HASLEMERE 2, YATELEY 1

HASLEMERE moved up a place in the Hampshire Women’s Division One with a vital victory at Woolmer Hill.

From the start, Haslemere looked good, using one-two passing to carry the ball up the pitch.

Defenders Isobel Breen, Melanie Knight, Rebecca Mitchell, Sarah Elworthy and Jess Edwards connected well with inners Siobhan Orchard-Webb and Donna Read to put Yateley under attack.

The pressure paid off when Ashley Davies broke quickly and beat a defender and then the keeper to score an excellent goal.

The home team then played composed hockey to maintain their 1-0 lead at half-time.

Haslemere came out firing for the second half and after some fine work by goalkeeper Eleanor Abrahams, the ball again found Davies who netted a cracking second goal.

Juliet Bernays, Hannah Enticknap, Claire Powell and Alex Hardy continued to keep Yateley under pressure, intercepting balls and creating chances, while Heidi Wells transferred the ball across the pitch with accurate passes.

However, Yateley pulled one back from a slick short-corner routine, setting up an intense last 15 minutes.

Haslemere remained calm, kept Yateley at bay, and closed the game out for a solid victory.