-4 reversal against Bromac Kelburne in the first game of the season. The Champions’ recent form has been ominously clinical, last weekend the 5-3 win over traditional rivals Grove Menzieshill was followed by a 10-4 victory over Western Wildcats.

Most impressive has been the high penalty corner conversions by Adam McKenzie and Stephen Dick, along with supporting open play strikes by the likes of Patrick Christie, Derek Salmond, and Stuart Hatton.

Although Stuart Neave`s charges finally triumphed 8-5 in the league encounter between the two, the contest was on a knife edge when Callum Milne`s strike brought the score to only 6-5 with three minutes left. It took set piece goals from Dick and McKenzie to eventually settle the affair in Inverleith`s favour.

Grange have shown a fair amount of form with Frank Ryan, Luke Cranney and Milne chief among the goal scorers, but the Edinburgh side have yet to make a breakthrough against the top three of Kelburne, Grove Menzieshill and Inverleith. If the two meet in the semi’s it could be the time to buck that trend.

Should it transpire, the other semi-final is difficult to predict – a clash between the methodical play of 19-time champions Grove Menzieshill and the refreshing swashbuckling approach of Kelburne. Many have predicted that if the Paisley side put their mind to it they could take the indoor championship by storm; this season they have done just that dashing through the league and group stages undefeated.

Kelburne have a match-winning asset in their armoury – the lethal finishing of striker Johnny Christie, he has amassed a staggering forty goals already in this season`s campaign – and never less than a hat-trick in any match. When the sides met on league business the contest ended in a 4-4 draw, Christie scored a hat-trick and also secured the crucial equaliser with less than two minutes left. That said, the Taysiders have a wealth of indoor experience and will be desperate to regain the crown they last held in 2013.

What is, however, a certainty is that pool bottom sides Uddingston and Wildcats will clash and the loser will automatically be relegated to the second division next season. This could be a close affair, the league encounter ended in a 2-2 draw; the Wildcats surrendering a two goal half-time advantage.

Wildcats Bon Accord indoor w

There are also some loose ends still to be decided in the final pool matches in the women`s competition. In Pool A there is still a chance that Wildcats could overtake Grove Menzieshill for a place in the semi-finals, but they would have to defeat champions Dundee Wanderers to do so.

Also the bottom relegation spot in Pool B is still to be decided between Bon-Accord and CALA Edinburgh; it could well come down to goal difference and at the moment CALA have the edge to survive.

Although the two Tayside giants, Dundee Wanderers and Grove Menzieshill, could be favourites to contest this year`s final, the statistics offer an alternative picture.

It has been a few years since champions Wanderers lost a domestic joust, but in December they went down 4-3 to Milne Craig Western – their opponents in the semi-final. Western raced into a four goal lead before the Taysiders got going, and despite a hat-trick from Vikki Bunce, a well-earned victory went to the Glasgow side.

Newly promoted Edinburgh University have been this season`s surprise packet with a lengthy unbeaten run, which took them to second in the league competition. The students finally lost that accolade to Wanderers, but only by 8-6, and the score stood at 6-6 with only a few minutes left.

Edinburgh will go into the semi-final against Grove Menzieshill with some degree of confidence having already recorded a 4-3 victory over the Dundonians in the league contest. Becky Dru was the heroine that day with a well-taken hat-trick, Katie Hibbert got the other.

Not an easy one to call – the upstart students have surprised many with the quality of their play, but Grove Menzieshill can call on a host of former Scotland players to take them over the line. What is certain is that it is a weekend of drama and great hockey waiting on the horizon.

 

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