Aldershot & Farnham hockey club’s women’s 1st XI served up a proper thriller in awful weather at home to Brighton’s 1st XI.

The visitors eventually took the points in a 3-1 win that was much closer than the score suggests.

Right from the pushback the Shots showed they meant business, even with the wind and rain hammering straight into their faces.

Their new formation looked spot-on, with the team making great use of the pitch width to push their midfielders forward.

The tactics paid off brilliantly when Sophie Edwards went on an absolute tear through Brighton's defence, leaving three or four defenders in her wake before coolly slotting home to put the Shots 1-0 up.

Brighton were not about to take that lying down and cranked up the pressure with a run of short corners.

Louise Laws stood strong in defence, pulling off a crucial block that kept the Shots' noses in front.

Hannah Wrench worked tirelessly in central midfield, but Brighton kept pushing and finally broke through, working the ball nicely to find a player at the back post who levelled things up at 1-1.

The second half kicked off with the weather getting even nastier. Brighton managed to handle the conditions better and grabbed the lead after pouncing on a loose ball to make it 2-1.

Even when Brighton picked up a green card for a rough challenge on Tammy Cherry, they somehow seemed to get stronger.

The Shots’ right defender put on a show in the right corner, dancing around players like the rain wasn't even there.

Eloise White nearly set up a goal with a brilliant run down the baseline but the ball just would not quite fall for any of the Shots players rushing in.

Brighton managed to grab another goal near the end to make it 3-1, but the Shots never stopped fighting, pushing hard until the final whistle.

While the result did not go their way, the Shots showed real grit and some promising signs with their new set-up.

With performances like this, especially in such brutal conditions, there is plenty to build on as the season rolls on.