Winchester swept aside the disappointment of their pointless start to the South League Premier Division season with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over West Hampstead, who have dropped behind them in the table.
Former Wimborne Wayfarers hit-man Todd Clark (left) snatched Winchester’s winner five minutes from time.  The victory was, however, tempered by the loss of Will Evans with a suspected broken thumb.
The first half was a fairly even affair, with Kieran Malloy and Ben Hibberd forcing saves, while Bashley (Rydal) cricketer Sammy Laurent, making his Winchester debut between the posts, was brought into play a number times.
Another slightly more well known cricketer, Hampshire’s Tom Alsop, who previously played National League for Team Bath Buccaneers, lifted the team with his powerful running and skill level.
The game really started after the break as West Hampstead went 1-0 up within three minutes, a well worked goal by Ashley Dawes down their right flank.
After the bruising defeats of the first three league defeats (when they conceded 16 goals), Winchester might have rolled over against their experienced visitors, but they showed no sign of that, the lively Hibberd hitting the inside of the post from Olly Lander's through ball. Banging hard on the West Hampstead door, Winchester's equaliser eventually came as Lander again set up Hibberd on his reverse stock and he drove home, a welcome reward for Winchester's most influential player on the day.
Three minutes later 15-year old Joe Jenkinson drove down the right wing and forced a penalty corner. Harry Trussler converted the corner with a rocket into the top right to take a 2-1 lead. 
West Hampstead hit back and equalised through Philipp Kraemar after Laurent’s initial save at a penalty corner.
With five minutes remaining, Winchester failed to convert from a goalmouth melee only inches from the line. West Hampstead somehow scrambled the ball away, but the ball found its way to Trussler on the halfway line. His piercing pass was cleverly diverted into the far corner of the goal by Todd Clark to grab all three points. 
Trojans' scheduled visit to Oxford University was postponed to due on-going CV19 issues at the university.

Fareham Ladies have their first South Women’s League Division 2 points on the board after surviving an early onslaught and coming from behind to beat Bournemouth 4-1 at Henry Cort.
Bournemouth are now bottom of the log and the only side yet to win. It didn’t look as if it would be that way as they laid siege to the Fareham goal in the opening quarter, but only had an Amy Hill goal to show for their efforts.  Goalkeeper Jilly Tovey was on overtime rates. 
“We should have been out of sight and paid the penalty for missing chances,” sighed Bournemouth coach Gavin Rustling.
Fareham’s Vicky Field equalised against the run of play to send the sides in level at half-time – after which the game turned in dramatically in Fareham’s favour.
First, Fareham grabbed the lead with a fine finish by Poppy Roddis after a fine breakaway run by Hannah Ward, then with 15 minutes left on the clock, Bournemouth were awarded a penalty stroke – but Tovey saved Rosie Martineau’s shot.
Fareham were clinging on at the time, but Tovey’s fine save gave them the belief and confidence they could win and when Field scored her second to make it 3-1, the win points were almost secured.
Sian Edwards finally put the game to bed with a blistering last minute penalty corner conversion, leaving Fareham coach Steve Lemon relieved to get the first win points on the board.
He reflected: “There have certainly been times in the last three weeks when we have played better without getting the luck we deserved. 
“It’s probably fair to say that 4-1 slightly flattered us but then the reverse happened when there was no way we deserved to lose 3-0 at Teddington, so maybe that evened things up. 
“For all that, it wasn't the best we have played this season but by the end of the game there is no doubt we deserved the win and in a division where nine of the twelve sides are separated by just three points then I think we can be happy for now that we are in the middle of that group.”

