Fourths clinch title with yet another clean sheet

The Ladies 2nds won their last game of the North Division Two South East season with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Doncaster at Sports Park Weetwood.

A slow start to the season found the Ladies sitting mid-table at the start of December, but since then they have gone from strength to strength – spending all of the second part of the season in the top three of their league.

With only four losses and three draws, the 2nds finished a successful campaign in second place and achieved promotion to Division One.

Leeds Ladies 3rds were looking at a second-place finish in their league but dropping points in the closing weeks of the season meant they were overtaken by Driffield.

Despite a couple of disappointing results, a never-give-up attitude was evident in the side, and the final game away at Pocklington ended in a 2-2 draw, confirming third place and a third promotion in four years.

The Ladies 4ths have had one of their more successful seasons this year and having gained promotion three weeks ago, a 4-0 win over Thirsk saw them clinch the title in Yorkshire Division Four – with fifteen of their sixteen wins finishing with a clean sheet.

Both the Ladies 5ths and 6ths were in the same league this season, with the sixes being newly formed as a feeder team to provide the club’s juniors with some senior level hockey.

The 5ths finished their season a few weeks earlier than most with a dominant 5-0 win over local rivals Ben Rhydding landing them fourth spot.

A 4-1 win over University of Leeds on Saturday saw the 6ths finish sixth in their first attempt in senior hockey. Run by Jill Hall and Mary Stewart, the 6ths is almost exclusively made up from the clubs former Under-16 contingent.

Having been relegated from the Yorkshire Premier Division last season, Leeds Men’s 4ths were looking to go straight back up, and despite finishing second to Leeds Adel, this aim was achieved.

Losing just the one game all season, they ended a clear eleven points ahead of their nearest challengers and stayed hot on the heels of Adel – who won the title by just two points.

The final game saw the 4ths travel away to Brigg but return to Weetwood with a 3-2 win under their belts.

Traditionally, the Men’s 5ths team has always left it late in the season to step out of the relegation zone in Yorkshire Division One, however, this year changed all that.

During the winter break, the team made sure they kept their training going and team morale was high as 2019 started.

Winning six of their nine games since January – include a 4-2 win over Doncaster in their final game – showed that whatever the squad did over Christmas worked, and finishing in seventh place was a well-deserved.

Unfortunately, a 3-1 loss against Chapeltown meant that Leeds Men’s 6ths were unable to finish on a high, but were still able to end only three places off the promotion spots.

It was certainly a mixed season for the 6ths, losing as many games as they won, but at no point did they stop fighting.

Some people were under the impression that losing their captain through injury in November, would have a defining effect on the Men’s 7ths, however, none could have predicted what that effect would be.

Since captain Matty Towers moved off the pitch and took up a supporting role on the side lines, the 7ths went on a 12-game unbeaten streak which saw them finish fifth in their league – narrowly missing out on a place in the top three.

The Men’s 8ths also suffered the loss of their captain before the end of the season, although in their case he went back home to New Zealand. Josh Bird left the 8ths in a strong position, however, and a 4-4 draw with Wakefield saw them finish in fifth place.

Leeds Hockey Club results: Men’s 2nds 2 Ben Rhydding 2; 3rds 1 Marton Furness 1; 4ths 3 Brigg 2; 5ths 4 Doncaster 2; 6ths 1 Chapeltown 3; 7ths 1 Wakefield 1; 8ths 4 Wakefield 4.

Ladies: 1sts 1 Brooklands 2; 2nds 2 Doncaster 1; 3rds 2 Pocklington 2; 4ths 4 Thirsk 0; 6ths 4 University of Leeds 1.