MOUNTBATTEN School's Under 14 team edged a closely contested county cup final over Yateley in a game played at the home of Romsey Town FC.

Mountbatten set the early tempo of the game, with Jones and Draycott taking a stranglehold on the midfield. This early dominance ensured good possession for both their wide players Nathan Jewell and Andy Peters. Early chances fell to the twin strike force of Grant Welsh and Dwayne Peasah but were quickly smothered by the imposing Yateley defence.

On 18 minutes, Peasah broke the deadlock to score the opening goal of the game for Mountbatten. Receiving the ball on the edge of the penalty box, he twisted and turned his way into space and drifted his shot away from the Yateley keeper.

However, after conceding a needless free kick in their own half, the Romsey side found themselves back on equal terms. The free kick was lofted into the heart of the penalty area and the ball deflected off the shoulder of Smith and into the net.

The equaliser rattled the Romsey team, enabling Yateley to exploit any defensive errors. Max Rovetto, the Mountbatten keeper, produced an outstanding save to deny Smith. It was a save that probably kept Mountbatten in the game.

At the start of the second half Yateley used the long, high ball as the most prominent weapon in their armoury. In dealing with this bombardment, the central defensive pairing of Kavanagh and man-of-the-match Cosier made a massive contribution to the success of the team.

With time running out and both managers looking to extra time, the ball was played into the heart of the Yateley defence; Welsh reacted quickest to the loose ball and steered his shot wide of Smith.

The tall striker was swamped by his delirious Mountbatten team mates.

The last few minutes of the game became frantic with Yateley seeking parity. Once again Rovetto came to the rescue of his team with two outstanding saves, one a block from a powerful drive from Smith and then turning another fierce effort away for a corner.

In the dying moments Peasah had a wonderful opportunity to seal the game, but dragged his shot just wide of the post.

The final whistle heralded jubilant celebrations from the victorious Mountbatten team.