RELIEF..................AT LAST........

The 1s knew that a win away against bottom side Horsham was not negotiable. At the site of Christ’s Hospital School, the boys found shelter in a military facility, the sort which has Joe Allen waking up in cold sweats in the middle of the night.

To the Hockey. The first half didn’t quite go to plan. A frenetic tempo saw opportunities created and denied at both ends with some lacklustre play on display. Ian Harvey went close but took more of the opposition man than the ball from 6 yards whilst both corner teams were kept busy. It would be a Harvey flick that would break the deadlock before a quick response was found by Horsham as some innocuous defending led to the ball being walked in and a 1-1 score at HT.

It’s fair to say the visitors were not happy with the first half display and quickly set to work on how to improve their performance. It’s fair to say the results was immediate. A combination of controlled pressing, potent attacking and solid corner defence meant Blackheath rarely looked troubled as Laxman Karan scored the second flick of the day before a smart move led to Lewis Burnham steering the ball into the net for his first goal in his 2 and a half year Blackheath career. Fortunately, there is a video for Lewis to show the grandkids. Printed T shirts will no doubt be dated and signed by Lewis for collection at College Meadow next Saturday. This would not be the only first of the day. Marcus Wilson turned on the burners to deny a late 1-1 opportunity and an inside edge from Charlie Speller would have comfortably beaten the wicket keeper whilst evading even the finest of fine legs on the left post with five minutes to play. One thing did remain consistent through. The newly formed gym monkey that is Tom Archer showed that sitting on the bench press 6 days a week can actually lead to overpowering your opponent and receiving a yellow card with 10 to play. Control those guns Tommy!

A special mention to the corner defence team expertly martialed by MJ and Craigmyle which saw the giraffe-esque centre back pick up MOM. First of many victories I am sure!