For the second weekend in a row, Marlow’s men’s and women’s hockey team faced the same opposition in their respective England Hockey League fixtures, Cardiff and Met University.

Both fixtures took place at Pound Lane, and the challenge for the women was the greater of the two, facing off against the Cardiff first team, while the men played their second eleven.

Marlow’s women were left scratching their heads after Saturday’s encounter, wondering how they lost a match they dominated for long periods by a score of 3-0. For the second week running, the opening goal for the opposition was a controversial one, and right through to the end of the third quarter, Marlow had more possession and penalty corners, but could not find the finishing touch. A scoreline which looked undeserved then became downright unfair when Cardiff scored two late goals in the final quarter. There were strong contributions across the board from Marlow, but Zoe Clarke and Sienna Lee were stand-out performers.
The story on Sunday was very different, and a dominant team performance from Marlow M1s saw them secure a comprehensive 6–1 win. Marlow started strongly, and the opening goal came from a slick move down the right, finished off with a composed flick by Jamie Watts. The second followed with a superb drag flick from Callum White, leaving the scoreline at 2-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Freddie Smith scored twice in the second quarter, the first of these following some lovely link-up play from a long corner, followed soon after by other well-worked long-corner routine leading to a move down the right and a neat near-post finish for Marlow’s fourth.

A 4-0 half time score-line meant the win was in the bag, and after a quiet third quarter, a turnover in midfield early in the final quarter created the fifth, with a perfectly weighted pass finding Cal White who tucked the ball away nicely.

Cardiff & Met pulled one back from a rare corner, but Marlow responded immediately. A lovely overlap down the left created the final chance, with the resulting cross tapped home by Jamie Watts, completing a convincing 6–1 victory which leaves Marlow topping the West Conference table.

Goalscorers (left to right) Jamie Watts, Freddie Smith and Callum White in celebratory mood. Picture courtesy of meganormondphotography