Airedale I 1

Doncaster III 3

IT was a tough start for Airedale as the visitors took an early lead with an unstoppable reverse stick goal in this Yorkshire Division One clash.

Determined not to fall victim again, defenders Naomi Foster and Heather Broadley marked the opposition tightly.

Doncaster sustained possession in the D where an onslaught of attempts resulted in a short corner. Doncaster executed this to perfection to secure a second goal.

Airedale looked stronger in the second half with shots from Georgia Ramshaw and Jess Binns.

Binns took a shot but was denied by the goalkeeper and Ramshaw flicked the rebound only for it to be stopped on the line by a Doncaster defender.

Eventually, though, Ramshaw smacked the ball across the line to give Airedale a boost.

Shortly after, it looked like Ramshaw had scored a second but it was disallowed by the referee as he blew for a short corner before Airedale could claim advantage.

Unfortunately they could not convert, allowing Doncaster to strike back.

Despite some great saves, goalkeeper Kate Perfect was yielded by yet another Doncaster attack.

A late retaliation from Airedale looked promising but even with several short corners in their favour, Airedale were unable to break through the Doncaster defence.

Meanwhile, in contrast to the Ladies' loss, Airedale Men's second string enjoyed a comfortable 4-0 victory at home against Leeds Adel 5s.

The away team who had arrived to the match without a goalkeeper were punished mercilessly by Airedale.

The barrage of goals came from Neale (4), Lind (3), Hazlehurst (2), Marsh (2), E Ashley (2), even veteran Cooke took advantage of the opposition to get his name on the scoresheet.

Airedale Hockey Club's adult training sessions are held every Thursday between 7pm to 9pm at Beckfoot Oakbank School, Oakworth Road, Keighley, for anyone who might be interested in playing hockey.