Southern one

ECV Hornets 5

Okehampton 2

OKEHAMPTON went into the hockey game after two wins last weekend, knowing that another win would bolster their chances of moving up the table from fourth spot, but second placed Exeter and Culm Vale Hornets proved worthy adversaries and prevented the winning streak from continuing.

The game started well, with both sides piling on the pressure. The seemingly impermeable Oke defence of Simon Bourne, Jaden Read, Rob Hall and joint Oke man of the match James Rogers shook off any attack that came their way in the first half.

After a short spell of Hornet pressure Oke looked promising with midfielders Joff Stephens, Luke Miller and other joint Oke man of the match Nick Luxton thwarting their attacks. Chances came with Sam Whalley, Jack Watson and captain Josh Speak linking well to test the Hornets’ keeper.

A penalty corner was then won by Okehampton; Whalley drag flicked from the top of the D, Rogers picked the ball out of the air and in the same motion guided it home. This spurred on the away side with Okehampton gaining momentum. Whalley picking out passes to the rapid wingers.

Half time soon approached for a well deserved rest. With a strong first half performance under their belt, Okehampton looked to take the game by the scruff of the neck early on in the second half. Some dynamic running and tenacious tackling by winger Jack Watson resulted in a superb opening. Watson neatly slipped the ball through to the advancing Miller, and with the goal at his mercy, the Hornets keeper rushed out to make an impressive save.

Okehampton, not to be deterred, pressed hard for another and this time the chance fell to Whalley, but his rasping shot from the edge of the D went narrowly wide.

At this stage, Hornets were all at sea and their frustration at their lack of structure was clear. Having endured this onslaught, it was Hornets’ turn to string together a few passes in a spell of possession which put the back four under pressure.

The rock solid pairing of Rob Hall and the herculean figure of Rod Gers at centre back repelled many attacks. However it was all to no avail as a sneaky pass found its way to a Hornets’ attacker, who coolly slotted past the oncoming Andrew Hookway to level the scores.

Shortly after, another Hornets attack caught Okehampton unawares, when a cleverly crafted attack down the wing resulted in a goal mouth scramble and the ball eventually fell to a Hornets player who dispatched it to make it 2-1.

Confidence and momentum was with Hornets now as their fluidity of movement baffled Oke’s defence. Another two opportunities fell to unmarked Hornets players inside the D, both were converted making it 4-1 with 20 minutes to play.

The frustration and tiredness crept into Oke’s game, some loose tackling gave Hornets the opportunity to rifle in a fifth past Hookway. Not all was lost for Oke as they dug deep to try and find a consolation goal. Some innovative, crisp passing in the centre between Joff Stephens, Josh Speak and Miller led to a spell of possession which saw Oke dominate the last 10 minutes. Their determination paid dividends as another box to box run from Nick Luxton was picked out expertly by Whalley, Luxton dropped his shoulder with a nifty piece of skill to send the defender packing before slotting it past the Hornets keeper. A positive last 10 minutes for Okehampton sweetened what was a tough match against well-drilled opposition.