A fine weekend for our Women's 1st Team ended with the girls on the brink of the European play-offs after Saturday's hard-fought 2-1 Auchenhowie win over Kelburne and Dundee Wanderers' 2-1 home defeat to CALA on Sunday. With just two games of the league season remaining and Wildcats three points clear with a much better goal difference, Wanderers must win their last two games (one of which is against Edinburgh University) and hope our girls fail to take three points from either Grove Menzieshill this week or Watsonians the week after. Fourth place is now entirely in Wildcats' hands. Well done, girls, just make sure you finish the job.
The Women's 2s' hopes of promotion appear to be fading. They remain top of West District Division 2 after a stirring 5-5 draw with Ferguslie and a 10-1 drubbing of Glasgow University 3s the next day. However, Glasgow Accies and East Kilbride each have games in hand and will overhaul Wildcats should they win them. We have one more game remaining, at home this Saturday against Ayr 2s.
Of the 3s, little is clear. We have no word of their result from Saturday's expedition to Titwood. Radio contact was lost some time ago. It is feasible that they survive, like a Japanese soldier, holding out alone long after the war is finished but we know not. Search parties were dispatched but returned empty-handed. We are sure all members join us in praying for news of the girls' safe return.
Less amusing was the Men's 1st Team's 4-3 defeat in Aberdeen to Gordonians. They were 3-0 down early, clawed things back to 3-3 and survived a penalty corner with a couple of minutes left thanks to skipper Gavin Sommerville's athleticism in goal. Job done, one would have thought. Sadly, they then turned over the ball unneccesarily with seconds left, conceded a corner and contrived to lose to the final touch of the game. Western now must take three points from at least one of their last two games which are away to Kelburne then Inverleith. Squeaky bum time indeed.
The rest of the men's section served up what is becoming the usual feast of wins. The 2s eked out a messy home 3-2 defeat of Uddingston who lost a man to a red card. The remarkable Kris Kane moved to the top of the goal scoring charts with a fine short corner and then Graeme Watson had Western level before captain Fraser Crawford rifled home the winner. The 3s huffed and puffed to a 2-1 victory away to a capable Hillhead 4th Team. Two more goals for your free-scoring president shouldn't disguise the fact that Western lacked their usual fluency in attack and owe the back four and keeper a debt of gratitude for holding out and securing a seventeenth consecutive league win. The 4s won a dour game against Giffnock 3-0 at the club. Perhaps youth is not everything.
However, result and performance of the weekend go to our Men's 5th Team who came back from 2-0 and then 3-1 down at a freezing Hermitage Academy to beat Helensburgh 4-3 in a game of hockey to make your heart sing. It was competitive, it had great goals, there were moments of individual class and the match was played in a fabulous spirirt with each team committed to attacking, positive hockey. Western even saw out an overtime corner to seal the three points and were proud as punch after the event. Life affirming. More of this sort of thing please, folks.