Men's 2s Claim South West Division 1 Title
Posted by Stuart Richardson on 25 February 2019
Duchy's Men's 2nd XI overcame a stern test at the hands of Plymouth Marjon D to record a 3-2 win and, coupled with a win for East Devon B over O.P.M. A, seal the South West 1 title with four games to spare.
In a closely contested encounter, Duchy started on the back foot as the young Plymouth side executed a good press and hassled the league leaders. Duchy frequently relinquished possession and after several near-misses from the home side eventually paid the price when Marjon smashed home a sublime dragflick from a penalty corner to lead 1-0.
It took until the final ten minutes of the half for Duchy to gain a foothold in the game with improved passing and ball retention; however the equaliser came from a moment of brilliance from Max Chippett, who cut in from the byline and - after beating two Marjon defenders - lashed in a reverse stick effort from the egde of the circle which cannonned off both uprights before finding the net.
Half time allowed Duchy to re-set and the second half saw a more organised performance, although the match was still largely end-to-end with Marjon posing a constant threat. Two goals mid-way through the half - both from Martin Crump - would ultimately seal the win, with Crump first smahing home a rebound from his own saved shot before taking the lead to 3-1 four minutes later after guiding home a Rick Searle pass from point blank range.
With five minutes remaining the home side halved the arrears, firing home a well worked goal for 3-2 to make for a tense ending to the match. Duchy clung on, and with third-placed East Devon B recording their own 3-2 victory over second placed O.P.M. A, Duchy were assured of the title.
There now remain four league matches for Duchy to negotiate in search of the holy grail of an undeafeated season.
