Sevenoaks approached the last game of the season looking to end the season on a high. The visitors, Team Bath Buccaneers, came to Hollybush off the back of a strong second half of the season, buoyed by the addition of former Great Britain captain Adam Dixon.
A rousing pre-match team talk from coach Ian Haley got the team up for the game, knowing that tactical nouse and team synergy cultivated from a good run of form would more than counter Bath's individual brilliance. This sentiment was plain to see in a dominant first quarter in which Oaks penetrated Bath's D on a number of occasions. Stellar zonal pressing from the midfield core of Morton, C. Barker, van Wyk, Thomas and Warrington minimised the impact of Bath's stars. Composed outletting from Palmer and his defensive unit eventually resulted in a nice move in a which Warrington had the presence of mind to send the ball flying into the corridor of uncertainty, in which an unsuspecting Bath defender deflected the ball into the back of the net. 1-0 Sevenoaks. Bath tried to rally but a fantastic save from a diving Richard Potton from a Bath penalty corner kept it at 1-0 heading into the break.
Despite a strong start to the game from Sevenoaks, Bath looked to gain a stronghold in the second quarter. A lack of patience from the men in purple led to a number of opportunities for the South West side and eventually, Bath equalised through a short corner from their star man Dixon.
Half time gave Oaks an opportunity to settle and get their minds right, and they reaped the benefits early in the third quarter, creating a number of chances, only to be denied a flurry of good saves by the Bath goalkeeper. Despite some Daley-esque theatrics from Morton resulting in penalty corners for Sevenoaks, the stalemate continued deep into the 4th quarter until a nice move involving Walton and McLeod resulted in the ball popping up perfectly for Ross to put home with an upright backhand. Resolute defence from the Sevenoaks backline and relentless pressure from Ross et al up front saw the mighty Purple close out the game, and put a full stop to a positive end to the 2021/22 season. The boys are looking forward to a summer break before linking back up in preseason and looking to build upon this year.