U9 Vipers
Rotherfield made a bright start despite the intermittent snow and were unlucky not to go ahead in the first few minutes when an Adam Fearnside strike hit the post; Nick Swan came close a few minutes later but didn't have to wait long to open his account when a close-range effort beat the Burghfield goalie.
Burghfield however showed determination and it wasn't long before they were level. Soon after that, Rotherfield took the lead again when Nick Swan found the net for a second time which is how it stayed until half-time.
Not long after the restart, Burghfield surged forward and found another equalizer. Not to be outdone, Rotherfield soon regained their one goal advantage to make the score 3-2 after Adam Fearnside broke away and tucked the ball past the oncoming keeper. It wasn't long before they were two goals clear when Nick Swan completed his hat-trick with another cool finish.
Burghfield showed spirit and were able to grab a third goal a few minutes later. The game seemed to be made safe for Rotherfield when a great through-ball from Brett Gardner found Jack Stevens who, with his left-foot, calmly slotted the ball past the goalie to make it 5-3. A last minute goal from Burghfield led to a nervy finish, but Rotherfield hung on to win 5-4.
All-in-all, in what was their first ever Hicks league match, both sides played commendably in what was a very entertaining game. The fair-play award was given to Morgan Green after an outstanding second-half defensive performance.
Squad
Owen Lowe, Morgan Green, Jack Williams, Nick Swan, Adam Fearnside, Brett Gardner, Jack Stevens, Kalhan Shah, Liam Ruiz