​Chichester struck three times in eight second half minutes to set up a 3-2 victory over visiting Plymouth Marjon – their first win in four National League West Conference starts.
Chichester fell behind three minutes after the half-time break, but turned the match on its head with a trio of goals in that decisive spell in the third quarter before Plymouth cut the deficit seven minutes from the end to create a nervy finish, writes Mike Vimpany.
The hosts played far better as a side than they had done in their three previous defeats and would have changed around 1-0 up had Cameron Ryall not wasted a great chance after Alex Baxter’s shot from a penalty corner not been superbly saved by Phil Carr’s outstretched stick.
Chris Bristow made two fine saves of his own before a mistake by Josh Brown created the opening for Jon Tew to fire Plymouth ahead.
But the Devon visitors cracked under pressure as Chichester forced several short corners, Alex Holton equalizing and then skipper Matt Sewell giving his side a 46th minute lead, the first time this season they had been in front.
As the tempo increased, so Bristow beat out a Plymouth short corner and Alex Thakore was sin binned – but it didn’t stop ten-man Chichester from extending their lead from a fierce low Oli Baxter cross-shot.
Between them, Adam Bloomfield and Joe Bugden bungled a great chance to have settled it with a fourth for Chichester, who needed Bristow to make two more short corner blocks before a slip by Thakore let in Tom Hodgkins to trim the final scoreline to 3-2 with Plymouth’s second seven minutes from time.

Fareham Ladies have the opportunity of ending their winless start to new life in South Women’s League Division 2 when Bournemouth, one of the other sides get to receive a win bonus, visit Henry Cort on Saturday, 11.45.
They suffered a second loss in three outings when Teddington, relegated from Division 1 last term, beat them 3-0. Bournemouth lost 3-2 to Brighton & Hove in the battle of the beaches.
Fareham’s young side fought hard to cancel out the tenth minute lead Amelia Millan gave the Bushy Park hosts, with Vicky Field and Hannah Ward danger on the break.   Going into the second half, Fareham got the upper hand, but with the next goal vital, Kate Woolridge doubled Teddington’s lead. A third by Hermine Narnio settled it.
The New Forest, Southampton and Winchester were all beaten in Division 3B, where Emma Hamilton’s goal earned Trojans a 1-0 win over the Foresters.
Southampton lost by a single goal to Woking, while Winchester took a 5-1 beating from Havant at Kings’
Hoping to continue their form from the previous week’s 3-0 win at Lewes, Southampton took to the Sports Centre pitch in good spirits. 
They pressed forward causing difficulties for the Woking defence piling on the pressure from the whistle. Unfortunately, they were unable to convert any chances and soon found themselves frustrated by lost opportunities and a controversial decision which denied Sue Merry a penalty stroke.
The England 60s star was denied an open shot at goal when a Woking defender appeared to be holding her stick, but the penalty appeals were waved away.
A penalty stroke shout came and went with Sue Merry denied an open shot at goal by a Woking defender holding her stick, but alas it was not given. Woking, in comparison, created very few chances and the Southampton defence remained in control with good  transferring around the back and strong tackling.
The continued in a similar vein after the break with frustration growing in the Southampton ranks as they were unable to convert a myriad of chances and decisions seemed to be running against them. Typically, 15 minutes from time and against the run of play they scrambled a breakaway goal through Lauren White to steal the points.

Trojans were chasing the game once early Hampstead & Westminster pressure paid off and ended by surrendering their unbeaten Premier Division start with a 3-0 defeat against a pacey city outfit.
Hampstead buzzed around Steve Cole’s goal from the start and the evergreen keeper, who had kept clean sheets in Trojans opening two wins, saw two shots whistle past his posts before  Ronan Costella fired the visitors ahead with a disputed reverse stick shot.
A second strike by Josh Hood after 23 minutes really did put Trojans on the back foot.
With most of the play coming from midfield turnovers, neither side was able to take advantage of the opposition being reduce to 10 men, Trojans a green and Hampstead two  greens and a yellow, the latter brandished at former Fareham man Tim Seebold.
Teague Marcarno converted a penalty corner to seal it for the Londoners – the shot going between Cole and the left-post man at waist height. 
Both sides had further chances but unable to score. Trojans got another yellow card with four minutes to go, probably from frustration of not being able to get back into the game. On reflection 3-0 was probably the right results based on how both teams performed.
Guildford have now dispossessed Trojans from top spot, while Winchester remain rooted to the bottom after a 4-2 defeat at Tunbridge Wells, where Craig Jeffrey and former Wimborne Wayfarers hit man Todd Clark did at least score their first goals of the season.

