Hawks circle to cancel out Buccs
Bath Buccaneers’ Men’s 1st XI were left to rue missed opportunities after they let a twogoal advantage slip in their National League Conference West match against Oxford Hawks at the weekend. A strong start from Bath Buccaneers resulted in the home team going in front with Harry Skinner providing Scott Rawlings with a chance which he finished off in style. High pressure from Bath was causing Oxford some trouble and a clever short-corner routine led to the second goal of the game. Harry Skinner’s second assist was put away by a drag flick from Ben Stone hard to the Oxford Hawks keeper’s left-hand side. Bath Buccaneers were the dominant side for the majority of the first half which ended 2-0 to the Bath side. However, Oxford Hawks came out fighting and managed to pull one back early on in the second half, keeping them in the game. Bath Buccaneers were struggling to convert their opportunities, narrowly missing a chance to go 3-1 up with Ieuan Davis striking the ball goalwards only to for the Oxford goalkeeper to make a fantastic diving save, With the score at 2-1, Oxford continued to apply pressure on Bath and managed to force a short corner as a reward for their efforts. With a shot on target and a neat deflection Oxford Hawks tied the game. Although there were further chances for both teams to grab a winner, the score remained 2-2 at the final whistle. Meanwhile, Bath Buccaneers’ ladies 1st XI enjoyed a 5-3 away win at Cheltenham. The scorers were Rachel Jackson, Tess Hannah (2) Katie Paxman and Ciara Branagan. Meanwhile, Lauren Workman got the winner in the ladies 2nd’s home win against Taunton Vale. The club’s ladies 3rds beat Mendip 2-0 with goals from Grace Fry and Rosie Taylor-jones. The ladies 4ths beat Salisbury 3rds 4-1 at home with goals from Georgie Bale, Nikki Maclean (2) and Nia Rees-saunders. Buccaneers men’s D side drew 1-1 with Bristol University B at Coombe Dingle, David Armstrong on target for the Buccaneers. The men’s E side drew 2-2 at home against Mendip, Sam Reeves scoring twice for the Buccaneers. The men’s C side lost at home 4-1 to Mid Somerset, Zeb Goldsmith scored the host’s only goal. Buccaneers’ mens G side beat visitors Chichester 5ths 5-2 with goals from scorers Adam Whiteley, Fin Marks and Victor Ball. Elsewhere, City of Bath Hockey Club’s men’s 1st XI lost 2-1 at Taunton Vale in the Championship last weekend. It was little better for the seconds who lost 3-1 at home to Bristol UWE. City of Bath’s B side fared better, enjoying a 7-1 win over City of Bath C. City of Bath’s women’s 1st XI drew 2-2 away to West Wiltshire in Wessex Division 1 of the West Clubs Women’s League. In Division 2, the 2nds lost 4-0 at home to Salisbury 4ths.