A feature of Saturday’s proceedings was individual lethal finishing – there were five goals for Jenny Eadie of Clydesdale Western, while Fraser Moran of Wildcats, Jacob Tweedie of Grange and Frances Lonergan of Clydesdale all scored four goals – good shooting.
In the match of the day, and in an Edinburgh derby, it was Watsonians who emerged victorious 3-2 against University rivals to open a five-point lead at the top of the Men’s Premiership. Although, to be fair, Western Wildcats do have a game in hand.
The league’s prolific goalscorers were in attendance once again. Jamie Golden and Charlie Jack of Edinburgh’s Watsonians both scored twice in the match, but it was Guy Rowson who claimed the extra goal for the league leaders. As a result, the students drop to third place in the table.
That’s because Western Wildcats were 8-4 winners over Clydesdale at Auchenhowie to slip into second place on goal difference. In the goal flurry here, Fraser Moran added another four to his season’s tally, and both Rob Harwood and Iain McFadden scored twice. In reply, Andrew Allan, Andrew McGrane, Ben Moulson and Luke Bannerman were on course for Clydesdale.
In the battle between emerging clubs Uddingston and ESM Lions it was perhaps unsurprising that the match ended in a 1-1 draw, a result that leaves Lanarkshire in fourth place and the Lions in sixth. Here Max Strachen scored for Uddy while Cameron Ede was again on target for the Lions.
Meanwhile, Grange was involved in a ten-goal thriller with Grove Menzieshill at Fettes – and they shared the points. Jacob Tweedie was on the ball with four for Grange, while Robbie Croll got the other. Taysider John Donald scored a hat-trick from penalty corners to make it 1-1, 3-3 and 5-5, while Jack Tasker put Menzieshill 2-1 and Brian McGarrity put them 4-3… but in the end it all ended squarely. Menzieshill coach Gav Byers summed it up: “It was a real ding-dong game.”
Grange remains fifth, while Grove Menzieshill is tenth.
Hillhead recorded their second win in a row with a 5-4 victory over Inverleith. The Glasgow side moved up to seventh place, while Inverleith dropped to ninth. For Hillhead there were doubles for Ewan Campbell and Matt Carder, with Fraser Ward getting the other. On target for Inverleith were Tyler Stagg, Zak Turtle, Stuart Hatton and Hamish Norval.
In the latest encounter, Dundee Wanderers move further away from the danger zone after a 2-1 win over bottom side St Andrews University. Here Callum Ross scored twice for the Taysiders and Jacob Anderson got the student’s reply.
The University of Edinburgh climb to the top of the women’s league despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Wildcats, but Watsonians are just a point behind with Sunday’s match against Hillhead still to come – so their exalted status could be short-lived.
Wildcats showed their teeth at Auchenhowie to upset their visitors, Emma Blackstock was their goalscorer with a tap-in while Harri Platt replied for the students. Despite their hard-fought draw, Wildcats will still drop to sixth place, overtaken by Grange who took three points.
Clydesdale Western moved into second spot on goal difference after a 14-goal win over Glasgow University. Top scorers were Jenny Eadie with five and Frances Lonergan with four, while Ava Graham, Emma McGregor, Bronwyn Shields and Sophie Hinds completed the total.
St Andrews University remains in fourth place with a 3-1 win over Uddingston, on target were Amy Edgar, Frederique Zandbergen and Hannah Coull.
Grange continued their rise to fifth place after a 3-0 win in Inverleith with goals from Heather Croll, Eve Downie and Freya Philip, but the result leaves the home side in the lower tier.
Further on, GHK rise thanks to a 4-2 win over the University of Aberdeen and are now knocking on the door of the top six. Lucy Williamson, Sophie Byrne, Jo Boyle and Hanna McKie were on target for GHK, while the students’ reply came from Rebecca Gordon from the spot and Abigail Moffat from a penalty corner.
SCOTTISH CUP
Meanwhile, Grove Menzieshill became the first club to progress to the quarter-finals of the men’s Scottish Cup with a 2-0 win at Inverleith in an all-Premiers clash on Thursday evening. After a goalless first half, Findlay Duncan gave the Taysiders the lead from a penalty corner. That’s how the score remained until the final minutes when the home side took out the keeper in an attempt to salvage the tie, but the gamble backfired as Benni Whiteley curled the ball into the empty net to secure the result.
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