Spalding Hockey Club hosted the first of five primary hockey tournaments scheduled for this school year at Glen Park, Surfleet on Friday.
Nineteen teams from 13 local primary schools participated in the tournament which gave many of the 150 children their first opportunity to represent their school at hockey.
As usual with the first tournament, teams were placed roughly on their finishing position last season.
In League A, the current champions, Monks House A started their new campaign strongly but were held by a determined Ayscoughfee A team for much of the game but a late score secured a 1-0 win.
Fellow title challengers, Boston’s Tower Road A also made Monks House fight hard in their second game which finished 1-1.
More comfortable victories over St Thomas’s A (4-0) and John Harrox (5-0) in their final two matches put them top of the table.
Ayscoughfee A showed great promise with wins over John Harrox (5-0) and St Thomas’s A (1-0) and a battling 1-1 draw with Tower Road to secure a very creditable third place.
In the absence of Eye Primary, St John’s showed the way in a four team league B.
They opened with a closely contested goalless draw against a much improved St Norbert’s A team before beating Tower Road B (1-0) and Spalding Parish (2-0) to top the table.
St Norbert’s A beat Spalding Parish (1-0) and drew with Tower Road B (0-0) to claim the second spot.
It was very tight at the top of League C with only one point separating the top three, Pinchbeck East, Gosberton Academy A and Tower Road C.
Pinchbeck East just claimed the title with wins over St Thomas’s B (2-0) and Gosberton Academy A (1-0) and goalless draws Gosberton Academy B and Tower Road C.
Locals Surfleet Primary had an outstanding day in League D winning three of their matches, Ayscoughfee B and Tower Road D (both 3-0) and St Norbert’s B (1-0) but were denied a clean sweep by impressive newcomers Monks House B who held them to a goalless draw.
Monks House B secured second place with wins against Tower Road D (1-0) and St Norbert’s B (3-0) and goalless draws with Surfleet and Ayscoughfee B in an impressive opening tournament.
Tournament Two is scheduled for Friday, November 14.
