Q Bikes Kelburne 2s beat league leaders to remain in title fight

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Watsonians 2s - 2

Q Bikes Kelburne 2s - 3 Q Bikes Kelburne 2s travelled to Edinburgh to face league leaders Watsonians looking to keep their hopes of another league title alive

after losing their previous two league games. Kelburne were without Fraser Hutchinson who broke his thumb in the previous game against Grange and also JG Shepherd who was drafted into

the 1st XI squad. Kelburne started on the front foot enjoying most of the possession in the opening ten minutes keeping Watsonians pinned in their own half. The first goal came when Kelburne countered a rare Watsonians attack breaking at pace to find Andy Bremner free on the baseline who squared the ball

to Andrew Duff who slotted past the helpless keeper. At this stage Kelburne were comfortable and looking to build on their solid performance so far, but it was Watsonians who grabbed the equaliser when they intercepted the ball in a dangerous position upfront. The ball was fired into the circle to the forward who in turn found his teammate at the back post to tap home. It was a well worked goal but Kelburne could feel

with some better marking it could have been avoided. Kelburne continued to cause the home team problems with Duff, Bremner and newly promoted from the 3's fourteen year old Finn Halliday all working hard to stretch the defence. Their hard work paid off when they won their first short corner. A poor push out resulted on Fraser Scott shooting

just wide. Both teams knowing the importance of the game got stuck in which lead to a few heated exchanges between players resulted in the umpires warning both captains this this would no longer be tolerated. There were to be

no more clear cut chances before half time and it finished 1-1. Ten minutes into the second half Kelburne were awarded a penalty stroke after good work down the left from Will Adams and Miles Goldie lead to the Watsonians defender deliberately fouling when Goldie was in the process of shooting. Bremner stepped up gave the keeper the eyes and sent him

the wrong way. 2-1 Kelburne. Shortly after Kelburne were 3-1 up when Andy Bremner knocked home his second of the day after good work in the midfield form Matt McGinley. Watsonians now threw caution to the wind and pushed forward but the defence of Stuart Robin, Will Adams, Fraser Scott and Martin Byrne held firm. With Watsonians probing further up the pitch this left Kelburne with the

counter attack. Kelburne could have had a fourth but Goldie shot narrowly wide. There was a brief break in play when Ewan Carmichael failed to pick up a slightly lifted pass and controlled it on his chest. After Carmichael caught his breath Kelburne looked to keep control of the last 5

minutes to see out the game. Watsonians got a lifeline when a careless pass from Fraser Scott allowed the Watsonians forward to walk into the circle and finish neatly

in the corner. 3-2 With two minutes to go Watsonians pushed for the equaliser, they got their chance when the home umpire gifted them a short corner when she adjudged Miles Goldie to have pushed over the attacker. Everyone else on the pitch saw the attacker swing for the ball miss and fall over but the corner

stood. Watsonians set up their corner team knowing this would likely be the last chance to salvage a point, but fortunately from Kelburne’s point of view Fergus Barrows pulled off a brilliant diving save to send the

three points back to Paisley.

Final score- Watsonians 2s 2-3 Q Bikes Kelburne 2s Kelburne can be proud of their performance after a run of poor results against a team that had not lost in the league for almost two

years stretching back to their division 2 days. Kelburne’s hopes of a 13th title in 14 years are still alive but need a few results to go their way.

Bromac Kelburne Mens 1s hit 6 past Gordonians

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Bromac Kelburne Mens 1s 6 v 1 Gordonians

Saturday 5th March

Goals Josh Cairns x 2 Lee Morton x 1 Ross McPherson x 1 Chris Traynor x 1 Chris Nelson x 1 Craig Morton x still 0

The gents 1st team kicked off another double header with a home game to Gordonians. Without player/coach Iain Scholefield and young Neil McIntyre due to injury, solid striker Jack McKenzie away at a wedding the squad was boosted by the returning Chris Traynor.

