Marlow Men’s 1s team opened up a five point lead in the England Hockey League West Conference on Sunday, with a 5-0 thumping of previously undefeated Havant Hockey Club.

In a battle of first versus second, and with Marlow seeking to preserve a perfect 100% record, something had to give, and right from the first whistle, the result was never in doubt. Marlow pressed from the start, and opened the scoring after five minutes when a break from Hugh Ormond found Callum White in the circle. His flick was stopped by a defender’s body on the line; Tom Ferris despatched the resulting penalty stroke and the pattern was set.

A second goal arrived three minutes later from the home side’s first penalty corner, slammed home on the reverse by White. Havant responded and earned their first and only penalty corner shortly afterwards, but the drag flick was brilliantly run down by captain Sam North, and Marlow keeper Henry Saxby was from that point a spectator for the rest of the match.

The second quarter was one way traffic, with Marlow earning multiple penalty corners, the last of which came from a Sam Rollett aerial which was neatly brought down by Tom McKinlay, who, having won the corner, then fired home.

At 3-0 at half time the game was done and dusted, and the third quarter was quieter as Havant defended deep to limit the damage while Marlow’s player coach Jack Turner demonstrated his international quality by controlling the game from the back. Not once did he get turned over, or a pass go astray; a masterclass.

The final quarter saw Marlow add some gloss to the scoreline with two further goals by McKinlay, the first following excellent build up play by North and Ormond, and the second, to complete his hat-trick, from a penalty corner just before the final whistle.

Comprehensive thought the win was, Marlow know that all their opponents will now be looking to end their unbeaten run, and they face another challenging trip to Bath Buccaneers next weekend.

It was an unhappier day for Marlow’s women on Saturday, and they returned home from a long road trip to Exeter with an unlucky 1-0 loss. Missing player coach Lottie Porter through injury, Marlow demonstrated a weakness that has plagued them all season, conceding from an unforced error two minutes into the match.

Marlow fought back and some great attacking runs from player of the match Zoe Clarke looked threatening. Marlow earned their first penalty corner in the 10th minute but it was well defended. The pattern continued in the second quarter, with promising build-up play from Katy Windsor and Emily Miskell, but Exeter held strong to deny them.

Marlow dominated possession during the third and fourth quarters, pressing the Exeter defence repeatedly, but unable to find the back of the net, the home side survived and bagged the three points. Marlow found themselves on the wrong side of an umpire who was on first name terms with all their opponents’ players, and will be grateful this is their last trip to the west country this season. They will look to bounce back on Saturday with a home game against Oxford University.

During half term, Marlow’s U18 boys and girls teams undertook a highly successful tour to the Netherlands, and everyone in the tour party returned buzzing. Playing highlights were victories for both teams against HC Schiedam, an opportunity to watch top class hockey with the Hoofteklasse fixture between HC Oranje-Rood and HC Bloomendaal, and training sessions led by international players. All left envying the facilities enjoyed by Dutch Hockey clubs, and the tour looks set to be an annual fixture in the calendar.

The Marlow U18 squads pictured at the very impressive HC Rotterdam clubhouse