Blandford vs Southampton Uni 3s (1-1) 

Saturday lunchtime saw Blandford travel to surprisingly sunny Eastleigh.  Sporting new kit courtesy of Akuma and Apoq turned out to be fortuitous, as a pre-match change of sock was required.

Rocking an unfamiliar (but very comfy) white sock, Blandford had the better of the early exchanges, but a lack of warm-up showed, with balls that would normally stick to sticks, bouncing off and blunting the Blandford attack.

With half the team up the night before to help a team-mate move house, Blandford were showing signs of lethargy, which were fortunately matched by their student counterparts.  Blandford’s usual efficiency in front of goal seemed to be lacking and Blandford squandered the opportunities being served up by Southampton.

The first half definitely whelmed, though Blandford had keeper Clint Thrower to thank for keeping the game scoreless going into the break.

At half-time it seemed that whichever team woke up first would take the three points.  However, despite alarm bells ringing, both teams hit the snooze button and took the opportunity to have an extra lie-in.

And then disaster struck.  An innocuous ball at the edge of the D.  An errant shout for the keeper to “Leave it.”  The ball trickling into the back of the net.  The look of incredulity as the goal was given.  Sixty minutes in and Blandford’s grip on the top spot and their unbeaten record were both at risk.

Luckily, this alarm call wasn’t ignored.  Blandford began to show the form that has put them top of the league, pressing Southampton and winning the ball higher up the pitch.  The defenders began to dictate play, with centre-back Chris Nobles pushing the ball through the centre of the park (usually to his own team) and Paul Cross starting to look dangerous on the ball.

On the 65^th minute, Paul Cross picked up the ball on the right-hand side, drifted inside and then hit a dangerous ball into the D.  A smart finish from Gareth Hardiman levelled the game.

Whilst Southampton’s pace meant that they were always a threat, it was Blandford who had the best of the final 5 minutes.  Another ball into the D from Cross deflected up and was nearly turned in by Chris Nobles.  But it wasn’t to be and the game ended 1-1.

The draw drops Blandford down to second place.  But, having played the top 5 clubs, they have every chance of regaining top spot over the next few weeks.

Blandford and Sturminster Hockey are now the only club in Great Britain that have both their Men’s and Women’s sections unbeaten.

Man of the Match: Clint Thrower– Some excellent saves, including one with the tip of his toe.  The only mistake he made was listening to his defence!

DOD: Rob Browning– His excuse of “Clint doesn’t usually listen to me” fell on deaf ears.  If only Cllnt’s ears had been deaf too…

Ladies Maintain Top Spot in League

Blandford and Sturminster Ladies v Portsmouth HC (7-1)

Blandford and Sturminster ladies were happy to be playing on their lovely home pitch last Saturday for their game against Portsmouth. 

Susan Bovenizer thought it was about time she saw her name on the scoresheet again. She made a solo run from the 22, driving into the D and swiping the ball in for a goal just two minutes into play. This very much set the tone for the game. 

Portsmouth were forced to save multiple penalty corners, until captain Linda Smith was subbed on. Her iconic hit powered towards the post, and her daughter Jenny Smith deflected the ball into goal. 2-0. 

The next goal came from yet another midfielder, and another penalty corner. Laura Robinson ran wide in the D, sending the ball arcing like a rainbow into Portsmouth's netting. 

Some beautiful team play saw a lovely back and forth between Laura and Annabel Upshall, a poetic dance up the pitch. The forwards wanted a taste of the action, and Lauren Hayes found space away from defenders as Annabel sent her the ball. As it hit the back board, manager Mark Talbot could be heard shouting 'Textbook!' 

The opposition fought hard to get a goal back early in the second half, making the score 4-1. However, Laura wasn't done with her onslaught on Portsmouth's goal. The umpires had disallowed her early second half goal from a short corner, but she was still hungry. Lyn Wood sent a stunning cross to the back post which Laura ran onto, lifting the ball over the keeper for her second goal of the day. 

The Smith sisters, Jenny and Caroline, decided to tag team. Caroline drove the ball into the D, turning the defender with her classic spin, before passing it back to her sister. With an air of indifference, Jenny hit the ball on the reverse into goal, before gently jogging away. World's most nonchalant goal goes to... 

With just 4 minutes left of the game, Blandford won yet another short corner. Laura fancied a hat trick and got just that, sending the ball like a bullet. 

The game finished 7-1, another convincing win from Blandford Ladies, who keep their spot on the top of the table. Player of the match went to Laura, for the first hat trick of the season.