Ben Hoggan reports: "Another threatening performance proved not to be enough for Brighton & Hove on Saturday evening as Wimbledon 2s took all three points back up to south west London.

On the bottom Blatchington pitch, relatively unfamiliar to the home side, Wimbledon started strongly by winning a penalty corner almost immediately. It was defended well and Brighton got back into their habit of starting games assertively. However, where in the last four games a goal had come inside the first eight minutes, this time Brighton left the scoresheet unmarked.

Good pressure on the Wimbledon circle led to good chances, but none were taken. A penalty corner went unconverted and a reverse shot from between the penalty spot and the goal somehow found its way over the crossbar. The clinical touch that was missing at Tunbridge Wells had not found its way to Blatchington either.

In the second quarter, WImbledon found their way in the game and built some strong attacks. Brighton’s defence remained resolute until the 27th minute; a long corner was taken quickly by Wimbledon - too quickly for the defending side - and a shot from the top of the circle was finished by Sam Sharpe, who found the deciding touch. The home side were 1-0 down for the first time since September.

Clearly their unusual position shook the home side up, as they fired themselves into a counterattack just a minute later. Overloading the Wimbledon defence, the ball was fed through to Juan Sosa on the left side of the circle. Without hesitation he continued his scoring form by threading a sharp reverse across the goal and into the side netting.

With scores level, the rest of the half was played mostly between the circles, with chances rare for both sides. Having shown good quality at times, recent matches have seen Brighton’s poor patches have cost them possession, goals and points. The game had been an even one, but in the third quarter, Wimbledon asserted control on the game. Limiting counterattacking chances for Brighton and maintaining good high pressure culminated in a Wimbledon penalty corner in the final stages of the third quarter.

After an initial save from Chris Borsoi, the ball was played to the top right shoulder of the circle, falling to an attacking player. A miscued hit found its way wide of the near post, before Sam Sharpe stepped in again to deflect and notch his second goal of the game.

Going into the final quarter a goal down the home side battled hard and created a number of chances but the clinical edge was still missing. Topped hits from the top of the circle, reverse shots off target and a Wimbledon defence extremely deep in their own half meant that the home side were unable to breach the one goal deficit and their unbeaten run was over.

Wimbledon played well for their win, but Brighton will have that same feeling as last week: their best is yet to come and it could have come in that game.

They go into next Sunday’s fixture with good momentum in terms of performances, they will hope they can begin to craft some good results to match in the lead up to the Christmas break. The support on Saturday night was brilliant and it would be fantastic to see the same numbers on the sideline next Sunday at 1.30pm as Spencer HC visit Blatchington."

EHL Conference East week 7 results: London Wayfarers 2 Bromley & Beckenham 2, Spencer 3 Tunbridge Wells 2, Brighton & Hove 1 Wimbledon 2, West Herts 0 Hampstead & Westminster 5, Surbiton 2 Old Cranleighan 1.

BHHC 3s 7
Horsham 3s 1

Andrew Bromley reports: "The M3 faced Horsham M3 following two matches where the points achieved hadn't matched the BHHC dominance. Thankfully, this match was a fairer return.

A good start as most of the lads turned up either on time or nearly on time, which for a squad of mostly teenagers is impressive. Perhaps the 3pm pb assisted with that. In the knowledge that the match prior was running 20 minutes behind, we had a leisurely warm up and ran through the plans. Old Man Bromley was also able to explain his ongoing issues with moths and that we should really try to do everything possible to avoid being classified as so.

After a brief warm up, Captain Theo led his troops out against the 10 men of Horsham. Within two minutes one of the Horsham lads got hit on the knee and spent the next 68 minutes hobbling around (sorry about that!).

Needless to say, we played decent hockey (I'd be somewhat concerned if we didn't!). Chopper Hatton had recovered from his back strain from the week prior and was moving the ball round the back well with B-Road and Ninja. Full backs President, Calvinho and Fraz both attacked and defended with purpose, although Fraz did win himself a green triangle for not getting five from an aerial.

As the half progressed, our engine room of Skipper, Nim, Buzz and Woody took complete control and freed up Louis Patel, Pagey and Angry Ben for efforts on goals. Louis had clearly not listened to Bromley's three-hour seminar on 'not hitting the ball at the GK' and smashed the ball straight down the middle of the goal. Bromley was mentally scribbling down Louis on his DoD voting slip but luckily for Louis it went in. Goals were then scored by Jacob and skipper Theo, with the best effort belonging to the man in the armband.

