The Isle of Man under-14s girls' hockey team travelled to Greater Manchester to face their Timperley counterparts in the EH Girls U14 Tier Two KO Championships.

The weekend’s match was eagerly anticipated, having suffered numerous weather delays and postponements previously.

The Manx girls started slightly tentatively, being a new group and this being their first competitive match together as a team.

Once they found their feet though, they grew into the game and more than matched the Timperley girls.

Florence Heselton, Mya Harding and Darcey Killey were immense in defence, keeping the opposition attacks at bay with some solid tackling.

The midfield group of captain Faith Watterson, Lauren Collister, Eva Moore, Bonnie Ellison, Erin Fox and Saoirse Gell worked tirelessly throughout and carried the ball well to pick out the forward line of Rhea Maher, Gracie Evans, Cate Ellis and Scarlett Crompton-Heavey.

The latter were a great threat and worked hard, often winning the ball off the Timperley defence high up the pitch and regularly causing them problems.

The game hung in the balance with both teams creating numerous chances throughout. Some excellent saves by goalkeeper Darcey Gilbert kept Timperley at bay, with only a late goal with seven minutes to play being the difference.

The girls rallied for the remainder and put significant pressure on the Timperley goal, but were unable to convert and came away with a 1-0 loss.

Player of the match was Collister. The team should be immensely proud of their efforts as for the majority of the group this was their first experience of playing for the Isle of Man in a championship hockey match.

The improvement of the group over the season has been impressive and the prospects for Manx hockey are extremely positive.

SAMANTHA FRANKLIN