‘Difficult’ campaign ends in cup success
Relegated Havant defeat Fareham to win Hampshire Cup final
Havant Hockey Club men's head coach Warren Gilmour says lifting Hampshire Cup silverware was the ideal ending to an incredibly 'tough' season.
The club's first-team defeated Fareham 3-2 in a thrilling final showdown at Basingstoke to secure county cup glory.
It was success which arrived for Havant on the back of finishing rooted to the bottom of the Division 1 South standings and suffering relegation to the Conference West.
Zimbabwean Gilmour took on head coach responsibilities in the new year, as Havant won three and drew one of their final five league fixtures - which included a victory at champions Reading - but were still unable to avoid the drop.
However, Gilmour was pleased to see the hard work and commitment of his players rewarded with some cup glory.
‘It was difficult (season as a whole). Momentum is a word that is used quite a lot in sport but we just didn't get off to a very good start, the confidence starts to dip and the momentum goes away from you,’ he said.
‘The performances were always fairly decent but we just didn't seem to get a ride of luck.
‘At the end of the day, you obviously finish where you deserve to finish, but in the second half of the season performances definitely picked up.
‘Obviously it's been a very tough season for Havant in a number of ways, so it was nice for the guys to finish off the campaign in a good way, getting that silverware. It just showed that we are a good side, even though it has been a very tough season.’
Jamie Rawlings' double strike either side of half-time had appeared to put Havant on the way to a final victory.
Yet Fareham were not going down without a fight, pulling the score back to 2-2, before Maciej Janiszewski grabbed the winner with a converted penalty stroke. Gilmour added: ‘It was a good game, games against Fareham are always tough, obviously it’s a derby and you're playing against a lot of colleagues and friends you know.
‘It was a bit of a nervy finish. I always thought we had enough in the tank but you never know on these cup final days.
n Havant Ladies’ firstteam were beaten 8-1 by a rampant Trojans side in the Hampshire Ladies Cup final at Basingstoke.