The team started off well and dominated from the first whistle. The first goals of the game came from a timely interception by Michael Christie who coolly slipped the ball to veteran Ross McPherson who showed his experience to draw the keeper and finish with a cheeky wee lift.

Kelburne continued to push forward and were awarded a short corner after some patience. Up stepped the Ledley King of Kelburne Josh Cairns to score his first goal of the game.

Kelburne got a bit careless and complacent which allowed the travellers to find a gap in the defence which allowed a forward to break away 1v1 with keeper Ben. The Ozzie managed to slow the forward down however a lucky reverse gave the away team some hope.

Kelburne used this wake up call to kick on and up stepped Traynor to score a well worked team goal. Being the tallest man on the pitch he still seemed to go unnoticed and find himself free at the penalty spot to sweep in what was a crucial goal to restore some dominance.

Half time past and Kelburne seemed to totally refocus and the Aberdeen club never trouble the defence. Lee Morton scored the 4th with what has become a regular occurrence of seemingly waltzing past a number of players and finishing with a reverse stick shot that the keeper could have saved had he seen it!

The goal of the game came from assistant player/coach Chris Nelson from a corner routine that he chose. Josh Cairns playing a low drag flick to be finished with a sliding Nelson deflecting the ball under a confused keeper.

The final goal came from expert corner taker Cairns who again finished off by roofing another drag flick. The team now must recover and go again tomorrow against bottom of the league Dundee Wanderers. Always a physical game and the team will need to be physically and mentally strong to ensure that they walk away with all 3 points.

Next Game Sunday 6th 2pm away to Dundee Wanderers

www.kelburne.com

Young Kelburne Ladies 3s continue great form

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Kelburne Ladies 3's v Greenock Ladies

Saturday 5th March

Kelburne Ladies 3's hosted Greenock at Linwood on Saturday in the West League 2nd division. The sun was shining as the young Paisley squad took to the field and they looked lively from the starting whistle.

The home team didn't wait long before giving their fans something to cheer about. With her first goal for her new side Leanne McKissock opened the scoring for the Kelburne after a corner was rebounded out to her. Within ten minutes,and following a very dominant spell, Emma Ryan doubled this tally with a low drive bulleting past the Greenock keeper.

With Kelburne camped out in the Greenock half and some attacking defensive play keeping them there the team looked more than comfortable. Then 23 minutes into the half Neave Halliday added to the tally when she got onto the end of a corner which she injected to make it 3-0.

The Greenock keeper did well in goals when shots from Jen Owen, Lora Caven, Jenny Gow and Lucy Bliss all failed to beat her. Nevertheless she could not stop Ryan claiming her second after a solo run into the circle resulted in another low drive past her left leg.

Kelburne went into half time 4-0 up.

The second half began much as the 1st had started with Kelburne dominating possession and all players confident and keen to get on the ball. With some excellent passing play the Kelburne Ladies transitioned the ball seamlessly through the midfield and found Eliza Caven, Ambar Hendry and Jen Owen often.

Greenock had no answer for the pace of the youngsters who were attacking both sides of the pitch and providing crosses into the circle. Soon defender Ryan found her hatrick complete after getting on the end of one of these crosses and powering another low drive into the Corner of the Greenock goal.

Greenock did break on a few occasions, with Kelburne confidently stepping high up the pitch. However Halliday and Holly Hendry were on hand to cover back and ensure Abbie Houston remained unchallenged in goals.

