RAMPANT Petersfield Hurricanes U8s made short work of North East Hampshire Youth League rivals Hart Cobras on a windy day in Church Crookham on Saturday.

From the moment impressive debutant Luca Baragan opened the scoring with a shot across the goalkeeper on his way to an opportunistic hat-trick after a goalmouth scramble, the Hurricanes never looked back.

Baragan’s second goal showed the newcomer’s tenacious qualities as it looked like the scoring chance had gone until the Cobras goalkeeper spilled the ball and the quick-thinking attacker, who initially latched onto a defensive error, poked the ball into the net while on the floor.

And he completed his treble in the final quarter when he again reacted quickest after Alex Garlant’s shot from distance wasn’t collected by the under pressure home goalkeeper.

At the other end, Hurricanes goalkeeper James Port was as assured as ever, stifling any rare Cobras attacks, with one one-handed save in particular standing out in another brave stint between the sticks.

Top scorer Taylor Pearce also scored twice to take his tally for the season to 18, the first finding the net from an acute angle after a marauding run down the left while the second followed a firm drive from the edge of the box.

Earlier, Pearce had turned provider as his shot on goal wasn’t properly dealt with by the home goalkeeper and in-form youngster Harry Timmons, again a busy presence all over the pitch, gleefully smacked the ball home at the far post for his seventh goal of an increasingly fruitful campaign.

And hard-working Oscar Walker, never one to give an inch in a bid for possesion and looking to drive the team forward at every opportunity, wrapped up the win in fine style with the last kick of the game from the edge of the box for his third goal of the season.

Such was the impressive nature of the Hurricanes’ effort as a team that Connor Redpath, Finlay Stafferton and Benjamin Oru were given a real chance to shine and grabbed the opportunity with both hands, confidently running at players, chasing down seemingly lost causes and tackling with relish in pursuit of a third clean sheet of the season, a target they reached in fine style.

Petersfield Hurricanes: Port, Stafferton, Oru, Redpath, Walker, Baragan, Timmons, Garlant, Pearce.