5th February: As we continue to look back over the last couple of weeks, we bring you news from even more #IndoorInsanity events, as Wales and Portugal concluded the weekend before last and Spain and Italy just yesterday!
In Wales:
After a weekend of 20 matches it was Whitchurch Saints and Cardiff & Met who came out on top to retain their National Indoor titles.
On Saturday the Women’s clubs completed a long day of games with a final four of Saints, Gwent, Howardian and Dowlais all making it through to the final 4. However, in the pool games the North Wales representatives, Ardudwy, showed how much they have improved in running both Dowlais and Howardian close in Pool B. Penarth can consider themselves a little unlucky in drawing with eventual winners, Whitchurch Saints, but their defeat to Gwent proved costly with them going out of the competition at the pool stage.
With Saints supporting Gwent in the hope they could stop Howardian from winning by the requisite number of goals for the Treforest based club to take the trophy, Gwent upset the odds by opening up a three goal halftime lead through Beth Poultney, Rosie Davey (pc) and Caitlin Blackburn. Howardian pulled a goal back in the final minute but it was not enough to stop Whitchurch Saints from retaining the trophy they won last year.
The Men’s tournament followed the same pool system as the women with reigning champions Cardiff & Met comfortably winning their matches against Whitchurch (6-1) and Swansea University (12-1). In the final match of the tournament with neither team having dropped a point Cardiff & Met got off to the ideal start with Jack Pritchard scoring a brace in the first 4 ‘. Pritchard would go on to register 10 for the tournament and become the overall top scorer. Ben Croxall pulled a goal back through a pc after 10’ but Callum Stanley maintained their two goal lead with 3’ of the first half to run. Three early goals in the 2nd half saw Cardiff & Met pull away and with indiscipline costing them at vital times it was the Capital City club who ran out 8-2 winners to retain their trophy.
In Portugal: (men’s championships)
The finals we’re composed of 6 teams, defined the weekend before in our intermediate stage tournament.
The first position of the groups was occupied by the title favourites, AD Lousada and Casa Pia AC, closely followed by Juventude HC. The other three teams were a bit lower and were expected to fight to be in the semi-finals and to try and go for third or fourth place. As the finals progressed, the favourites went on to the finals and the third and fourth places were disputed by Juventude HC and CF Benfica. The final game was amazing, with both teams going back and forth on the score board. Casa Pia started with a 2 – 0 lead against AD Lousada, followed by Lousada scoring four in a row, making it 2 – 4. Then Casa Pia scored the 3 – 4, followed by Lousada’s 3 – 5 with only 3 minutes to go in the match. Casa Pia made an amazing effort and went on to tie it at 5 – 5, even with Lousada having 3 short corners in the finals seconds of the game.
All would be settled in a penalty shootout, that ended in 1 – 4 for Lousada, after one shot to the post by Casa Pia and a great save from Lousada’s keeper, Roberto (best goalkeeper of the finals), they managed to win the title.
You can watch the final here: https://www.facebook.com/fphoquei/videos/1592433424138051/
In Spain:
Two goals in the second half, turned around a result that was going against Club de Campo v Junior, so it was the Madrid team would be proclaimed again, for the second consecutive year, female Spanish champions of Indoor Hockey (3-2 ).
In the Men’s Championships CH Complutense, achieved its sixth Spanish men’s indoor championships after overcoming the Club de Campo, in a final played yesterday at Torre de Benagalbón (2-1).
In Italy: (men’s)
Cus Padova are Indoor Champions 2017/18. In the final weekend, played in Bra they dominated to win the finals. Our UDP umpire Pietro Galligani spotted with the Trophy! Well done guys…