Olympian sends brave Wotton out (From Gazette Series)

Olympian sends brave Wotton out

HA Cup First Round Yeovil & Sherborne 4 Wotton-under-Edge 3

BATTLING Wotton were knocked out of hockey's equivalent of the FA Cup thanks to a hat-trick by Yeovil's former Great Britain Olympian Rob Hill.

Wotton found themselves up against familiar opposition in Premier One rivals Yeovil and had the majority of the early possession but crucially failed to convert their chances. It was then that Hill began to assert his influence with two near identical goals.

Two short corners resulting from two 60-yard aerial passes were both finished with unstoppable shots from Hill. The visitors looked like going into the break 2-0 down but then James Sutton popped up in the Yeovil D to reduce the deficit.

Minutes into the second half Mark Gausden levelled the scores, firing the ball past the Yeovil keeper and into the roof of the net. At this point, Wotton looked the more dominant side, complemented by the experience of player coach Mark Pullin at the back.

However, after conceding another short corner, it inevitably led to a third goal from Hill, making it 3-2.

Fourteen-year-old Alistair Hammond then showed why he has broken into the first team squad this season, levelling the scores at 3-3 with a true striker's goal. But having chased the game for 60 minutes, Wotton's play began to look untidy and, having lost their shape, they conceded an agonising goal in the final minutes, which sent the hosts through to round two.

Hockey Friendly Wotton-under-Edge 4 Bath Buccaneers II 1

HAVING dominated from the first whistle, Wotton conceded the opening goal of their final friendly match before the start of the league programme.

The hosts equalised with a well-worked short corner goal from captain Tom Gillespie. He then added another short corner to put his side 2-1 up.

The Blues continued to play good hockey and the Buccs began to tire in the heat, conceding a third goal from man of the match Mark Gausden.

New recruit Ryan Howarth made the score line 4-1 midway through the second half after a short corner had broken down, slotting the ball past a dejected Buccs goalkeeper.