Cambridge South kicked off the new campaign with a friendly away to Harlow. The day started badly when we turned up and found our nice green shirts were almost (but not quite) identical to their nice green shirts. Fortunately the school leisure centre was open and we were able to change into a rather fetching purple, although the fact that they were clearly sized for primary school children meant that it wasn't the best look for our team. We shrugged off the early set-back, though, and set to work on playing hockey.

With 5 changes from the previous week's knock-about and the players still not fully used to the new formation things were set-up for a slow start. This didn't materialise, however, with South getting stuck in right from the first whistle and doing their best to unsettle the home side whenever they got the ball. On one early occasion, the hassling of Pears almost paid off when he snatched the ball from a hesitant defender and his cross was almost turned in at the far post by Sinclair.

The first goal wasn't long in coming, though, as Garrett pounced on the ball in the D to slot into the corner past the 'keepers dive. The second goal came mid-way through the half when a cross from the right-way found its way through to Cobbe on the p-spot and a cleanly stuck shot flew past the 'keepers left shoulder.

Harlow managed to gain some composure from this point and slowly clawed their way back into the game. Nonetheless, they didn't look like scoring until a lapse in concentration from the South defence allowed a free man to materialise in their ranks and Harlow capitalised to full effect.

The home side started the second half with renewed vigour and purpose, closing down South quickly and purposefully. Some more incisive passing saw them make some inroads into the away team's D, without actually creating any clear-cut chances. Fortunately, South were able to weather the early storm and soon after increased their lead when Sinclair tidied up a messy short-corner routine by coolly lifting a loose ball over the keeper. And the game was all but killed off mid-way through the half when another short-corner-gone-not-quite-to-plan was salvaged as the ball was crossed to Baker at the far post and he managed to slot the ball in the corner of the goal.

Harlow continued to push forward looking for a way back into the game but this just left them exposed at the back and South should have scored more goals as they hit the home side on the break. In the end, then, South will be disappointed not to have scored more goals and to have gained a clearer advantage before half-time. Better teams than this will be faced this year and South will need to be playing better to avoid making things difficult for themselves.

Cambridge South kicked off the new campaign with a friendly away to Harlow. The day started badly when we turned up and found our nice green shirts were almost (but not quite) identical to their nice green shirts. Fortunately the school leisure centre was open and we were able to change into a rather fetching purple, although the fact that they were clearly sized for primary school children meant that it wasn't the best look for our team. We shrugged off the early set-back, though, and set to work on playing hockey.

With 5 changes from the previous week's knock-about and the players still not fully used to the new formation things were set-up for a slow start. This didn't materialise, however, with South getting stuck in right from the first whistle and doing their best to unsettle the home side whenever they got the ball. On one early occasion, the hassling of Pears almost paid off when he snatched the ball from a hesitant defender and his cross was almost turned in at the far post by Sinclair.

The first goal wasn't long in coming, though, as Garrett pounced on the ball in the D to slot into the corner past the 'keepers dive. The second goal came mid-way through the half when a cross from the right-way found its way through to Cobbe on the p-spot and a cleanly stuck shot flew past the 'keepers left shoulder.

Harlow managed to gain some composure from this point and slowly clawed their way back into the game. Nonetheless, they didn't look like scoring until a lapse in concentration from the South defence allowed a free man to materialise in their ranks and Harlow capitalised to full effect.

The home side started the second half with renewed vigour and purpose, closing down South quickly and purposefully. Some more incisive passing saw them make some inroads into the away team's D, without actually creating any clear-cut chances. Fortunately, South were able to weather the early storm and soon after increased their lead when Sinclair tidied up a messy short-corner routine by coolly lifting a loose ball over the keeper. And the game was all but killed off mid-way through the half when another short-corner-gone-not-quite-to-plan was salvaged as the ball was crossed to Baker at the far post and he managed to slot the ball in the corner of the goal.

Harlow continued to push forward looking for a way back into the game but this just left them exposed at the back and South should have scored more goals as they hit the home side on the break. In the end, then, South will be disappointed not to have scored more goals and to have gained a clearer advantage before half-time. Better teams than this will be faced this year and South will need to be playing better to avoid making things difficult for themselves.