ENL North week 8 round-up

BLACKBURN, UK – Whitley Warriors suffered a difficult summer after losing a number of players and their coach Simon Leach. The return of Billingham to ENL1 North hit them particularly hard, as key men like James Flavell and Paul Windridge made their way back to Teesside. New coach Garry Dowd took on the unenviable task of trying to secure a third title on the spin with a squad shorn of its star men but, after an awkward start, the Warriors look like they may yet mount a serious challenge. Boosted by the news that former Newcastle Vipers forward Dean Holland has agreed to join the club, they travelled to Telford on Saturday to face the Titans hoping to avenge a heavy defeat on their last visit during September. They fell behind early on but Jordan Barnes tied things up before the end of the first. Titans edged ahead in the second but DJ Good continued his recent prolific form to level things up and added his second of the night early in the third to make it 3-2. Telford poured forward in search of an equaliser but Warriors held firm to secure the points. Sunday’s clash at Hillheads against Coventry Blaze was an equally tight affair. Good and Shaun Kippin gave the Warriors an early 2-0 lead but Josh Nicklin pulled one back for the visitors in the 14th minute. The second session saw Whitley rack up over 40 minutes in penalties but Blaze failed to take advantage and the period ended scoreless. Barnes grabbed his second of the weekend to make it 3-1 and despite Keiran Papps pulling one back for Blaze, Dowd’s men comfortably held on. Top of the table Billingham Stars extended their unbeaten run to nine games as they easily disposed of Blackburn Hawks 6-1. Richie Thornton opened the scoring after only 27 seconds before James Udell doubled their lead in the tenth minute. Chris Arnone replied for Hawks but Andy Thornton restored the hosts’ two goal advantage soon after. Stars moved up a gear in the second with Adam Robinson, Simon Hehir and Andy Finn putting the game out of reach of their deflated visitors.

Sheffield Spartans recent good form continued with a 5-2 win at home to Nottingham Lions. Ollie Barron put Spartans ahead in a scrappy first period and Will Barron scored twice to make it 3-0 in the second. The Lions refused to lie down and Gareth O’Flaherty pulled one back to set up a tense final period. Callum Rawson made it 4-1 but Nottingham continued to press and Christy Brown reduced the deficit midway through the period. Spartans’ netminder Mark Hartley was forced into a string of fine saves but with time ticking away, Will Barron completed his hat-trick to seal the win. Solihull Barons faced a weekend of local derbies against Coventry and Nottingham. Saturday’s trip across the M42 to face Blaze was a painful affair as the Barons slumped to a 9-2 defeat. All seemed lost for the Solihull faithful on Sunday as the Lions raced into an early 3-0 lead, but Richard Slater grabbed a couple to bring the home team back into it. Toni Scialdone levelled things up with six minutes remaining and he completed a remarkable comeback with just two minutes left, scoring a stunning breakaway goal.   Division Two leaders Solway Sharks notched their tenth league victory in a row with a comfortable 11-1 success over Lancashire Raptors. Netminder Garry Russell made a rare appearance as a forward and scored three, while hot-shots Nathan Salem (3) and Adam Reynolds (2) continued their personal scoring duel. Flintshire Freeze kept up the pressure on Solway with a four-point weekend. Simon Furnival and Gavin Austin both scored twice in an 8-1 win at Bradford Bulldogs then Andy Chappell’s hat-trick and James Parsons with two eased Freeze to a 7-5 home success over Sheffield Senators.  Third placed Sutton Sting kept in touch after a hard fought 6-3 victory at Hull Stingrays. This weekend sees the top two clash for the first time this season as Billingham travel to face Trafford Metros in Altrincham, while Whitley and Blackburn meet each other home and away. Contact the author Comment@Prohockeynews.com