With ten minutes remaining Kelburne added another when Holly Hendry, with an assist from Gow calmly slotted Lucy Bliss's rebounded shot past the keeper. The score finished 6-0 with Kelburne finally returning to winning ways after a few disappointing results. Most Valuable Player was Philippa Saddler after a sterling job in midfield. Kelburne look forward to visiting Ferguslie Ladies next week in the Paisley Derby.

www.kelburne.com

Heavy defeat for ProLife Kelburne 4s

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ProLife Kelburne 4s 1 – 6 Hillhead fours Difficult game with only 11 players in squad 5-0 down at half time to a younger faster team not aided by some terrible umpiring omissions on their behalf. periods of decent ball retention and passing gave promise for second half 1-1 second half, Gavin Bantges scoring at far post from a very good team passing movement out of defence Hillhead breakaway from a Kelburne attack Plenty of effort,several chances but no further goals Thanks to all the players for putting in a decent shift with no substitutions

Kelburne Under 14s WIn West District Indoor

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On the 21st February Kelburne Under 14s won the West District Indoor at the Lagoon. They had qualified for the semi finals after finishing runner up in their group to Hillhead having beaten Clydesdale and Greenock. In the semi final they beat a very good Uddingston side 5-4 on running penalties in what was the game of the tournament. The under 14s played very well in the final beating Western Wildcats.

Bromac Kelburne Mens 1s draw in Dundee

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Bromac Kelburne Mens 1s v Grove Menzieshill

Sunday 28/2/16

Coming from a comfortable win in the cup quarter final against st Andrews Uni 5-0, Kelburne traveled up to Dundee for the top of the table clash knowing anything but a defeat would keep the league title in their own hands. It was a sunny afternoon in Dundee which the hill tried to use to their advantage by making kelburne play into the glare. The game started at a frantic pace with both teams eager to make an early impression knowing the stakes were high. Kelburne controlled possession early on but conceded a weak goal via a back post deflection due to miscommunication at the back. After the goal kelburne struggled to dominate the game the way they had so often this year but managed to create a great chance which was thwarted by an unbelievable triple save from Menzieshill's own Australian GK import. Menzieshill failed to create many clear cut chances but were gifted too many short corners which they failed to capitalize on.

The first half ended 1-0 to Menzieshill.

After the team talk from coaches and injured captain Johnny Christie, Kelburne came out the traps with much more energy. The ball was moving much quicker around the back and opened lots of passing lanes forward the midfield and forwards to utilize. This allowed kelburne to play much of the half in the Hill's territory but were halted from scoring by some good defending and saves from the keeper. After wave and wave of attack kelburne finally got the breakthrough via comeback signing Ben "Pieterson". After great work down the left channel Lee Morton managed to ride a couple challenges and roll the ball past the onrushing keeper to ben for an easy tap in. Knowing this result wasn't good enough for them Menzieshill started to throw bodies forward to get the winning goal but a well organised and hard working team defense from kelburne kept them at bay. Ben Rennie (our Aussie GK) was always at hand to make vitals saves whenever the Hill got a sight at goal. With Menzieshill committing men forward it left plenty of space for the kelburne forwards to counter attack and were very unfortunate not to win a number of penalty corners from cynical tackles from the hill defense.

Full time 1-1.

In the end not the best result for Kelburne but it keeps the league title in our own hands. Another double header next weekend with Gordonians and Wanderers will leave Kelburne with only 2 more wins to secure their 12th league title in a row.

Scorers

Ben "Pieterson" 1

www.kelburne.com

Bromac Kelburne Mens XI win through to semi final of Scottish Cup

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Saturday 27th February 2016

Bromac Kelburne Mens XI vs St Andrews University

Bromac Kelburne Mens XI were playing in Largs this weekend, taking on St Andrews University in the quarter Finals of the Scottish Cup. St Andrews University caused a shock upset the last time the two teams met in the cup, and therefore Kelburne were determined not to let the past repeat itself. Kelburne dominated from the outset, however they found it very difficult to get an opening goal due to the away team defending deep into their own half.

Kelburne were finally rewarded with their efforts with Jack McKenzie opening the scoring board half way through the first half. McKenzie beat two of St Andrews defenders to slot the ball home from a reverse hit. Kelburne continued to apply pressure upon St Andrews defense, gaining a two goal lead with a goal from Lee Morton.

