The Ulster U13 sides put in a number of fine performances in the second day of the UK Regional Championships, winning three of their six fixtures.
The Trophy side were the pick of the action, winning two of their three games, whilst the Championship squad ended the day with a convincing 5-1 win against Anglian Eagles.
The day got underway with the Championship side facing South Saxons, and with just three minutes on the clock, the young Ulster side fell behind.
A good ball into the circle picked out a Saxons forward who took the ball on his weak side and flicked into the bottom corner to give his side an early advantage.
Just a minute later, our opponents could have doubled their lead when they broke down the left before sending a reverse strike just wide of the near post.
With six minutes gone, Saxons got their second, having won consecutive penalty corners before slipping left and picking out the far bottom corner to double their early lead.
Following the second goal, Ulster saw a positive response, quickly winning their first penalty corner as Teddie McCandless was denied before Theo Burnett flashed the ball across the goalmouth and was unfortunate not to pick out a teammate.
Unable to find a breakthrough, the side went into the halftime break 2-0 behind.
Seven minutes after the break, Saxons extended their lead to 3-0. Despite a hint of a foul in the buildup, the ball was worked to the back post, where a forward was left with an open goal to tap in and add to their tally.
The goal proved to be the only action in the second half as the young Ulster side were dealt a second defeat in the tournament.
Having lost their opening game of the day, the side then followed up that result with another loss before ending the day with an emphatic win over the Anglian Eagles.
Noah Burke opened the scoring for the side before Teddie McCandless doubled their lead from a penalty corner and sent Ulster on their way to a comfortable win.
Two more goals from Sam McMahon and Cameron McLaughlin continued the fine performance before the dominant first half was then rounded off when Archie Hermon scored with a poacher’s finish, completing another Ulster move and giving the side a 5-0 lead at half-time.
A much quieter second half saw Eagles get one goal back, but it was too little, too late as the Championship side ended the day with a convincing win.
As for the Trophy side, they got their day off to a flying start, sealing a 2-0 win over North Wales.
The first chance of the game came for Ulster after just four minutes when Ross Murdock saw his straight strike from the top of the circle well saved by the Welsh goalkeeper.
Just a minute later, the strong Ulster start got its reward as Lucas Reilly picked up the ball from Jake Simpson before firing into the roof of the net from a tight angle to score our first goal of the tournament.
The Ulster chances continued to come throughout the half with Mark Hamilton being denied from close range, whilst Mason McAleece also saw his strike saved with the angle always against him.
Then, on the brink of half-time, Reilly had a great chance to get his and Ulster’s second of the game as he was awarded a penalty stroke, only to be denied by a great save from the goalkeeper.
The second half started where the first left off, with our Trophy side winning consecutive penalty corners, but unfortunately, they were denied on each occasion.
They soon got the reward for their dominance, with Mark Hamilton capitalising on good work from Ollie-Jac O’Kane to finish at the back post and double the Ulster advantage.
Straight from the restart, the side could have been 3-0 ahead as Ross Murdock beat his man before sending a good reverse effort agonisingly wide of the far post.
Despite their healthy lead, Ulster continued to push forward and won another penalty corner.
It was Lucas Reilly who went close once more with a straight strike from the top of the circle, but he saw his effort narrowly miss the target with the Welsh goalkeeper beaten.
Unable to get a third goal, the Ulster side still managed to see out the rest of the game without conceding at the other end, earning their first win of the competition.
Later in the day, the side made it back-to-back wins as a Jamie Simpson strike secured a 1-0 win against Team Solent before ending on a 4-0 loss against Mercian Marauders.