Norfolk Women’s Hockey League: Panthers retain five-point advantage in Premier Division

Tuesday, January 24, 2012
11:17 AM

Panthers retained their five-point advantage in the Premier Division with a 4-0 victory over Evergreens on Saturday.

After a strong start from Evergreens, Zoe Gotts settled Panthers’ nerves with a penalty corner strike from the top of the circle. Helen Morter then rounded off a precise passing move involving Becky Hart and Georgina Stannett to double the lead.

Lou Longhorn combined with Gotts before scoring to make it 3-0 at half-time.

The fourth goal arrived from a penalty corner as Gotts laid the ball back for Morter to net her second.

The five-point gap between Norwich City II, in third, and fourth-placed Harleston Magpies III remains intact following their 1-1 draw.

Magpies took the lead in the first half and although City had a string of penalty corners, they struggled to find an equaliser. They eventually drew level late in the game when Sarah Shelley fired home.

Thetford moved comfortably clear of the bottom two with a 6-2 win against fellow strugglers Harleston Magpies IV.

Dawn Heavey scored the first two for Thetford, the second coming from a neat reverse stick effort. Kathy Hammond scrambled in a third before Magpies’ Sarah Legg converted a short corner.

Heavey completed her hat-trick in the second half and Sophie Wheeler added two more before Legg struck her second from a short corner.

Division One leaders Norwich City III were made to work hard for a 2-1 win by lowly Broadland II.

City scored twice in the first half through Rachael McCarney and Debbie Bryant. Broadland were more purposeful after the break and pulled one back when Martina Rothe finished stylishly.

UEA II moved above Norwich Dragons III in the table by beating them 3-1.

The students took a first half lead and scored twice more from short corners after the break, before Sue Cross netted a reply for Dragons.

North Walsham II let a three-goal lead slip in their 3-3 draw at Pelicans III.

Frankie Howard (2) and Denise O’Callaghan put Walsham firmly in charge, but two penalty strokes allowed Pelicans back into the game and the King’s Lynn side went on to find an equaliser.

Sharon Weeks’ double saw Sprowston II come from a goal down to win 2-1 at Reepham after Josie Harris had put the hosts ahead.

In Division Two, goals from Ann Mann, Ellie Lynn and Rose McCourt (2) secured a 4-0 win for Evergreens II against Norwich City VI.

City’s girls development side beat Watton 6-1 with two goals each from Eve Barnes, Abby Gooderham, and Sabina Illing.