Another first time spectating experience for me and an intense sport at that in the Men’s Hockey on Saturday 4th May of the Roses Weekend.
Outside in the sun (and sometimes the cloud!) York brought their A game and gave a stellar performance.
Like most of the other sports I’ve covered, I was at a loss as to how the game worked, so I turned to research. Field Hockey games are made up of 2 halves, each lasting 35 minutes. Points are collected by scoring in the opponent’s goal and each goal counts for 1 point. The ball can only be touched with the flat side of the hockey stick otherwise this constitutes a foul and, like any other breach of the rules, the opposite team will be awarded a free hit, penalty corner or penalty stroke.
This happened several times in the Hockey game as things became heated and Lancaster were awarded several free hits and penalties.
From the beginning of the game, York had an excellent defence and several times in the first few minutes did they almost score. There was a dramatic moment for both the York and Lancaster side when an apparent goal by York was discounted, sending York fans into uproar. But once they did start scoring, they didn’t stop. In the first half alone, York scored 3 goals, making it an even 4 in the second half.
Although Lancaster lost the game with only 1 point, the team showed great ability and the goalie showed a great performance for Lancaster’s defence. So after an intense and entertaining match, the final score was 4-1 to York.
