HOCKEY: Southend & Benfleet first string fell to a 2-1 defeat at home to Phoenix in a battle of the promoted sides in the Essex Premier Division.

The hosts, without four starting regulars, started apprehensively, and Phoenix made them pay when they blasted in the opening goal from a short corner.

S&B didn’t seem fazed though and while Naomi Barker and Sarah Conway led several charges deep into the Phoenix half, the ball invariably went trickling off the back line or was intercepted by the lively Phoenix defence.

Captain Rachel Jeffery and Deborah Etheridge couldn’t cut out all the Phoenix well placed and speedy passes and it wasn’t long before the visitors were once again awarded a short corner that culminated in a goal to take the score to 2-0 to Phoenix before the break.

S&B came out all guns blazing as play resumed after the break and kept the ball firmly in the visitors half for the majority of the second half.

But attack after attack failed to end with a goal and it wasn’t until the final five minutes when they gave themselves a glimmer of hope when Kirsty Edmunds slotted the ball passed the Phoenix goalie and put S&B on the scoreboard.

S&B were revitalised and thought they had levelled only for the goal to be disallowed.

The player of the match award was shared by Ashlie Colman and Kirsty Edmunds.

Southend & Benfleet’s second XI’s game against Thurrock’s second team was abandoned after 30 minutes after a bad injury to S&B’s Fiona Regan.

Regan’s knee injury meant she could not be moved from the pitch until the ambulance arrived about an hour later. S&B had been 1-0 up but Lesley Tonking’s shot will not count as she went from goalscorer to medic.

The club is hoping for a speedy recovery for Regan and thanked Thurrock for their help.

The club’s newly formed third team beat Chelmsford’s sixth team 3-0.

Chloe King got them off the mark after Sarah Galbally’s shot was blocked.

Midfielder Grace Wright got in on the action and fired home the second from the edge of the D.

The final goal was scored by Aimee Cole after she was set up by Isabelle Williams.