Okehampton 4

Torbay 4

THE hockey game started positively with the home side moving the ball around and looking the more threatening against fourth placed Torbay.

Mark Parsons for Okehampton missed a couple of opportunities and the away side took advantage after a bit of a scramble with a flick past keeper Andy Harvey to take the lead. The visitors doubled their advantage when a short corner was deflected in. Okehampton rallied and pushed forward and after some good work the ball fell to Luke Miller who was impeded from shooting and awarded a penalty flick. Miller stepped up and slotted the ball home. The home side equalised with a short corner routine as Miller faked a drag flick and slotted the ball to Parsons who slotted home at the second attempt.

However the visitors regained the lead with a tap-in at the far post. Again the hosts rallied and within a minute they were equal again — in a move involving Greg Williams, Rob Hall, Andy Paterson and Parsons leading to Chris Luxton, who expertly rounded the keeper and scored the third.

Half time came as Harvey dug the home side out of trouble but with a blow to Williams ankle he could no longer continue.

The second half saw the game tighten up and the home side were forced into defensive changes with Mark Bingham replacing the injured Williams and Luke Liversidge with a broken thumb replacing Will Cooper; Ed Howard also replacing the superb Lewis Day.

Oke looked good from the start but failed to break through and then lost their way for the next 15 minutes and up conceding a superb goal which keeper Harvey could do little about. This inspired the home side to push again and after winning a short corner Parsons slammed the ball in past the keeper at his near post to equalise.

Torbay pressed for a winner and thought they had it when their forward went round the keeper and rolled it across the area towards the goal but there was Liversidge to clear the danger.

Okehampton attacked again and won a short corner but this time Parsons shot was brilliantly tipped around the post and away from man of the match Hall's stick for a long corner.

The whistle came soon after and a fair result as both teams could have easily won it at the end.