Sonning Mens 1's 5 - 1 Marlow Mens 2's

'Epic' - The Wokingham Gazette
'The best hockey of the season' - Hockey Weekly
'Hockey just got serious' - The Sun
'I cant believe that I went to Maidenhead' - Paul

This was the kind of fixture that the hockey writers association dreams about. Their much starved pages and their languishing dehydrated pens all malnourished of the inspiration that this Sonning versus Marlow hockey feast served up. Witnesses of this game can be found on hockey forums describing the wet dreams that they have had since being shown this visceral display of deliciousness. On an unfamiliar early start Sonning Mens pinaccle team was issued the opening fixture of the weekend. The clubs self claimed premier team given the honor of opening the days fixtures and setting the tone for the entire club and they did not disappoint.

It was a damp and cold start to this November remembrance weekend fixture and this somber mood was given the respectful honour that it deserved with a minutes silence before push back and both teams having the chance to pay their respect to veterans both past and present. The slow down before the first whistle seemed to have cost Sonning their momentum and a side normally so quick to start found themselves on the back foot immediately. Marlow started the brighter and their youthful team pushed for an almost instant opener not letting Sonning settle on the ball or find their way in to the game. Net Keep, Alistair Allen was called into action early in the game and forced to watch the ball strike the post on a couple of occasions as his team failed to find any meaningful rhythm. Marlow continued to probe and press a Sonning Midfield that couldnt find a fellow blue shirt and the defence desperately seeking to find time to settle on the ball were turned over again, this time Sam 'off the sideline' Terry failing to find safety leaving Neil 'Man of the Match' Pursell no choice to make a fine last ditch save at full stretch when the open Sonning goal seemed destined to see the ball for the first time.

However, Sonning have been dangerous to every side that they have played that they have played this season and as one completed pass started to turn to two and two turned to three, so Sonning found the break. Some clever play left opened space for Rob 'squarial' Crackles, his shorts temporarily distracting a defender enough to earn the midfielder a short corner. A slick injection, stop and well worked move meant that the ball that was nestled under the goal keeper was scuffed away by Ian 'the brows' Finlayson. Its a cliche to say words like the shifting sands, change of momentum bla bla bla but in this instance, Sonning turned the pressure that they had been under into near total dominance. Their slick passing, high work rate and unique blend of aggression and general dislike of people that play for other teams soon meant that the fire in their play was soon upsetting their calm and more junior opponents. 10 minutes later, that pressure and hunger showed again when Jimmy 'the flash' Manser helped win the ball and turn attack into more attack freeing Alex 'not so little boy' LittleBoy the chance to send off a fierce bobbler into the bottom of the Marlow goal. The pressure continued and both teams began to trade counter attacking blows. but with neither able to make any difference before the half time whistle.

At half time, the message in the Sonning camp was clear. It was clear, but Matthew 'speak for the sake of speaking' Poulton soon ensured that the full half time allocation had been taken up adding his own words of contradictory advice. However, what this author remembers is, we must score next. And tat is exactly what Sonning set out to do. Immediately turning the screw and starting the second half in the way that they had intended to start the first. As Marlow tried to get early advantage by throwing the ball high, Sonning were quick to win the ball and turn defence into attack. This fast became the motto of the second half, Marlow would break with pace and youth but never really troubling the centre back pairing of Sampson and exemplary Pursell. While JT and Tamps battled hard stretching every sinew to ensure that they did not stand out as weaknesses they also found a newly discovered role as play makers regularly straying into the opposition half to create chances for those more capable than them. It was not long before one of these chances fell to exactly one such player - Jimmy 'goal machine' Manser showing his rich vein of form to find the most delightful of angles into the corner of the Marlow goal. Sonning 3-0 up and more importantly Marlow heads starting to drop.

It was therefore a hammer blow to Marlow to see wave after wave of Sonning attack crash at and around their circle, it was only a lack of advantage being played by Sonning's very own super umpire that denied Ollie 'El President' Waddington the most unlikely of reverse stick goals. Undeterred, the team pushed on and soon found another of the teams rising stars as iron man, James 'Harder, Faster, Higher, Stronger' Lockhart niggled his way into the circle and coolly slid the ball beneath the flailing Marlow keeper.

Marlow however, persisted and much like a teenager at the doors to a nightclub they soon found their way in. In this case the bouncers failing to check their ID, were a metaphor for a dangerously lifted ball that glanced the top of the ever steady Tom Sampson's knee and then looped even more dangerously into the path of the Marlow forward. Penalty corner given and explanation lacking, the Sonning team did their best to keep the ball out but even they could do little to stop the Marlow drag loop from slowly, very slowly, deceiving Alistair 'please dont flick the ball' Allen. The consolation goal did little to help Marlow and Sonning returned to exact their revenge and as the game opened up even further there was little that could be done to stop Sonning weaving together a passing extravaganza through the midfield of Richardson, Crackles and Finlayson before finding Alex 'so what I scored another' Littleboy.

Sonning finished the game continuing the pressure and Marlow looked pleased simply to have the final whistle blown and to retreat back to their cosy riverside town. There can be few arguments about the result but Sonning will look carefully at the opening 20 minutes when the results seemed far less assured. Full credit must go to Duffy on the sideline for continually asking Galley to 'smash it' every time Ian 'Wayne Rooney' Gallagher, got within sniffing distance of the goal. It did little to help the Sonning forward to score but at least it amused his fellow spectators.

Three wins in a row and Sonning are on a little bit of a roll. Eyes and focus now turn to the next fixture and finding a way to get another result.