Second half started as the latter finished, with St Andrews attempting long aerial balls to beat the Kelburne defense. However, Kelburnes strength prevailed and Ben Peterson extended their lead to 3-0 with a drag flick from a short corner. Kelburne sealed their victory adding a further two goals from Ross McPherson and Gary Maitles. This win over St Andrews provided Kelburne with vital preparation for their forthcoming match in Dundee the next day.

Mens 5s lose out against energetic students

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Strathclyde Uni 2s v Pro-Life Fitness Kelburne 5s Saturday 27th February

Pro-Life Fitness Kelburne 5s got off to a quick start but play quickly settled down. From a Strathclyde attack some good defending from the Kelburne defence led to an attack at the other end. The ball found its’ way to Ciaran Willcox who passed into the area but the ball hit a foot for a short corner to Kelburne. From the push in the ball found its way to Lucas Farndale who fired home. This lifted Kelburne and some good play between Matthew Reid and Aaron Primrose led to Kelburne pressure. Ciaran and Allan McNicol linked well but the young Kelburne side could not create any positive outcomes. Strathclyde began to move the ball about and from a Penalty Corner the equaliser came from a deflection. Kelburne were still in the game and there were several spells of good play but again nothing to show for the effort. Matthew Retson in goals pulled off a great save and at the other end Jay Berry was unlucky with a shot on goal. Strathclyde won another Penalty Corner just before half time from which they scored to take the lead. Half time Strathclyde Uni 2s 2-1 Pro-Life Fitness Kelburne 5s The second half started pretty evenly with not much between the teams. Some great defending by Ewan Crawford, Ryan Wood, Gordon Martin and Matthew Reid kept the University at bay. As the half went on Strathclyde were beginning to take control with most of the play but occasional opportunities up front from Jay, Ciaran, Rory Semple and Craig Speirs meant there was still hope. Matthew Reid made a timely stop and passed forward to Jay who again was unlucky not to have a better outcome. The next goal would be crucial and unfortunately it was Strathclyde who scored with an attack down the right hand side, a pass to the far post, leaving an easy tap in. Kelburne pushed forward and, as in recent weeks, were caught out when Strathclyde scored with the last touch of the ball

Full time Half time Strathclyde Uni 2s 4-1 Pro-Life Fitness Kelburne 5s Some good play from the youngsters but still requiring a couple more players to give them more of a cutting edge.

Next week they play East Kilbride 2s at On-x Linwood, 10-30am puhback www.kelburne.com

Pro-Life Fitness Kelburne 4s v Dumfries

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Saturday 27th February A valuable point from a 2-2 draw v Dumfries No field goals in game, 2 PF for Kelburne converted by James Currie 1 PF and a penalty corner for Dumfries Lots of attacking play but no real outcome for either team Goalkeeper Jamie Muir had several excellent saves including a Penalty Stroke Youngsters all played their part in a decent team effort

Derby produces goalfest

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Pro-Life Fitness Kelburne 3 s 9 – 2 Pro-Life Fitness Kelburne 4s Saturday 20th February

