Simon Butler takes a shot. Picture by Robin Crossley.
HOCKEY
IW II 11, Portsmouth and Southsea II 0
VICTORY was clinical for the IW against a hapless Portsmouth and Southsea II on Saturday at Smallbrook Stadium.
It was less of a challenge and more of a training session for the hosts, who were able to use the match to hone their skills and score some lovely team goals.
From the warm-up it was clear who were the better drilled side, and when Portsmouth announced they had no rolling substitutes, the portends were not good.
And so it would prove when IW went 3-0 up inside the first ten minutes.
They opened their account when James Liddiard swept in from close range, and after he hit the post with another attempt, he doubled the advantage with a close-range shot after good work from John Kirby and Colin Simmonds.
Kirby and the swift Tom Gould combined to support Craig Bruce with the third goal following a short corner, before Simon Butler netted with a lovely reverse backhand shot to make it 4-0.
By this stage IW were cruising and Portsmouth and Southsea were unable to get out of their own half. Goals from Liddiard — completing his hat-trick — and two from Kirby in quick succession, put the game well beyond reach by the half time whistle.
After a chance to regroup, Portsmouth and Southsea did far better in the second half and even managed to provide a half test for IW goalkeeper Tom Butt, who had been a spectator for much of the game. At the other end, Portsmouth’s goalkeeper was working overtime and doing an incredible job to keep the score as low as possible.
But there was little he could do about the four quality goals the IW scored, from Richie Reynolds, Lewis Heaven-Gandy, Liddiard and Ollie Stubbings.
All in all it was a comprehensive display from the IW, doing the simple things excellently, and the flair moves very well.
IW II: Butt, Kirby, Reynolds, Simmonds, Bruce, Allen, Heaven-Gandy, Gould, Stubbings, Liddiard, Butler, Peatfield.
Reporter: sport@iwcpmail.co.uk