BASINGSTOKE Hockey Club men’s first team continued their unbeaten run in 2014 with a 5-2 victory over Old Kingstonians at Down Grange last Saturday.
The visitors started the game short of players and, with no goalkeeper, it was left to a keen defender to save Basingstoke’s first goal attempt.
Once Old Kingston-ians were up to full strength they scored, but this woke up the home side and Dean Record netted from Grant Rouse’s cross-field pass.
Ben Jubin gave Basingstoke the lead and by half-time it was 4-1. This was after Graham Lang scored with drag flick from a penalty-corner and Rouse got the fourth, after great link-up play between Ben Golding and Sam King.
After the break, the teams swapped goals, as Record scored from a penalty-corner and the visitors converted a penalty flick, after a shot struck Jacques Lourens in the head.
The second team suffered an 8-0 loss away to Chichester, after they conceded six in the first half.
Stand-in captain Ian Watson said: “I was really pleased with the way the team kept their heads up and kept battling for the full 70 minutes.”
In the ladies section, the first team lost out to a solitary penalty corner strike at third-placed Lewes.
Basingstoke are still second in the table and have no game this weekend, before they host Surbiton at Down Grange.
The Ladies Masters enjoyed a 5-0 victory at Oxford Hawks Lady Masters.
The visitors dominated the first half, but did not manage to find the back of the net.
A short corner strike from Jenny Rust opened the scoring after the break and then Bernice Gunn scored a brace.
Jo Lockyer and another from Rust took the Ladies Masters to the top of the table.
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