Half time was calm and focussed on moving the ball with pace and purpose, aggressively pressing and keeping a clean sheet. After a slow start to the half we were back to scoring ways with Louis getting himself back on the scoresheet. Five minutes later Nimble Nim had his first with a drag flick cunningly not aimed at the goalkeeper! Who would've guessed that this was a smart move?

Mylo then scored an excellent breakaway goal which included breaking the sound barrier due to his extreme pace! Nim then returned to wrap things up with his second and our seventh. Horsham did have the odd foray into our half but they were well dealt with by the defence. Horsham won one corner which Bromley saved, making his cost per touch approximately £2.75.

Voting was a cagey affair as there was a mystery accessory provided for the DoD to wear. Some tactical voting took place which saw Frazer adorn a fetching burnt orange beret. Sacre bleu monsieur, le petit triangle vert m'a valu un béret! MoM went to Louis for his goals but on award you could hear old man Bromley grumping to himself about something to do with moths!

Some of the lads had a social and watched the M1 match. They then decided to chop up some pints (Champion = Chopper Hat, obviously!), have an arm wrestle (Armband was victorious) and practice their parkour (no comment Your Honour). None of the aforementioned is wise if you want to avoid A&E on a Saturday night and like your jeans in an 'un-ripped' style!

Worthing 6s 1
BHHC 10s 1

Simon Smith reports: "Tantric hockey is a practice derived from the spiritual traditions of Tantra, a philosophical and ritualistic system originating in ancient India and Tibet. Tantra itself encompasses a wide array of practices and beliefs, many of which focus on mindfulness, energy flow and the union of opposites. In the context of M10’s hockey, tantric practices are often centred around creating a deeper connection with one's marker, enhancing intimacy and prolonging sporting pleasure.

On Saturday as the MXs took to the field they were very mindful, mostly of nature. There was some energy flow, but not very much, and the union of opposites was represented by the more senior members of the team saying one thing and then doing precisely the other. Seeking enlightenment in this way can lead one to expand into the limitless energy of the universal field, by running around pointlessly, or seeking to find your centre within the matrix of divine stillness, by standing completely still at set pieces. Sometimes players are seen to embrace ritual chanting: “Transfer”, “Skills”, “Man On” and “who is marking 102?” can often be heard.

Key to successful tantric hockey is slowing down the pace, and not rushing. Sudden movement is discouraged.

Worthing 6s have yet to attain sublime awareness. Too soon they were able to detach from the illusion of the material plane and bask in the essence of pure nirvana, by scoring from a penalty corner. It was a bit annoying, but the MXs responded by aligning our chakras and ascending into multi-dimensional frequency. By anchoring our energy into the Earth’s crystalline grid and attuning to the sacred geometry of the universe within, embracing the duality of existence and merging with the infinite whole, we awakened to the galactic consciousness and reclaimed our starseed heritage, eventually.

Let me explain. Tantra often encourages delaying activity to sustain the energetic connection, enhancing pleasure and creating a more intense fulfilment when it finally arrives. This practice is known as "edging". For the MXs edging is about getting close to reaching the peak, hitting the high note and finding bliss … but failing….. by endless whiff waffing about in the opposition’s D. For nearly 70 minutes we edged without even attempting to shoot, never mind reaching the nirvana or cashing out by putting the ball in the opposition's goal. Tantric Hockey.

But Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh when it came! Down the left, infield, one touch, back to the wing, a divine square ball from Dreaders and Will, who fortunately always wears tights for outdoor sports, was able to contain himself just long enough to steer the ball into the net.

A 1-1 draw. But once again the MXs prove themselves to be the team to beat. By allowing our heart chakras to open, and radiating unconditional love to all beings ... and one day finding a finisher."

Other results

BHHC 2s 1 Lewes 1s 5
BHHC 4s 6 Lewes 3s 1
Crowborough 1s 4 BHHC 5s 1
BHHC 6s 5 Worthing 3s 1
BHHC 7s 6 Crowborough 2s 1
BHHC 8s 5 Crawley 4s 0 (walkover)
Crowborough 3s 1 BHHC 9s 1