HC Knole are simply unstoppable once more

HC Knole Park’s teams are picking up three points every week it seems, and with the U16B Girls progressing to the next round of the England Hockey Cup, they are simply unstoppable. After the half-term break the Men’s 1s took on Burnt Ash 3s. In a one-sided match, Knole Park dominated throughout winning 7-2. Duncan Parnis opened the scoring with a smart finish from a penalty corner, before doubling the advantage flicking the ball off the crossbar from the next penalty corner. Matt Goodwin scored his first team goal roofing the ball after a through ball from Parnis to make it 3-0 at the break. The second half was more of the same as Parnis scored two more penalty corners, Ted Jones put away a very good finish, and Michael Holness scored his second of the season from close range. A couple of late breakaways meant the final score was 7-2. The win moves Knole Park up to third in the league. The Women’s 2s team beat Gravesend 2s 10-0. Ines Gascoyne-Day was on fire as she netted a double hat-trick with some outstanding finishes. Lucie Jones, Matilda Denbow, Farrah Hilden, and Cara Gould all scored singles in the win. Both women’s teams continue at the top of their respective leagues. Knole Park’s U18 Girls continued their fantastic start to the season with a 6-5 over Brighton & Hove. Always a tough match, the Knole Park girls knew they would have to work hard for the win. Indeed, it was the side from the South coast who took an early lead. However, goals from Mackenzie Ward, Amelie Allen and Annabel Cheveley gave Knole Park a 3-2 lead at half-time. Lottie Bingham extended the league after the break with a superb forehand strike, only for Brighton & Hove to score two quick goals and make it 4-4. Two penalty corners; one from Allen and the other from Bingham however gave the girls a 6-5 win and keeps them top of the South-East U18 League. The U16B Girls were the only team to be drawn in the next round of the England Hockey Cup as all the other sides received byes. The girls had a tough tie against Surbiton HC, and it was Surbiton who took the lead. However, the silky skills of Elsa Taylor tied things up almost immediately to make it 1-1 after ten minutes. A superb backhand from Mali Nicholls made it 2-1 before Surbiton scored just before half-time. The second half was a fantastic match as both sides had chances to take the league. Knole Park’s Taylor broke the second half deadlock however with another smart finish to make it 3-2. This time set-up by player of the match Evie Whitehead before Nicholls scored her second of the match with a rasping backhand into the bottom corner. A 4-2 win and onto the next round.