PENARTH Hockey Club’s 1st XI succeeded where their 2nd XI counterparts failed the week before, progressing comfortably through their Welsh Cup qualifying tournament to secure a return to the semi-final stage later in the season.

The 1st XI began the campaign to retain their Welsh Trophy title with the now-familiar qualifying competition in Swansea, but had to do so with a number of unfamiliar faces in the line-up as half the usual squad was absent through injury or prior commitments. As a result, a substantial proportion of the 2nd XI, who had endured a tough preliminary competition just seven days previously, were drafted onto the roster, leading to the cancellation of their scheduled friendly fixture against Cardiff Medics.

The Bears faced hosts Swansea City in the opening fixture of the day, but the fact that they were fielding a weakened side on paper did not show on the pitch. Penarth came out of the blocks quicker than the home side and took an early lead when David Joyce finished off a nice passing move.

A very strong Swansea side was never going to be down for long and their continued press eventually led to a quick equaliser, but Penarth refused to be bowed and 2016 newcomer Andrew Willemite put the Bears back in front by tapping home a Joyce cross. The close nature of the game was underlined when the two sides went into the interval on level terms after Swansea equalised from the penalty spot, despite Penarth goalkeeper Adam Putt’s best efforts to keep the ball from finding the net.

Although the visitors fell behind for the first time early in the second half, they continued to play excellent hockey and were rewarded when Joyce smashed home his second of the game to bring the sides level at 3 - 3. With points at a premium in group play, both sides knew that they needed to keep pushing for the winning goal and, with the clock ticking down, it was the Bears that came out on top as Joyce completed his hat-trick with a looping effort into the top corner.

With one win in the bank, Penarth faced Gwent in their second game knowing that a repeat would see them top the group and face an easier path to the semi-finals, in Cardiff later in the season. Not to be outdone by Joyce’s earlier hat-trick, Ben Croxall grabbed two first half goals to give the Vale side an early platform, before completing his own trio minutes into the second period, beating three defenders and performing a half-pirouette, finishing with his back to goal before hitting the ball between his own legs and into the bottom corner.

The scoring was rounded off by youngster Sam Salisbury, who despite having been called up from the 2nd XI, showed terrific composure to slot the ball past the Gwent ‘keeper and record his first goal for the senior side.

Penarth’s efforts in the group saw them face Cardiff and Met for a guaranteed place in the semi-finals and, once again, the Bears started quickly. Joyce made the perfect start by grabbing an early goal, before Croxall added a second and the reigning trophy champions were able to put the game to bed before the break as summer signing Aaron Fulton-Brown picked the ball up at half-way and dribbled through the entire Cardiff defence before slotting into the bottom corner for a memorable first goal for his new side.

The second half saw more of the same and, although Cardiff pulled one back, the Bears added further goals through Croxall and 2nd XI captain Sam Chick to round the game out with a commanding 5 - 1 victory, ensuring a place on the semi-final stage early next year.

Goalscorers: Ben Croxall (5), David Joyce (4), Andrew Willemite, Sam Salisbury, Aaron Fulton-Brown, Sam Chick

Two Penarth Hockey Club sides are in action this weekend, as league competition gets underway for both the 1st and 2nd XIs. The senior side, now playing in Conference North following their title-winning promotion last season, travel to face West Wilts, while the 2nds, also in a higher division after claiming a championship in 2015-16, host old rivals Cardiff and Met at Stanwell School, start at noon.

Penarth Hockey Under-11s travelled to Rougemount School, Newport, to make their debut in the South Wales Under-11 League at the weekend.

Despite having only two training sessions under their belts, the youngsters proved highly competitive from the first whistle, starting the mini-tournament superbly against a well-drilled Whitchurch side. However, as the game headed into the final few minutes, Penarth's lack of experience showed as they lost their shape and conceded two quick goals that condemned them to an unwarranted defeat.

Although disappointed, the boys didn't let their heads drop and put in another determined performance against Gwent B, eventually running out 3 - 0 winners to restore both pride and morale. The boost was well-needed too as, after only a few minutes rest, the Cubs were back in action against a very impressive Swansea side. Again, despite a spirited showing, the Vale side were unlucky to lose, going down 2 - 1 in the dying seconds having led for the majority of the game.

After another brief break, Penarth faced off against Gwent’s A side and, once again, their firepower up front ensured that they were able to emulate their earlier score, racking up another 3 - 0 win.

The final game of the morning pitted Penarth against a rather 'tall' Bridgend side, and the size difference told in the early going as the opposition dominated the first half and were 2 - 0 up within minutes of the second period getting underway. Penarth refused to go quietly, however, and rallied to put in probably their best performance of the day only to come up short in a 2 - 1 game.

Overall, it was a highly impressive debut and bodes well for the next league outing, on October 30, at Stanwell school.

Penarth Hockey Club always welcomes new, old and returning players, umpires, supporters, friends and helpers regardless of age and ability. Training takes place on Wednesdays at Stanwell School, with the juniors on the pitch between 6.15pm and 7.15pm and the seniors between 7pm and 8.15pm.

Anyone interested in joining the club at senior or youth level can contact club secretary Dave Stevens (d_stevens81@hotmail.co.uk) for further information.