October Review
Firsts
The Men’s First Team began life in Division 3 with an unbeaten run of 3 matches to gain a solid 7-points following their promotion. Keeper Rob Franks was the hero in the opening day draw with Swanage & Wareham, with a fine one handed save in the last minute; Casey Fudge scored the hosts equalising goal. The following week the side recorded their first win in a successful trip to Yateley. They again had to come from behind, Alex Lewis who scored twice in a 2-1 win.
It was Fudge Tim Phillips again who scored the goals in a 2-0 in a bad tempered encounter against Andover in week 3, before the first defeat in a topsy-turvy game against Alton, going down by the odd goal in 11.
Ladies
An unbeaten October saw the Ladies climb to the summit of Channel Division 2, winning 3 of their 4 matches and scoring a staggering 21 goals in the process.
Two comprehensive home wins over Yeovil & Sherborne (4-0) and Swanage and Wareham put them top of the pile and the latter’s 15 goals ensured that even though they finished the month with a one all draw at Gillingham, their goal difference kept them there.
In a tight division there is a three-way 10-point tie between Poole, Gillingham and Salisbury with Weymouth just 3-points behind with a game in hand.
Seconds
The Seconds have had a tricky start and have played three of the early season pace setters. Narrow defeats to Basingstoke and Trojans were followed up with a four all draw with Southampton Uni. Terry Talbot (2), Steve Crossley and Tom Perry all scored as Poole went from leading 2-0 at the interval to 2-4 down with minutes left on the clock before coming back for the draw.
Dolphins
The Dolphins suffered 3 consecutive defeats against tough sides in what proved to be steep learning curve for the youngsters.
Fleet & Ewshot were the first visitors to Ashdown, and it was the experienced Adrian Potter (hat trick) and Gary Francis who scored in a 4-2 win.
Another experienced head, Rob Franks, kept the score line remotely respectable against Fareham. The visitors had a remarkable 44 shots on target in a match where Poole were forced onto the back foot. Franks’ heroics kept the result to just a 0-5 reverse.
Another one-sided match completed the month against another of the promotion hopefuls Camberley & Farnborough, this time the visits returned home with a 4-0 win.
Richard Osment
