Men's 1st XI vs Amersham & Chalfont 1

Amersham & Chalfont 1st XI 3 - Winchester 1st XI 2 

This high tempo competitive South Premier Division One match saw the home team narrowly take the three points as league action returned after the Christmas break.

Amersham started strongly, pinning Winchester back with fast forward play. A foot on the line from a penalty corner led to an inevitable penalty flick award within the first five minutes and saw an early home lead. Winchester then equalised from a surging Ben Anthony solo break to keep the game tight at 1-1 at the end of the first quarter. 

Quarter two was a frenetic, end to end battle but a mistake in a change of channel transfer from the Winchester defence was pounced on for a 2-1 home half time lead.

Shortly after the restart, Winchester drew level with a stunning James Pawley slap from the top of the circle at a penalty corner, securing his man of the match award. Sadly, this lead only lasted three minutes when the Amersham right wing’s 3D skills evaded several tackle attempts along the baseline and a pull back and high flick provided the games defining moment and a win. 

The final quarter saw Winchester’s best efforts create a myriad of chances. A combination of defiant defending and less than clinical finishing, while exciting to watch, saw the away team unlucky not to secure any points. A competitive and fairly fought match. 

Photo : Winchester 1^st XI sporting their new sponsored Craddock Building Services strip