Having tumbled out of the Sussex cup the week before, Lewes 2nd xi looked to finish off their pre-season with a strong performance against a highly ranked Bromley & Beckenham in the national 2nd xi cup. With many key players missing, it was a great opportunity to hand debuts to new and young players alike against an established side lead by ex-Lewes player Chris Emery.

The home side could not have got off to a worse start, however. The defence were caught napping in the 3rd minute and the Bromley no.9 found himself in plenty of space, slotting the ball home past skipper Josh Pewter in net. Lewes responded superbly well though and were level just 2 minutes later - Andy Green picked the ball up from a penalty corner breakdown and fired the home side level.

Lewes continued to press the London side, and took the lead in the 11th minute, Green doubling his tally with a composed finish from the veteran defender. It was nearly a 2 goal advantage as Ollie Wiseman latched on to a great chip from Mark Best, however it was ruled out for dangerous play. Lewes’ lack of focus 5 minutes from time cost them again, several penalty corners were conceded, the last of which was converted, ensuring the scores were level going into half time.

The second half was an evenly contested battle; great skill from youngster Will Wycherley created the best of the chances, but he was thwarted by the away side’s resolute defence. 6 minutes from time disaster stuck, a crash ball and a lucky deflection saw the ball thunder into the Lewes net. There was still time for a comeback however; a fast counter attack from a Bromley penalty corner saw Callum Hill dispatch home the equaliser with just 4 minutes to spare, the Sussex University fresher flicking low into the corner on his debut.

The scores remained level after the final whistle. Penalties were to decide this fixtures fate. Lewes opted to flick second and made no mistake with the first 3 of their strokes, Bromley & Beckenham put two of theirs wide ensuring it was down to Chris Tonkin to take the Sussex side through to the second round. The defender coolly wrapped things up and ensured a tie away to Richmond in October.