Thorne strikes in welcome North Devon victory

Following three losses in a row, North Devon Hockey Club Men’s 1s hosted Dart Men’s 1s, who themselves had experienced a bad start to the season.

Vice-captain and man of the match Sam Wormington stepped into the skipper role and gave a rousing pre-game speech to energise the side and provide a confidence boost for the match ahead, which would deliver rich reward on all fronts for the home team.

The Reds started the game very well, keeping possession and working up the pitch as a team, forming a solid unit going forward.

While Dart were occasionally able to break through, an otherwise stalwart midfield line and had a few good chances of their own, North continued to push and eventually broke through when Josh Thorne’s mishit shot fortuitously wrong- footed the visitors’ keeper to put North one up.

Building on this, just before half time Ash Thorne played an outstanding pass through to Josh Thorne, who slotted his second in from close range to make it 2-0 going into the break.

The second half was very much the same, with North Devon enjoying the lion’s share of possession and Dart occasionally hitting back when North lost possession. After another sustained period of pressure, the hosts added a third when Pete Smale found the net with a fine finish.

Firmly in control and looking to cap off a strong display, North consolidated their win when, in the dying embers, Josh Thorne was fouled in the D and the hosts were awarded a penalty stroke. Guy Cockcroft stepped up and despatched from the spot with aplomb, firing the ball into the bottom right-hand corner.

With four goals and a clean sheet, the home side will be delighted with this positive result going into the two-week break, following which they travel to the Plymouth Lions on November 9.

Elsewhere, North Devon Ladies 1s continued their flawless start to the season with a thumping 9-1 win over Minehead at home, showing great togetherness and technical skill to sweep their opponents aside.

North Devon Ladies 2s travelled early to meet Taunton Vale 4s. While the hosts dominated possession and notched up a three-goal lead, the visitors fought back to register two goals of their own. Sadly, despite having wrestled back momentum, they narrowly lost in a positive display with improvement in areas worked on in training.

North Devon Men’s 2s travelled to Dawlish to meet Teign 1s where, despite flashes of brilliance, the hosts proved too strong and polished, running out 5-0 winners to dampen North’s otherwise strong start. Despite the score, which was not wholly representative of the match, the team still sits comfortably in the table with plenty to build on.