GERRARDS Cross Colts hockey team have won their way through to the finals of the Mercian Home Counties U14 League following a hard-fought quarter-final win over Rover Oxford.

The match, played at Beaconsfield High School, was decided four minutes before the end of extra time when Tim Groom slotted home to make it 3-2.

Gerrards Cross took the lead in the first half when Tom Howells deflected in a powerful cross from captain Howard Sayers.

But the Oxford forwards were always dangerous on the break and pulled back two goals early in the second half.

Cross responded with a period of sustained pressure and were rewarded with a short corner five minutes from time. In a carefully-rehearsed move, Duncan Brown expertly stopped the hit-out and Sayers passed the ball to Andy

Stalabrass, who had run to the post, and he squeezed it home for the equaliser.

Although Cross were able to dominate the midfield, Oxford did penetrate with

a number of individual runs, but solid play from Josh Symonds, in central

defence, meant that goalkeeper, Patrick Cleaver, was left with relatively little to do.

Cross earned their place in the quarter-finals as undefeated winners of the

Western Division of the Mercian League and will now join the other semi-finalists at Surbiton Hockey Club on April 29 to decide the overall winners of the Home Counties League.