With an excellent second half performance containing some fluent and controlled hockey, South secured a comfortable 5-2 victory over close rivals St Ives 3rds and leapfrogged them to move into the upper reaches of the Division 4NW table.

South started the game confidently and, despite nearly conceding a goal in the fourth minute when the defence was split open by incisive St Ives passing, exerted so much pressure that they won four penalty corners in the first eight minutes. From the fourth of these, Chris Massey cleverly touched in an angled Rob Sprawson drive to put the visitors in front but St Ives struck back quickly, first forcing Steve Parker into a point-blank save on the line and then equalising courtesy of a zig-zag move across the box following a failed defensive clearance.

Assured distribution and simple, direct moves from the midfield continued to put South under pressure and lack of marking at top D let St Ives in for a further big shot, again crucially blocked at close quarters by Parker. South weathered the storm though and, despite initial constipation on the right wing, gradually began to find more width. The final ten minutes of the half belonged to South, with several fine tackles and interceptions from Andy Rose and Chris Graveling, good combinations from Rick Erlebach and Jonny Tostevin in right midfield and some telling crosses from Rob Barton. A neat Sprawson-Massey short manoeuvre was deftly foiled, however, and the score remained 1-1 at the interval.

A sharp beginning to the second half soon brought dividends for South when Erlebach's free hit into the box was decisively rammed in by Barton in the 39th minute for a 2-1 lead. The same player shot just wide with a reverse-stick attempt two minutes later but was on hand to scramble home his second goal in the 43rd minute after strong pressure in the D.

South dominated the next phase of play, keeping the St Ives defence pinned in their own zone and moving the ball round smoothly and confidently. A near-goal from a Graveling flick was followed by a battery of shots from Rose, Barton and Sanjay Agarwala, all saved, and Rose was again unlucky to be denied with a reversed shot in the fiftieth minute. Despite intense vocal urgings from Peter Carey, however, South let St Ives back into the game when numerous failed tackles and a well-judged cross left a home attacker unmarked to reduce the deficit in the fifty-second minute.

Further breaks from St Ives were consummately halted by Graveling, marshalling the defence with calm authority from sweeper, and Carey, who then embarked on a trademark charge to the front, where Erlebach and Rose combined well on an overlap before Rose struck home for an aesthetically satisfying goal. By now, the tiring home defence had been ground down and the last ten minutes of the game belonged entirely to South. After the sixth short of the half, Matt Murray dribbled round the back to leave the now prolific Rob Hay with an easy conversion for 5-2. Further efforts from Erlebach, Murray, Hay and Agarwala – who seems to have developed a predilection for the side-netting – could have opened up the gap even further. An increasingly confident display was capped by the spectacle of a topless Rose apparently sunbathing on a post-match victory lap.

The mood of the team after this convincing performance was buoyant and skipper Steve Parker said that the win was a just reward for the team's efforts in recent weeks.