We arrived at a very wet and windy Long Road for our midday match versus Cambridge Uni 2s. Our motivational team chat from skipper Kim in the changing rooms got us pumped, we were ready to hit the ground running, although there was a problem: we only had one umpire; where is Sneade?! With ten minutes to go before push back, Neil arrives on his bike; he informs us he was late because he was redesigning the CSHC crest and lost track of time, earning him a couple of LEMON votes.

Right from the very first whistle, Uni came out of the blocks hard. They were very fit (average age of 18) and playing nice hockey. We did spend most of the first half defending - hit-out after hit-out, sideline after sideline - but we managed to keep Uni out of our D most of the time, putting in great tackles all over the pitch. Loopy only had to make one save and we didn't concede at all during the first thirty-five minutes! There were too many hit-outs to count on two hands but one to remember was when Robs Mc lifted a slapped ball right into the back of poor Kimbo. Robs, you LEMON, but really who needs kidneys anyway? #sorrybut… ;) Standout performances from George at the back, putting in tackle after tackle, and good defending from Robs Mc and B-Murph earned them MOM votes.

With all this defending we were chomping at the bit to do some attacking, and our efforts were rewarded; Alice Hug had a one-on-one with the keeper, Alison had a good chance on the P spot, Sophie and Alice also having their chances up front. We even managed to win a penalty corner but unfortunately we just couldn't convert. Nil-nil at half time.

The second half was even-stevens. We put on the pressure on Uni, making them transfer around the back, forcing them to make mistakes. We were looking strong, playing some lovely hockey. With ten minutes to go they were playing a lot of hockey in our twenty-three; we were defending hard as a team, Kim got pushed over, Uni's 'manager' got irate on the sideline. We tried but we couldn't keep Uni at bay: with 2 mins to go, Uni won a short corner. We almost managed to clear the ball but unfortunately conceded a second short in the process. Second attempt for Uni, slipping it right they had a cracking shot which we couldn't stop… one-nil to Uni. With less than a minute to go, we reset and a couple of passes from the pass back, the full time whistle went.

We gave it a good go. It was a better performance from South and a better result in terms of goals scored against and possession than the first meeting, so there are lots of positives to take away and be proud of. We have a Saturday off before our game faces are back on for the next big match against City. Bring it on.