Sutton Valence 3 rd XI welcomed Herne Bay 5 th XI on what was an unseasonably warm
Saturday morning. Being fairly evenly matched in skill and speed, this always proves to be
an exciting fixture.

Sutton Valence took the lead early on with father-son strike duo Ryan Page and Rob
Cockayne linking up to score the first goal. Page did fantastically with the ball in the D to get
past a defender, drive the ball down the base line and slip it past the keeper to Cockayne to
slot the ball in at the back post.

Unfortunately, the lead was short lived, with Herne Bay managing to pull back two well
worked goals in quick succession.

The second half saw both teams desperately try to assert their dominance, which lead to a
great half of hockey from both sides. Stuart Edmed, Alex Stanford and Charlie Tucker
worked tirelessly in midfield to keep feeding the strikers with opportunities to score. But,
frustratingly, Herne Bay managed to sneak a further two goals during the second period.

Never ones to be knocked down, Sutton Valence battled on, narrowly missing chances to
pull the game back, including a strike from Page that hit the post.

The game finished 4-1, a score line that did not necessarily reflect the even nature of the
game, but it was a very enjoyable game for all involved.

Team sheet:
Rob Cockayne
Ryan Page
William Vanns
Archer Ripley
Mike Nettle
Andy McVarish
Stuart Edmed
Alex Stanford
Bob Sagrott
Rod Harcourt
Mike Stapleton
David Turner
Christian Chadwick
Charlie Tucker

Goals:
Rob Cockayne

Next Match: Sevenoaks 7 (A) 10:00