| 11/11/06 Hampstead Away |
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Final Score: Hampstead 9 - 9 Hitchin Hitchin arrived early and with a large squad for the top of the table clash between the two undefeated teams in the league. Shreddie, injured after the first match of the season returned to defence. Eamon and Jim, who were injured against Purley were back and although Eamon was back to full fitness, Jim was not quite recovered and couldn't face-off. Hampstead had also brought out a strong looking squad and the match was set up to be a thriller. Both teams started well and despite Hitchin going man down several times, Hitchin's zone held strong and with some excellent saves from Joe in goal, they managed to keep Hampstead out. Hitchin managed to score first although Hampstead equalised soon after. In the second quarter, Hitchin began to dominate and scored fairly regularly throughout the quarter although they wasted possession several times. The half ended with the score a comfortable looking 7 - 1 to Hitchin. After the break, Hampstead came out quickly and managed to get a run of 3 quick goals before Hitchin could reply with a fast break. By 3/4 time, Hampstead had managed to reduce the deficit and the score was 8 - 7 to Hitchin. The final quarter saw some excellent play by both sides. Hampstead scored first and then Travis thought he had scored the goal of the match with an amazing crease-dive but it was disallowed because he touched the crease before jumping. He scored moments later however, due to Hampstead's defensive mistake, allowing him to intercept a pass on the crease. Hampstead then scored from a fast break to tie the game with 1 minute remaining and we were setup for a tense finish. Hampstead won the face and gained possession. Hampstead attempted several outside shots but were inaccurate and didn't get them on target (Even if they had got them on target, Joe has been dealing with outside shots comfortably all season). Thanks go to Hampstead for their hospitality and to Jon 'Happy' Harrop who refereed excellently, as usual. Final score Hampstead 9 - 9 Hitchin: Joe, Alex, Bish, Shreddie, Rhod, Dan, Jim, Steve, Josh, James, Eddie, Ian, Eamon, Jonny, Travis. |