Navan men's hockey team open well

Navan got their Leinster Hockey League Men's Div 4 campaign off to a winning start with a 4-1 win against hosts Pembroke at Serpentine Avenue last Saturday and will face Naas this weekend.

This Saturday's game will be the first 'home' game of thes eason for the men - but due to the lack of a pitch of a suitable standard in Meath the 'home' game will be played at Kings Hospital in Dublin.

In the seasonopener last weekend Chris Booth started things off when he got on the end of a smart cross from Ruairi Clarke, finishing from close range after a goalmouth scramble. 

Navan didn’t make the most of several penalty corners until Keith Howell flicked home neatly when the ball ran kindly after a breakdown in the set piece for a well-deserved 2-0 interval advantage.

Despite the two-goal cushion, Navan rang the changes in the second-half with Eamon Lynskey coming on to bolster midfield and debutant Bryan Harley showing strongly.

Philip Garry was running riot pouncing on any lapse in the Pembroke defence and his tenacity paid off when he regained possession after his own shot was saved and he struck a neat reverse shot to the bottom corner. 

Clarke then produced another smart backhand shot to complete the rout and the only blemish on the scoreline coming when Navan were sitting back and emptying the subs bench which gave the Dublin side a consolation score.

Ciaran Kearns, Keith Howell and Harley were all prominent, but this was a great team performance and an excellent start to the season 

Navan - Emmett O’Mordha; Ciaran Kearns, Roger Warburton, Robert Bagnall, Rory Davis, Bryan Harley, Keith Howell, Ruairi Clarke, James McQuade, Philip Garry, Chris Booth. Subs - Sean Kearns, Martin Holland, Eamon Lynskey, Stephen Tormey, Damian Lynskey.

NEXT UP
SATURDAY
MEN: 
Navan v Naas; Navan 2nds v Naas 2nds, both at Kings Hospital.
LADIES:
Navan v Clontarf at Mercy, 3pm; Mullingar v Navan 2nds at Mullingar, 11am.