Round three culminated in the proverbial bad day at the office for several local South Hockey League Premier clubs, with -
* Trojans conceding their first goals of the season and losing their unbeaten Premier Division record in a 3-0 home defeat to a well drilled Hampstead & Westminster;
* Winchester suffering their third successive defeat, losing 4-2 at Tunbridge Wells, where Craig Jeffrey and former Wimborne Wayfarers hitman Todd Clark scored their first goals of the season; and 
* Bournemouth surrendering their 100 per cent record at Henley, where they lost 3-1 with Will Davies getting a consolation goal.
Basingstoke did win, Andy Pett (2) scoring his seventh of the season in a 5-3 victory over his former club Havant II at Down Grange, where Ben Jubin, Dean Record and Liphook & Ripsley cricketer Grant Rouse also hit the target.

​Havant are left propping up the National South table after suffering a third successive defeat – a sequence of losses they need to halt ahead of Sunday’s visit to Brighton & Hove, one of the other two sides yet to sample success.
Sevenoaks hadn’t won either prior to their visit to Havant College, but they came away 5-3 winners after a second half goal spree saw five scored in the space of 12 bizarre minutes.
Andy Ross converted the game’s first penalty corner after three minutes to give Sevenoaks the lead, but James Speke (level) soon levelled things up.  By half-time Havant were behind again, old boy Ben Allberry restoring the Kent advantage three minutes before the break.
Sevenoaks swept into a 4-1 lead courtesy of two goals in quick succession by Jason Doherty-Bigara and Ed Matts, but Havant came storming back to 4-3 with two rapid strikes of their own through Speke and Migul Rodrigues to leave veteran PA announcer Bill Jones almost hoarse.
The College crowd was enjoying every moment of the goal fest, except when Craig Morton notched a crucial fifth goal for Sevenoaks right on the final quarter break.  It was the second week running Havant had let in five goals.
Scott Rawlings scored Team Bath's equaliser in the 5-1 defeat at Oxford Hawks.

​Fareham turned to a trio of talented teenagers to score the goals which secured a 3-1 West Conference win over Isca at Exeter University.
Alex Beckett, Phil Larcombe and Fergus Jackson took the credits for securing Fareham’s third successive win, one which keeps them top of the log on goal difference from Bristol University and Harborne, who they visit on Sunday.
But Fareham had to play 20 minutes – almost one third of the match – with ten men after former Team Bath Buccaneers defender Steve Daxter was twice sin-binned and two other players picked up green cards.
Fareham manager Malc Davies explained: “The cards played a major tactical part, with the double yellow for Daxter preventing us from getting any authority and pushing us on to the back foot.”
Portsmouth Grammar School’s Alex Beckett continued his early season goal scoring form by giving Fareham a sixth minute lead – it was his fifth goal in three starts - but the visitors needed a series of fine saves from Rory Kemp – and some off-target Isca finishing - to keep their noses in front.
Daxter picked up his first yellow card in the 20th minute and was briefly joined in the ‘bin’ by Dylan Coleman leaving Fareham short of manpower in the period leading up to half-time.
Phil Larcombe redeemed himself from an early green card by doubling Fareham’s lead early in the third quarter, but the visitors found themselves down to ten men again when Daxter returned to the cooler, this time for a back-stick tackle.
Fareham needed that two-goal cushion when Isca’s Tom Brooks converted a penalty corner on the hour-mark, but with Daxter back and a full compliment of players on the pitch they managed to close the game out.
Fergus Jackson settled affairs with a third goal from the top of the D after a penalty corner breakdown and secured a third straight win for Fareham. 
Kieran Page notched a hat-trick as Fareham seconds flattened Richmond II 8-3 to move off the South League Hampshire/Surrey Regional League basement.  Alex Ellison and Zac Way scored two each, with Paul Metcalf completing the scoring.

​Amy Sheehan scored Trojans opening goal and set up a second for Amelia Andrew as the Stoneham girls beat Surbiton 2-1 to record their first England Hockey Women’s National South victory.
But it needed a brilliant late save by the club’s new Canadian goalkeeper Marcia La Plante (pictured) to deny the Surrey visitors a draw.
Sheehan opened Trojans account in the sixth Amy minute before firing in a subsequent penalty corner shot which Andrew deflected in at the far post.
Trojans turned round 2-0 ahead, but spent much of the second period on the back foot once Hannah Denison had clawed a goal back for Surbiton five minutes after the break.
But they held out, thanks to one brilliant save with an fully outstretched arm by La Plante and a stick save under the crossbar by Lauren Anning.

