What a weekend of results !!!
We had 12 different teams selected with a field of 96 players chasing the £300 and lost 80% in 90 minutes.
If you had selected Bolton, Fulham, Man City, QPR (4) or Sunderland (12) you would be part of the 19 remaining still standing.
The main casualties were:-
Stoke – 28 players
Chelsea – 20 players
Everton – 13 players
Liverpool – 13 players
Could this be the shortest LMS ever……. Let’s hope for a Tottenham win next week otherwise it could be…….
LMS is back after a short break over the Christmas Holidays. Marty Breen was our winner in December scooping the £300 jackpot – a nice cheque to receive just before Christmas!!
The £300 jackpot is retained for this competition as is the £10 entry fee.
One slight variance for this competition is that the first 3 weeks selections are to be chosen in advance.
The fixture sheet and rules can be found in the LMS section of the website.
Week 1 begins 21st January 2012, so you all have plenty of time to sign up friends, family and colleagues.
All proceeds raised after the jackpot is paid out goes towards much needed fundraising for Bangor Hockey Club.
We really appreciated your support in September and hope you can support us again for the final LMS of the 2011/12 season.
Bangor into the Linden Cup Final (Credit: Rowland White/Presseye)
Bangor will finish 2011 by playing in their first cup final in over twenty years.
On New Year’s Eve Bangor will play Antrim in the Linden Cup final at Civil Service sports ground.
It promises to be an intriguing game with the sides having met twice already this season – winning one game each.
Antrim have been the runaway success in Senior One this season and look odds-on to win promotion to the Premier League for the first time since the 1980s.
But Bangor have been the cup kings, cruising through their Linden Cup group, beating a talented South Antrim team in the semi-final and also seeing off the best division two team in Dublin in the Irish Trophy.
The disparity in league and cup action is reflected in the two games between the cup finalists. Bangor went to Antrim in the Linden Cup group and beat them 7-4 in a match that resembled basketball with both attacks comfortably on top.
But the league encounter a month ago was much tighter and an in-from Antrim team won 3-1 at Ballykillaire.
It’s been almost a decade since Bangor lifted some silverware. That was captain and club stalwart Jeremy McAfee’s job as Bangor won Senior One and were promoted to the Premier League.
Earlier this year the longest spell the club has ever had in the top flight of Ulster hockey came to an end. And attempts to bounce back immediately have stalled as coach Mark Burns deals with a team in transition and a huge change in playing personnel.
But the Seasiders have repeatedly got it right in the cup competitions and will approach the final with confidence. Sweeper Dave Edwards will unfortunately be missing because of a holiday but otherwise the squad is fit and raring to go. Niggling injuries will have cleared with a week off and as long as turkey overload has been kept under control then Bangor won’t lack for effort.
They have scored in every game they have played this season and in doing so racked up some impressive wins. Antrim will be fearful that Bangor can, at times, appear to create chances at will and if they manage to take them, will be hard to live with.
But Antrim too know where the goal is. They also have a professional penalty corner routine to worry about and are used to winning on a weekly basis. Something Bangor, unfortunately, are not.
For that the bookies’ money would will probably sit with Antrim. Just. But that suits Bangor down to the ground. With an experienced core of battle-hardened Premier League veterans and some talented younger players finding their way Bangor have more than enough to win. Something Antrim will be all too fearful of.
Push-back is at Civil Service at 3pm on Saturday – there could be fireworks to help bring in the New Year.
The Last Man Standing is MARTY BREEN and he scoops the £300 prize – handy winnings just before Christmas !!
Marty had one hand on the cheque on Saturday afternoon after a thumping 3-0 home win for Tottenham against Bolton. The sweat continued as Nick Craig dropped out on Sunday afternoon following Everton’s abysmal home defeat to Stoke. It was all hanging on Monday nights result of Fulham v Liverpool with Peter McIvor hoping for an away win to take the competition into an unchartered Week 9. Clint Dempsey’s 85min (deserved) winner dashed Peter’s hopes and Marty’s name was accordingly written on the winners cheque !!
Marty’s winning combination over the 8 weeks was
Chelsea – Man City – Newcastle – Liverpool – Arsenal – Man Utd – Stoke – Tottenham
Bangor 1st XI have drawn UCC at Ballykillare in the Irish Trophy Quarter Final
The 2s have been drawn away to Three Rock Rovers in the next round of the Irish Junior Cup. Match will be played on the 4th February so stick it in your diaries!
All support would be greatly appreciated!
I hope you all enjoy reading the first edition of the Bangor Hockey E-Newsletter which can be found here! I would be grateful for all comments and suggestions.
There will be a “classifieds section” in the next edition (early January) so if you have something to sell, or are looking for a specific item please drop me an email.
Look out for “Meet the Members” also due in the next edition.
Please also email through match photos or other embarrassing photos you have been saving on someone!!!
The firsts are playing against South Antrim in the semi final of the Linden Cup this Sunday (30th October) at 13:30 at Civil Service.
All support would be welcome as they try and win their first trophy in almost a decade!
The IHA has now launched its online Player Survey aimed at providing a better understanding of how hockey players regard our sport.
The survey, which has separate sections for both underage and adult players (past and present), is designed to provide a greater awareness of the attractions and weaknesses of hockey as perceived by its participants. It will help to highlight areas where the IHA, its Branches, Clubs, Schools and others can concentrate their resources to make the game more attractive to its current and future players.
The survey should not take more than 10 minutes to complete. The greater the participation the more credible the findings will be, hopefully leading to greater awareness as to how hockey should be developed in future.
Simply click on the link below to get started:
http://IHAplayerparticipation.questionpro.com