Any fears evaporated within minutes, with the girls quickly dominating, in constant possession, putting Eastbourne immediately on the defence. Three minutes in, Bea made a great attempt at goal, followed with a successful reverse stick tap two minutes later. A strong start, with Lewes securing the majority of attacking play, backed up by great defensive skills from Hannah and Amelie, then one minute later, another goal from Bea. Eastbourne recovered but were caught off guard by Merle with a great tackle, followed by superb teamwork and a strong pass from Phiala to Eleanor to make it 3-0. Bea then scored our fourth, with a beautiful lift into goal. Confidence was high as it became clear Eastbourne had a mountain to climb and were struggling to match the speed and skill of the Lionesses. The Lewes goals kept coming as we moved towards the end of the second half, with Eleanor scoring another two goals, supported by her team mates. Our seventh came from Jasmine, with a strike hitting the post and into goal. A skilful tackle by Bea, who then drove the ball up to goal, made it 8-0, with the ninth from Phiala, ending the first half.

Entering the second half, Eastbourne was boosted by an extra player, and with a tiring Lewes, upped their possession with some strong attacks, making the Lionesses work to maintain their lead. But Eastbourne could not break through, with strong goal keeping by Miya and a fierce defence from Hannah. This half saw Lewes fight off two defensive short corners, but strong attacking play from the Lionesses led to another goal from Phiala, followed by great attempts from Amelie and Jasmine. Energetic interception and a sprint to goal by Bea gave us our eleventh, with all attackers keeping up the pressure before Hannah stormed forward, slapping it in, to make it 12-0.

Full credit to Eastbourne for staying positive throughout, they put in a great effort, with a much stronger second half. But there was no doubt the Lionesses deserved their victory. A strong start to the season. Well done girls!!

Final score – Lewes 12, Eastbourne 0
Players of the match – Eleanor and Bea