Chris Bristow played the role of villain and part-hero as Chichester slipped to a 2-0 defeat to Ashmoor – their third successive England Hockey West Conference loss.
It was his green card offence that led to Andover cricketer Max Romer-Lee firing the Devon visitors ahead from a 28th minute penalty corner.
Bristow [pictured] was briefly sin-binned for making inappropriate comments to an umpire and  stood on the touchline and watched as Romer-Lee drag-flicked his shot in exactly the place the goalkeeper would normally be standing to give Ashmoor a 1-0 half-time lead !
Coach Merijn van Willigen later incurred the umpire’s wrath and was similarly green carded.
There was no shortage of effort or endeavour from Chichester, who lacked much creativity and forced only one penalty corner, that coming in the closing stages of the game when Alex Baxter rolled his shot wide.
At the other end, Bristow redeemed himself with two fine saves – one notable low down to his right from a short corner – before  Fletcher Naisbett-Jones wrapped it up for Ashmoor with a well taken goal two minutes from time.
Chichester share the bottom Western Conference rung with fellow winless due Cheltenham and Cardiff University.  They host Plymouth Marjon next Sunday.

Havant suffered one of their heaviest National League defeats when they conceded an early goal to Canterbury and ended up losing 5-1 in a game at the Polo Fields, where goalkeeper Maciej Pacanowski (left) was voted man of the match.
Canterbury took a second minute lead when some sloppy defending led to the unmarked Ronan Taggert Havant slotting home.
Havant levelled four minutes later when Jamie Rawlings fed Harry Croft-Baker to set up Polish teenager Eryk Bembenek for his first goal for the club.
Penalty corner goals either side of the first quarter break gave Canterbury a well-deserved lead, the first scored by Tom Bean in the 17th minute.
This first corner gave Maciej Pacanowski no chance, but the second was a little bit fortunate – the Polish international pulling off a good save but Toby Vaughan scoring from the rebound to make it 3-1.
As the half was coming to an end, Havant won a series of penalty corners, and a Jamie Rawlings flick hit a defender’s foot on the line and a penalty stroke was awarded.  Miguel Rodrigues, though, flashed his shot wide.
Canterbury increased their lead with Taggert scoring his second on 56 minutes after Pacanowski saved his first effort.
Then, with Havant chasing the game, Canterbury grabbed a fifth through Connor Annand to leave the Hampshire club pointless and bottom of the table ahead of Sunday’s visit of Sevenoaks to Havant College, 2pm.

Southampton and Winchester ladies have each made a perfect ‘two from two’ wins at the start of the South Women’s League Division 3B season.
The pair have each beaten Lewes – Southampton 3-0 and Winchester 2-0 – while Southampton began with a 4-2 win over Horsham 4-2, while Winchester triumphed 3-1 at Woking.
Results have not gone so well for either New Forest or Trojans, who lost both their opening games.
Southampton had the win points in East Sussex neatly wrapped up by half-time, all three of their goals coming in a defining 15-minute spell before the break.
Zoe Stride was involved in two of the goals, creating the first for Maddie Larkin and then scoring Southampton’s third after a crisp square-field pass by Emma White.
In between, Sue Merry notched her 93rd Southern League goal from a move initiated by Loz Gunner.  Can Sue reach her century by Christmas ?
Southampton needed an outstanding save from Clare Hill to keep Lewes out early in the second half, but they generally dominated proceedings without adding to their own goal tally.
Winchester had a most encouraging debut season in SWL 3B last term and have gone off well again with goals by Ella Chainey and Helen Jelley securing the Lewes win.
Newly promoted, its going to be one step at a time for the New Forest who are playing fresh and unknown opposition every Saturday and at a higher level.
They lost 3-1 to Oxted, but their performance was much improved, even though they lost Lynn Jones, last season’s top player, with a facial injury.
Forest weren’t able to capitalize on the early possession they enjoyed and found themselves behind until Jade Lock converted a penalty corner to make it 1-1 before half-time.  The injury to Jones meant a Forest reshuffle, but the side stayed well in the game until the final quarter when Oxted scored two well worked goals to grab a 3-1 win.

