Grammarians secure second win to head to crossovers

Grammarians were to face Hungarian side Soroksári in their second pool match of the EuroHockey Men’s Club Challenge II tournament being played in Poland.
Having won their opening match against Lithuanian side Šiauliai, Grammarians led the pool table, with Soroksári and Maltese side Sliema Hotsticks jointly second after a 5-5 draw the previous day.
The Gibraltar league champions were to go into the first interval with the score deadlocked, neither side yet having broken through to open the scoring.
It was the Hungarian side who struck first, just four minutes from the interval, with Jacob Wiedmer securing the opening goal through a penalty corner play.
Just as it looked as if a solitary goal would separate the two sides heading into the half-time break, Grammarians levelled the score. Their first penalty corner saw Jack Cox score with just three minutes left before half-time.
Grammarians went into the break level at 1-1, but knowing their opponents had already earned five penalty corners before half-time, converting one of them, compared to Grammarians’ solitary penalty corner opportunity.
Led by Nicholas Pilcher, who wore the captain’s armband, Grammarians fielded a mix of highly experienced players alongside youth.
Among those playing were Jorgen Haveland, Shane Ramagge and Eric Casciaro, the trio joining Pilcher and Caetano in bringing close to a decade of experience playing for Grammarians at senior level in EuroHockey competitions. Veterans such as Carl Ramagge were also within the squad.
Their opponents also possessed considerable experience, with players such as Bence Szigeti having played for over a decade with Soroksári, primarily between the Challenge I and Challenge II categories. Adam Losonci also had nine years of EuroHockey experience. András Hortobágyi and Bálint had both previously played for Sorok before joining Soroksári, with their first ventures into EuroHockey dating back to 2018, after which they had competed consistently every year.
Tamás Balázs Balogh had also first played for Olcote and then Sorok since 2015, while Gergo Beszeda had represented Soroksári in EuroHockey competitions since 2019, with Csaba Padár doing likewise, although alternating between Olcote and Sorok.
This highlighted the calibre of experience on the field between the two sides.
Grammarians were to get another chance after the break through a penalty corner in the 41st minute to take the lead. Jack Cox added his second, once again converting from the penalty corner to secure the advantage at a crucial stage of the match.
They were to take this lead into the fourth quarter. However, they were taking risks defensively, having conceded a total of 12 penalty corners by the 50th minute, although fortunately only one had been converted by their opponents.
Grammarians had only been awarded four penalty corners during the same period, but with far greater efficiency, converting two of them.
Two green cards were shown as the match entered its final phase. In the closing minutes of the third quarter, Zsolt Ferenczi received a green card from Welsh umpire George Marshall, while Bence Szigeti was also shown a green card in the 48th minute, forcing Soroksári to play temporarily with fewer players on the field.
The final ten minutes saw Grammarians awarded three further penalty corners against Soroksári’s one.
With two victories from their opening two EuroHockey Club Challenge II Pool B matches, and having now beaten Soroksári, who had drawn the previous day, Grammarians were now in line to top the table, with only the Maltese side still capable of preventing them from doing so.
Grammarians played out the final minutes with two further penalty corners to their name, although they were unable to convert either, as the overall penalty corner tally reached 22.
Protecting their lead, Grammarians secured a place in the crossovers, with the possibility of finishing top of the pool table still within their grasp with one match left to play.