HOCKEY: Jenna's two goals enough for Parkview to defeat Malone

After building up a two-goal advantage at Strathern College grounds, Tammy Gamble’s girls conceded a late strike but held out in this Senior Plate clash.

In a one-sided first-half Maxwell-Oliphant scored the only goal that separated the teams at the interval, when she dribbled past three defenders before rattling the backboard.

Several penalty corners produced shots at goal by Lauren Glass and Emma Bothwell, but the home defence held out until the interval.

Early in the second session Maxwell-Oliphant scored number two finishing off a neat move involving Glass and Nikki Singleton.

Then followed a period of intense pressure by the Doagh girls, during which Singleton hit the post, and a Jenny Wallace effort finished in the side-netting, while Gamble was foiled by a busy goalie.

The Malone girls had been restricted to sporadic forays up-field and they eventually forced a penalty corner from which they reduced the deficit.

“Jenna Maxwell-Oliphant and Penny Purdy were the stars of the show,” stated Parkview’s Kathy Morrison. “Jenna got two, while Penny was outstanding in defence.

WSeveral times she sent the ball hurtling up towards the other end, and on one occasion she played keepy-uppy with the ball on her stick like a hurling player, as she brought the ball out of defence – it was amazing!”

Parkview: M Graham, E McConnell, E Stubbs, L Glass, P Purdy, J Wallace, N Singleton, T Gamble (C), J Maxwell-Oliphant, T Campbell, E Bothwell, K Morrison, J Rankin.

This weekend Parkview play their penultimate Senior League Section 4 fixture in Ballynahinch. They need to win their final two to pip Instonians for the title. The city girls have completed their programme with 23 points, while two wins would give Gamble’s girls 26.