Scorers: Billy Anderson (2), Finn Halliday (2), Ciaran Wilcox (2), Rory Anderson, Johnny Hughes, Dick Donaldson The match started with a 1 minute silence for the late Gerry Ralph and this was observed with great camaraderie with both teams interlocked black on yellow in the centre of the Pitch. Within 10 minutes of the start, the 3s were 1 up with a short corner scramble then converted by Billy A through Jambos legs, which then became 2 with a through ball from Billy A to Rory A who squared to Ciaran Wilcox to slip in the first of his 2 goals for the day. Play was always constantly taking place inside the 4s half and the 3s were on a roll having won their previous 2 games and looking forward to their cup semi-final this Saturday. A through ball to Billy A inside the D was then converted with a shot across Jambo in to the bottom corner to take a 3-0 lead. Straight after this, Finn Halliday picked up the ball and made a great run along the back-line and coolly slotted the ball under Jambos legs from a very acute angle. The half was finished by an individual goal by Dick Donaldson who stole in to the top of the D and fired home a loose ball in to the net for a 5-0 lead. Half-Time - 5-0 for Kelburne 3s The 2nd half started slowly but it wasn’t long before the 4s pulled a goal back through Johnny Miller, slipping the ball past 3rd XI debutant Matthew Retson from the top of the D. Play then soon moved back in to the 4s half with a goal from Johnny Hughes from a goalmouth scramble where he reacted the quickest to smack the loose ball home for the 6th goal. Goal 7 then came from Ciaran at the back-post and Finn Hallidays 2nd goal took the 3s to an 8-1 lead. The 4s weren’t giving up though and another 3s break up front resulted in a turnover with the 3s midfield posted AWOL and Johnny Miller ran the ball past a helpless Retson once again for his 2nd goal of the match. The last goal came from a long pass from Billy A to Rory A at the top of the D where he turned and reverse-sticked the ball past a stranded Jambo for a finishing 9-2 victory and an overall solid victory. Overall the match was played in good spirits after the tetchy 1st league game at Linwood Onyx and this result saw the 3s take full league points from the club derby and take very good form in the Scottish Plate semi-final against League Leaders Rottenrow 2s where a very challenging game is expected this Saturday.

Q Bikes Kelburne Men's 2nd Xi vs Hillhead Men's 2nd Xi

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Saturday 20th February Kelburne got off to a slow start shipping 3 goals inside 15 minutes, however they began to claw their way back into it through goals from JG Shepherd and a Hillhead own goal. Half time score Hillhead 2s 3:2 Kelburne 2s In the second half it looked like Kelburne had the momentum to go on and win.. However after a series of quick counters Hillhead scored 2 goals in succession to finish the game off. Kelburne fought back hard but were unable to bring the game back but scored a consolation with a well worked short corner resulting in a goal for Matt McGinley. Final score: Hillhead 2s 5:3 Kelburne 2s The 2nd Xi have it all to do next weekend with a double header facing Ayr in the cup and then away to Grange.

Bromac Kelburne Men 1s start second half of season with win

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Saturday 20th Februrary

Hillhead 0 ? 6 Bromac Kelburne Men 1s

Lee Morton ? 2

Jack Mackenzie ? 2

Josh Cairns ? 1

Ross Macpherson ? 1

Craig Morton ? 0

On a cold and wet Saturday afternoon it was time for Bromac Kelburne to get the 2nd half of the season underway. Sitting top of the table and with 4 trophies still to play for it was important the team laid down a marker for the remainder of the season.

Prior to the game a minute?s silence was held to pay respect to the late Gerry Ralph, a hugely respected man by Kelburne and wider hockey family.

The game started at a fast pace with Bromac Kelburne creating several chances however failing to break the deadlock. As the pace settled Hillhead began to work their way in to the game causing the Kelburne defence a few problems, thankfully man of the match Fergus Barrows kept them at bay.

Halfway through the first half the deadlock was broken, some scrappy build was finished off coolly by Lee Morton.

Half Time Hillhead 0 ? 1 Bromac Kelburne Men 1s

The team were given the proverbial rocket from Captain Johnny Christie, a higher level of performance was expected from everyone. The team duely obliged with far better connections, passing and work rate from all of the team.

Bromac Kelburne then began to put more pressure of the Hillhead defence and finally the goals were to follow. The pick of the 2nd half goals was a solo effort from Jack Mackenzie, finished off with a diving reverse stick in to the bottom corner. 6 goals I the 2nd half saw Bromac Kelburne eventually run out comfortable winners.

