Colin Simmonds with the ball. Picture by Peter Boam.
HOCKEYIW 6, City of Portsmouth III 1
THE IW maintained their 100 per cent start to the season with an emphatic win against City of Portsmouth (COP), to remain top of Hampshire 6.
Unbeaten COP showed they would be no pushovers in the early stages, displaying some assured hockey, without troubling the Island keeper, Sam Brown.
However, the Island were in no mood to be pushed about and after Richard Reynolds gave them the lead from a rebound, there was no looking back.
Stephen Woodford continued his excellent form to double the Island’s lead and Rob Forrest scored for the third consecutive match to give the IW a 3-0 half-time advantage.
The IW continued to play well at the beginning of the second period, with James Liddiard sweeping home from a cross after a well-worked move.
Forrest was then put through in the area, only to be taken out by the COP keeper, before Woodford confidently netted the resulting penalty flick. The Island’s scoring was completed by Woodford, who picked up a second consecutive hat-trick after meeting a pass from a well-rehearsed short corner routine.
The only blot on a satisfying afternoon was when a COP forward broke the Island’s solid defence line and slotted past Brown.
This weekend the IW face their toughest test yet with a game at Southampton Otters, who boast county-level youngsters and veterans.