Harris at the double as SOHC Under-16s win well at Isca

Sidmouth and Ottery Hockey Club (SOHC) Under-16 boys took on Isca at Exeter School on Sunday.

The home side made a strong start and adopted a high pressing game that saw them go into an early lead.

The SOHC response was good and they spent much of the remainder of the first half encamped in the Isca half, but, for all their possession and territorial advantage, were unable to find a goal and half-time arrived with that one early goal separating the teams.

SOHC made a bright start to the second half, and, playing with a higher tempo, it was no more than they deserved when, after a period of pressing high up the pitch, Treave Harris took the ball off the Isca centre half and slotted it into the bottom corner of the net.

Once level, SOHC began to play with more confidence and they continued to press the opposition high up the pitch. A number of short corner routines were wasted before, from a well-executed short corner move, Euan Webber applied a clinical far-post finish to fire SOHC into a 2-1 lead.

The Exeter side looked to rally, and came back strongly, but the SOHC back line closed ranks with real discipline and a terrific win was sealed when Harris worked himself into space before drilling home his second goal of the game to complete the scoring.

This was a fine all-round performance from the Under-16s, who have shown real development during the current campaign. One thing that is clearly helping is the experience the team are gathering from playing in the senior game.

All the players on parade at Isca have already made appearances in senior hockey for SOHC – four of them have turned out for the club’s 1st XI – and there’s little doubt that the continued development of this team augers so well for the future of the men’s teams at SOHC.