Billingham Falcons travelled to face Solihull Kings in their second English U15 North Promotion/Relegation play-off match.

After an opening 4-1 loss at home to Blackburn Kestrels, Falcons were looking to get points on the board.

Solihull went ahead in the seventh minute which they held during the remainder of the first period.

Jimmy Moutrey tied the scores at 20.17 and six minutes later Falcons went ahead with Moutrey's second goal of the game. The home side were back on level terms in the 40th minute.

Falcons were handed a two-minute powerplay which they failed to capitalise on as they themselves 70 seconds later were back to full strength. Solihull regained their lead with a delayed penalty on Billingham with 39 second remaining in the match. Ten seconds later Solihull made certain with a fourth goal for a 4-2 victory.

Falcons: Jimmy Moutrey 2+0, Alistair McGill 0+1.

Billingham Wildcats completed their women's division one North home programme defeating Blackburn Thunder 5-2 at the Forum Ice Arena. Wildcats were quickly off the mark and took the lead after only ten seconds through Claire Ainscough. Blackburn drew level only for Lindsay Amos to restore Wildcats' lead in the final minute of the first period.

Vanessa Hill and Sarah Clare increased Billingham's advantage to 4-1 with two goals in as many minutes after 27 minutes. Hannah Antrobus tucked away Wildcats' fifth at 51.03 before Blackburn's second came long 90 seconds later.

Wildcats: Lindsay Amos, Vanessa Hill, Sarah Clare 1+1, Claire Ainscough, Hannah Antrobus 1+0.

Sunderland Cherokees were in Sheffield at the weekend for the Sheffield U12 Junior International Tournament at Ice Sheffield It was the first ever U12 tournament for the Yorkshire club and Cherokees finished in a very creditable fourth place. Cherokees were up against Dundee Tigers in the third/fourth place play-off. Tigers took the lead at 10.37 as Cherokees were unable to find a way through.

With under 30 seconds left Sunderland pulled netminder Mark Watson.

In search of an equaliser Cherokees conceded an empty net second goal with two seconds remaining.

Kirkcaldy Redskins were Sunderland's opponents in the semi-finals and were 1-0 victors, the goal coming after five minutes.

Redskins' Robbie Summers was handed a match penalty for head-butting at 19.52 and in the stoppage of play Summers' teammate Ian Quinn kicked a Sunderland player in the head while he was lying on the ice. It was missed by the referee but seen by a linesman but not sure of the player's number on shirt and given to a different player.

Sunderland did not manage to score a goal and lost by a single goal margin. Following the match Sunderland lodged an official protest about the kicking incident and after the tournament officials had deliberated, Quinn was handed a match penalty and subsequently along with Summers was suspended for the final.

Cherokees finished runners-up in Group B with three wins and two draws from five round robin matches.

Dutch side Tilburg Trappers were Sunderland's first opponents and held them to a 0-0 draw. Trappers' netminders stopped Cherokees from getting off to a winning start.

Sheffield's second string Swampfrogs lost 3-1 to Cherokees after taking a sixth minute lead. Michael Elder tied the scores at 15.51 and a Graham Robson brace saw Cherokees go ahead five minutes later. Dundee and Sunderland finished 2-2 after a close contest. Callum Davies put Cherokees ahead in the first minute only for Tigers to equalise after four minutes.

Robson restored the lead and with only one second to go Dundee snatched a late goal and a share of the spoils. Invicta Dynamites conceded two goals in each period in a 4-0 defeat. Davies and Jack Watkins on target in the first and Robson and Davies likewise in the second. Grimsby Ghosts completed Cherokees' group stage games and were beaten 6-0.

Daniel Bamling, Davies, Robson and Watkins (2) had Cherokees 5-0 ahead at the end of the first period. Watkins completed a straight hat-trick with the only goal of the final period. The victory saw Cherokees finished second in their group and face Kirkcaldy, winners of the other group, in the semis.

Hosts Sheffield Lasers had to go penalty shots to defeat Dundee in their semi-final. The final was also decided by penalty shots with Sheffield defeating Kirkcaldy.

Results: Group A: Chelmsford 3, Flintshire 4; Kirkcaldy 8, Coventry 0; Sheffield Lasers 2, Flintshire 2; Kirkcaldy 8, Chelmsford 1; Sheffield Lasers 9, Coventry 0; Kirkcaldy 5, North Ayr 0; Sheffield Lasers 1, Kirkcaldy 2; North Ayr 0, Flintshire 1; North Ayr 3, Chelmsford 1; Flintshire 3, Coventry 1; Sheffield Lasers 7, Chelmsford 0; North Ayr 2, Coventry 3; Kirkcaldy 1, Flintshire 0; Chelmsford 2, Coventry 2; Sheffield Lasers 3, North Ayr 0.

Group B: Sheffield Swampfrogs 1, Grimsby 0; Tilburg 0, Sunderland 0; Dundee 5, Invicta 1; Sheffield Swampfrogs 0, Tilburg 5; Dundee 5, Grimsby 0; Tilburg 1, Invicta 0; Sheffield Swampfrogs 1, Sunderland 3; Dundee 3, Tilburg 1; Dundee 2, Sunderland 2; Sheffield Swampfrogs 2, Invicta 2; Invicta 5, Grimsby 1; Tilburg 2, Grimsby 0; Sunderland 4, Invicta 0; Sheffield Swampfrogs 0, Dundee 2; Sunderland 6, Grimsby 0.