Trojans scored five times in a scintillating second half period to sink Indian Gymkhana 6-0 – a hugely creditable result against one of the South League Premier Division’s fancied sides.
Although they dominated the early possession and territorial advantage that went with it, the result was far from plan sailing against a Gymkhana side that finished third last season.
Ian Bassett was in the action early doors, having a short corner goal disallowed as his shot was marginally too high and then hooking a Gymkhana effort off his own goal-line.
Trojans repelled five penalty corners and, playing with calm and control, gradually took a firm foothold before the influential Piers Eveleigh fired them into a half-time lead.
The Stoneham side, oozing with confidence after beating Winchester 5-0 in their opening match, turned on the style after the break, with Colin French scoring twice, alongside goals by Sam Broadhurst, skipper Ben Frost and Matty Bell, with his fourth of the season.
Things got worse for Winchester, who crashed to a 7-0 home defeat by Wimbledon II.
Oxford University, meanwhile, have been unable to start their programme due to on-going coronavirus issues.  Both their opening matches, along with those of Oxford Brookes, have been cancelled.

​Fareham have gone goal happy after scoring six times in each of their opening West Conference victories.
They followed up a 6-1 win at Cardiff University with an impressive 6-2 defeat of visiting Cheltenham, who were rocked by three Fareham goals inside four minutes early in the third quarter.
Portsmouth Grammar School’s Alex Beckett, who scored twice in Cardiff, set it up with two goals in the opening 15 minutes.
The tall slim striker gleefully accepted an easy fifth minute tap in but, after Richard Owen had equalised, he out-foxed several defenders on the shoulder of the circle before hammering a shot past goalkeeper Sam Cathie.
Fareham took their 2-1 advantage into the interval break – immediately after which two incidents  swung the match in their favour.
                                                                                 Individualist
First Rory Kemp made a point blank save from a short corner breakdown to deny Chris Laird a potential equaliser, then in a clinical counter-attack the teenage Phil Larcombe drove from the 25 yard line and beat several defenders before sending a shot on the turn screaming past Cathie.
It was a fine individual goal – one which Fareham followed up with two more in quick succession from Chris Davey and Shane Vincent.
Denied at the first attempt, Davey made it 4-1 before Vincent converted Fareham’s second set piece to add a fifth.
Whilst Fareham dominated possession, Cheltenham remained a threat on the counter – Owen keeping their faint hopes alive from a penalty corner.
Subsequent Fareham attacks saw Larcombe denied by an outstretched goalkeeper’s boot and Davey have a second disallowed after an off-target shot by Josh Steel had been deemed dangerous.
Facing a second consecutive defeat (Harborne beat them 2-1 on the opening day), Cheltenham refused to throw in the towel and on three separate occasions Kemp denied them.
But in the final play it was Fareham who added to their tally, with Saints fan Sam Ratliffe (pictured left) celebrating his debut National League goal.  
A mass goalmouth scramble ensured after the Cheltenham goal-line had blocked Vincent’s penalty corner, but Ratliffe somehow found a gap to poke the ball in for Fareham’s sixth.  "I felt like Danny Ings," the Barton Peveril College teen said after,
Chichester twice equalised through Rannoch Foster and Cam Ryall at Coombe Down, but were eventually beaten 3-2 by Bristol University.

A last-minute equaliser by Rebecca Reavell [pictured] climaxed a strong finish which ensured Fareham drew 1-1 with Harrow and got their first South Women’s League Division 2 point on the board.
For long periods it looked as though Harrow, newly promoted as 2019/20 Division 3A winners, might nick the win points on the back of Tasha Webster’s 23rd minute goal.
But having weathered an early second half penalty corner storm, Fareham put in a strong finish and deserved their late equaliser.
Fareham, still bedding newcomers into their side, found Harrow’s direct and physical style of play difficult to encounter and fell behind when, shortly after rattling the crossbar, Webster took advantage of some hesitation in the home defence from a long corner and sent a reverse stick shot past Jill Tovey.
It had largely been a first half to forget for Fareham, who had lacked patience when in possession and sometimes over complicated matters.
Harrow lost an influential player with a broken finger, but still pressed forward, forcing a series of penalty corners which Tovey and her fellow defenders repelled.
Fareham gradually began to establish a foothold, but turned the ball over far too often.
In the final quarter Fareham enjoyed their best hockey of the game, with their passing improving and Harrow being attacked down both flanks.
It took Fareham until almost the final play before they equalised from a short corner - a swift injection was followed by a nicely weighted pass to Rebecca Reavell and a crisp strike from just inside the circle brought the scores level. 
“With a little more time we probably could have grabbed a winner,” sighed coach Steve Lemon, who plans to increase Fareham’s fitness levels in the coming weeks.
“It was a frustrating game for long periods, but we can play better and must acknowledge this season is a learning experience at a higher level.”

