It was a glorious day at the Hawks Nest, with a hotly anticipated double header for the Men's and Ladies' 1st XIs, before the opening of Connie’s bar, and a chance for the entire club to honour a legend.

The Ladies got the day off to a fine start with a 2-1 win against Wayfarers, before the Men took on East Grinstead, looking to bounce back from their opening day defeat away to Reigate last week.

And bounce back they did, with a hard-fought 3-1 win against a resilient East Grinstead side. The match was always set to be a closely contested affair. It was the away side who looked to be in control in the early stages of the match, immediately pressing the Hawks and controlling possession in key areas.

But the Hawks remained disciplined and stuck to their gameplan, frustrating the away side who couldn’t find a way to break down the home defence. The deadlock was broken by Joe Jones who opened the scoring in sensational fashion. Jones spotted the goalkeeper slightly off his line as the ball was delivered into the D, and with remarkable composure and technique, he lofted the ball over the keeper from an impossibly tight angle, giving the Hawks a deserved 1-0 lead. It was a goal worthy of any highlight reel and set the Hawks on their way.

The Hawks then doubled their advantage before the break. Joe James, demonstrating his excellent vision, picked out debutant Ollie Cavalheiro-Schofield with a perfectly weighted pass. Cavalheiro-Schofield, in his first game for the Hawks, showed no signs of nerves as he coolly slotted home with a deft touch to make it 2-0. It was a dream debut for the young forward, who is showing his desire to cement his place in the Hawks forward line.

The second half saw East Grinstead push forward with more intent, but the Hawks' backline dealt confidently with any pressure, while the midfield continued to dictate the tempo. Having scored the opener, Joe Jones was masterminding the midfield, dictating play, and releasing Alex Taylor to work his magic. The Hawks' control was then rewarded when they earned a penalty stroke, Frankie Macis drawing a foul inside the D. With a 97% conversion rate from the spot, Skipper Matthew Chappell made no mistake, firing his flick into the bottom corner to give the Hawks a commanding 3-0 lead.

East Grinstead were able to get a goal back through a penalty flick of their own shortly after, but the Hawks remained unphased, controlling possession and slowing the game down to prevent East Grinstead from building any momentum.

The final stages of the match saw the Hawks manage the game expertly to secure all three points. It was a performance full of character and promise, with several standout moments. Jones’ audacious lob, Cavalheiro-Schofield’s memorable debut, and Dan Littlefair leading the backline will give the team plenty of confidence moving forward.

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