The West District Outdoor Leagues were back with a bang at the weekend, with some great hockey on display, some surprising results, and business as usual for a few teams!
The biggest game of division one was surely last season’s division one champions against last season’s division two champions. Kelburne 3rd XI hosted Western 3rd XI and made an excellent account of themselves. Western went through last season dropping only two points, but they’ve stumbled at the first hurdle this season, with Kelburne coming away with a credible point. Western were 2-1 up at half time, but a strong second half performance from Kelburne brought it back to 3-3, with Colin Fairbairn getting two for Kelburne. Helensburgh had a strong performance on opening weekend, after a poor season last year. Adam Carmichael got himself a hat-trick, which went a long way in helping them secure a 6-1 victory over Western 4th XI. Elsewhere, it was straight out the blocks for Hillhead 3rd XI, who won 11-2 against Uddingston 3rd XI; and Rottenrow managed a tight 2-1 win over Hillhead 4th XI, where tempers flared – Rottenrow having a man sent off!
Last season this was a division one clash, but the two relegated sides played against one another on the opening weekend of division two, as Dumfries hosted GHK. The two sides were evenly match for most of the game, with Dumfries having a narrow 2-1 lead at half time. GHK didn’t let that phase them though and managed to equalise to bring the final score to 2-2. Greenock 2nd XI had their first foray into division two hockey, as they took on Clydesdale 4th XI. It was a credible performance from the young side, as they finished 3-3, with Finn and Jake McCabe getting a couple of the goals. The other games saw Ayr manage a 2-1 win away to Rottenrow 2nd XI, and Hillhead 5A lost to Uddingston 4th XI 4-2.
Division threes opening fixtures were very tightly contested games, with two draws out of three games. Anchor took a point back to Linwood, after a 1-1 draw away in Uddingston. Another game marred by cards, as tempers flared – another red card displayed, this time for Uddingston. Helensburgh 2nd XI were the other side to draw, as Strathclyde University 2nd XI travelled to Hermitage Academy. Mark Findlay got the two Helensburgh goals – one being an audacious lob that dropped in behind the Strathclyde goalkeeper. The other game saw Kelburne 4th XI defeat Hillhead 6th XI 3-1.
In division four, Dumfries 3rd XI had their first ever game as a club but would’ve wished for an easier tie to get them up to speed. Clydesdale 5th XI were ruthless going down to Dumfries as they ran out 13-1 winners. Helensburgh 3rd XI got off to a winning start, with a 4-2 win against Giffnock 2nd XI and the all-Hillhead clash finished 9-1 to the 8th XI against the 7th XI, a hat-trick from Bob Butland helping the 8s to their first win as a team.
