BROOKLANDS MU men’s first XI lost 3-0 at home against a strong Beeston side, rife with senior international experience in the men's Hockey League Premier Division.

Having convincingly beaten Canterbury and East Grinstead the Manchester side went into the game full of confidence but Beeston’s clinical finishing and strong structured defending would prove too much.

The game started open and Beeston’s GB striker, the ever-dangerous Sam Ward, found space deep in Brooklands territory down the right, dinking the ball over a couple of sticks before playing in team-mate Mark Gleghorne who found himself in the circle just in front of keeper Chris Scott.

The Beeston number nine attempted to then lay-off the ball back to Ward who seemingly had an open goal to finish into but defender James Sutcliffe was alert to the danger and quick to intercept.

From this resulting interception Brooklands mounted a swift counter attack. Link-up down the right between Clarke, Khares and David Flanagan caught the Beeston defenders napping but Clarke’s cross went straight across the face of goal.

It was a Beeston counter attack which broke the deadlock midway through the first half.

Sutcliffe, who has just been selected to play for Great Britain Under-21s in Malaysia, was robbed by Ward and Blackwell on the halfway line and despite the desperate efforts of Ray-Hills and Clarke the ball fell to Robbie Gleeson on the top of the D and the Beeston man rifled home a reverse into the bottom corner.

The remainder of the half continued in a similar vein with both sides creating chances – the better of which it must be said fell to Beeston but Scott was in top form and denied the Bees a number of times.

However, he could do little to prevent Beeston’s second on the stroke of half time when Ward sent a drag flick flying into the top right-hand corner.

After the break, David and Peter Flanagan both drew saves from the Beeston keeper but their opponents pounced to kill off the game with a third goal.

Brooklands struggled to prevent a hard-hit ball being played into the circle from the right and Gleeson was too quick for the defenders, jumping in front of Ray-Hills to deflect the ball into the net.

The Georges Road boys travel to Kent this week to face newly-promoted Sevenoaks.