EAST LONDON V ROYSTON 20/10/12 LADIES HOCKEY AT MILE END ASTRO TURF PICTURE BY JOHN BABB

East London pay the penalty as Royston clash finishes goalless

Kirk Blows, Recorder Staff Thursday, October 25, 2012
11:57 AM

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East London 0 Royston 0

»East London ladies were left to rue a missed penalty flick at the end of a tough goalless draw against Royston on Saturday.

The outcome could have been different if, after a goalbound short-corner shot hit two players and deflected wide, Sarah Ruthe had been able to convert the resulting penalty flick.

But her effort was turned away by the Royston keeper and, despite the high standard of hockey from both sides, clear-cut chances were few and far between.

East London survived a late scare thanks to a great tackle from Abby Johnson that prevented a chance for the visitors to steal the points.

The ladies’ second team maintained their 100 per cent record this season by winning 7-1 against Phoenix.

Caroline Hibberd scored a hat-trick, with top goalscorer Emma Haugh adding two and Rachel Dobbin and Gabbi Robert grabbing a goal apiece.

The third team brought three points home from a trip to Southend courtesy of a comfortable 4-0 victory.

In an all-East London tie, the fourth team ran out clear winners with a 14-2 victory over the club’s fifth team.

■ Meanwhile, the men kept up their unbeaten record with a battling 5-3 victory at Southend on Saturday to keep them on top of the league.

Adam Lord and James Cook both grabbed a brace of goals in what proved to be an excellent away performance and their sixth win out of six this season.

The men’s fifth team extended their unbeaten run to 18 league games, stretching back over a year and a half, with a 4-1 victory at Brentwood Academy.

The visitors were thankful for a superb first-half display that put them three goals in front, with the second half descending into a fractious affair that saw the East London keeper sin-binned.

The second team came from behind to snatch a 2-2 draw against Saffron Walden, while the third team went down 5-1 against Wapping.

The fourth team lost out in a high-scoring clash with Romford, going down 5-3.

The sixth team battled to a 1-0 win against Old Southendians, with Helder Rebelo scoring the only goal of the game.