HASLEMERE 5

YATELEY 2

HASLEMERE’S new hockey season got under way last Saturday against Yateley at Woolmer Hill.

The first period started at a frenetic pace as the crowd got behind promoted Haslemere as the action was end to end.

It was Yateley who got on the board first to the delight of the traveling away fans. After a break in the midfield the ball was driven into the D and a deflection off Cole Filler gave Yateley the lead.

But Yateley’s lead didn’t last long and Haslemere were soon level. Eleven minutes into the hal , new signing Nic Cope took a reverse stick shot from the top of the left circle which was tipped in front of the helpless Yateley goalkeeper by Andy Powell to tie the game at 1-1.

Four minutes later, Yateley were back on top after a counter attack resulted in a short corner. Yateley forced five more short corners which finally resulted in Paul Pocket scoring from a drag flick effort.

After this Yateley went defensive as Haslemere started to dominate possession, and after stringing together more than 20 passes the away team began to tire.

And Ed Whitworth took full advantage, the talented forward picking the ball up wide on the left of pitch. With pace and skill he took it past four defenders before breaking toward goal. He then faked a hard slap on the penalty spot, freezing goaltender David Anderson which allowed him to slide the ball into the bottom left corner, leveling the scores at 2-2 as the half-time whistle blew.

The second period saw Haslemere take the lead for the first time. Good work by Rob Grech and James Bennett on the left of the pitch led to a ball being fired across the Yateley D which Andy Major took on first time on his reverse before smashing the ball into the bottom corner.

With Haslemere leading, they piled on the pressure, and Nic Cope got on the scoresheet with a real poacher’s effort. Loitering on the back post, after seeing his initial effort saved he calmly applied the finish to the rebound to put Haslemere ahead 4-2.

In the final moments it was apparent that Haslemere were still hungry for goals, but any opportunity they got was thwarted by Yateley’s imperious goalkeeper.

Finally, though, the home side did break through again when Andy Powell’s well-taken made it 5-2 and a flying start to the season.

Haslemere: Manikin, Fox, Dilworth, Green, Bennett, Roberts, Major, Grech, Hancock, Signorelli, Conoley, Whitworth, Cope, Powell.