DETERMINED Petersfield under-eight Hurricanes bounced back from last week’s blip to see off North East Hampshire Youth League rivals Mytchett Athletic Hawks at Love Lane on Saturday.

The two sides had met five weeks earlier in desperate conditions and on a boggy pitch, with the visiting Hurricanes taking the honours, and they served up a treat on a much more sound surface.

Clearly stung by defeat on their own patch in February, Mytchett had a point to prove and immediately took the game to the Hurricanes, putting pressure on home goalkeeper James Port and the early defensive duo of Oscar Walker and Alex Garlant and duly opened the scoring with a peach of a strike from distance.

Shortly before Mychett’s opener, Taylor Pearce was played in by the industrious Albert Wheeler but fired into the side netting, and indeed it was Wheeler moments after going behind who levelled with a decisive left-footed strike from the penalty spot after a defender handled the ball in the area.

But the first half really belonged to Mytchett who retook the lead early in the second quarter after a defensive header was volleyed into the net from close to the halfway line.

And despite the introduction of the rejuvenated Finlay Stafferton and committed tackler Benjamin Oru, the visiting Hawks could, and perhaps should, have been out of sight by half time.

With some fluent passing football and neat footwork, the Hawks contrived twice to shoot wide when one-on-one with the goalkeeper while Port bravely thwarted a three-on-one Mytchett break by saving with his legs and was grateful to see the rebound fly harmlessly over the bar as the gaping net beckoned.

And Mytchett paid the price for their profligacy in front of goal shortly before half time when Oru’s corner ballooned out to Wheeler who gleefully volleyed the ball into the net for his 12th goal of the season.

And having ridden their luck in the first half, the Hurricanes took control in the second.

Tireless workhorse Walker and Port were rock solid at the back, Pearce was a willing worker all over the pitch, Wheeler was a constant threat and Garlant, who pushed further forward to devastating effect in the second half, plundered a quickfire hat-trick to seal the spoils and take his goal tally for the season to 24.

Garlant’s first goal followed a quick throw from Wheeler which caught Mychett napping as the focused youngster stole in behind the defence before placing the ball beyond the exposed Hawks goalkeeper.

He added a second minutes later as he fought his way beyond two defenders near the corner flag before cutting inside and firing past the keeper and completed his treble as he latched onto Wheeler’s fine diagonal pass before taking a touch and thumping the ball into the net.