Boys Under 12’s
Slazengers under-12s finished unbeaten in a solid first top-division outing of the season in the Yorkshire Youth Hockey League.
The Slaz boys drew their opening three games before rounding off with a victory to safely avoid relegation after winning promotion in each of their previous tournaments.
The opening match against Leeds saw Slazengers open the scoring through Charlie Bland after a strong run and cross by Alex Stacey. Leeds, who went on to finish top of the table, only equalised late on from a powerful short-corner shot.
The next two matches both finished 0-0, with Sheffield’s keeper making several good saves to preserve the stalemate before Doncaster and Slazengers cancelled each other out in a game of few chances.
Wakefield were the final opponents and Slazengers took an early lead through Terry Bathrelos’s first goal for the club, after Stacey’s initial shot had been saved.
Stacey then crossed for Tommy Randle to double the advantage before Wakefield pulled one back with the only goal Slazengers conceded from open play.
The Slaz defence was particularly impressive in this tournament, keeper Aidan Coughtrey becoming more confident with every game and being well protected by Frazer Cass and Lewis Killey. Sam Alderson, Joe Minchella and Will Gascoigne also played important roles within a fine team display.
