Leeds lost an eleven-goal thriller at Weetwood last Wednesday against Beckett to round off what was an ultimately unsuccessful day for their men’s hockey teams.

The contest started badly for the hosts, with Beckett taking an early lead. Uni’s Max Evans – who was to be a threat all game long – then took the field, leveling the scores with his first involvement. The forward escaped from his marker before firing a reverse-stick shot from a difficult angle into the far corner, where Josh Mailing will claim he provided the final touch into the net.

Beckett bounced back with a quick-fire brace before half-time. A dubiously awarded penalty flick was cooly dispatched, before the visitors converted a short corner to lead 3-1 at the break. Uni, no strangers to a comeback, started the second stint strongly, pulling back an early goal. When big-game player George Bucknall tapped in the rebound from a short corner, the game was all square and the momentum seemed firmly with the home side.

The Gryphons grabbed the lead in some style in what was the goal of the game, and most likely the goal of the day. Max Evans again used his pace to devastating effect on a mazy solo run down the left wing, before ghosting into the D, rounding the keeper and passing the ball into the empty net.

Ill discipline from the visitors followed and two yellow cards saw them temporarily reduced to nine men. With Uni pressing, an unlikely Beckett breakaway saw the scores leveled again at 4-4. This was followed by another yellow card apiece which reduced the contest to 10 v 8. With 10 mins to play, Uni capitalised on their numerical advantage. Will Kenney-Herbert put the Gryphons into a 5-4 lead in a near carbon copy of Bucknall’s close range effort.

But the game was not yet sealed. In a late surge from the visitors, they created the two crucial chances needed to snatch a dramatic 6-5 win. With Uni tiring, Beckett bundled their way through into the D, twice finding a free man who was able to divert the ball past Charlie Claisse in the Gryphons’ goal.

This was a game with plenty of goals but no glory for the Gryphons, but was however a promising start from a side with many new faces.

 

Jack Fairs