Marlborough vs Bristol & West

Match report by John Bromley

On a day where Marlborough’s man of the match was keeper Luc, being on the end of a 5-3 defeat does indeed sound a “bit strange”...and that sums up the match and Marlborough’s performance.

Amidst the entertaining end-to-end hockey in the first quarter of the match, the teams exchanged early goals - Marlborough first from a well worked short corner finished by Ramage crushing the ball against the back board from the top of the D.

Within moments of the restart though, an opposition player managed to run from his half up to the home team 25 in a more or less straight line down the middle of the pitch, before a forward dispatched into the home team’s net.

This pretty much summed up the day for the home team - and whilst Marlborough dominated possession and territory for most of the match and scored some well worked goals, no less than 5 defensive lapses left Luc with no chance.

Other strange events took place throughout the match - Jones was mysteriously felled close to the touch line (was it a spectator?); Ramage was carded....for a bad tackle? ( not his running match commentary)...Hamish was carded...(standard) but this time for kindly assisting an oppo player to his feet? - after the guy had suddenly confused the hockey match ball for a rugby ball and literally thrown his body onto the ground to cover the ball - and thereby prevent the Marlborough attacker from entering the D for a try scoring opportunity...altogether- strange.

In short - Marlborough failed to read the game and an arguably naive desire to press high rather than build pressure cost the home team. What’s more - the home side has endured at least 25% of total minutes played this season with 10 or less on the pitch... a shameful statistic.

Here ends the moaning and groaning of an [over-seasoned] veteran...suffice to say he is a defender!

MOM: Luc - great performance
DOD: 4-way tie in the first round of voting: unanimous in the second - Ramage.