Hawkin's hat trick galvanises Meads

AFC Premier Division - Old Meadonians 5  Clapham Old Xaverians 2

Old Meadonians’ striker Colin Hawkins bounced back from an injury which has kept him out for six weeks and Meads on a goal drought to score a scintillating hatful and put an end to the aspirations of Clapham Old Xaverians’ Old Boys’ cup hopes at Riverside Lands on Saturday.

The eager but somewhat naïve visitors, unbeaten this season and leading the division two below their hosts, found that, not only was Meads’ defence, which has kept them afloat up to now, as obdurate as ever, but that their resurgent attack, with Hawkin’s partner Ed Glover rejuvenated, now siphoned both ball and mid-field support to form a strangle hold which was impossible to break.

Although still lacking four from the squad this was Meads almost back to their commanding form of last year as the ball was calmly relayed form deep to where Hawkins and Glover were ranging hungrily. On fifteen minutes, hesitation in the visitors defence allowed Hawkins leaping scissor kick to squeeze in at the near post and five minutes later Dwayne Rhone’s pace and anticipation saw him beating all comers to slide a cross from the right under the keeper.

The second half saw no let up as, ten minutes in, the opportunistic Hawkins lashed in a loose ball to make it three. Hawkins hat trick came with the best of the lot as he drifted in from the right and from twenty five yards put a cracker into the far top corner. Young sub Albert Adomah came on with twenty to go and added to Clapham’s woe by putting number five from the edge of the area. As Meads uncharacteristically relaxed the visitors took two late goals as reward for their dogged persistence.

Team: Greening, McCombe, Williamson, Hanley, Lovell, Costello, Kearney, Quinn, (Cope), Rhone, Glover, (Adomah), Hawkins.

David Stanners

November 8, 2005