Six-shooting City of Peterborough Hockey Club open their National League account in great style

It was a decisive and deserved win for the hosts who dominated throughout, apart from a mini-wobble towards the end of the third period when the visitors pulled two goals back from short corners to make it 3-2.

But City of Peterborough regrouped and finished strongly. Six different players scored with four goals arriving from an open play. The win lifted City off the bottom of the table and given them fresh hope they can escape relegation from the second tier of English hockey.

Matt Porter blasted City in front midway through the second period before Ben Newman made it 2-0 in the third quarter, converting a close-range volley at the far post as Nick Beattie’s shot looked to be heading wide. It was a pleasing moment for Newman who had received a red card when the teams met on the opening day of the season.

Paul Hillsdon’s fierce short corner strike looked to have wrapped the points up, but Cambridge rallied and scored from two of the three short corners they won in the space of three minutes.

The end of the third period arrived at a good time for City and they powered clear in the final quarter-of-an-hour. The impressive Alex Boxall and Matt Goodley both netted from close range either side of a penalty stroke converted by skipper Joe Finding, who had earlier struck the post from a short corner, after Goodley had been upended by the visiting goalkeeper.