Marden vs Sutton Valence 4s

Sutton Valence travelled the short distance down the hill to face local rivals Marden in what proved to be a fantastic and closely fought game.

Sutton Valence welcomed newly promoted captain Stuart Edmed, along with new young players Luke Edmed, William Westlake and Vihaan Patel.

The game started positively, with plenty of fast-paced hockey from both sides. Both teams found themselves regularly in the opposition half, only to be denied by some excellent goalkeeping and hard-working defensive play.

Marden earned a short corner, but was saved by Sutton Valence’s goalkeeper and the umpire spotted an infringement, resulting in a retake with a different injector. This time, newly promoted captain Stuart Edmed stepped up, winning the ball on the edge of the D.

However, just before half-time, Marden managed to open the scoring with a fortunate deflection that snuck past the Sutton Valence goalkeeper to make it 1–0 at the break.

Sutton Valence started the second half with renewed energy and intensity. The midfield quartet of James, Matthew, William W and Archer began to control the tempo, with Sutton Valence spending much of the second half in the Marden half.

Despite the pressure, the Marden goalkeeper remained alert and made several important interventions to keep his side ahead.

On the 60-minute mark, Luke Edmed calmly played the ball past a sliding Marden goalkeeper, allowing Matthew to finish and bring the score level at 1–1.

The goal set up a fantastic final 10 minutes. Marden pushed hard for a winner, but Sutton Valence’s young and experienced players held firm to secure a well-earned draw.

Full time: Marden 1–1 Sutton Valence 4s

A fantastic game of hockey, with both teams putting in an excellent performance. Everyone involved should be proud of the effort, determination and teamwork shown throughout the match.

Report by: David Turner

Goal: Matthew Lemmon

Team:
Stuart Edmed (C)
David Turner
Luke Edmed
Alec Kennett
Vihaan Patel
Oscar Turnill
William Turnill
Matthew Lemmon
Archer Ripley
Nick Hall
Duncan Wills
William Westlake
James Aldrich

Next Match: Gore Court M5 (H) 12:45pb