NEWPARK had mixed fortunes on day one of the HDM international youths' hockey festival in the Hague yesterday. The team got off to the best possible start with an excellent 5-0 win over Slavia Prague.
Cliff Bailey scored a brilliant hat-trick and sweeper Colm Brady controlled the defence superbly, as well as scoring the first goal from a well-struck short corner from a narrow angle. Stephen Barry was the other scorer with an opportunist snap shot.
The host club, HDM, were their opponents in the second game. Newpark started very well and looked very dangerous in the opening 10 minutes. However, the Dutch gradually got on top, scoring two goals before the interval.
In a rousing second half, Stephen Butler led a spirited revival. He brought Newpark back into the game with a calmly-taken goal from a short corner rebound. However, in their anxiety to equalise, Newpark over-committed in attack and HDM scored on the break to restore the two-goal advantage.
Back came Newpark, with Butler scoring an identical goal following another short corner. In the closing minutes, HDM clinched the tie with a fourth breakaway goal.
Newpark must now beat King Edward School from South Africa and Wellington College from England to claim a place in the semi-final.
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