Horsham Men's 5's 0--v--1 South Saxons Men's III's

Sports teacher Rob Mercer ended up working overtime on Saturday giving the young guns of Horsham a lesson in how to play hockey. The midfield maestro ran rings around the hosts from start to finish as Saxons battled through the rain to secure all three points and remain second in Sussex Open Hockey Division Three.

With a makeshift squad of 11, Ed Chapman's troops out-muscled a youthful Horsham team in a closely fought contest.
And it was man-of-the-match Mercer who scored the decisive goal on 22 minutes slipping the ball past the keeper after a brilliant solo run from 40 yards out.

Horsham couldn't find a way past a resolute defence and Saxons held a deserved lead at half-time.

In the second half, Saxons poured forward and had numerous chances to kill the game off.

And they were indebted to their 14-year-old keeper Nathaniel Webster who pulled off another crucial save on the hour to deny the hosts an equaliser.

Delighted skipper Chapman said: "This could prove to be one of the results of the season for us."