KINGSBRIDGE & Salcombe 1st XI enjoyed a spooktacular Halloween Saturday, fighting for a well-earned win away at Ocean City.

The first half saw KS firmly in control, with some lovely passages of play keeping Ocean City pinned in their own half for much of the game. The breakthrough came courtesy of some absolute witchcraft from Julia, who sent a beautiful ball across the pitch to Kerly. Kerly then swept it past the goalkeeper and into Maddie’s path, who calmly slotted it home.

Ocean City did manage a few attempts to escape their half, but these were quickly put to rest by the defensive duo of Natalie Lake and Debbie, with Tess and Freya rotating in and out to keep the back line looking frighteningly organised.

Sophie was equally spellbinding in goal, pulling off some excellent saves whenever called upon. At the other end, Ocean City’s keeper was having quite the night herself, producing some cracking saves to keep the scoreline respectable.

Half-time brought a little tactical resurrection, with a small reshuffle creating much more fluidity through KS midfield. The passing down the right-hand side between Tess, Favis and Maddie was particularly impressive, while Charley seemed to have a sixth sense for always being in the right place to offer up a lovely triangular passing option.

Then came the moment of the match…Halfway through the second half, Kerly decided that enough was enough. Intercepting the ball on the 16, she drove straight through three Ocean City players before finishing the job herself.

There were, of course, a few Halloween horrors along the way. Fi and Deb decided to enjoy a rather intimate cuddle midway through the second half, leaving three Ocean City players completely unmarked in the D. A terrifying sight for the defensive unit!

Fi was also treated to an impromptu game of football during one particularly lively passage of play, taking a fair amount of punishment in the process. We hope she’s recovered from her encounter with the opposition.

Sadly, Julia’s hamstring decided to join the Halloween festivities, pulling up during a promising run down the pitch. A real shame, as she looked destined to add another to the tally. She bravely took on goal-hanging duties for the remainder of the game.

With no substitutes and legs rapidly turning to jelly, the final stages were a test of sheer determination. Everyone dug deep, battled hard and kept the opposition at bay.

Player of the match was spread with Tess gaining three votes but sharing the win was Fi and Laura.

Meanwhile, the 2nd XI also delivered a masterclass performance.

Julie set the tone with an early strike and the forward line caught fire from there. Nicky put on a clinical finishing display, breaking through the opposition's defence time and time again to claim a magnificent hat-trick.

Lisa provided one of the individual highlights of the match, producing a spectacular reverse-stick shot that flew past the keeper. Alice also etched her name onto the scoresheet with a fantastic goal, and Carina’s sharp vision and brilliant assists were invaluable in attack.

On the rare occasions the defence was breached, Charlotte was an absolute wall in goal, making several excellent diving saves to deny goals.

From the opening whistle through to the end, it was an impressive performance! The player of the match was tied three ways between Julie, Nicky and Lisa with six players getting goals.