Group A

P W T L F A Pts

Kirkcaldy 5 5 0 0 24 2 15

Sheffield Lasers 5 3 1 1 22 4 12

Flintshire 5 3 1 1 10 7 12

Coventry 5 1 1 3 6 24 8

North Ayr 5 1 0 4 5 13 7

Chelmsford 5 0 1 4 7 24 6

Group B

Dundee 5 4 1 0 17 4 14

Sunderland 5 3 2 0 15 3 13

Tilburg 5 3 1 1 9 3 12

Sheff Swampfrogs 5 1 1 3 4 12 8

Invicta 5 1 1 3 8 13 8

Grimsby 5 0 0 5 1 19 5

Semi-finals: Sheffield Lasers 1, Dundee Tigers 0 (after pen shots); Kirkcaldy 1, Sunderland0.

Play-off games: 11/12 place Chelmsford 5, Grimsby 2.

9/10th place: North Ayr 3, Invicta 1.

7/8th place: Coventry 0, Sheffield Swampfrogs 2.

5/6th place: Flintshire 2, Tilburg 1.

3/4th place: Dundee 2, Sunderland 0.

Final: Sheffield Lasers 1, Kirkcaldy Redskins 0 (after pen shots).

Cherokees: Graham Robson 5+0, Callum Davies 4+5, Daniel Bamling 1+0, Michael Elder 1+1, Matthew Read, Adam Perrie 0+1.

Results: Dumfries 0, Kirkcaldy 3; North Ayr 0, Paisley 1; Club Chiasso 4, Whitley 0; Murrayfield 1, Haninge 1; Dumfries 0, Whitley 1; Murrayfield 1, Paisley 1; Club Chiasso 3, Fife 0; Haninge 4, North Ayr 0.

Semi-finals: Club Chiasso 3, Murrayfield 4 (Murrayfield win on pen shoot-out); Haninge 2, Kirkcaldy 0.

Position play-off: Whitley 1, North Ayr 0; Paisley 5, Dumfries 0.

7/8th place play-off: North Ayr 0, Dumfries 2.

5/6th play-off: Whitley 0, Paisley 1 (abandoned at 29.24)

3/4th play-off: Club Chiasso 4, Fife 1.

Final: Murrayfield 3, Haninge 2.

Final positions: 1 Murrayfield; 2 Haninge; 3 Club Chiasso; 4 Kirkcaldy; 5 Dmfries; 6 North Ayr; 7 Paisley**; 8 Whitley Bay**.

**denotes both teams relegated to 7th and 8th place due to abandoned game.

This weekend sees English Ice Hockey Association Junior Cup finals take place at Ice Sheffield. Billingham Bears, winners of U16 North A meet runners-up from South A Peterborough Jets in the semi-final tomorrow (Sat). The other semi has Sheffield tackling Guildford. The losing semi-finalists play in the 3rd/4th place play-off and the winners the final on Sunday.

Sunderland Cherokees and Sunderland Arrows are in Edinburgh tomorrow to compete in Murrayfield Capital Cup at U12 and U16 age groups respectively.

Fixtures

Tomorrow: English Ice Hockey Association Youth Working Group League play-offs U16 semi-final: Billingham Bears v Peterborough Jets (4pm)

English U19 North Promotion/Relegation play-offs: Blackburn Thunderhawks v Sunderland Tomahawks (6pm)

English U12 North Promotion/Relegation play-offs: Flintshire Flyers v Billingham Pumas (4.15pm).Murrayfield Capital Cup Tournament

U12: Aberdeen v Sunderland (10.40am); Paisley v Sunderland (12.10pm); Murrayfield v Sunderland (1pm); 3/4th place play-off (2.35pm); final (4.55pm)

U16: Murrayfield v Sunderland (10.20am); Sunderland v Solihull (12.30pm); Nottingham v Sunderland (2pm)

3/4th place play-off (3.40pm); final (6pm.

Sunday: EIHA Youth Working Group League play-offs: U12 3/4th place play-off (9am); U14 3/4th (10.20am); U16 3/4th (11.40am).

U10 final (1pm); U12 final (3pm); U14 final (5pm); U16 final (7pm).

English U16 North Promotion/Relegation play-offs: Whitley Tomahawks v Bradford Pirates (12.30pm)

English U12 North Promotion/Relegation play-offs: Billingham Pumas v Flintshire Flyers (6pm).

Whitley Bay Islands met United States Air Force Warbirds recreational team in a challenge match at Hillheads. Islanders led 3-1 at the first interval with Derek Mitchel, Tom Coulson and Ant Bachadova on the scoresheet for Whitley.

After the second period the lead increased to 7-4 and by the end of the game was 12-6. Terry Wilkinson scored a hat-trick for Islanders.

Islanders: Terry Wilkinson 3+2, Joe Robinson 2+0, Ant Bachodova 1+2; Steven Stocks, Tom Coulson, Tom Glazzard 1+1, Stu Davis, Jeff Hutchinson, Derek Mitchell 1+0, Doug Ramsey, Darren Farren 0+2, Wayne Dunn, Mark Brown 0+1.