Chippenham A 3 - 2 Marlborough A

Having reached selection crisis point midweek, perhaps one of our strongest teams of the year arrived for a late game at in form Chippenham. With tactics thrashed out and a minute silence respectfully observed (albeit rather incongruously given the noises wafting over from the terraces of Chippenham Town FC), Marlborough started the game with purpose and pace, midfield runners (especially Freddie Hazlitt) quickly proving threatening in the home team's half. Frustratingly it was Chippenham who took the lead, but Marlborough heads did not drop and shortly afterwards Rob Hues was able to thread a long ball through to lone wolf striker Gareth Playfair who, one on one with the last man, promptly ghosted into the D and dispatched the ball into the roof of the net: game on.

The scores remained at 1-1 until midway into the 2nd half, where a concerted barrage of consecutive short corners were gamely defended until perhaps the 6th corner was finally converted with a smart drag flick. The lead was then stretched to two by a snap shot just inside the left post. Marlborough continued to press forward with several short corners of their own and Ed Watson brought the deficit back to one with a strike from the top of the D. The last 10 minutes were hectic to say the least, with end to end hockey as Marlborough pushed for an equaliser, but sadly the half chances that came couldn't be converted.

Another excellent performance (away from home against a top team) - let's hope these performances start converting into some points soon!

Marlborough News Online Man of the Match could have gone to any number of players (not least the superb centre back pairing of Wills Hodge and Langton), but honours go to Freddie Hazlitt for his sterling work in the centre of midfield.