BROMLEY and Beckenham Hockey Club’s U16s won the inaugural club indoor competition with the same squad which won the U15 national outdoor title last season after beating Havant 7-3 in the final.
A man of the match performance by Bromley & Beckenham’s Harry Sellers clinched the U18 boys’ clubs title at the national indoor hockey championships in Nottingham.
From the outset, Bromley & Beckenham (B&B) took the game to Havant with Harry Sainsbury forcing keeper Matt Levy into an early save.
Less than a minute later, Harry Sellers had his goalbound shot cleared off the line by Havant’s Daniel Faulkner.
It was not long before B&B broke the deadlock through Sellers’ low flick at a penalty corner, but Havant were level almost immediately through George Cairns who pushed home after good work from a teammate down the left hand side.
Havant then took the lead a minute later through Josh Gibbard, who tapped in from close range after the ball had rebounded to him off the post.
B&B pulled themselves back level in slightly fortunate circumstances when Sellers broke into the right hand side of the circle and his pass across circle was turned into the goal by an unfortunately Havant defender, although the B&B boy was credited with the goal.
A pinpoint through ball from Bromley & Beckenham captain Rob Farrington was met by Harry Sainsbury inside the circle midway through the first half and he added the faintest of touches to guide the ball beyond Levy and inside the far post.
By now B&B were enjoying the better of the half and Sellers bagged his second from a low penalty corner effort into the bottom corner.
Shortly afterwards, his intercept on the halfway line allowed him the space to drive into the circle and his effort brought out the best in Levy, who saved well with his stick.
Farrington got his reward for an excellent first period with a tidy finish into the bottom corner for 5-2.
The Havant team talk had obviously fired up the Hampshire boys and three minutes into the second half Tom Martin in the B&B goal had to be sharp to snuff out a one-on-one at the top of the circle.
At the other end, Sellers nearly added to his tally but for the width of the post as he watched his shot across goal come back off the upright and away to safety.
Havant looked certain to score after a good cross towards the far post, but Ollie Preston’s intervention prevented a goal.
Martin then blocked well at the top of his circle from a Havant penalty corner, but could do nothing to stop Sam Hatherley’s shot in the 21st minute.
From the left top of the circle, Hatherley shaped his shot across the keeper and into the back of the net, hitting the top of the backboard.
Bromley & Beckenham seemed content to soak up Havant pressure, hitting back on the counter attack. Goal number six came four minutes from time as Sellers finished from close range with the simplest of tap ins after rounding the keeper.
The goal sparked Havant into changes as they replaced the keeper with a kicking back, but it proved to be too little, too late.
By the time Sellers rounded off a fine display with his fifth, he had already seen Levy return to the pitch to save his penalty stroke effort.
But it was not to matter as Bromley & Beckenham finished the match 7-3 winners and national indoor champions for the first time.
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