The Woodridge first boys’ hockey team delivered some exciting hockey and played with good structure throughout the game to defeat Oakhill 6-0 at Woodridge on Friday. The players worked together in all departments and played with attacking intent. Standing out in defence was Matthew Maguire, whose efforts made it difficult for the opponents to penetrate the Woodridge circle. There were brilliant moments in the game from Benjamin Tyrell and Benjamin Peens, who showed their skills in outplaying the opposition. As good as they were on attack, they proved too strong in defence for Oakhill as well. Phillip Opperman and Joshua Botha kept it all under wraps to ensure Oakhill did not make it a close game. The distribution and passing from the pair contributed greatly to the execution of their structures in the game.
The netball teams did well against Cillié, winning all the U14 and U16 games, while the U19B and C sides were also triumphant. The first teams became involved in a tightly contested game, with the physical nature of the Cillié attack proving the difference in the final quarter as Woodridge went down 27-23. The netball A sides also took on Oakhill in a home derby and came out top in all three games. The U14 and U16 teams played with control throughout the games and only conceded one goal each to their opposition. The first team had a good start to take a five-goal lead but an injury in the second quarter disrupted their rhythm and Oakhill leveled at 5-5. However, Woodridge regrouped to restore the five-goal margin in the third quarter and then kept their composure on a wet surface late in the game. Using shorter passes, they kept control and finished off in style to win 29-19. Much of the credit must go to Amoré Baard as she exceeded her personal goal with a shooting average of 82%.
On the rugby field, the Woodridge U15 team conceded an early try to Cillié, but came back with two penalties by centre Luke Maguire to trail 7-6 at the break. Woodridge No 8 Kei McDonald then rose to the challenge and crossed the Cillié tryline for the first points of the second half. Maguire’s conversion was good and shortly afterwards he added another penalty to make it 16-7. McDonald again showed his asset to the side with his second try to take them further ahead. Cillié responded with an unconverted try but Woodridge remained in control to win 21-12. The U16 match saw Cillié use their big runners to try to penetrate the Woodridge defence, but they stood firm and the latter team’s rucking forced them to commit too many players to the ruck for the attack to be effective. Woodridge dominated the set pieces and, through enterprising interplay from both the forwards and backs, they scored several entertaining tries to round off their season on a high with a 36-0 victory.
Woodridge completed their season on a high note with a 19-5 win against Cillié. In wet and windy conditions, the game had a slow start, with neither side able to dominate. However, when Cillié’s defence lapsed, Bukho Pantsi was able to break the line and worked hard to fend off and sidestep the opposition to score the first try of the game, converted by Junaid Damons. The visitors crossed again after a resolute defence forced an error by Cillié, allowing Damons to gather the ball for another converted try. The second half started slowly with Cillié on the attack, playing hard rugby and testing Woodridge’s defence. This led to a well-deserved try to make it 14-5. The game continued with scrappy play and penalties were awarded to both sides. Just before the final whistle blew, Lisakhanya Ntetha from Woodridge crossed for a try in the corner to complete the scoring.
