Match Reports 2 January 2010
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- Fixture
- Blackheath, 2 January 2010
- Result
- 1 - 3 LOSS ( S Bates )
- Venue
- Away
- Report
-
This was a good run-out for players suffering the usual after-effects of varying degrees of over-indulgence over the festive season, on a sunny but cold afternoon.
Playing in the Grass Conference, grass is not a problem to the home side, whereas Sutton Valence Vets always take time to settle. For most of the first half this showed, as Blackheath controlled the ball well and started to make serious attacks into the Sutton Valence dee. Sutton Valence's back line of Phil Higgins, Dave Britton in goal and Gray Smith-Laing (Capt) managed to cut out most of the early attempts, but the ball was not progressing far back up-field due to under-strength or mis-hits.
Finally Blackheath got their break to score and within the first half had added two more. Blackheath very much in the driving seat.
The second half brought some improvement for Valence, as they started to manage better to get the ball away from Blackheath's sorties, through the halves and up to the front men. This resulted in three short corners for Valence which, whilst not resulting in a conversion, came much closer to doing so and gave the team more confidence. there were at least a couple more opportuniites which came close before Stuart Bates produced a sizzling run through the defence blocking the dee to successfully hit home.
Sutton Valence could reasonably claim to have 'won' the second half, and will hope to build on that when the return game on astro at Sutton Valence is played in two weeks' time.
- Team
- Phil Higgins; Dave Britton; Gray Smith-Laing; Nick Willson; Chris Dixon; Steve Mole; David Barton; Henry Humphrey; Stuart Bates; Paul Linaker; Charles Worsfold. Umpire Iain Simmons
- MoM
- Gray Smith-Laing / Phil Higgins
