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Hockey blues hold off Hawks

Fresh from a week’s pre-season training, Oxford began the second half of the season with high expectations, but knew that the familiar local rivals would be a tough first game back. The intensity of the rivalry was demonstrated even before pushback, when some overly hyped opposition fans, all muscular and over 6ft, attempted to knock a certain Blues player off his bike as he entered Iffley.

This vicious opening encounter proved characteristic of the match to follow. Within moments of pushback, over-physical marking led Gus Kennedy to threaten his opposite number, while Oliver Lobo’s new blade was quickly covered in nicks and scratches from fierce tackling. Despite the Hawks’ attempts to make the most of their natural advantages by physically intimidating the opposition, the Blues were able to dominate in hockey terms and created numerous scoring opportunities throughout the first half.

The Blues’ perseverance earned them a real early chance in the form of a short corner, but strong defence by Hawks prevented them from converting and taking the lead.  Nevertheless the Blues continued to push forward, with Tom Stubbs, conspicuous by his absence at the Blues’ pre-term training, demonstrating that preseason is overrated with his first deft touches of 2013.

As the first half wore on, with the Blues in control but unable to make a breakthrough, the relative comfort of the Blues’ display was epitomised by centre-back duo Joe Mills and Ollie Sugg, who indulged in a competition to see who could pick an aerial in the most carefree and relaxed manner. This enthralling and close-fought contest was only occasionally disrupted by a Hawks counterattack, forcing the pair to break their repose momentarily. These attacks came to nothing, however, and the half-time whistle blew with the scores still level.

The university side picked up where they left off in the second half, and within minutes were a goal up after Tom Mullins’s trademark trickery baffled the Hawks keeper. But as the Blues pushed for the second goal which their performance deserved, Hawks began to find some possession. Soon, a breakaway attack, as had been threatened all game, was converted. For a tense ten minutes the game hung in the balance, and, but for the agile Andy Meredith in goal, the Blues would have gone behind. The Hawks lived up to their name by intensifying the midfield battle, earning themselves a flurry of green cards. One Hawk midfielder had the temerity to suggest it was not he that had been making trouble, attempting to direct the umpire’s attention to Rupert Allison’s apparently aggressive and malicious character. Allison’s response was to win a short corner minutes later, which this time was successful: a seamless routine allowed Gus Kennedy to open his 2013 account with a deflection.

With a lead re-established, Oxford set themselves up for a tough final 15 minutes. Duncan Graves added some variation to his game with an on-the-run aerial. Nevertheless, the Blues held out for a win which sees them remain top of South Hockey’s Premier division, with hopes still high that promotion into the heady ranks of the National League can be achieved.

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