Rocha sisters lead Highbury Korfball Club to victory over Bec 3

Making three changes to his starting line up, head coach Andrew Speck brought in Portuguese pair Ana Rocha and Tiago Almeida, alongside last week’s hero Niccola Hyslop.Highbury raced into an early 4-0 lead thanks to two goals apiece from the Rocha sisters, while Moses Hutchinson-Pascal put in a dominating display at the back. Despite this, the home side had a number of escapes, with Bec failing to capitalise on no fewer than eight free passes in the game.

The defensive dominance was laying the path for a Highbury victory, and Hyslop made it count at the attacking of the field as she made it 5-0.

Bec finally got on the scoresheet through a diagonal long shot from Michael Spencer - the first of three almost identical goals he would score in the game.

However, Highbury’s Dutch player Marrit Nijmeijer scored a double to extend the lead to 7-1 at half-time, and the home side were seemingly coasting to victory.

The second half started frantically and the two sides traded goals, with Bec reducing the deficit to just four goals at 8-4 - Matt Dodds scoring for Highbury.

The next goal was crucial, and it was Hyslop who got it, following up a free pass from Ana Rocha – and Dodds then claimed his second goal.

Highbury seemed to be out of reach but Bec rallied, scoring three goals in the blink of an eye to bring the score back to 10-7.

Calmed by a time-out from coach Speck, the hosts kept their heads to seal the win they craved, with Dodds and Sara Rocha both completing their hat-tricks to ensure that Bec’s final salvo was too little too late.

Speck said: “I was really pleased with the team performance. It was always going to be a tough and physical match but the players kept their heads, got the early lead and maintained it.

“In the second half we were challenged for the lead a number of times, but the hat-trick from Matt Dodds helped give everyone the confidence to close out the game for a well-deserved win.”