Storm-ing success for the Braves

WHITLEY Braves kept up their English Under-18 North Division Two title challenge when they beat Manchester Storm 7-2 at Altrincham.

Braves travelled to the North West minus Thomas Brown, Brandon Wilkinson, Jack Wilkinson, Sam Dellow and Emily Johnson and handed a debut to Jack Hennebelle.

They were on the attack from the first whistle but were kept at bay by Storm netminder Jake Lowndes until the sixth minute, when captain Matthew McDonald gave Whitley the lead.

It was mostly one-way traffic in the early stages and it came as no surprise when the lead was doubled courtesy of Matthew Wood at 09.04.

It was not too long before Whitley were on the scoresheet again when their leading scorer Thomas Fraser found the net at 11.57.

Less than three minutes later he netted his second of the match to ease the Braves into a 4-0 advantage.

Storm then truck twice through Joshua Ellis and Elliott Hunt in the space of 17 seconds.

The middle period continued in the way the first had ended with Manchester trying to further reduce the deficit but Jack Wakefield in the Braves’ net held firm as the period failed to produce any goals.

In the final period the Braves increased their advantage.

McDonald scored his second of the game and eighth of the season at 42.39 and less than three minutes later Jack McCumiskey notched his fourth strike of the campaign.

Fraser did not have long to wait for his hat-trick and 12th Braves goal of the season at 49.02 to complete the victory.

The Braves lie in third in the table behind joint leaders Nottingham Leopards and Sutton Sting, who are only one point ahead having played the same number of games.

They met at the weekend and drew 4-4 in Nottingham.

Whitley have lost only twice in nine games this season - to Sutton last month and at Nottingham (10-0) in October.

Four home matches in the next seven weeks feature Nottingham (twice), Manchester and Sutton.

The first sees Nottingham the visitors to Hillheads on Sunday (12.30 face-off).