Ballyclare Ladies get season underway
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
BALLYCLARE Ladies commenced their competitive season with a home fixture against reigning champions, Pegasus, Wednesday last week in a Winemark Ulster Shield fixture.
Although Karen Mitchell's girls had home advantage at George Avenue, they would be rated as underdogs when facing a Pegasus outfit that has dominated Ulster ladies hockey for the past decade.
It will be interesting to see the first team selection by new coach Lee Young, who will be without two of last season's stalwarts Gillian Higgins and Gillian White, but with the vast majority of the team that challenged for promotion last year, the team will be expected to be up with the best again in the Senior League Section 1.
The Winemark Ulster Shield dominates the opening weeks of the new season, with other matches against Belfast Harlequins on Saturday 20th, Priorians on 24th and Lurgan on 27th, while the opening league fixture will be in Comber on Saturday 4th October against North Down.
With Karen Mitchell unavailable the team panel is likely to be: Pamela McWhirter (C) , Vikki Cleland, Danielle Wilson, Danielle Hagan, Lyndsey Hyslop, Lorraine Ashcroft, Caroline Darragh, Laura Radcliffe, Dee Wallace, Sarah Galbraith, Sue Bell, Caroline McGookin, Nicola Kempton, Rebekah Mills, Amy Cooke, Gillian McGrath, Robyn Phillips.
In preparation Ballyclare have played two friendlies, losing 1-0 to Ards, but winning 2-0 in the local derby with Carrick. This one was played at Carrick Leisure Centre, where fourteen year old starlet Amy Cooke staked a claim for a permanent place in the panel; she set up the first goal for Lyndsey Hyslop and then bagged the second herself.
In other friendlies Ballyclare II lost 4-2 to Ballymena II (scorers Diane Henry and Suzanne Bell), but the Thirds reversed this result when they defeated Ballymena III 3-1 with goals by Lauren Curley (2) and Tori Wallace.
This weekend's fixtures: 2nd XI v Randalstown II, home; 3rd XI v Greenisland III, away; 4th XI v Lisnagarvey VI, away.
