GAME OF IMBALANCE AT SUTTON VALENCE

GAME OF IMBALANCE AT SUTTON VALENCE

Highwaymen show some New Year's resolution (for a change)

Sutton Valence Men's Vets 3 BEHC Highwaymen 4

The micro-climate at Sutton Valence's picturesque hilltop pitch showed some improvement from 2019's fog-shrouded fixture, although it was still a bitterly cold start to a new hockey decade until the winter sun eventually yielded some warmth.  Players often lost their balance on the saturated surface too, but both teams fielded stronger line-ups than they had a year earlier, as was reflected in a free-scoring first half which saw the visitors twice ahead, once behind, and eventually all-square at the break.

The Highwaymen are notoriously bad starters after Christmas, and their promotion aspirations often come down along with the decorations, but this was a much better New Year's showing, albeit aided by the likes of the classy Ders Baillie.  Many other things were as utterly predicable as before, however. The ageless Richard Cleall once more took to the field devoid of shin-pads and was predictably felled by a rocket into the D on ten minutes.  Phil Goode similarly reminded those present that he possesses the turning circle of a small oil tanker when forced to change direction by 180° and run.  And, of course, keeper Rupert Greaves was about the only squad member to actually stick to his agreed starting position once the umpire blew his whistle to commence proceedings.

But no matter ... striker Matt Robinson could be forgiven his glorious air-shot in a second half one-on-one with the keeper after his fine strike put the visitors ahead on the quarter-hour mark, but the lead was short lived thanks to a cracking equaliser from Sutton Valence following a midfield turn-over.  Fresh from a detour via Gatwick, James Hatcher restored the lead before the hosts struck back twice to lead by the odd goal in five.  Parity in a curate's egg of a half was restored courtesy of a curious goal by the enterprising Ravi Wickramasuriya, whose near post effort limped into the net off the back of the keeper's legs.  In fact, from a distance it looked more like the home net guardian had actually laid a rather large, spherical egg into his own goal, but hey ho ... they all count.

After a welcome half-time energy drink (do any others come as 70° proof?) the visitors soon found themselves back in front after a well-worked short-corner routine from straight off the training pitch was turned in at the left-hand post by man-of-the-match James Hatcher. After the end-to-end nature of the first half, the smart money was on another few goals in the second, but the day of imbalance continued and that was that in terms of the scoring.

All in all, a very worthwhile game for all concerned and, on balance, a fixture that one hopes will now become a permanent fixture, perhaps featuring a trophy as a prize ... or even a bottle of single malt.

Happy New Year!

Team:
Rupert Greaves (GK), Tim Walters, Richard Cleall, Phil Goode, Ders Baillie, James Hatcher, Stephen Gilbert, Ravi Wickramasuriya, Phil Bunker, Pat Gainey, Nim Kalsi, Matt Robinson and Tony D'Cruz.

Man-of-the-match:
None nominated at the time, so it goes to James Hatcher for scoring two, and even nearly turning up on time too.

Umpires:
The two home umpires were fine and entered into the spirit of things ... and the spirits too ... with the customary sense of hospitality for this fixture.