Three Isle of Man Junior representative teams competed in the England Hockey Championships on Sunday.

A very hard fought victory for the IOM U14 Girls against a good Leek side. It was pleasing to see all them contributing to the win, their unity and clinical finishing proving decisive. 

The match started with Leek gaining early momentum, but IOM took the lead following a fast counter attack, which was a feature of the match, with Gracie Evans slotting home a fine cross from Eve Martin in the 3rd minute. The match was fairly even as the first half progressed with Leek putting together some nice passages of play, which eventually led to them scoring an equaliser. 

The IOM asserted themselves at the start of the 2nd half, using the ball more effectively, while retaining their counter attacking threat. This was in evidence in the 42nd minute when Gracie Evans made a fine run from the right and crossed the ball for Bonnie Ellison to finish decisively in front of goal. The IOM team increased their advantage in the 48th minute when Sienna Curphey finished smartly after the ball fell to her in front of goal after a short corner. 

The 58th minute saw the attacking move of the match when Sienna Curphey received the ball from her own 23 yard line and made a very quick, penetrating run on the right hand touchline before crossing to Gracie Evans who struck a well timed shot into the corner of Leek’s goal.

The last 20 minutes saw the IOM battling extremely hard to retain their lead. Although Leek managed to score a consolation goal, it made no difference to the final outcome, with the IOM finishing deserved 4-2 winners. 

POTM was shared between Gracie Evans who scored twice and was a constant attacking threat, and Darcy Killey who was rock solid at the back showing great positional awareness to snuff out many of Leek’s attacks and distributing the ball intelligently.

The Isle of Man Under 14 boys booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Cup Championships after a tense and hard-fought encounter against Deeside Under 14s at Malpas.

The Manx side started brightly, immediately putting Deeside under pressure. Inside the opening six minutes, Ryan Cartwright came agonisingly close to opening the scoring, firing a shot just inches wide as Isle of Man continued to probe the Deeside defence.

The forward line of Theo Robertson and Adam Ellis showed excellent movement and pace, producing several promising attacking efforts. In midfield, Harri Lewis was outstanding, dictating play and creating multiple opportunities as Isle of Man dominated the early stages. Dillan Pullman and Charlie Dormer provided excellent support to the front line and were involved in building some very creative moves.

Deeside gradually settled into the game and began to build pressure of their own, but the Isle of Man defence stood firm. Carter Kneale and Jasper Whalley were solid at the back, ably assisted by Ben White. The midfield trio of Sam Neto, Chris Compton-Heavy and Cartwright worked tirelessly, supporting attacks while tracking back effectively during Deeside counter-attacks. James Baker also made a crucial impact, stepping into the half-back line to stall several dangerous Deeside moves.

The breakthrough finally came when Carter Whithead’s exceptional pace on the attack was rewarded with a well-taken goal, giving Isle of Man a deserved lead.

In goal, Seth Millar delivered a sensational performance, producing a series of outstanding saves to deny Deeside and keep the Manx side ahead. Despite sustained pressure, Deeside were only able to convert one of their many chances, levelling the score with just five minutes remaining.

With no further goals, the match went to shuffles. Once again, Millar rose to the occasion, pulling off three exceptional saves to secure victory for Isle of Man.

It was a true team performance from start to finish, and a deserved result that sees the Isle of Man Under 14 boys progress confidently into the quarter-finals.

POTM was shared between Harri Lewis and Seth Millar .

Isle of Man boys Under 16s side started slowly and took time to find their rhythm, allowing Deeside to settle early. Both teams created chances during the first half, with Isle of Man growing into the contest, but Deeside led 1–0 at the break.

The second half was interrupted when goalkeeper Ethan Quirk required treatment for an injury. Shortly after the restart, Deeside extended their lead with an early goal to make it 2–0. Isle of Man responded positively and reduced the deficit when forward Cal Joyce finished well to make it 2–1.

Deeside replied with a third, converting a well taken flick from the edge of the circle. Isle of Man pushed late on and came close to scoring again, but Deeside countered in the closing moments to secure a 4–1 victory. 

Player of the match was goalkeeper Ethan Quirk, making multiple saves throughout the game.

U16 Girls won their match against Chorley Phoenix 6 – 0.  Report to follow.

Many thanks to the coaches for submitting their reports.