Hockey: D'Cruz outwits Lloyds

Civil Service. .2

Lloyds . . . . .0

WITH two such brittle and hesitant defences as these, it was a surprise that yesterday's annual contest between the Civil Service and Lloyds Insurance at Feltham School did not produce a glut of goals. It did not produce much excitement or quality either but since most of the latter came from the Civil Service they were just about worth their win.

The standard of play was not helped by the bitterly cold, blustery conditions and a poor pitch but the commitment of the teams, and in particular the Service's midfielder Nigel D'Cruz, was beyond reproach.

Although Lloyds might have taken the lead in the opening minute, Marcus Faithful's powerful shot from a penalty corner crashing against the upright, it was the Service who opened the scoring after six minutes. Tim Clark weaved through the Lloyds defence and gave Ian Brown a precision pass from which the winger drove the ball past goalkeeper Jerry Garner from a narrow angle.

Brown and Jon Taylor then combined well to create another chance but Garner saved well at the top of the circle. That was the last goalscoring opportunity for some time, as both teams became bogged down in a close-passing game in midfield.

Lloyds moved Clive Fenton out of midfield for the second half and brought Gerald Crymble forward alongside Matt Bradley. The switch brought more shape to their play, and they forced a series of penalty corners. Service's Alan Craddock was unlucky to concede a penalty stroke while taking Mike Gillett's high shot off the goal line, but Neil Gordon put the stroke wide.

In the dying minutes D'Cruz, on one of his mazy runs through the Lloyds defence, sent in Hank Cole to crash the ball past Garner, putting the game beyond doubt.

CIVIL SERVICE: D Burtenshaw (City of Oxford); R Jones (Winchester), H Cole (Blackheath), A Craddock (Cannock), K Hanspal (Indian Gymkhana), N D'Cruz (Lyons), N Eves (capt, Gore Court), T Clark (Marden Russets), E Vickery (Old Kingstonians), J Taylor (Stirling), I Brown (Springfields).

LLOYDS INSURANCE: J Garner (capt); K Hansen, G Grymble (all Old Loughtonians), P Benton (Chelmsford), D Foley (Redbridge and Ilford), M Bradley (Chelmsford), C Felton (Richmond), N Gordon (Anchorians), M Faithful (Teddington), D Penfold (Bromley), M Gillett (Anchorians).

Umpires: B MacDonald, D Wareham (SCHUA).