Fareham Ladies’ 1s completed their season last Monday when they fell just short in their attempt to to retain the Hampshire Cup – losing 1-0 to Basingstoke in the final at Down Grange. The home side gained their revenge after Fareham’s 4-1 victory over them in last year’s final.

SEMI-FINAL

The quest to defend the cup began three weeks earlier with a home semi-final against Southampton. This was also a repeat of the same fixture last season although the result was much closer than last year’s 7-0 victory. This time ZOE STRIDE scored the only goal of the match (against her former team), finishing from close range after a cross from the right in the 52nd minute.

The 1-0 scoreline did not give a true reflection of the game. The home side dominated possession but lacked some sharpness in their finishing and was unable to convert the majority of the chances to score. Fareham ‘won’ the penalty corner battle 12-1 with Southampton’s solitary PC coming in the last five minutes. Nevertheless, whilst the score remained close there was always hope for the visitors. However Sophia Barclay was well prepared when called upon to make any saves as she preserved the clean sheet.

FINAL

Although there was a brief shower earlier in the afternoon there was fortunately no repeat of last year’s torrential rain which lasted all day. The drier weather was welcome but it was a chilly Bank Holiday afternoon, in sharp contrast to the warm weather of the previous week.

Fareham’s squad of 14 for the final included Leah Payne who had returned in time to play in the semi-final and the side also featured Alice Appleford, Louisa Palmer, Eve Davies and Imogen Lewis. They had all appeared for the 1s in the league this season but were also important members of the 2s side that had reached the semi-final of the Hampshire Trophy.

The final was a tight contest with both sides making it hard for the opposition to carve out chances. Unfortunately Basingstoke did not put their team sheet online so identification of their players is limited. After a cagey start it was the ‘home’ side who came closest to opening the scoring in the 8th minute when a high cross from the right was volleyed at goal but somehow Sophia was in position to make an instinctive point-blank save. The ball was then trapped under her as it bounced down near the goal line, leading to the first penalty corner of the contest.

Fareham responded within a minute and a shot from the right of the area, by Jenny Sinclair, towards the far corner was saved leading to Fareham’s first PC. More pressure brought two more PCs for the holders – the first after good work by Lois Haigh and then the second came from a cross from the right by Zoe Stride after Imogen Lewis had set up the chance.

The best opportunity of the half fell to Sarah Atkinson who just failed to make contact when presented with a chance in front of goal. The first half finished with a PC for the visitors as Alicia Salter’s cross set up a shot on goal which was saved by the keeper on the goal line.

With no goals in the first half it looked like it might require something out of the ordinary to break the deadlock. The second half began in much the same fashion as the first with both defences holding the upper hand but in the 37th minute Basingstoke made the breakthrough. They won a free hit just outside the ‘D’ and a quick pass caught Fareham slightly off guard as CLAIRE BOWMAN found herself in enough space to turn and hit a reverse strike into the far corner.

Although only two minutes after the break, the goal was to dictate the pattern of play for most of the remainder of the game. Fareham had by far the majority of the possession as they looked to create opportunities to draw level but they found it difficult to break down the red wall of Basingstoke defenders. Despite switching the play from one side of the pitch to the other and several threatening runs, particularly from Lauren Beagrie, clear cut opportunities in front of goal proved illusive.

A dangerous run down the right set up a Fareham PC in the 50th minute which created a half chance for Alicia Salter but the first touch was a little heavy and the chance was gone. More dangerous runs, including when Eve Davies cut in from the left side, brought Fareham close to the ‘D’ but they could not find the key to unlock the Basingstoke defence.

With five minutes remaining Sophia was taken off the pitch but unfortunately the advantage of an extra outfield player did not last long as a yellow card reduced our numbers shortly afterwards. Despite this setback there was still time for two more Fareham PCs in the final couple of minutes but unfortunately they did not result in a goal and as the final whistle blew our hold on the cup was relinquished.

It was a disappointing result but nobody could fault the Fareham effort and commitment, particularly in the second half as they tried to get back on level terms. We had the majority of the possession throughout the game but just could not create enough clear cut opportunities. Credit is due to Basingstoke. Although under a lot of pressure at times they managed to create a couple of strong goalscoring opportunities and they were able to convert one of them into the winning goal.

In the last three seasons we have been very successful and it is disappointing that we haven’t won a trophy this year. However, it is easy to forget that prior to 2023 we had never achieved as much as we have this year. We finished the season as runners-up in the league and the cup. Considering the challenges we have faced that has been a remarkable achievement.

This was the final game in charge for Steve Lemon. Thank you once again Lemmo for everything you have done. The baton is now passed on to Joe Caine who has been helping us on the touchline in recent games and who will now take over as our new coach.