National indoor title for Perthshire team
Perthshire Hockey Club’s productive season shows no signing of slowing down after another title was added to the trophy cabinet.
The men’s first team secured the Indoor National League Division 3 crown by picking up victory in a weekend Bell’s Sports Centre fixture.
Shire required only one win from their final three matches and achieved just that by running out 6-5 victors against Western Wildcats 2s.
Neil Robertson’s goal-scoring form continued to net four, while Andrew Clark and Michal Czub were also on the scoresheet.
Team manager Dave Berry was a happy man and said:“We only needed one win in the final week to make sure of it.
“At the weekend, we were 6-4 ahead but Western got a short corner right on full-time. But we knew that we were safe, which was nice.
“The team was relegated last season with a very young squad. We were missing most of our experienced players for that.
“Our intention was to go straight back up if we could and the strong start to the season helped. We’ve had a good blend of experienced guys with all of the youngsters who gained the experience from last season.
“They were a year older, a little stronger and fitter also. The young players have stood up when they needed to and made a good contribution.
“Neil Robertson scored a whole load of
Photo: Robbie Preece goals and Adam Czub backed him up as well. We really deserved to win because, over the season, we were the best team in the league.”
Berry praised the commitment of the Perth squad, who, in their other weekend games, lost to Glasgow Uni and drew with Grove Menzieshill 3s.
“On Saturday our first game was at 9.15am and our last game finished at 5.15pm,”he said. “If you’re there all day, it’s a big commitment.
“But you can have a squad of 12, there is only six on the court, so there is leeway.
“It’s good for the club to have the team in Division Two now, which is a higher standard. Hopefully we can compete well there next season.
“Most of the young players are 15 or 16, so we’ll have them for another season.”
Attentions soon turn back to National League 2 outdoor hockey where Perthshire’s men’s firsts are looking to build on their current mid-table spot.
“We’re mid-table at the moment and would have liked to have picked up a few more points,”Berry told the PA. “But we can certainly aim for third.”
Meanwhile, back to the indoor front, Perthshire’s ladies continue to compete at the top end of the National Indoor Division 3. They played out two fixtures at DISC last weekend and first went down 12-5 against Uddingston. Annie Neil netted a hat-trick and Kirsty Imlay a double for Perth.
The determined team followed the defeat up with a 5-2 win over Falkirk and Linlithgow, Caitlin McShea continuing impressive recent form to score four. Karen Thomson was also on the scoresheet.