Status Quo at the Top

Western opened up a five-point gap at the top of the men`s Premiership with a 9-0 defeat of Grove Menzieshill at Auchenhowie today.

The contest was effectively over by the interval. Fraser Calder scored from open play, early in the first quarter, to be followed by penalty corner conversions from Jonny Christie, Hamish Galt and Fraser Moran for a four-goal lead.

The goal avalanche continued unabated after the interval: Callum Duke swept the ball home at a penalty corner switch; Rob Harwood added two more; Galt scored at another set piece; and Cameron Moran completed the scoring.

Clydesdale Western`s record speaks for itself – played 11, won 11 – and that after defeating Dundee Wanderers 13-1 at Titwood today. There was no hiding place for the Taysiders as Jenny Eadie picked up a hat-trick, there was two each for Emma Murray and Fiona Semple, while the following picked up one each – Millie and Holly Steiger, Paz Medina, Annabelle Ballantyne, Emma McGregor and finally Heather Lang.

It would be amiss if mention was not made of Wanderers` Sam Sangster, who finally scored a consolation for the Taysiders at a penalty corner – apparently, she is Wanderers` top scorer!

It has been a tortuous last eight days for Clydesdale with five games in order to fulfil their fixture schedule. However, they coped with full points and 51 goals in the process, losing only a single goal today.

Watsonians retained second spot in the table after a 3-1 win over Wildcats. They are still three points adrift of Clydesdale.

But it was Wildcats who opened the scoring in only 90 seconds through a well worked penalty corner, finished off by Rachel Bain. It took Watsonians only five minutes to level through Nikki Stobie, and then took a 2-1 lead with an open play strike from Sarah McKay.

The result was sealed in the second quarter when Emily Dark fired home a rebound at a penalty corner, after the initial shot had been saved, for 3-1 at the interval.

There was no further scoring in a fairly even second half. Perhaps the best chance fell to Wildcats` Kate Holmes, but her effort was well blocked by keeper Lucy Camlin. The Watsonians defence soaked up Wildcats` efforts to get back into the contest.

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