Salisbury Hockey Club women win but men lose in Havant

Salisbury braced the storm to travel to Wycombe, knowing this was a game they could and must win.

Within minutes, they were creating a storm of their own, dominating the pace of the game, stringing fantastic passes together and challenging hard for every ball.

Five minutes into the game, a break down the right-hand side, created perfectly by Catherine Payne, put Emma Packman through on goal.

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Still with work to do, Emma’s pace and skill were too much for the Wycombe defence, and she found Nic George who smashed home the first of the match.

Minutes later, a similar move, this time down the left-hand side with skilful play from Issy Viant and Sophie Hayakawa, put Nic George through for her second.

With the pace and intensity continuing to be set by Salisbury all over the pitch, the third goal came from a neat Clover Crosse conversion at the near post from a short corner.

With complacency setting in, Salisbury suddenly found themselves under pressure.

Goalkeeper Louise Davidson was called into action for the first time of the match, with a skilful Wycombe forward through on goal, Lou sent her flying into the air for a penalty flick which was neatly converted. 3-1 at half time.

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England veteran and player of the match Nic George finally got Salisbury’s fourth (Image: Matt Salmon) The second half saw fantastic defensive play from Clover, Jenna Whittle, Alice Goodthwaite and Catherine Payne, which ensured Wycombe's chances on goal were limited.

With great midfield running and link-up play, Salisbury continued to create chances and came close with numerous shots on goal.

It was England veteran and player of the match George who finally got Salisbury’s fourth and her hat-trick, to seal a deserved victory and three points.

After a long drive to Havant, Salisbury Men’s 1s were looking for three more points, straight from the start the game was tough, with Storm Bert's unrelenting rain and strong winds resulting in a difficult and slippery pitch.

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Despite this, 15 minutes in, Rob Goodthwaite picked up the ball on the edge of the D after a quickly taken long corner and fired it into the back of the net with his reverse.

Havant quickly retaliated with a flick from a short corner sneaking past Luke McCormack’s stick.

For the rest of the half, each team had chances, but the half ended 1-1.

After a strong team talk, Salisbury immediately managed to forget everything and let in one goal, then another and then another.

Flashbacks of the Southampton Uni defeat crept into the squad’s mind.

Oli Scott, however, had other ideas when he snuck the ball into the goal from a tight angle.

Salisbury pushed and with Mac Stevenson scored a rocket to make it 4-3.

Salisbury dominated for the last 15 minutes but with no luck and the game ended 4-3 to Havant.