Sonning 1st XI 2 - 3 West Hampstead 2nd XI

With a decent warm-up, and a strong team out, the game began 'on-script', with Sonning having most of the early exchanges, drawing mistakes and with only some poor finishing preventing them taking the lead. However, after around 15 minutes Jonny Partenheimer had a clear-cut PC shout denied, and while Sonning were busy protesting, their opponents took advantage, broke quickly, then had a free hit down the other end upgraded to a PC when a Sonning defender (who shall remain nameless) hit the ball away petulantly. Hampstead scored from the resulting corner, with their injector slapping home out the air after Alasdair Allan made the initial save. 0-1.

Sonning fought back well from here, and won a few penalty corners through Adam Pusey and Partenheimer, although these went unconverted with the Hampstead keeper in good form. Their opposition were willing to sit deep and play on the break, and their pace did trouble the Sonning back-line, with Allan called into action on a few occasion, but it was the home side making most of the play, and just failing to find the finishing touch.

After half time and still well in the game, Sonning came out the gates hard, piling as much pressure on as they could muster, although they were clearly off their game as a team. Passing from the back was sub-standard, and their midfielders and forwards were wasteful in possession at times. Worst of all, they let their discipline get away from them...

In the next 15-20 minutes, Hampstead struck twice more, leaving the game at 0-3 with 15 to play. Sonning had green cards for Adam Pusey and James Lockhart, a ludicrous yellow for Matt Sloper, and the game became frantic as Sonning kept fighting to get back in the match.

Despite the seemingly constant numerical disadvantage, it was still the home side putting on all the pressure, and they got their breakthrough with around 15 minutes remaining, when Neil Pursell slapped home a penalty corner from the injector’s position. 1-3.

They got their second around 5 minutes later to set up a grandstand finish, when Ian Gallagher converted a penalty stroke after Partenheimer was bundled off the ball as he was about to push home into an empty net from the P-spot. No cards though, for what was obviously a deliberate foul, which seemed strange to the onlooking crowd. 2-3.

Of course, that card was evidently saved for Ian Gallagher who took a 10 minute yellow for a tired challenge on a quick Hampstead forward, sadly halting the momentum Sonning had regained once again, and condemning them to their first defeat of the season. They will be especially disappointed to have spent nearly 20 minutes in the second half with 10 men on the pitch.

Sonning need to bounce back quickly if they are to continue with what has been a promising season thus far, on Saturday 21st they visit Slough, before hosting Bicester 1st XI on Sunday in the 1st round of the National Vase. #COTN