West Hampstead 6s v Men's 2s

Buzzard travelled to second placed West Hampstead knowing that they were in for a challenging afternoon but full of confidence after their comeback against Gerrards Cross the week before.

Straight from the first whistle, the defence of Oliver Joy, Daniel Wright, David Wavish and the returning Marc Scott were put under significant pressure due to the quick passing the movement of the opposition. Ably assisted by Tim Bellamy who was trying to play as a defensive shield in front of them, Buzzard managed to keep their sights of goal to a minimum for the first quarter of the game. With West Hampstead continually rotating their forward line, adding yet more pace, it was only a matter of time until the pressure finally told with one of these substitutes scoring by drag flicking a penalty corner.

Buzzard's head did not drop and they were soon on the front foot, with a wonderful flowing move involving Joshua Farnfield, David Canty, Craig Westley and Fraser Retford setting up Martin Bailey to convert from a couple of yards. With the opposition taking time to catch their breath following the goal, Buzzard knew we had them a little rattled. Unfortunately the half time whistle blew soon after and allowed the opposition to regroup and tweak their formation.

What followed was an onslaught on the Buzzard goal but they continued to battle to stay with West Hampstead. The stalemate was broken in spectacular fashion when their centre forward connected with a cross that nearly broke the goal netting after smashing into Jim Galloway's helmet. The strike left Jim more than a little dazed and within five minutes West Hampstead were two goals ahead after Buzzard switched off defensively.

Buzzard continued to work hard and remain positive, with Robin Lowth in particular trying to find space to exploit in the final third, but to no avail. The final whistle went and the 3-1 score line reflected the true nature of the game. West Hampstead are easily the best team that Buzzard have played this year. There are many positives for them to take into the next few games after continuing to challenge them right up to the end of the game, starting against Sonning at home next week.