Saxons’ sparkling start to 2017 - 4 wins from 4 - had the team in good spirits, but this was a game both teams needed to win to continue their promotion efforts. The start of the game, in a particularly heavy flurry of snow, reflected the tense atmosphere – cagey and competitive, neither team threatened much for the first 15 minutes with the umpires having to get on top of some interesting tackling and plenty of vocality.
It took a moment of magic from Andrew Orr to break the deadlock, the midfielder linked well with Tom Gregory & Ed Hooton before cutting in from the left, beating two defenders and firing past the Worthing keeper to put the away side one goal to the good. Five minutes later, determined not to be out-done by his brother, Will Orr pounced on a loose ball in the Worthing ‘D’ before striking the ball on his reverse between the keeper’s legs to double Saxons’ lead.
For all that Saxons were leading the game, it was still a very tight encounter with neither team fully in control. This was highlighted when, during a period of Saxons pressure, the ball was lost cheaply and Worthing broke fast down the left, keeper Brock Smith came sliding out well but the left winger stayed calm to roll the ball into the far corner and cut Saxons’ lead in half right on the stroke of half time.

The second half was always going to be tough for Saxons, conditions were tough and Worthing, who’s 1st XI game had fallen victim to the weather, had a full squad of 16 compared to Saxons’ 12 men – the half time break had done Saxons some good though, and the team emerged with renewed vigour after their team talk. Saxons were playing some great hockey now and when Gregory played a ball over the top, James Bunday latched onto it to win a penalty corner, the resulting routine wasn’t exactly as scripted but when the ball squirted out of a crowd and the skipper was on hand to restore the two-goal lead. Shortly after this it was 4-1, a terrific passing move was started when Gregory & Hooton linked well with Andrew Orr before playing in Bunday, the skipper beat his man before squaring to the late-arriving Aston Spinks who burst into the D and fired past the keeper into the far corner.
The latest goal seemed to wake Worthing up and almost immediately they had a goal back, again breaking down the left before squaring to a diving centre-forward who deflected the ball home from 5 yards. Saxons recovered their composure only to spectacularly turn attack into defence, Gregory played the ball to James Wilson who managed to completely miss the ball when attempting to deliver into the Worthing circle the loose ball was picked off by his opposite number who broke the length of the pitch, before beating a very isolated Smith in goal and making it 4-3.

Worthing squandered a glorious opportunity to make it 4-4 when the left winger could only find the side netting from 2 yards out, and Saxons broke out of defence quickly – Gregory, Andrew Orr & Hooton again linking well down the left before the latter fired across goal where Will Orr was on hand to grab his second of the game. Orr quickly went from hero to villain though when the next Worthing attack saw the ball crossed from the right and, in trying to get the ball away from danger the midfielder inadvertently turned the ball past Smith to make it 5-4.

He restored his hero status shortly after this though, as the game entered its final 10 minutes, Orr killed Worthing off with two expert drag flicks from penalty corners. The first was hard and low into the bottom corner and the second was a goal fit to grace any game, the ball cannoning into the netting off the under-side of the crossbar! Saxons successfully saw out the final few minutes to secure a vital 7-4 victory in this promotion six-pointer, 4-goal man Will Orr was pipped to Man of the Match by Tom Gregory who was in imperious form in the midfield but there were top performances all over the pitch!

Saxons’ next game sees them welcome Lewes 3rd XI to Horntye Park tomorrow (Saturday) at 1.30pm.

Saxons: Smith, Pilbeam, Stevens, W.Orr, Ford, A.Orr, Wilson, Gregory, Spinks, Bunday, Hooton, Waters.”