Ben Hoggan reports: "Under Saturday evening floodlights both Brighton & Hove and the expectant Blatchington crowd went unrewarded as Hampstead & Westminster 2s grasped a 2-1 win, claiming all the points from a game of stunted rhythms, chances offered and chances missed.

Having dropped to within two points of the relegation zone last week, Hampstead began the game with intent to press and go forwards quickly. Brighton had periods of possession but struggled to move forward up the pitch towards any space away from the visiting press.

As Hampstead began to hold onto the ball, the game became more back-and-forth with
Brighton continuing to stumble as they moved up the pitch. Hampstead further turned the
momentum, entering the Brighton circle well via both the baseline and the shoulders of the
circle. Brighton responded with some possession of their own but both teams struggled to
find outcomes throughout the first quarter.

Into the second quarter, Brighton could still not make their own way through the press. They relied instead on being given the ball by the visitors’ collapsing chances and looking to counter-attack. Hampstead began to match Brighton’s frantic possession, holding the ball higher up in their opponents half but equally failing to find any sort of flow between passes or ball-carries.

Six minutes before half-time an innocuous ball into the circle fell upon a Hampstead
foot and Brighton won their first penalty corner of the game out of very little. Adam Flett, a
week on from his hat-trick at Old Cranleighan, slammed a drag-flick into the bottom left. As
they had been last week, Brighton were ahead in a closely-matched game owing to one
action of clinical quality.

Brighton limped through towards the half-time whistle, with the remaining five minutes
seeming far longer than it should have. In the final 30 seconds of the half, Hampstead found a foot in the circle and a penalty corner after much knocking on the door. Harry Venables flicked back across goal, just beating Borsoi’s outstretched leg for height and levelling an important game at an important moment.

Just as Brighton had five minutes previously, Hampstead had created few outcomes but capitalised on their chance to level the game.

The second-half saw little change in the rhythms of the game, as short-tempered possession led to few outcomes for either side. The game became further stunted by growing frustration at umpiring decisions across the entire pitch. In the third quarter, having won a penalty corner, Brighton saw their drag-flick rebound into the centre of the circle. As Flett wound up a reverse hit that managed to sneak through the visiting keeper and find the net, the whistle was blown for a previous foot.

The goal did not stand and the groans (accompanied by the odd boo and even one cry of despair) from the crowd rang around the ears of the officials and players, who all knew how big a goal that could have been. Brighton did have further chances from the following re-awarded penalty corners but failed to breach the strong Hampstead corner defence.

Brighton won another penalty corner before threequarter time, but their routines were lacking the final millimetre of precision, and the chances were missed.

With one quarter left to play, the game seemed as though it would fall to whichever team
could get their head down, ignore obstacles and find any way to get the ball into the net. Five minutes into the period, Hampstead found their way. A quick outlet and some strong leading off the ball saw the visitors with the ball and many bodies in the circle. A scramble in the goalmouth ensued, with both benches (and umpires) struggling to see where the ball was in the melee. The ball ended up shovelled at goal, striking a Brighton player in front of the post.

If neither side had noticed an umpiring decision up to that point, the awarding of a penalty
stroke would likely have been an easily-accepted decision; but at that moment it only further frustrated Brighton. Jack O’Meara stepped to the spot and nailed home into the bottom left corner to mount a 2-1 lead for the visitors.

The game became ever more frantic with both sides arguably having some of their best
chances of the game but failing to put them away. Game management became the priority: Brighton tried to play forward quickly and Hampstead pushed their backs against the wall to block them off. The game was best encapsulated when, with seconds left, a Brighton player found himself stuck in a football goal by the side of the pitch trying to retrieve the ball.

Getting caught by his foot, then his stick, it painted an accurate picture of Brighton’s 70
minutes. The home side could not find an answer to Hampstead’s stroke, and the game
floundered to the final whistle.

The result will disappoint Brighton, who will feel as though their best performance would
have been enough for all three points from the game. But next Saturday presents another
chance to climb more convincingly to safety; Tunbridge Wells sit on 17 points with Brighton with a win for either side potentially promising fifth place in the table. Saturday 6pm at Blatchington, Brighton will be looking to find the rhythm they have come to know away from home and bring it to the Blatchington crowd."

EHL Conference East week 14 results: London Wayfarers 4 West Herts 2, Spencer 3 Old Cranleighan 3, Surbiton 2 Tunbridge Wells 2, Wimbledon 0 Bromley & Beckenham 2, Brighton & Hove 1 Hampstead & Westminster 2.

Other results

BHHC 2s 4 Woking 2s 4
BHHC 3s 5 South Saxons 2s 2
BHHC 4s 4 Worthing 3s 0
South Saxons 3s 0 BHHC 5s 1
BHHC 6s 3 Eastbourne 3s 1
BHHC 7s 2 Horsham 4s 0
BHHC 8s 4 Crawley 3s 5
Eastbourne 5s 0 BHHC 9s 4
Crowborough 3s 3 BHHC 10s 2