Caradon bowed out of the England Hockey Mixed Cup at the quarter-final stage on Sunday (May 3) after a narrow defeat to Rugby in a game that could have gone either way.

In hot and sunny conditions, it was Caradon who started the strongest. Ben Hedley showed his rapid pace, creating great counter attacking chances as he left his defender flailing. Penalty stroke claims brushed aside as a last-gasp challenge was deemed clumsy and not deliberate, Caradon had to settle for a penalty corner which was well-defended.

A shot from a tight angle was deflected off a Caradon foot in front of goal and Rugby dispatched the resulting flick to take the lead. Shortly after, they extended their lead with a clinical finish following a penalty corner break down.

It was a harsh scoreline for the Lions when they were playing the better hockey, but undeterred, they continued to find the gaps to attack and just before the end of the first quarter, Katie Oliver got Caradon off the mark with the cutest of deflection’s from a Hedley cross.

Filled with belief, Caradon dominated the second quarter. Chris Fasey turned defence into attack with some searching thread passes and Libby Walsh made some important interceptions in the middle of the park. With Harry Pollard and Tyler Walsh breaking through attacking lines, the constant pressure resulted in a penalty flick being awarded after a deliberate foul in the circle. Walsh stepped up and confidently converted.

All square at half-time, both teams knew the second half was going to hurt in the increasingly sticky conditions.

Caradon were playing some great hockey, but so were Rugby. Evan Spencer worked tirelessly alongside Clare Mitchell with Lila Johns up front to press and overturn possession. Constant pressure saw chances well saved or cleared off the line.

Despite this it was Rugby who again took the lead, making the most of an opportunity of a gents first strike on a penalty corner, drag flicking into the top corner to give Dan Harris no chance.

Caradon had to rally again and pushed for the equaliser, winning penalty corners of their own. Despite some gamesmanship, Rugby came undone after two defenders were sent to the halfway line for breaking early at a penalty corner. Man-of-the-match Walsh found the resulting space to power the ball over the line.

With four minutes left to play, Caradon were awarded another penalty flick after a stick block in the circle, but after a consultation between umpires and encouragement from the vocal home support, the decision was overturned.

Undeterred, the Yellows kept pushing for the deserved winner, but with two minutes remaining before the dreaded shuffles, Rugby broke away in a two-on-one scenario and scored the heartbreaking winner.

A club spokesperson said: “Despite the disappointment of exiting the competition, this team can be extremely proud of what they have achieved and in particular the way in which they have done it by not just Caradon, but Cornish hockey too.”