Newport’s youngsters are a hit on the national stage

The youngsters showed grit at 2-2 to win on penalty shuffles and go through to the next round of the England Hockey U18s Tier Two Championships.

Newport were underdogs for the tie but stunned their hosts when an impressive start to the game was rewarded and some neat link-up play gave Ollie Dix the simple task of tapping it into the back of the net to make it 1-0.

Dix scored his second not long after, before the favourites sprung into action.

Unstoppable corner routines levelled the scoreline to 2-2, but the Newport defence stood firm, and, alongside some heroic goalkeeping, the game went to penalties.

Captain Jack McLaughlin got the deciding goal to take his side through to the next round.

Newport’s men’s first team head into the half-term break sitting third in the Division Five West table following a 3-1 win away to Barford. Ricky Lally scored twice and Ollie Dix once.

The second team battered visiting Leek fifths 9-0 in Division Eight West, with Nathan Evans scoring five.

Newport Ladies’s first team secured a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Shrewsbury seconds in Division Four North West. Katie Beharrell was on target. The seconds beat Bloxwich fourths 2-0 and climb to third in Division Five West.

The thirds drew 1-1 with Stafford fourths in Division Five North West, while the men’s thirds eased to a 4-0 win to Old Wulfrinians thirds in Division Nine North West and the fourths beat Telford sixths 7-0 in Division 10 North West.

Bridgnorth Ladies hammered Olton & West Warwickshire thirds 8-1 with braces from Lou Glover and Mel Gregory, with Beth Evans, Jess Griffiths, Maisie Dwane and Bec Savage also on target in Midlands Division 3 South West.

The men’s firsts beat Beacon 2-0 with goals from skipper Will Buxton and Charlie Ward and are second in Midlands Division Three West, Buxton said: “We should have scored more, but we came away with the points and they never really looked like scoring.”

Market Drayton overcame visiting Finchfield 2-1, as Nick Cooper and Stuart Parker netted to extend Drayton’s unbeaten start to the Midlands Division Eight North West season.

In Division 10 North West, the second team went down 5-1 at home to high-flying North Stafford sixths. Mike Chevins scored.

Wem and Market Drayton Ladies are fourth in the Division Five North West standings following a 2-0 win away to Keele University. Megan Parsons and Jo MacCullum scored.

Both Ludlow first teams lost this week. The ladies travelled to were beaten 7-1 at Bromsgrove in Division Four South West. Julie was on target.

In Midlands Division Six South West, the men took a three-goal lead through Jake Watts (two) and Joel Fuller. They couldn’t sustain the pressure and went on to lose 5-3.