Premiership: men: Sunday: Grange 5, Uddingston 1; Western Wildcats 4, Hillhead 0; Kelburne 0, Inverleith 7; Watsonians 3, Erskine Stewart’s Melville 1
Premiership: women: Sunday: Clydesdale Western 7, Dundee Wanderers 0
Grange stayed close behind the champions after the weekend action but Western Wildcats stay in pole position in the men’s Premiership thanks to a 4-0 win over Hillhead at Auchenhowie in Glasgow.
The margin between the men from Auchenhowie and the Edinburgh combine, last season’s runners-up, is slim, Western having scored 18 and conceded one while Grange have scored 16 and lost two goals as both teams have won their first three games.
Andrew McConnell maintained his early-season scoring with a double, both from penalty corners, taking his tally to seven in three games as Western dominated.
Captain Rob Harwood scored from open play and Nikki Homfray also converted from a penalty corner in a game in which Western created many other chances but they failed to find the back of the net.
Harwood believes that his men have yet to click fully having lost some players and introduced others this term.
He said that goal difference could be a factor between Western and Grange at the end of the season but their concentration now is on winning games and seeing where it takes them.
Grange brushed Uddingston aside 5-1 in the men’s Premiership at Fettes College in Edinburgh with doubles from Fraser Heigh and Alan Johnston and a single from Duncan Riddell.
Martin Shepherdson, their team manager, said the squad were disappointed that they did not turn their dominance into more goals as they bid to keep pressure on Wildcats.
Polish player Mateusz Stotko converted a penalty stroke earned for Uddingston on a rare breakaway and Shepherdson added: “Uddingston enjoyed a brief spell, but we dominated.
“The guys are disappointed they did not score more goals and we dropped our standards. Possibly that is because we played two games this weekend, which is only the second week of the season, and the guys became tired.”
It was 2-0 at the end of the first quarter, Grange opening the scoring through strong-running Heigh following a penalty corner award and Johnston followed-up soon after, firing low into the net.
Scottish international Riddell, a class act throughout, popped up on the far right during a flowing move and finished by rifling the ball home at the for post to make it 3-0 at the second break.
Heigh, last season’s top marksman and a Great Britain under-21 squad player, netted No 4 close in at the far post, giving the Uddingston goalkeeper no chance, and Johnston completed Grange’s tally before the end of the third quarter.
Uddingston upped the pressure and continued on the front foot into the final session, forcing the penalty stoke during a breakaway. Stotko gave Scottish international goalkeeper David Forrester no chance by firing high into the rigging.
Uddingston forward Mateusz Komarek, also from Poland, said: “It is always difficult playing against a great team. We have the in our country, with two teams who are at the top.”
PICTURE: goalmouth action as Grange play Uddingston at Fettes (picture by Nigel Duncan)
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