Colchester 5 Bourne 3

Premier B

Colchester 5 Bourne 3

Colchester carried on their good pre-season form to beat Bourne on the opening game of the new season.

The hosts were slow out of the blocks however and it was the visitors who had the first meaningful chances as Colchester failed to settle and resorted to long balls out of defence.

After the visitors had a goal disallowed for a penalty corner strike being too high, Colchester began to come into the game and reduced the length of the passing with devastating effect.

Once the home side got into the groove of short slick passing, it wasn't long before their endeavours paid off.

With quarter of an hour gone the home side had taken the lead when Matt Low picked the ball up just in side the Colchester half, dribbled down the left, passed low through to Matt Brown who slid the ball past the advancing keeper.

Colchester had soon doubled their advantage when Simon Collins' through ball found Mark Kennedy who drove to the goal line before cutting the ball back to James Ashton. Ashton's first shot was saved by the keeper, but he made no mistake from the resulting rebound.

Colchester continued to pick up the pace as they looked to drive home their advantage, Collins missed a chance from Kennedy's cross and Craig Warriner fired over on the reverse.

Colchester's third came after Collins had driven at the heart of the Bourne defence, winning a free hit just inside the 25.

A quick free hit found Ashton in space in the 'D', his shot rebounded out to Rohan Khaira whose cross found an advancing Collins, who swept the ball into the bottom corner.

Colchester began the second half as they ended the first - in the search of more goals.

In the 42nd minute Colchester received their first penalty corner of the match from which Low drove a stinging shot past the hapless Bourne keeper to further extend the hosts advantage.

Colchester could have racked up a cricket score as a number of chances went a begging, the front men unable to take advantage after some good build up work.

Colchester's fifth came after skipper Wayne Masters put pressure on the Bourne right back, nicking the ball before squaring the to Brown.

As the Bourne keeper came sliding out the ball somehow came free and it was left to Brown to slot the ball into the empty net for his second of the match.

As the game wore on, the visiting side came more into the game. With 12 minutes remaining Bourne had a foot hold in the match.

Another penalty corner to the visitors, this time a variation from the straight strike, saw a drag-flick to the keepers' right which Liam Phillips could only waft a stick at and not get enough of a connection to prevent Bourne's first goal.

Colchester's fitness will be a worry as the side went to pot in the last five minutes. Two more penalty corners were converted by the visitors as they made it 5-3.

The Hills Residential man-of-the-match was Matt Low for his solid work at the back.