Tom Salmon marked his return from Cardiff & Met with a first half brace as Bournemouth celebrated back-to-back South League Premier Division 2 West victories with a 4-2 win over Southgate.
Bournemouth are the only side to have won both their opening games – they won 3-0 at Slough – and already enjoy a two-point lead at the top ahead of Saturday’s visit to winless Henley.
The Lions, who finished fifth last season, began sharply and, after an early chance had gone begging, took the lead through Charlie Cooper.
Southgate, the only side to have won at Chapel Gate last season, showed they are not a side to be taken lightly and proceeded to reply quickly with Lum Chau picking up a deflection off goalkeeper Jezz Baker to equalise at the back post.
Bournemouth continued to have the majority of chances with Tom Salmon smartly converting successive penalty corners, the first beating the Southgate keeper down to his right and then rifling the next shot into the top right.
A move between Euan Etheridge and Cooper set up Conor Moors (23 goals last term) for his first of the season to give Bournemouth an emphatic 4-1 lead.
Southgate, whose first team plays in National League South, were back in the game before half-time with Andy Westbrook converting a penalty stroke awarded against Baker.
Bournemouth ought to have put the game to bed but missed a glut of second half chances and almost caused themselves late and undue concern when Baker conceded another penalty stroke.
But, on this occasion, he redeemed himself by making a fine save down to his left to guarantee a 4-2 Bournemouth victory.

Three goals in the opening 20 minutes laid the path for Southampton’s 4-2 South Women’s League Division 3B win over Horsham at the Sports Centre.
Abi Woodcock got the show on the road, the first from a short corner and the second after a move with Lou Hopkins. Bernie Jones made it 3-0 before Horsham launched a comeback and clawed two goals back before half-time.   Southampton needed a fourth goal and got it through Zoe Stride.
Winchester beat Lewes 2-0, relegated Trojans lost 2-0 at Oxted and the promoted New Forest came out on the wrong side of a seven-goal thriller, losing 4-3 at Brighton & Hove, where Lia Waine, Lynn Jones and Rachel Lloyd were on target.

Charlie Cooper, pictured, was on target as Bournemouth launched their South League Premier Division 2 West campaign with a 3-0 win over Slough.  Alex Messenger and Matt Squires got the other goals.
The Down Grange spectators were treated to an 11-goal fest but despite an Andy Pett hat-trick and a Michael Deller-Merricks brace on debut, Basingstoke lost 6-5 to Aldershot & Farnham.
Rowledge cricketer Ian Metcalfe bagged two of the Aldershot goals, while team-mate Sam Plater was on target in Guildford's 3-2 South Premier Division win at Tunbridge Wells.

Amy Sheehan gave Trojans ladies a 14th minute lead, but two Wimbledon goals in three minutes either side of the half-time break led to them suffering a 3-2 defeat in the Women’s National Division South opener.
Boosted by the return of Jenny Gough at the back, Trojans enjoyed the early spoils, but any prospect of new coach Jon Price treating the girls to an autumnal dish of strawberries and cream were shattered around the half-way mark.
Annie Dalton’s 35th minute short corner conversion, followed by a field goal from Tamsyn Naylor three minutes later put Wimbledon in the driving seat and when Ruth Morgan potted another set piece midway through the second half, Trojans were cooked.   Jill Toombs got their second from a penalty corner in the final play.
Trojans raised Lizzie Gittens converted two penalty strokes to give Reading a 2-0 win at ISCA, who had KES schooled Imogen Lea in their line-up.
Basingstoke’s Western Conference bow at Down Grange ended in a 2-0 defeat by Exe.

