Men's 3rds claim local bragging rights

The Men's 3rd XI took on their club rivals, the 4th XI, in their penultimate pre-season friendly. The quality of the two teams was a sign of the strength in depth within the club.
Since it was a friendly, the match took the format of three periods instead of the normal two halves.
The first period was evenly contested until a piece of quick-thinking from skipper Neil Manley caught the 4ths napping. His quickly taken free hit led to some confusion in the opposition D and Ethan Smart was on hand to tap in. The 3rds had their tails up and a well-worked short corner saw Tom Ward hit the post. The rebound fell to Ned Wilson but he couldn't tuck it away.
In the second period, the 3rds looked to press home their advantage. A good run by Manley found Dan Carter in space on the right of the circle and he calmly slid the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper. Carter then turned provider and his good work down the right released Geoff Elliott, who had burst forward from midfield. Elliott made no mistake and put the 3rds 3-0 up. However, the 4ths were not giving up and they pulled a goal back.
In the final period of play, the 3rds made a few positional changes but they were still too strong for a tiring 4th team. The icing on the cake came when a Ben York cross was picked up skillfully by Jacob Tattersall who finished with aplomb.
Next week, the 3rds travel to Northampton Saints for their final friendly before the start of the league campaign.