Basingstoke Ladies 1s lost 2-4 to Witney at home in the Vitality National League Conference West despite a determined comeback last Saturday.

Witney scored three goals in quick succession, but Basingstoke fought hard and brought it back to 3-2, with two superb goals from Claire Bowman.

It was a tense last quarter that could have gone either way, with Basingstoke hitting the post twice.

However, Witney secured the win with a breakaway goal to make the final score 4-2.

It was a great all-round performance from the Ladies 1s, with Catriona Bausor and Claire Bowman both awarded Players of the Match.

The weekend fixtures saw almost all senior teams of Basingstoke Hockey Club back in action after the half term break.

Basingstoke Men’s 1s faced a top of the table clash away at Marlow and secured a vital point with a 3-3 draw after two goals from top goal scorer Graham Garrett-Lang and one from Mark Smith.

Basingstoke Ladies 2s met Haslemere Ladies 1s at home, who have had a strong start to the season. The first half remained close throughout with some excellent breakaway play from Milly Raybould and Maddie Saunders out pacing the Haslemere defence.

However, Haslemere were able to take the lead with a superb penalty corner strike before half-time.

The second half was another close encounter, with Basingstoke working hard throughout. With three minutes to go Basingstoke defended a penalty corner and were able to play out quickly down the right to get the ball to Jo Bowden who made an excellent drive into the D and slipped the ball to Maren Mellmann to score a last-minute equaliser for Basingstoke to make it 1-1 and claim a well-deserved point

Basingstoke Men’s 2s also faced a strong Haslemere Men’s 1s. Haslemere scored early to go 1-0 up and Basingstoke were able to responds quickly with an equaliser from Luke Warren.

However, Haslemere showed their strength and quickly extended their lead to 1-3 at half-time. This continued into the second half despite a goal from David Fox for Basingstoke, the game ended 2-5.

Basingstoke Ladies 3s beat Portsmouth Ladies 2s 2-0 with goals from Jenny Rust and Gilly Dunning. Basingstoke Men’s 3s suffered a 1-3 defeat to Gosport Men’s 1s despite a penalty flick from Andy Footman.

Basingstoke Ladies 4s secured a point against Chichester Ladies 1s as they drew 1-1, with the goal from Nicola Burridge on her return from injury. Basingstoke Men’s 4s had an impressive 4-1 win over Petersfield Mend 3s with goals from Calum Saint, Eliot Boyd, Richard Fern and Dylan Brockbank.

Basingstoke Ladies 5s lost 1-4 away against Hamble 2s. Basingstoke Men’s 5s also secured a strong win against Alton 5s with a 4-0 win, after two goals and a player of the Match Performance from Giacomo Caratelli.

Basingstoke Men’s 6s lost 2-3 against Fareham, and Basingstoke Ladies 6s had a walkover after the opposition conceded the game.

As we go into the first Saturday of November, the Men’s 1s aim to maintain their unbeaten run against Havant Men’s 2s at home at 1 30pm at Down Grange, along with three other home fixtures throughout the day. The Ladies 1s have a trip to Cardiff to face Penarth Ladies 1s in the Women’s Vitality National Conference West, as well as the six other Basingstoke sides with away fixtures.

With presence on the National Hockey stage, Basingstoke Hockey Club are seeking sponsors. If you are interested in becoming a supporter next season, contact projectpitch@basingstoke-hockey.com