This fixture produced a 4-4 draw last season and once again these two team produced a pulsating game of hockey that either side could have won but ultimately a wonder strike from Ben Hedley with 8 minutes to go settled the contest. Caradon started brightly a forced an early short corner that came to nothing but from their second one a few minutes later the Caradon Captain David Lockett struck it into the right hand corner. Half way through the half the lead was doubled as a strike on goal was stopped on the line by the defenders foot and young Ben Hedley dispatched the penalty flick into the roof of the net. Penzance slowly started to gain a foothold in the match and from open play they worked the ball into the D and scoped an early shot which wrong footed George Rowe in goal to bring the score back to 2-1 which is how it remained until half time. Penzance had a sustained period of pressure early in the second half and were soon level and then as the David Lockett was sin binned for 2 minutes Penzance capitalised from the short corner to go ahead for the first time in the game. The young Caradon side did not let there heads go down and as the game entered the last 15 minutes Caradon started to exert more pressure with Lockett moving further forward. This provided the equaliser as the ball came back to him at the top of the D where he quickly dragged it back into the left hand corner. Within a couple of minutes Caradon were back ahead as Jack Rowe was ideally positioned in front of the keeper to capitalise on a rebound and although the keeper got a stick on it there was just enough pace on the ball for it to cross the line. Penzance set up a grandstand finish by bring the scores level from another short corner but Caradon were not to be denied as Ben Hedley baged the best goal of the game with 5 minutes remaining as he drifted wide and then drilled the ball into an empty goal on his reverse stick from a tight angle. Rapper Tamblin was named man of the match for his work at the back and excellent distribution. Next up sees Caradon on the road for the first time with a tough trip to Duchy as they look to keep their unbeaten start to the season going.
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