In the final match before the half term break Fareham faced their sternest test so far when they travelled to play against a Basingstoke side that also came into the match on maximum points. The late withdrawal, through injury, of Alicia Salter left the visitors with a squad of 14 and her presence was definitely missed, particularly in the second half when the home side was applying a lot of pressure.

The opening fifteen minutes of the game was a close contest with both sides looking for an opening. The visitors had most of the early territorial advantage but Basingstoke also looked dangerous when they got forward.

The first good chance fell to Fareham in the 18th minute when Gracie Coleman created a chance for Lauren Beagrie but her shot was saved brilliantly by Gemma Carswell in the Basingstoke goal.

Fareham took the lead five minutes later. SARAH ATKINSON intercepted a pass across the top of the ‘D’ and finished ruthlessly, smashing a fierce shot into the bottom left corner.

The home side hit back and came close to drawing level in the 28th minute. Sophia Barclay came to the rescue, diving amongst a mass of bodies to hook the ball clear before a shot came in from the edge of the area, passing just wide.

Moments later Fareham won a penalty corner in the 29th minute and doubled their advantage. AIMEE TIMMS' initial shot was hit low but it caught a deflection off a defender’s stick and looped high over the defenders on the line and passed just under the crossbar. Although there was a measure of good fortune in the way the goal was scored it was nevertheless deserved.

With a 2-0 lead Fareham had a strong grip on the game. However, Basingstoke won a penalty corner in the final seconds of the half, knowing that a goal could potentially change the momentum of the match. That duly happened as a shot from captain CLAIRE BOWMAN halved the deficit.

Basingstoke began the second half with their tails up as they looked to level the score. The pattern after the break involved long periods when one side put the opposition under pressure before momentum shifted and the roles were reversed.

Fareham found themselves under siege for most of the opening fifteen minutes of the half. Despite this the closest to a goal came two minutes after the break when a shot was stopped on the line by Aimee Timms, leading to a long corner. Although opportunities for the home side were relatively limited they were very effective in keeping the visitors trapped in their own half as they struggled to find an outlet pass to relieve the pressure.

Finally it looked like Fareham had ridden out the difficult spell and they in turn had a period when they were camped on the edge of the Basingstoke area. It was only a brief recovery though before the home side applied more pressure.

Sophia Barclay did well to divert a shot wide with her foot in the 57th minute after a PC but the pressure finally told in the 59th minute when ELLEN KNIGHTON scored from a penalty corner to make the score 2-2.

Briefly Basingstoke maintained the initiative as they looked for a winner but in the final five minutes the momentum shifted again. The game finished with Fareham forcing three consecutive penalty corners in the final couple of minutes but they couldn’t find a winning goal either and the teams had to settle for a point each.

A draw was probably the right result although both sides will have felt that they had done enough to snatch a win. Fareham will have been disappointed that they let a two goal lead slip but the home team had the better of the game after the break. Nevertheless a point each ensured that both teams remain unbeaten and did not lose any ground to their rivals. Despite this Reading 3s have now overtaken both sides, moving to the top of the table after their fifth win.

On Saturday Fareham have another away fixture against Salisbury (11.30) where we will be hoping to pick up the winning thread once again.