ROLLER HOCKEY TWO Ely under-15 teams finished their first season in Eastern Counties Division Two at a tournament at Peterborough on Sunday, with the Greens battling for the title and the Blues fighting for third place. The Greens went into the tournament

ROLLER HOCKEY

TWO Ely under-15 teams finished their first season in Eastern Counties Division Two at a tournament at Peterborough on Sunday, with the Greens battling for the title and the Blues fighting for third place.

The Greens went into the tournament with second-spot secure and on a mission to win all their games and keep pressure on leaders Peterborough A.

A Sam Norton hat-trick and a Dan Salisbury double saw them beat third-placed Letchworth 5-4 in their first game, and a resounding 25-0 win over Peterborough B would have been the perfect confidence boost before a decisive encounter with the leaders. But Peterborough B had remained unbeaten, so their meeting was officially first against second, with only pride at stake.

Yet another ding-dong battle ensued between the teams and a thrilling game ended in a 3-3 draw, with Salisbury, Norton and James Cox on the score-sheet for Ely Greens and both teams going off to a standing ovation.

Having secured fourth place, Ely Blues were chasing Letchworth for third. A good start against Peterborough B saw a relaxed 3-2 win, Blues doing just enough to win with two goals from Michael Hart and one from Emma Gillett.

Against Peterborough A, however, the Blues could not help the Greens, and went down 9-2, with Hart scoring either side of half-time for Ely.

A cracking match against Letchworth saw player of the day Kasia Parfitt pull off a stunning double save to keep Ely in the game, and despite a Hart hart-trick and a Dan Drewery strike, they lost 6-4, and finished the season in fourth place.

Coach Ric Parfitt said: "Both teams have improved dramatically from last season and done well to finish where they have, this being their first season at this level. I can see them improving further next season and winning some titles.