6/12/14: With one match having already fallen foul to the freezing December weather, by midday the playing surface was still showing signs of icy patches. However, after a delayed start and with the agreement of the umpires and both captains the match went ahead and it is testament to the Norton Hill astro that within 20 minutes or so the pitch had sufficiently thawed to allow a free flowing contest.
Both sides adapted to the conditions well enough and Bristol & West showed their intent from the start by bringing their tricky wingers into the game early and attacking down both flanks. They also had a robust presence up front and their uncompromising style of play tested the back four of Mendip but they stood up to the physical challenge without wilting and Giles Denning and Rich Penn gradually wrestled control.
The opening score came from an unusual move to say the least as Leigh Taylor in the Mendip goal launched a huge clearance kick up field and Liam Young used his devastating pace to push the ball past the last defender and chase and convert with clinical simplicity.
That stemmed the tide and the Mendip midfield of Josh Sutton, Will Lawton and Andy Wood started to play some neat hockey that provided quality service to the front three and when a swift passing move ended with a crisp shot from Oli Beechener, a smart save was not enough to deny Steve Smith who was on hand to slot home from the rebound off the keeper’s pads.
Mendip did not have it all their own way though and the visitors might have halved the deficit but for the end-to-end industry of the energetic Liam who popped up on the line to clear away an almost certain goal.
Bristol & West allowed their frustrations to spill over on occasion and were reduced to 10 men for dissent, which allowed Mendip to see out the remainder of the half and go into the break with a 2 goal advantage.
Still smarting from their missed opportunities and alleged injustice the visitors came out in the 2nd half and decided to meet Mendip head-on and the game started to become feisty as the midfield locked horns. Woody was excellent in his enforcer role continually breaking up the play which allowed Josh more and more freedom to roam forward and he ultimately showed his class by gliding into the D and picking up an exquisite through ball he rounded the keeper to guide the ball into the open goal with sublime skill.
With nothing to lose, Bristol & West swarmed forward and Mendip went man-to-man at the back with Toby Green and Andy Flint sticking to the wingers like glue. However, the visitors would not be denied and were eventually awarded a rare short corner, from which a powerful shot resonated against the post and away to safety.
With the exception of the occasional dangerous foray, Mendip dealt comfortably with the Bristol & West attacking play and were able to build from the back to the front in controlled phases. When Steve found space in the D he off-loaded to man-of-the-match Liam who easily scored his 2nd of the match to effectively kill off the visitor’s resolve.
In the final 10 minutes of dominance Mendip had the opportunity to score a further 3 goals but glaring misses by Oli, Liam and Josh kept the score-line down to 4 – 0.
Still a very respectable result and keeps the league campaign well on track.
The Team was: Leigh Taylor, Andy Flint, Giles Denning, Rich Penn, Toby Green, Oli Beechener, Will Lawton, Andy Wood, Joe Thacker, Josh Sutton, Liam Young and Steve Smith.
Thanks to Vicky Parfitt and Carol Holmes for umpiring.
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