Men’s 4 took to the pitch for the late pushback under very blustery and wet conditions against Eastcoat Eagles 7’s, looking to continue the good start to the season that had seen us win 3 of our first 4 games.

Playing at home meant that we had good player availability, allowing us to field 4 subs and a great mix of young legs and experience. It was also great to be able to welcome Zak in goal for his first senior game, and Henry Stainton joining Nick and Jake to make it a full family affair.
From the pushback and initial period of play it was clear that Eastcoat would make up for what they might be missing in youthful legs with good positional play. Both teams started strongly and the opening 8 minutes were pretty well balanced until Will B managed to convert a quick Thame move, forcing the ball over the line from the left hand post.

Looking to press on we made our first round of subs after 10 or so minutes and it was really pleasing to see that we did not lose our shape, and that, as with all of the frequent changes in the game, the players coming off left the field quickly and passed on instructions on positioning and who they were marking to those coming on.

After going ahead we slowly started to dominate the game - however there was one dark spot which was the light or rather lack of it as the rain got heavier and the sky got darker yet the floodlights did not seem to be ready to kick in. Happily the umpires judged it still playable and the conditions stabilised enough to allow play to continue for the rest of the first half during which time Thame added two further goals without reply. Both goals were finished off by Will B but were real team efforts, facilitated by strong defensive play and great movement of the ball around the full extent of the pitch.

With the floodlights now on and with the wind behind us we were looking to start the second half as we had finished the first. However, as is often the way, we seemed to struggle to achieve the same level of play and slowly Eastcoat started to come back into the game, forcing a number of short corners and passages of play in our final third.

However by making full use of our subs and flexibility we manage to restrict them to just one goal, about 10 minutes from time, even when playing with 10 men for a short period after Richard B got a little too literal in his man marking and the umpire gave him the chance for a short breather on the side lines.

Overall a good performance and a great debut for Zak, including a fine head high save from an illegal short corner attempt that was destined for my head before he got a hand to it.

Many thanks as well to Clare and Harriet for umpiring in the monsoon.