There was an atmosphere of boisterous confidence amongst the Cambridge South 1s as they stepped out onto the hallowed turf of The Leys on Saturday. Maybe it was down to Colin's meticulous mid-week training on EncouragementWithinTheTeam. Maybe it was the relief that this was a home fixture against Horncastle and so a 6am departure for the Scottish Borders was not required. Maybe it was the rousing pre-match team-talk from Captain Garrett which left more than a few players misty-eyed with tears of (manly) passion. Or maybe it was the fact that the opposition had conceded 27 goals in their first two league games...

No - I'm pretty sure it was the team-talk.

With the arrival of Readman at the pitch signaling the start of the match, Cambridge started brightly, eager to pile the pressure on the more chronologically gifted opposition. And so they did, with Hawkes making clever use of his shins to control a panicked flick from the Honcastle defence, driving into the D and slotting the ball calmly past the diving keeper and into the corner of the goal. 1-0.

Horncastle to their credit did mount a few quick attacks, forcing some assured clearances from Parker in goal. But for the most part, the defensive skills of Readman, Aston, Wych and Bristowe (returning to the side after a week of 'work' in Spain) were too much for them and the frequency and coordination of these attacks dropped as the game went on. And as soon as an attack was broken down, Russel 'now you see me...now I'm past you' Johnson would be breaking fast on a counter-attack.

Making full use of their pitch-coloured camouflage shirts, Cambridge sneaked up with another attack and, with the benefit of some imaginative umpiring, won their first (and only) short corner. Opinions on how the resulting goal was allowed were equally imaginative. Some say the ball was propelled with such back-spin that it did actually cross the goal-line below backboard height before swerving dramatically upwards to hit the middle of the net. Others argued that the reverse stick shot from McCulloch was in fact a superbly executed (not to mention powerful) reverse stick drag-flick. Bristowe, the short-corner stiker, maintains that the stop, turn and shot of McCulloch was merely an elaborate deflection of Bristowe's original 'shot'. 2-0.

Shortly after, more chaotic defending by the disgruntled Horncastle defenders was seized on by McCulloch, volleying a bouncing ball into the net with the keeper floundering on the floor. 3-0. With the bit firmly between their teeth, Cambridge poured forwards again. Aston releasing Hawkes up the line to start off a move which the papers are allegedly now citing as an early contender for Goal Of The Season. Swift and decisive passing between Hawkes, Ta and Williams cut through the Horncastle defence, with Williams clinically dispatching the ball past the onrushing keeper to complete the move. 4-0.

At this stage, with the result seemingly in the bag, players minds turned to more important matters. Specifically, how to increase their team's Fantasy Hockey score. The Game within the Game, so to speak. Perhaps this accounts for the games most surprising statistic: a shot on goal from Aston, clearly thinking of the extra points for a defender scoring. Rising above all this introspective fantasy though was Simon Ta, who doesn't feature in his own Fantasy Team and yet graciously scored a fine individual goal (on his birthday no less), dribbling the ball into the D on the left, past three defenders before shooting through the narrowest gap between keeper and post. 5-0.

With Garrett back in his established role dominating the middle of the pitch and Cobbe and Williams taking every opportunity to embarrass the weary Horncastle midfield, the final 10 minutes were a chance to enjoy our hockey. Readman, presumably bored with a quiet day at the office at right back, charged up the pitch to join in the fun, sending the opposing defenders fleeing for cover as he flicked in Cambridge's sixth over the grounded keeper. 6-0 and time for a celebration.

Much credit must go to Horncastle who played with spirit, persistence and a sense of humour despite being on the wrong end of some of the more curious umpiring decisions and obviously having lost a lot of players since their 100% winning record last season.

Man of the Match went to McCulloch 'for having great legs'. Asked for a comment later, McCulloch stated he was "mildly flattered and hugely disturbed" by the unexpected attention to his legs. Lemon of the Match went to Garrett, in part for selecting a curry house for the team social that many claim was actually closer to Horncastle than Cambridge.