Roller Hockey: Blues earn their top three finish

ON Sunday, Ely sent two teams to the under-13's Jubilee Cup. In the previous two years, Ely have finished eighth and sixth and were hoping to improve this time.

The experienced Ely Blue team started their group matches with a 6-0 win against local rivals Cambridge. They were then involved in the only drawn match of the day, 4-4 with Letchworth. Blues then faced King's Lynn and even though they created chances, they went down to a 4-1 defeat.

The younger green team, containing first-time players, faced three strong teams with Peterborough providing their first opposition. Some good teamwork between the players saw them keep the score down to 12-0.

A much better performance against Bury saw them come away with a 3-0 loss, which lifted their spirits. These were then dashed with a defeat to Herne Bay United, 13-0. The Greens were unlucky as they were creating chances but just could not put them away.

The Blues now faced Herne Bay and had to win to move into the playoff for first and second. Herne proved too strong for the Blues, however, and ran out 9-3 winners, to leave the Blues in the playoff for third and fourth place. Here they faced Bury and clinched third place by beating them 14-8.

The Greens were in the playoff for seventh and eighth against Letchworth, and finished in 8th place due to their 15-2 defeat. The good news for the Greens was the fact that they finally converted two of their chances with Callum Thoday and Samuel Cornwell scoring.

Greens goalkeeper Kasia Parfitt was also congratulated on her efforts in goal, as she made a few fine saves on the day.

An early birthday present for Blues Sam Norton saw him receive the trophy for player of the tournament, voted for by the various team managers.

King's Lynn secured the Jubilee Cup by beating Herne 5-1 in the final.