01 April 2017 @ Haslemere HC
| PB 11:45 - Playoff | ||||
| Southampton Univ 1 Kim Pullinger 37m fg, Edward Blake 54m fg, Liam Roper 60m pc |
3 - 6 (0 - 3) | Oxted 3 Joe Kourea 5m fg 7m fg 25m fg 40m ps, Richard Thompson 45m fg, Mikey Adamson 48m fg | ||
Umpires: Graeme Cooke & Peter Mackintosh
Report by Mike Haymonds, Press Officer
OXTED 3s beat Southampton University 6-3 in the South League Hampshire/Surrey playoff at Haslemere HC on Saturday.
The Surrey side were comfortable winners, scoring twice in the opening seven minutes through their skipper Joe Kourea and, at 3-0 up at half-time thanks to Kourea completing his hat-trick, they looked on course for an emphatic victory.
However, the Students refused to go quietly and matched their opponents’ three goals after the break, with Kim Pullinger making the score 1-3. Kourea added his fourth from the penalty spot before Richard Thompson and Mikey Adamson got on the score sheet.
Two late goals from the Soton captain Ed Blake and the game’s lone penalty corner strike by Liam Roper gave the final score a truer reflection of the game.
Blake admitted: “They were the better side on the day.”
There was a marked difference between the two teams with Oxted benefitting from a more experienced and street-wise squad - particularly Kourea, who has been with the club for 15 years - which took their chances, and the work rate of the losers, who created chances but were less than lethal in the D.
The Students were weakened by the absence of three key defenders from their back line, due to the earlier end of term, and were missing their German 21-year-old Linus Rettinghausen, who had returned home to resume his studies and will not be back next season. Even with this trio of players it is unlikely the Students would have won.
Man of the Match: Joe Kourea.
Southampton University: Robin Parr (GK), Daniel George, Daniel Hall, Jack Chapman, Patrick Thomas, Joseph Edwards, Munraj Grewal, Tony Miller, Chris Spain, James Bevan, Fred Davies, Luke Slvier, Liam Roper, Angus Whitfield, Edward Blake (Capt), Kim Pullinger.
Oxted 3: Joe Foggin (GK), Jonny Gates, Lee Dunn, Matty Park, Lewis Hepburn, William Chew, Simon Rees, Mikey Adamson, Alex Chapman, Richard Thompson, Daniel Seddon, James Foggin, Richard Appleton, John Chambers, Joe Kourea (Capt).
Images by Alexander Lavigne, Oxted HC