Full time Hillhead 0 ? 6 Bromac Kelburne Men 1s

Next game v?s St Andrews Uni (cup)

www.kelburne.com

Young Kelburne Ladies 3's earn draw

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Kelburne Ladies 3's v Loch Lomond Ladies - Sunday 21stFebruary 2016

Kelburne Ladies hosted Loch Lomond Ladies on Saturday in the West district League.  With a large squad, the ladies were looking for some much needed points after some disappointing results this half of the season.

However the young Paisley side began with a kicking back due to their regular keeper not being available.  The Kelburne defensive line sat very high up the pitch and ensured that the ball was kept as far away from Lynne Houston as possible.  Holly Hendry and Susan Deanie did well on each side of midfield during this spell, consistently supporting the defence and attack.

After some great attacking play and a series of short corners for both sides it was the Kelburne ladies who opened the scoring in the 20th Minute.  Philippa Saddler getting herself on the end of a cross. 

HT Kelburne Ladies 3's 1-0 Loch Lomond Ladies

The second half begun with a flurry of activity for the Kelburne squad.  Youngsters Eliza Caven, Jenny Gow and Cara Bruce working hard up front and consistently closed down and pressurised the Loch Lomond defence. 

However a lapse of concentration say the Kelburne side suddenly drawing with the visitors as a break away attack  resulted in a goal against the run of play.  Slightly rattled by the turn of events Loch Lomond added to their tally 10 minutes later and increased their lead to 2-1.

Nevertheless, characteristic of the young talented squad Kelburne, they never gave up.  With 10 minutes remaining Lucy Bliss collected the ball from outside the 23 and drove right into the circle, slipping past a trio of defenders.  Then from a seemingly impossible angle she somehow found the bottom left hand corner of the Loch Lomond goal with a fierce strike from close to the baseline.  Making the score equal at 2-2.

The Kelburne squad maintained their composure in the remaining minutes as Loch Lomond fought to gain the upper hand.  Christine MacCrimmon and Bethany Allan were invaluable stepping into the defence at this point, after injuries to key players.  Remarkably the keeper less defence kept out a string of 3 dubious short corners after the final whistle had blown and the score line finished a fair  2-2.

FT Kelburne Ladies 3's 2-2 Loch Lomond Ladies

Next week the young squad are away to Hillhead where they hope to continue playing well to secure another 3 points.

www.kelburne.com

Young ProLife Kelburne Men's 5s lose to Glasgow University 3's

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ProLife Kelburne Men's 5s v Glasgow University 3's

Saturday 20th February 2016

The young 5th team took to the field on a cold and wet Saturday lunchtime to face a fast and physical Glasgow Uni eleven. After observing a minutes silence to remember the passing of Gerry Ralph, Kelburne started brightly, with Willie Allan firing a shot off in the opening minute only to pull a great save out of the Glasgow Uni keeper. Possession was equal for the first 10 minutes, with Kelburne's Matthew Retson making some excellent saves. Unfortunately Kelburne couldn't make their early pressure amount to much, and Glasgow Uni took the lead after 12 minutes. Glasgow Uni furthered their lead around the 20 minute mark, with a scrappy goal. Kelburne were forced to work hard with defenders Ryan Wood and Matthew Reid being forced to contend with extremely quick Glasgow attackers. With some great saves and an extremely high work rate from the rest of the team, Kelburne were able to carry themselves through to half time, still in contention to win the game.

HT Prolife Kelburne Men's 5s 0 ? 2 Glasgow University 3s

After some words of motivation at half time, Kelburne went back out hungry and after the victory. Glasgow Uni continued to work us very hard, with some last ditch defending from Ryan Wood preventing them from scoring early on in the second half. However, their pressure eventually told as they increased their winning margin to 3 after 40 minutes. Instead of letting our heads drop, Kelburne rallied and began to move the ball better, finding yellow tops more often. The midfield trio of Gavin Bantges, Willie Allan and Allan McNicol were working hard to try and create for the attackers. Young forward Jay Berry came close on a couple of occasions and watched one of his shots go inches wide. Kelburne were rewarded for their pressure with a penalty flick, and Craig Spiers stepped up to take it, but was unfortunately saved by the Glasgow Uni keeper. As Kelburne looked for a route back into the match late on, 2 goals were scored at the wrong end, after being caught on the counter attack.

