Marlow’s first teams had contrasting fortunes at the weekend, the women unlucky to come away with nothing from an encounter with table-topping Oxford University, while the men maintained their 100% record with a hard-fought win at Bath Buccaneers.

Recent weeks have seen the women play excellent hockey without necessarily being rewarded for their performances, and so it proved on Saturday. Oxford arrived brimming with confidence, but soon realised they wouldn’t have to battle hard for a result.

Marlow dominated possession in the first quarter and earned the first penalty corners which the students defended well. Player of the match Immy Duguid imposed herself from the start, with impressive tackling and breaks from defence, and it was no surprise when Kiera Allen put Marlow ahead from a slick penalty corner move just before the quarter time break.

The second quarter was more even, with visitors coming back into the game and earning their own penalty corners and forcing keeper Alys Ramm into two crucial saves, but she could do nothing about an equalising breakaway goal just before half time.

In the second half, both teams went searching for a winner, with Marlow having the majority of possession and playing come of their best hockey of the season. Unfortunately it was the visitors who scored another breakaway goal in the 61st minute with Marlow unable to find a reply, despite pressure sustained right through to the final whistle. It was another disappointing result for Marlow with the score not reflecting the balance of play, but they remain five points clear of the relegation places and hopeful of getting a result this week, away at Landsdown in Cheltenham.

It is a sign of how far Marlow men’s first team have come in the season and a half they have been in the England Hockey League that they travelled as strong favourites to Bath Buccaneers, who defeated them last season in the Reds’ very first game at this level. Early-season form has established Marlow as the team to beat, and - particularly on the road - teams are aware of the attacking threat they pose, and have sought to make it a tight and hard-fought battle.

The game began with a familiar scene - Marlow dominating the ball and creating chances. However, the university side were spirited and played with a maturity beyond their years. Altering their press and outlet tactics from previous games and seasons worked effectively to quell the dangerous Marlow attack. Bath’s tactical acumen and defensive resilience caused Marlow some headaches, and their keeper set out on what was to prove a man-of-the-match performance. For the first time this season, Marlow went without scoring in the first quarter, and indeed the first half, which ended goalless

In the second half, the game became more frenetic and opened up somewhat. The quality and depth of Marlow’s squad allowed them to maintain control, and the dam finally burst early in the third quarter, the prolific Tom McKinlay converted an unstoppable penalty corner, to maintain his one goal per game ratio this season. After the goal, Bath pushed for an equaliser without success, and a composed final quarter saw Marlow’s experienced ball players see out time comfortably to secure a 1-0 win.

This was a game for the hockey purists; a low scoring affair but one played in great spirits - competitive and feisty but never ill-tempered or aggressive. Marlow continue their winning ways, making it seven wins from seven, and a gritty 1-0 win on the road will in the final reckoning prove as valuable as any of their more crowd-pleasing performances.

Marlow remain five points clear at the top of the West Conference, and will be looking forward to getting back on the goalscoring trail at home this weekend against mid-table Bristol Firebrands.

Tom McKinlay, scorer of Marlow’s winning goal against Bath Buccaneers
Picture courtesy of @IFSportImages