IMPROVING Salisbury Men's first hockey ripped up the form book with an "overdue" maiden away win of the season at basement-locked Chichester thirds.

Stand-in skipper Dom Welman, for missing Andy Renshaw, guided a young-looking Lower Bemerton outfit to a 3-2 win in Hampshire Division 1.

But the visitors didn't have it all their own way, falling behind to a neat finish with just two minutes on the clock.

As the rain and wind got worse, Salisbury found their stride. And, after a sustained period of pressure, Welman intercepted a loose Chichester pass, feeding Tom Morton to finish from a one-on-one situation.

Soon after, Morton picked up a rebound after a Nick Easterbrook drag flick to finish for a 2-1 lead.

The second half saw Salisbury continue their dominance and, midway through the half, Rory Sherriff deflected a Welman shot to give Salisbury a 3-1 lead.

The visitors slowed the tempo and were punished when Chichester reduced the arrears with five minutes to go from a penalty corner.

But they were unable to muster a leveller and, instead, were consigned to a ninth straight defeat.

Welman reflected: "Despite not reaching the level of play from last weekend, it's great to get a well overdue first away win."