FT Prolife Kelburne Men's 5s 0-5 Glasgow University 3s

Overall, the young 5s worked extremely hard to contend with the physicality of the Glasgow Uni eleven. However we do need to work on the basics of our game, as it would have been a whole different story if our passing was a little better.

Special mentions to Willie Allan and Gavin Bantges who stepped down from the 4s, and put in an excellent shift. Also to Matthew Retson in goals, who was absolutely phenomenal in-between the sticks for Kelburne today. Next week the young 5s play Strathclyde University 2s

www.kelburne.com

Gerry Ralph

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It is with great sadness that the club shares the news of the passing of Gerry Ralph. 


Gerry, a founding member of the club in 1969, has played a key role over a sustained period of time in many areas of the club which have contributed to the success of the recent past. A strong believer in youth he was the driving force behind the Saturday morning ?jockey? hockey which is still thriving to this day. The true value of his contribution will never be measured but his legacy will live on within the club.   

Gerry was a family man, and he took great pride in the achievements of his children as they celebrated success at Kelburne. It is with Maria, Claire, Mark and Nicola and the extended Ralph family that we now offer our condolences and support.   


With his passing the world is a much poorer place this evening. One of the really good guys. He truly was an inspiration to generations of young (and not so young) Kelburne athletes, committees and volunteers and for many of us the very reason we play the sport he loved so dearly. While now we are left with sorrow we can also reflect on our great pleasure in having known such a truly genuine man.

The club, Scottish Hockey and the EHF prepared a joint tribute to Gerry:



West District Indoor Cup ? Kelburne 3rd XI Pro-Life Development Team are Champions

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The Tournament was played as an all-day competition,starting at 0930hrs on a dreary Sunday morning at the Paisley Lagoon Centre 

Last 16  :  Anchor 2 ? 3  Pro-Life Kelburne

The day started with a tough opener for the Kelburne 3rd XI Development Squad against a highly experienced and mature Anchor side who took an early two goal lead due to a slow start by the Kelburne team.  However things were about to balance themselves out after a period of sustained good play from the Pro-life Kelburne Team where Miles Goldie found the back of the net from close range which was quickly followed by Finn tucking in equaliser from a very tight angle, ending the half at 2 goals-a-piece.

The second half started brightly with Ewan Carmichael finding himself clear in the D where he promptly slammed the ball home to give us a 3-2 lead which proved good enough in the end, with the yellows holding the Anchor at bay with some exceptional defending by Alan Ralph and Fraser Hutchison and goalkeeping from new recruit GK Jambo Muir over the last 5 minutes, running out 3-2 victors and in to the Quarter Final round against Clydesdale.

Qtr-Final    :    Pro-Life Kelburne 3 ? 2  Clydesdale

After the slow start against Anchor, there was no chance of this happening again with the Kelburne team starting at a high pace and putting Clydesdale under heavy pressure. A few Kelburne chances went a-begging after some great saves from the Dale keeper but the yellows soon took the lead through promising junior Niall Taylor, where he slipped the ball past a helpless Dale keeper for a 1-0 lead to Kelburne and the tails were up. Soon afterwards a lovely 1-2 in midfield saw Ewan Carmichael slip the ball to Billy Anderson who flicked it past the keeper for a 2-0 lead and a strong position and closing out the first half.

