Beeston Under 18s progressed to the second round of the England Hockey U18 Cup with a good 3-1 win away at Repton Hockey Club. Having won the competition for the last two years, Beeston faced a tough opening game in their first match of the season against the newly formed Repton club.
Having moved the game to a Wednesday evening to help both sides put out full teams, Beeston started the game well, playing with pace and precision and opening up a number of good chances in the early stages.
<p”>It was the home side that struck first though, when a deflected shot from a penalty corner found its way into the Beeston goal. The team were not rattled though, and quickly responded with a goal from Alice Huddlestone to level the scores.
Just before half time, Beeston took the lead when Abi Rawlins tucked the ball home at the far post following a penalty corner.
Beeston played some excellent hockey in the second period, but with Repton loading players behind the ball, space was at a premium. Chances still flowed though, and the home side would have been thankful for a good display by their goalkeeper. In the end, Beeston did kill the game off with a second goal from Huddlestone in the later stages and move the team through into the second round.