DURING the first half of Stratford Ladies' fourth team's home game the rain was incessant and the game was close to being abandoned.

It was during the first half that visitors Marconi did the damage.

After ten minutes the visitors won a short corner and scored from a lob shot in a well worked and rehearsed short corner routine.

With ten minutes left in the half the visitors won another short corner and, despite keeper Hayley Grainger getting to the lobbed shot, the Marconi forwards pounced on the rebound to score a second.

Marconi then won the ball back from the restart, drove the ball down the right wing, the ball was crossed to the top D for an unstoppable shot to make the score 3-0.

As the torrential rain eased, Stratford came out in the second half looking like a different side. They showed greatly improved passing skills, communication and vision.

With a lot of off the ball movement they were unlucky not to add to the scoreline, their many attempts thwarted by some last ditched defence from the visitors.

Despite the loss, an improving Stratford side can take great heart from many excellent individual performances and the positive way they came out in the second half despite being 3-0 down.

In particular there were impressive performances from Nina Ramskill and Hayley Cole while player of the match Sarah Davies worked relentlessly in midfield.