Hockey: Raphoe hit seven to begin league phase with a win

After a couple of weeks off, Raphoe were back in action this weekend for their first match of the league phase, welcoming Newry to the Royal & Prior grounds.

Raphoe started brightly, coming out of the blocks fast and playing some fluent, attacking hockey that tested the Newry defence early on. The breakthrough came when Simon Goudie converted Raphoe’s first penalty corner with a well-executed drag flick.

With momentum building, Gavin Lecky drove into the D and beat the keeper at the near post to double the lead. Raphoe continued to pile on the pressure, and from another dangerous move, Tom Eaton drove into the D and fired a ball across goal and Jake McKnight got in front of his marker to deflect it home.

In the second quarter, Raphoe dropped off slightly and allowed Newry to create some chances of their own. The visitors pulled one back after a swift counterattack.

Half Time: Raphoe 3–1 Newry

At the restart, Raphoe rediscovered their rhythm, keeping the ball well and controlling possession. Matthew Lecky drove down the right and found Keith Meehan free at the top of the D — his reverse-stick strike flew past the keeper. Soon after, Gavin Lecky picked up the ball in midfield, drove forward, and slipped a pass to Sam McKnight, who coolly finished on the reverse into the bottom corner.

Newry responded with a penalty corner, which they converted, and moments later added another from a penalty stroke to close the gap.

End of 3rd Quarter: Raphoe 5–3 Newry

In the final quarter, Raphoe settled again, keeping possession and creating chances. Robbie Watt drove down the right baseline and squared the ball to Jake McKnight, who calmly slotted past the keeper.

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Raphoe kept the momentum going, and a neat link-up between Tom Eaton and Gavin Lecky found Jake McKnight once more — he made no mistake to complete his hat-trick and seal a strong home win.

Full Time: Raphoe 7–3 Newry

Goalscorers: Jake McKnight x3, Keith Meehan, Sam McKnight, Simon Goudie, Gavin Lecky