Beavers on rampage

Beavers 9, Mosgrove Yobbos 1

BEAVERS clinched the first session of the Investec Men's League Division One in emphathic style. Their 9-1 drubbing of Mosgrove Yobbos at Foote's Lane on Saturday ensured that they are now guaranteed a place in the league play-off finals. The dark blues will face the winners of the second half of the season, if it is not them.

'I'm delighted with the game. It was brilliant,' said their captain, Andy Whalley.

'We did exactly what we wanted to do. We scored early and we put away our chances.

'That took the pressure off. We played well all the way through.

'We're now in the play-offs for definite. We're going to miss a few of the college boys as they will be playing for college in the next half, but we know we've got a core of a team and hopefully we can do as well.'

With Elizabeth College coming into the league for the second half of the campaign, Beavers are going to be without talented college players such as Daniel Wray, Ollie Richards and John Guille among others. They will also be without their influential midfielder Mark Babbe, who after Christmas is moving to Australia for two years.

'We're going to miss him in the middle of the park,' said Whalley.

'But we've still got a strong squad and hopefully will still be able to compete.'

For Babbe, Saturday's victory meant a lot.

'I've been involved with Beavers as a captain and as a senior player for the last four years and we've never won anything and to finally to do it is awesome,' he said.

'I think next half we're going to struggle as everyone is leaving basically. I don't think we'll win the next half but hopefully we'll have a big game in the final.'

Beavers' opening goal came about after 10 minutes in controversial circumstances when their defender, Barry Wallace, intentionally stopped the ball with the back of his stick just inside Yobbos' half. Umpires Geoff Fisher and Ray Bushell did not blow up and the resulting move saw Babbe slot the ball home much to the chagrin of the Yobbos players who fervently protested with the officials.

Beavers' second goal was also harsh on Yobbos, a big deflection from a Wallace shot by their defender Nathan Hodder.

There was nothing that Yobbos' stand-in keeper Rob Turville could do about it. In fairness to him, even though he let in nine, he did not have a bad game.

Beavers' third was the pick of the bunch, a fine individual effort by the sublimely skilled Whalley as he ran down the right flank to smash the ball home.

On the stroke of half-time the dark blues got their fourth through striker Andy Biggins who then went on to get the fifth.

Whalley popped up again for the sixth before Yobbos' had their best chance, wasted by Julian Hurley.

After Richards got Beavers' seventh, Whalley wrapped up his hat-trick on the hour when he followed up Babbe's reverse stick effort that Turville did well to stop.

A couple of minutes later he should have got his fourth when a penalty flick was awarded for a foot on the line. Turville pulled off a fine save with his legs from Whalley's low effort.

Steve Eulenkamp got a consolation goal for Yobbos as the minutes counted down, but they deserved more from the game.

The final nail in the coffin for Yobbos came when Chris Hallam got Beavers' ninth with a little chip over the grounded Turville with a minute left.