Jamie Rawlings converted two penalty corners but was unable to save Havant from a 3-2 opening National League South defeat by visiting Southgate.
A summer signing from Fareham, who had a brief spell with relegated Premier Division Reading last season, Rawlings scored both his goals in the second half, by which time Havant were already chasing the game.
They initially trailed to a 15th minute strike by John Sterlini and then minutes before the break were two goals behind through Charles Hamilton.  Beaten 4-3 by Fareham in the Premier 1 cup recently, Southgate turned round 2-0 up.
A new look Havant, rejigged following the departure of a contingent of overseas players from last season, fought back strongly after the break and within four minutes of the restart were back in the game. 
18-year old Polish striker Eryk Bembenek won Havant’s second corner of the game and Rawlings, who had shot narrowly wide from the first, duly converted.
Lifted, Havant enjoyed their  best spell of the game, but with the next goal clearly crucial, the hosts conceded a stroke when Polish international goalkeeper Maciej Pacanowski bowled over a Southgate player. Alex Williams made it 3-1 from the spot.
Havant forced two more short corners, the first of which was saved by goalkeeper Chris Rea and the second - in the 69th and last minute - was converted again by Rawlings.
Havant chairman Chris Pickett said: ‘Despite losing, one should put the result into perspective. Southgate played well and without doubt are a mature, well-drilled and experienced team that I am sure will be near the top at the end of the season.
‘Havant, after losing a high number of players, fielded a relatively young side, or certainly one with a subtle blend of experience and youth and they will take a few games to be most effective. There are  plenty of positives to take into Sunday’s visit to Canterbury. 

​Fareham ladies have had to make wholesale changes from the squad which won promotion to South Women’s League Division 2 following last season’s Division 3B championship triumph.
They were without six of that title winning side and, with seven teenagers in the team, they only lost 2-1 at Oxford Hawks to a goal two minutes from time.
They took a second half lead through Vicky Field, but Hawks clawed it back to win through goals by Jess Upjohn and Annabelle Gulliver
 Jo Faulkner and Laura Pendleton have stepped down from 1st XI hockey, last season’s skipper Lydia Rosewell has moved to London to work, and Georgia Collins and Sophie Raymond have gone to university.
In addition, last season’s top scorer Heather Batten is currently out with an ankle injury and Rebecca Reavell was unavailable for the season-opener. Both should be back for Saturday’s visit of 2019/20 Division 3A winners Harrow to Henry Cort, 11.45.
‘We had a very young team,’ said Lemon. ‘There were seven teenagers, including three making their debuts.’
Four of those were under 16, including 14-year-old debutants Hannah Ward and Anya Middleton.
‘Whilst disappointing that we conceded the winning goal late on, this is outweighed by the positives we can take from the game and the encouragement it can give us as we look ahead to the rest of the season,’ Lemon added.
‘We will be a much better side later in the campaign as we get used to a new league, new teammates and new positions, but the progress we have made since the start of pre-season is encouraging.
‘The aim is just to consolidate this season and then look to build. We don’t know any of the teams in our league, it’s a whole new ball game.’

Four local youngsters made their mark in the opening round of England Hockey League matches, with Fareham duo Will Penrose and Will Raymond scoring for their respective university sides.
Penrose opened the scoring from a penalty stroke for Cardiff University against Fareham, but ended up a 6-1 losers as the Conference West visitors scored four times in the last 11 minutes to run out comfortable winners.
Younger brother Rory has joined Reading (to coincide with studies at Reading University) and played in his new club's disappointing 0-1 defeat by Teddington.
​Raymond scored the seventh - and his maiden National League goal - as Cardiff & Met ran riot, beating Deeside Ramblers 8-1 in Cheshire - his first competitive match since attaining a First Class honours degree in Sport & Exercise Science in the summer.
Chichester starlet Alex Pendle is now studying at Loughborough and played in the 3-1 win at Cambridge City.  His Chi teammates, meanwhile, lost 2-1 to Harborne.
Tom Croft-Baker and James Harden, both schooled at King Edwards', helped Durham University II beat Barfoot Tigers 3-0 in National Conference North.

