Horsham men’s hockey side set for indoor bow after being crowned kings of the county

The narrow defeat ended a run of three straight wins and came against a side coached by former Horsham coach Sam Naismith.

The hosts took their chances with a third and killer goal coming just after half-time.

Horsham missed a penalty flick but player/coach Dom Male’s strike from open play at least gave them a consolation.

Player John Burroughs said: “It was a case of them taking their chances really.”

The side are playing at their highest ever level this season and Burroughs added: “We are holding our own and we’re yet to play as well as we can over a consistent basis, something we’ll work on when we come back in January.”

In the meantime the men’s side is making its first ever venture into indoor hockey, and got off to a blinding start earlier this month by being crowned Sussex champions.

Playing in the county round on Sunday December 8 against far higher ranked opposition, Horsham blew away their rivals to top the standings playing five-a-side.

A 3-1 win over Eastbourne was followed by a 6-2 thrashing of Chichester. Then with the score at 3-3 against Lewes, Horsham had two players yellow carded, leaving only two outfield players for five minutes. Still Burroughs and Richard Blakesley let in just one goal, and back to full quota they miraculously ran out 7-4 winners. They topped the pile despite a final defeat to Brighton, and the reward is a place in the South Regional competition this Saturday in Southampton.