Won 1-2
Scorers: Craig Boyne, Thomas Degiovanni
MoM: Craig Boyne
DoD: Thomas Degiovanni
With thanks to team sponsor M1 http://www.canterburyhockeyclub.co.uk/patrons
A dark away day this weekend with a gruelling 8-hour round trip to Bath. The weather was far from ideal, with Storm Bert making for difficult playing conditions. This had a particular impact on Ben Young and Callum Brown-Lea, who arrived much later than everyone else due to the poor weather conditions. The weather must have been much worse where they came from.
Anyway, the game started with Bath taking an early advantage. In the first few minutes, the home side scored from a short corner, with a deflection off the runner. Chris Rea could only stand and watch as the ball trickled into his far-right corner. It was a frustrating start, but Canterbury fought back, and soon enough, Craig Boyne equalised with a composed backhand finish after a shot from close range had rattled the post.
The remainder of the first half was tightly contested, but Canterbury had the lion’s share of chances. Canterbury’s best opportunity came just before the half-time whistle when Callum Brown-Lea had a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. However, he narrowly missed the target, dragging his spin shot just wide of the far post.
The second half saw Canterbury really take control of the game, and it was clear Bath just didn’t want it enough. It seemed only a matter of time before Canterbury would break the deadlock, and about halfway through the third quarter, Canterbury took the lead through a short corner rebound from Thomas Degiovanni.
The final quarter was a tense affair, as Bath pushed forward in search of an equaliser. Nonetheless, Canterbury’s defence held firm, and Nathan Sumner made some crucial interceptions and tackles.
However, in the dying moments Thomas Degiovanni was sent off for backchat (yellow card), and shortly after, Bath won a short corner. The pressure was on, but experience prevailed, with goalkeeper Chris Rea pulling off a crucial save to deny Bath and seal the win for Canterbury. The relief was palpable (mainly for Thomas Degiovanni resting in the sin bin) as the final whistle blew, confirming the three points.
MOM: Craig Boyne (good goal and created lots of chances for the team) DOD: Thomas Degiovanni (getting sent off towards the end and refusing to write the match report; luckily, the ‘weekly leader’, Hamish Roberts, stepped in to do this).