The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
City of Peterborough men have inserted a spring in their step
Hockey - City men reach semi-finals of national cup competition
What a weekend it was for the City of Peterborough club.
Their men’s first team enjoyed two eye-catching victories while the ladies second team celebrated a title win in fine style.
First up for the men was a National League East Conference clash at home to second-in-the-table Oxted on Saturday.
With City sitting at the foot of the table, all predictions pointed to a comfortable win for the visitors, who were last season’s league champions.
But the home side, deply intent on keeping alive any chance of achieving their preseason target of a top seven finish, had other ideas.
They pulled out all the stops to secure a shock 3-1 win after going 1-0 up in the first minute through Joe Finding
Brendan Andrews and Ross Ambler were their other scorers while goalkeeper Cam Goodey pulled off a string of superb saves to earn the manof-the-match award.
On Sunday it was national cup day.
City were at home to West Conference side Oxford Hawks in the quarter-finals of the English Hockey Second Tier Championship and, buoyed by their super Saturday success, they put in another great shift to triumph 5-4.
It was an exciting cup tie with the lead changing hands several times and City went through with a goal 15 seconds from the end by Jordan Heald.
Other City scorers were Danny Sisson (2) and Adam Wilson (2).
City have been rewarded with a home semi-final against Liverpool side Bowden.
This coming Sunday, City host Teddington in league action at Bretton Gate (1pm). It was 2-2 in the reverse fixture earlier on in the season.
On the back of the ir wonderful weekend just gone, City will hope to secure all three points again and move off the bottom of the table.
The City of Peterborough ladies second team were crowned East League Division Two North West champions after a stunning 6-0 win against Spalding courttesy of goals by Holly Finding (3), Shelley Broadway, Isobel Hughes and Annie Howells.
The City girls, who will be competing in Division One for the first time next season, have not lost a game this season and have a fabulous goal difference of +71. Goalkeeper Ellis Srnska has had 14 clean sheets.
Eleswhere for the City men on Saturday there were good wins for the seconds and fourths.
The seconds beat Premier B Division rivals Dereham 6-3 with goals by Will Astbury (2) Paul Hillsdon, Adam Wilson, Henry Ricketts and Nathan Rozario, while prolific marksman Gary Hales was a hattrick hero for the fourths as they won 4-2 away at promotion chasing Horncastle in Division Three North West.
City fifths lost 2-1 to relegation rivals Wisbech 2nds in Division Three North West. They are two points from safety with three matches left. Ladies