A tough but enjoyable day out in Maidstone for the 3’s, but it did not start well. Our 13-man midweek squad turned into 8 come 2pm on Saturday, the legal minimum for a game. So it was going to be backs to the wall stuff all game.

Maidstone agreed we could play one offside, which was very generous, so Horowitz played lone attack and Gardener kept Colin company at the back. The rest of us ran hard up and down the pitch trying to negate our 2-man disadvantage.

And what a performance considering the circumstances. We have been here before, in the opening game at Northampton, so we have some tactics to avoid a cricket score.

Although Maidstone scored two quick goals, catching the Spencer defence stone cold, Park and Cassels got two back before the end of the 1st quarter. Park was again superb at face-off, winning pretty much all of it, even when surrounded by the red masses. Cassels, playing his second game in Spencer colours, was Spencer’s main shooting threat and missed the corners by whiskers a number of times.

Spencer’s Gardener, Rule & Gooch played long-stick but a meaty check from Gooch early in the game broke his shaft clean in two, so out came the spare short stick and Spencer played most of the game with only two defensive poles.

Spencer old-boy Keegan made his first appearance of the season and got straight back into the groove, and should of scored with an open shot from the crease which was well saved.

Maidstone scored plenty late in the game as the Spencer legs tired but from what we saw today, when the Spencer 3’s have their core players available, things will be much different when they travel to London in March.

Quarter Scores: 3-2 / 4-2 / 6-2 / 10-2

Spencer III’s were;
Colin Byrne, Toby Rule, Glen Gardener, Rob Gooch, Gavin Park (1 goal), Leigh Keegan, Ed Cassels (1) and Sam Horowitz