Clydesdale started to create some good chances after the second goal and finally broke through after drag-flick from a short-corner appeared to hit the side netting only for the Umpire to give the goal in Clydesdales favour and after a dispute the goal stood.     2-1 up and a tight game ensued thereafter but the game was put beyond doubt when Billy picked up a great reverse stick stop and squeezed the ball low and hard past the defender and stranded goalkeeper for a 3-1 lead..   The pulsating game was petering out with 2 mins to go however Clydesdale pulled one back after a great run from their tall midfield play-maker but the Kelburne defence closed shop and ran out deserved 3-2 victors.

Semi-Final    :    Pro-Life Kelburne 4 ? 2  Hillhead 2

The squad was added to in the afternoon session with the arrival of the experienced David Fowler but depleted with the departure of Alan Ralph however with the juniors in fine form, it didn?t take long for the Pro-life Kelburne team to get on-track against the Glasgow team.  After 5 minutes, a disguised defence-splitting pass from ex-Scotland star David Fowler found Billy Anderson in the D which he deflected past the stranded goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead. This was quickly followed by a father-son combo with Rory Anderson taking control of the ball inside the D and slipping it deftly to Anderson senior to lob the Goalkeeper and take the yellows in to a commanding 2-0 lead.   Kelburne were moving the ball around with ease and this was a lead which would not be overcome.   After a few short-corners for the Paisley team, they took a 3-0 lead in to half-time with a powerful Fowler effort high in to the roof of the net.

The 2nd half saw almost a full Junior Kelburne team take the field and they coped well with the change however finally Hillhead make the breakthrough with a nicely worked goal to peg the Pro-life team back to 3-1 but with 5 mins to go, a nicely worked pass was worked by Fraser Hutchison to Anderson who slipped it to Finn Halliday, slotting underneath the goalkeeper an unassailable 4-1 lead.     Hillhead managed to pull another goal back in the final minutes but it was all over by then with Kelburne running out easy 4-2 winners.

Final    :    Pro-Life Kelburne 4 ? 2  Rottenrow 2

Going in to the final, the Kelburne Pro-life came up against an experienced but surprise package of Rottenrow 2s in the final.  Excellent defensive work at the start from Doug McEwan in goals and the back 2 of Fraser Hutchison and Finn Halliday set the attacking options up well for the Kelburne team push for the trophy and after 7 minutes, there was no doubt where it was going as the Kelburne team sprinted in to a 3 goal lead with no reply.    With a hat-trick of goals from Billy Anderson who received the payer of the tournament award for being the highest goalscorer,  Kelburne finished the half strongly despite losing a last-second goal to finish the half at 3-1 up.

Starting the 2nd half, the Rottenrow team pulled another goal back to make it 3-2 but the result was never in doubt and a goal with 10 minutes left from Ewan Carmichael made it 4-2 and the final winning result for Kelburne who ran out as West district Indoor Cup Champions.

As it proved to be, the experience of senior players, coupled with the willingness and fantastic physical efforts of the Junior development players, really paid dividends throughout the day, resulting in the famous victory.     Best for the Juniors were Halliday for his alertness, speed and goals scored, followed by young Taylor and Anderson who put in some brilliant performances for such a young age against senior men from the other Clubs.  Something that will bode well for future competitions and the rest of the season about to kick-start after the winter break.

Squad  :

Jambo Muir (GK), Doug McEwan (GK),  David Fowler (C), Ewan Carmichael, Fraser Hutchison, Miles Goldie, Billy Anderson, Finn Halliday, Rory Anderson, Niall Taylor

Goals  -   Billy (7), Finn (3),  Ewan (2),  David D (1),  Miles (1), Niall (1)

Prolife Kelburne 4s get good point in Ayr

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Fantastic result v Ayr 1,s away at Cambusdoon

Ayr 1s 2-2 Prolife Kelburne 4s

Team played just great v a very strong former, national div 3 team
Credit to everyone who stepped up and committed to the game
Goals by newcomer Kenneth Mould and the more experienced Ewan Carmichael gave us an extremely valuable point.
Youngsters from the 5s also played a solid role in the result
Thomas, Fraser Whiting and John Miller