Matty Bell (left) notched a hat-trick before Richard Aves (right) scored twice more to give Trojans an emphatic 5-0 win over South League Premier Division neighbours Winchester at Stoneham lane.
Bell scored twice in the opening half and completed his hat-trick early in the second period.   Aves completed the rout with two second half goals.
Former King Edward VI student Bell, who has just begun a three-year Sports Therapy degree course at Chichester University, scored a hat-trick in the corresponding match against Winchester last season, which Trojans won 6-3.
Bell flew to Queensland this summer to sharpen his hockey skills in Brisbane, but played only one match in Brisbane before Aussie lockdown. Fortunately, he was able to swap his hockey stick for a surf board and didn’t waste any moment of his time on the golden beaches of Surfer’s Paradise. 
Bell's hat-trick may have grabbed the headlines, but MoM went to the emerging Toby Dudson, who had an outstanding match in the Trojans defence. Dudson is a former team-mate of Bell's in the KES fifth form.
Winchester, who narrowly avoided relegation last season, managed only one shot on target and look to be headed for another long winter.   Only two penalty corners were forced and the umpires had a card free afternoon.  

Fareham scored four times in the last 11 minutes to beat Cardiff University 6-1 – the result a perfect lift-off for new coach George Harris and his young charges following last season’s relegation to the Western Conference.
The outcome of Fareham’s visit to the Welsh capital hung in the balance on the hour mark as the students tried unsuccessfully to cancel out a 2-1 deficit.
But the wind was taken out of their sails by Chris Davey’s third for Fareham, who went on to score   three more times in the last five minutes to run out comfortable winners. 
Fareham, who won only twice before being relegated from National South last term, found themselves trailing to a sixth minute penalty stroke conversion by KES raised Will Penrose, who spent the last two seasons at Henry Cort and is now studying biology at Cardiff University.
Davey conceded the penalty, blocking a university strike on the line.
It took Fareham a while to emerge from a lethargic start it needed a verbal 'rocket' from Harris at quarter-time to fire them into action.
The coach got the response he was looking for as Portsmouth Grammar School’s Alex Beckett, one of numerous teenagers in the squad, equalized for Fareham in the 23rd minute from a move initiated by Phil Larcombe and shortly before half-time Niall Stott celebrated his comeback from a broken leg by converting a short corner to give the visitors a 2-1 half-time lead.
Fareham weathered a near half-hour Cardiff University spell of pressure before Davey grabbed a crucial third goal, with Larcombe again the provider.
Finishing strongly and emerging the fitter side, Fareham turned the screw and scored three more goals before the final whistle – Beckett getting his second either side of an Alex Boxall brace.  
Beckett might well have christened his debut with a hat-trick but unselfishly set up Fareham's sixth for Boxall.

Havant chairman Chris Pickett has written to England Hockey asking for the 2020/21 National League season to be delayed due to the pandemic.
His concerns are mainly to do with players travelling to and from away games in wet weather without changing rooms being open.
‘It’s not ideal,’ he said, ‘but we have to get on with it. ‘There could also be problems with travelling - in our 2nd XI, for example, there are a lot of youngsters who don’t drive.
‘I would have liked to have seen the league postponed until the new year. We could have played clubs like Fareham, Chichester and Portsmouth rather than travel long distances.’
Havant and their league rivals are allowed to postpone a certain percentage of their games in 2020/21 for Covid-related reasons.
If both teams involved in a game can’t play, they are allowed to agree a 0-0 draw.
If a club postpones more than its allocated percentage, they will have to forfeit each match 3-0.
‘You could see some weird results,’ said Pickett. ‘Frankly, I have grave concerns whether the league will actually be finished.’
Havant enter the new National South season against Southgate at Havant College on Sunday (12.30) with a much-changed squad.
Argentinians Manuel Silvetti and Federico Bertoni and Pakistan international Atiq Arshad have not returned, while Michael Deller-Merricks has joined Basingstoke and Tom Croft-Baker is at university.
In addition, Charlie Stubbings has moved away to Teddington to work and the influential Matt Cox is still waiting for a knee operation and could miss a large chunk of the campaign.
Jakub Janicki, meanwhile, is playing in Berlin this season.
There is a Polish feel to the squad, though, with top goalkeeper Maciej Pacanowski and striker Maciej Janiszewski returning for another season.  They will be joined by new signing and fellow Pole Eryk Bembeneck.
Tahsin Chowdhury, who has played National League hockey for Lichfield, has also signed along with Fareham’s Jamie Rawlings, who had a spell with Reading last season.