An early 10:00 pushback greeted both sides on a glorious autumn morning, with the sun already up and the temperature steadily rising. With the conditions perfect for hockey, Chesterfield Hockey Club 3rd XI were looking to make it back-to-back victories against Sheffield 5th XI, having faced the same opposition just a week earlier in the cup. This time, however, league points were at stake.

It was another competitive and closely fought encounter, with both sides taking some time to get to grips with the lively bounce of the pitch. The opening exchanges were tight, with neither team able to establish a clear advantage.

Eventually, the deadlock was broken when a Chesterfield effort was initially saved by the Sheffield goalkeeper. However, lurking in the right place at the right time was the evergreen veteran striker Rob Anderson, who reacted quickest to convert the rebound and put Chesterfield 1–0 ahead.

Chesterfield continued to apply pressure but were unable to make their dominance count on the scoreboard. Sheffield defended resolutely and the visitors went into the break with a slender 1–0 lead.

The half-time team talk focused on one particular area — winning more penalty corners — and the message was soon taken on board.

A series of penalty corners began to put the Sheffield defence under increasing pressure, and eventually Chesterfield found the breakthrough. After a neat passage of play and a pass from the top of the circle, Anderson finished smartly at the second time of asking to claim his second of the afternoon and put Chesterfield 2–0 up.

With the two-goal cushion, Chesterfield continued to press and looked the more dominant side, but Sheffield's defence proved difficult to break down. There were plenty of opportunities and some genuinely visionary passing from Dan Nellis — an occurrence sufficiently rare that questions will inevitably be asked about whether his computer had accidentally installed a software update.

Despite Chesterfield's continued pressure, the much-anticipated Rob Anderson geri-hat-trick was not to be.

Sheffield refused to give up and, with around ten minutes remaining, gave Chesterfield a nervous final passage of play. A fine team move culminated in a dangerous cross and a superb diving finish, reducing the deficit to 2–1.

Suddenly, what had looked like a comfortable Chesterfield victory became a nervy finale. Sheffield pushed for an equaliser, but the Chesterfield defence held firm and saw the game through to secure another important victory.

Final score: Chesterfield 3rd XI 2–1 Sheffield 5th XI

A second win in as many weeks against Sheffield represents an excellent return for the 3rd XI. While the final scoreline suggested a close game, Chesterfield will feel the margin should have been considerably more comfortable given their dominance and pressure, particularly in the second half.

Two goals for Anderson, another win for the 3s, and back-to-back victories — not a bad way to start the weekend.