Thame hold Tring first XI in eight-goal thriller

Tring started reasonably well, and were rewarded with an early goal as Steve Dutch slipped the ball under the keeper from a one-on-one.

However, after vociferous challenges from Thame’s players that his last touch was outside the D, the original decision was overturned and the goal disallowed.

Tring subsequently struggled to maintain any control; Chris Pedrick was one of the few bright spots for the side, but his hat-trick of short corners was not enough to take the points, and Tring’s next two matches are now crucial to their promotion chances.

Elsewhere, the Tring men’s 2s battled back from 3-1 down against Eastcote 5s to win the game 4-3.

Eastcote scored against the run of play, but Tring hit straight back with a goal from Dillon Hall.

A soft goal and a lucky deflection from a short corner put Eastcote into a commanding lead, however Tring stayed calm and were rewarded with a goal just before half-time.

The second-half was all Tring; Simon Cobby grabbed his second to equalise from a quickly taken free-hit and then completed his hat-trick from another short-corner.

Meanwhile, the Tring ladies’ firsts had another excellent win this weekend as they saw off Letchworth ladies 3-1.

Tring played some lovely hockey, with goals scored by Emily Hogan (2) and Holly Glover, and some crucial saves made by Charlotte Towler.

Elsewhere, the club’s junior teams were in action at the Luton Junior Hockey Tournament.

A very young U8 Tring Team 1 played very well and walked away with a mixed bag of wins, draws and losses. They showed fabulous team spirit and thoroughly enjoyed their first main tournament.

There was an outstanding performance by Tring U8 Team 2. After going 1-0 down in their first game they recovered to win 3-1 to kick-start their day. They then went on to record seven straight wins, scoring 29 goals and conceding only one.

That run included a 5-0 win in the semi-finals, with Megan Saywell scoring four. Tring then met Letchworth in the final but, despite battling bravely, they went down 2-0 and had to settle for the silver medals.

The U10 Tring Team 1 started with a 3-0 win against Bedford, followed by a 4-0 victory against Letchworth, a tough 1-0 win over Leighton Buzzard and a 3-0 triumph over Luton.

Scorers were Cameron Saywell, Ruby Jeffs, Freddie Browne and Matthew Cobb but credit must go to Anna Birch, Charlotte Chapman and Harvey Grainger for the chances they created.

In the semi-final Tring raced into a 2-0 lead against Shefford and Sandy with a goal each from Saywell and Cobb, before eventually winning 4-2.

The final was against Leighton Buzzard; Tring scored first through Saywell before Jeffs added a second.

Saywell then went on to complete his hat-trick to seal a comprehensive 4-0 win as Tring took the title with 19 goals scored and only two conceded.

Also in action at the tournament, an experienced U12 team drew their first two games. Buoyed by these resilient performances, Tring broke the goal drought by beating local rivals Aylesbury 2-0 thanks to goals from Daisy Bouchier and Joel Withey.

Tring then dominated their game against Leighton Buzzard and scored in the final few minutes to seal their progression to the semi-finals.

They went on to beat another Leighton Buzzard side 2-0 with goals from Millie Russell and Helena Van Hulen.

Unfortunately they came up short against a strong Bedford side in a close final, losing 1-0; the only goal they conceded in the tournament.

Not only did they play superbly, but they played the game in exactly the right spirit and were awarded the silver medals as runners-up.