Both Welsh clubs were eliminated in the first round of the EKA Cup this weekend, but both produced good performances in doing so, and Cardiff City were particularly close to qualifying.
Following the withdrawal of Trojans 2, City were faced with a single tie vs Nomads 2 to determine qualification for the last 16. In an agonisingly tight finish, the game was 10-10 at full-time, only for the London team to squeeze through 11-10 on golden goal.
Cardiff Dragons were away at North Downs, with Bec 3 making up the third team in the pool. North Downs and Bec played first, with the experience of the home team just being enough to win them the match 8-7. Bec then played Dragons and the first half was very tight, finishing 3-3. However, in the second half the speed and movement of the Bec girls created loads of opportunities, while Dragons began to panic in attack and the game ran away very quickly. It finished 11-4 to Bec.
Rather than letting their heads go down, Dragons raised themselves to one of the best performances in the clubs short history to beat North Downs. As shots began to drop in, confidence and energy grew amongst the team and they played close to their potential.
Dragons 4-11 Bec 3
Remco Broekhuis (2), Jack McNamara (1), Joey Niblett (1), Amy Shillabeer, Claire Knowles, Jennifer Smith, Josh Cockburn, Sally Adlen, Sian Hunt, Steve Fung
Dragons 8-7 North Downs
Josh Cockburn (3), Jack McNamara (1), Jennifer Smith (1), Joey Niblett (1), Remco Broekhuis (1), Sally Adlen (1), Amy Shillabeer, Sian Hunt
