Harpenden Hockey Club slipped to a 3-1 defeat away to West Herts.
Buoyed by last week’s win against Brentwood, they had travelled in good spirits, knowing their hosts were in a similar position to them in the East League Division Two South table.
Harpenden started brightly but were unable to convert their territorial advantage and possession into goals.
Their pressure, however, left them vulnerable to counter-attacks, and it was from one burst forward that West Herts opened the scoring.
It was a pattern that continued into the second period, Harpenden failing to finish and the Watford-based West Herts attacking whenever they could.
The tactics allowed them to stretch their advantage to three, and it was little more than a consolation when David Westwood put the ball into the goal from a last minute short corner routine.
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