Success for Flames players as SASH Peewee team finish 3^rd in national Regionals

 

The British Inline Skater Hockey Association’s 2007 national Regional Peewee (U-12s) Championships took place this weekend at Virtual Ice, Rotherham, Yorkshire and the Swindon Flames Skater Hockey Club were again well represented at this prestigious tournament.

Swindon Flames Peewee team captain, Jack Townsend, and defender Megan Salisbury were both selected for the Southern Area Skater Hockey (SASH) team, who were seeking to retain the Peewee Championship trophy and defend the Regional Title for the third time in three years after successfully winning the competition in both 2005 and 2006

The SASH regional team, captained by Jack Townsend and selected from players from the Swindon Flames, Oxford Storm, Ash Avalanche and Sutton Vipers, first saw action in the tournament when they faced off against their rivals from the South East Skater Hockey Association (SESHA). In an exciting, end-to-end game SASH Peewee captain Jack Townsend put his team in the lead with 2 early goals but in a game which see-sawed from one team to another SESHA hit back and reached the period break with the scores levelled at 2-2.The second period saw the SASH Peewees dominate their opponents for most of remaining time but thanks to an excellent spell from the SESHA netminder and by virtue of a couple of cruel deflections the South Eastern side managed to edge out the SASH side and claim a narrow 5 – 4 victory.

The next game saw the SASH team take on one of the competition’s host teams – BISHA North II. After their unlucky opening defeat the SASH team knew that a win was the only way to keep their hopes of a finals place alive and they took to the rink determined to resurrect their title bid. The SASH team took the game to the opposition from the very first whistle and, with Jack Townsend, again on the score sheet (1+0), the team powered their way to a commanding 7- 0 win, which earned them their first points of the tournament.

After brushing aside the challenge from North II, SASH, now back in the hunt for a finals place, faced the much stiffer test of facing-off against co-hosts BISHA North I, who had, after earlier victories over North II and London & Eastern, topped the leader board and established themselves as firm favourites for a place in the final. Despite a valiant and determined effort by the SASH Peewees; Megan Salisbury, in particular impressing with her hard hitting, staunch defence, the strength in depth of the Northern side proved too much to withstand and eventually they secured a deserved but slightly flattering 7 – 2 win in a game which was much more competitive than the score-line would suggest.

BISHA North I’s victory not only ensured them of a place in the Championship Finals but effectively put an end to the SASH team’s title defence.

Although now out of contention for a place in the finals the SASH team started their last game of the competition determined to give a good account of themselves and to leave the tournament on a high by beating their next opponents, London and Eastern (LESHA). The SASH team controlled the game from the outset and finished the game convincing 6 - 3 winners.

The final of the tournament saw BISHA North I take on SESHA for the national Regional Title with the Northern side completing a perfect day by winning the game, 4-2, and the 2007 national Regional Championship without dropping a single point throughout the competition.

Ian Walters, the Swindon Peewee team manager said, “We are a small, friendly club in Swindon and it is a credit to the hard work of the players, coaches and everyone involved in the club that we were once again, well represented in the Regional team. Both Jack and Megan played well in every game during the Championships and I am convinced that without their contributions the results would have been different.”

 

Swindon Peewee SASH representatives Megan Salisbury and Captain Jack Townsend