It was a wild and windy day as Henley travelled down south to face Fareham. The game started strong, with Henley determined to make their long drive worth it. The forwards were quick off the mark to close down play, while Billie Moore held firm in defence, sweeping up loose balls at the back, however it was Fareham that struck first, putting one in the net.

Going 1-0 down only fuelled Henley’s fire and not long after, Emma Joseph stepped up at a short corner and delivered a lovely slap straight into the back corner — exactly the boost Henley needed to equalise. With fire in their bellies, Henley pressed on.

Lucy Wiseman, positioned at the top of the D, connected and with a silky deflection from Charlotte Hetherington that sent the ball crashing into the left post, Henley were 2-1 up. Henley had their lead and at the half-time team talk, the task was clear: hold on to the advantage.

Unfortunately, a series of events swung momentum back to Fareham. Confusion reigned when the umpires carded Henley’s No.19 — a player who didn’t exist. The mix up was sorted but was followed shortly after by another card, when Moore was shown green for not getting five, leaving the defence unsettled.

With Henley’s structure knocked off balance, Fareham capitalised, converting two short corners to reclaim the lead. In the final quarter Henley dug deep, keeping Fareham out of the D and breaking quickly on the counter. Despite some promising fast breaks, they struggled to convert, and the final whistle blew with the score at 3-2 to Fareham.