Reivers once again made the long trek to the South coast to take on the might of Winchester in this quarter final tie. A squad of fifteen made the epic journey which is testimony to the commitment of every member to being successful in this competition. It transpired that some old acquaintances were playing for the opposition in that Graham Beck a former official of Durham City and Morpeth Hockey Clubs was busy hugging anyone he could get his arms round (and one or two of the Reivers returned them with just a little too much enthusiasm for my liking !) They also appeared to have players from Basingstoke and all points west !
The game was evenly contested from the start with both sides probing for strengths and weaknesses in the opposition. Reivers midfield of Van Zwan, Crute, Pattison and Finchy stepped up and won possession of the midfield. This gave Reivers the springboard to supply Fullerton and Evans up front and support them in and around the D. It also meant that defenders Potter, Hayes, Ithurralde, and James were not getting outnumbered and were able to step up themselves and attack and defend as a unit. Keeper Miller dealt very competently with what little he had to do. It became apparent from this early stage that this was one of the Reivers most accomplished performances to date.
The deadlock was broken when Evans drove into the D from the right and drew the full back and keeper before pulling the ball back for Fullerton to open his, and Reivers, account from close range. Reivers consolidated their dominance in midfield and Winchester attacks were comfortably contained by the defence. A second goal seemed inevitable and duly arrived when Evans repeated his earlier approach play along the by-line before again supplying Fullerton in front of goal. Evans cunningly threw himself into the side netting to distract the keeper whilst Fullerton decided whether or not to put the ball in the net. Eventually, after several stick tackles and two cups of tea he did so to take Reivers into half time 2-0 to the good.
The second half began with a concerted effort from Winchester who were obviously determined to get back into the game. Redman had replaced Potter in defence and Craigan had come on to bring fresh legs to the midfield. Dobbo was rotating up front with Fullerton and Evans and everyone had to focus and up their game to hold the oppositions big effort. Having weathered the storm Reivers hit back and won a short corner. The ball deflected up off the keeper and was stopped on the line by a Winchester body for an unfortunate penalty stroke. Reivers had no desire to win by good fortune so skipper Ithurralde graciously pushed the flick wide.
Winchester didn't get the chance to profit from Reivers sportsmanship as moments after the flick Evans broke clear in the D to lift the ball over the diving keeper and give Reivers a strangle hold on the game. Reivers now took control of the game running the clock down and attacking at will. The best goal of the game was kept for last however when Fullerton picked up the ball in midfield and spotted Evans 'dummying' his marker and running into the channel. He delivered a perfect ball to Evans who spotted the onrushing keeper coming out of his area and went round him before drawing the full back and laying the ball off to Dobbo on the penalty spot to slot home into an empty net. Simple but clinical hockey.
The game ended 4-0 to Reivers but could have been more, such was the level of teamwork and effort put in by every member of the squad. Without doubt one of the sides best, and most comprehensive, performances to date. One game from glory, bring on Doncaster !