With the home side missing regulars Steven Membury, Ryan Knott and Simon Harvey to injury, swimming and Premier League Football respectively, a little reshuffling was required to the starting line-up. Matt Bell moved up into the midfield whilst Andy Cane and second eleven skipper Roly Gill made their first starts for the Ones this season at full back.

After a minute’s silence for Remembrance Day, immaculately observed by both sides, officials and fans, Weymouth began the much brighter of the two sides. Whilst the away team were still trying to assign marking duties, Andy Stiles received a pin-point cross from Bell that he was able to tap-in with barely sixty seconds on the clock.

Basingstoke slowly began to find their stride with both midfields battling hard. Weymouth were getting the better of it but it was from their first penalty corner that Basingstoke were able to level the scores. A straight strike from the top of the circle hit Giles Broadhead on the top of the foot on the goal line, giving the umpires little option but to award a penalty stroke. This was swiftly despatched into the bottom left corner and the scores were all level mid-way through the first half.

Far from being down heartened, the Seasiders fought their way back to a more dominant position as chances were created at either end. David Civil in the home goal was forced into action on a handful of occasions before the Weymouth made their superiority count. In the twenty-sixth minute, a penalty corner strike by Dan Bowles for the South Dorset side was well saved by the keeper only for the defence to pass it straight back to him. Bowles doesn’t turn down gilt-edged opportunities like that, burying the ball beyond the Basingstoke stopper.

Three minutes later a roving Matt Underhill, drove up the field from centre back, drilling a precision pass through to the on form Stiles who quickly doubled Weymouth’s lead. His second goal of the match and fourth in his last two starts.

There was just time for one unsavoury incident before the break. Dan Bowles mistimed a challenge to which is opponent responded by grabbing him around the throat. Not only was it “not cricket,” it definitely isn’t hockey either, the umpires having little choice but to brandish a red card for the reaction whilst Bowles received a yellow card for the original challenge; his second in as many matches.

With no substitutes to call on, Weymouth went into the second half looking to consolidate on a largely good first half, waiting until Bowles recall from the sin bin before pressing men forward. Unfortunately as Bowles came back on, forward line tyro Alex Toms was a little over-zealous in a challenge resulting in a yellow card for his troubles. The Seasiders man advantage lasting all of five seconds.

Basingstoke despite being a player down for most of the half, continued to fashion chances most notably from penalty corners. Fortunately for the home side, they continued to repeat the same routine, firing the ball from the top of the circle to the bottom left hand corner. Civil was able to put each of the around the post and away from danger. In the fifty-seventh minute the Red and Black won a penalty corner of their own. Whilst not going strictly to the training ground routine, Alex Toms was able to fire in a pass to Luke Drewitt, whose asthmatic effort trickled over the line, finally putting the result beyond doubt.
The last minutes of the game were largely uneventful. However Basingstoke were awarded a penalty corner on the final whistle. The strike from the top of the circle was mishit, wrong-footing Civil the home goal which provided an easy tap-in to take the gloss off what was otherwise a convincing victory. 4-2 the final score.

Weymouth remain second in Hampshire Division Two as leaders Gosport also won, keeping them ahead on goal difference.

Weymouth Men’s 1st XI: Civil, Gill, Broadhead, Underhill, Cane, Westlake, Bell, Bowles, Stiles, Toms, Drewitt.

Man of the Match: Andy Cane