SOUTHAMPTON II 0, HASLEMERE 7

HASLEMERE Ladies gave an accomplished team performance to win this game convincingly and stay hot on the heels of Hampshire League leaders Aldershot & Farnham.

A&F have a six-point cushion, but Haslemere have a game in hand, and there is a long way to go in this league campaign.

Haslemere immediately took the game to Southampton and their fast and willing forwards forced several turnovers.

The home side managed to scramble the ball upfield and win a short corner, but failed to find a way past keeper Eleanor Abrahams and her solid defence.

The visitors then won a series of short corners and after an initial save by the keeper, Kate Hutchings flicked the rebound high and hard into the roof of the net for the opening goal.

Soon after, Haslemere worked the ball to Donna Read who crashed it goalwards from the edge of the circle and a brave Heidi Wells ran it to get the final deflection.

After half-time, Haslemere were frustrated by more good goalkeeping and realised they would need to do something different.

After some neat play, top scorer Alice Toynton found some space and slipped the ball under the keeper to make it 3-0.

Sarah Elworthy got the fourth after some brilliant close control and Read finished with pace and accuracy for the fifth, after linking up with Wells.

Toynton got the next goal with a powerful reverse-stick shot, a defender’s foot helping the ball into the goal.

Wells completed the scoring with another well-worked goal. Seven-nil to Haslemere.

Alton II 1, Basingstoke V 0 (Div 6). Alton secured three deserved points against their local rivals.

In a hard-fought game, deep defender Saffron Watkin scored the vital goal when she pounced on a rebound at a short corner. It was her first goal for the club and made her Players’ Player for the week.

Basingstoke came back fighting after the break and there were countless open-play scoring attempts from both teams.

Alton keeper Pip Elphee (player of the match) and her formidable defence, were determined to keep a clean sheet, though. A few injuries were sustained, but ‘no pain no gain’ and Alton held out to rise to fifth in the table with games in hand.