With an experimental team, partly owing to the absence of several players through injuries and because others had not come up to expectations, Hampstead achieved a good performance on Saturday at Claremont Road in getting two Athenian League points against Sutton United by four goals to one. Last season Sutton drew on the same ground. Hampstead were not too impressive in the first half, but a penalty against the visitors brought the equalising goal, and after that Hampstead never looked back, and well deserved their win.

In the first minute Evans, who has never played more brilliantly, nearly got through, but for some time Sutton adapted themselves better to the ground conditions, and by opening out the game caused Hampstead a good deal of trouble. Their long passing might well have been emulated by the home side. The Hampstead halves were not impressive, and Harman was given too much latitude. Sutton took the lead through Brown at the end of 20 minutes. He put in a low first-time shot for which Smith seemed unprepared. During the game there were several minor casualties, the first victim being Berry, who had done very good work on the left wing, although at times slow in getting in his centres.

At the end of 28 minutes Hampstead equalised through Evans, who, being elbowed in the back when he was in a dangerous position, was successful with the penalty kick. Not long afterwards Edwards gave Hampstead the lead after the Sutton goalkeeper had fallen in clearing and lost possession of the ball. There was no further scoring in the first half, thanks to the brilliancy of two members of the great family of Smith. The Hampstead captain was injured in making one great clearance, but as in the case of Berry and also Young, who needed the attention of a first-aid man, he quickly came round. From a corner kick Evans, with his head, landed the ball on the crossbar.

The superiority of Hampstead was pronounced in the second half. Evans got two goals, the first after a spell of mudlarking, and the second from Butland's centre. There was an improvement all-round in the Hampstead team, but on the other hand, the work of the Sutton halves deteriorated, and although the backs defended stubbornly, they could not always hold the aggressive Hampstead forwards. Sutton threw away some glorious chances, Brown being the chief offender. There were occasions when there was only the goalkeeper to beat, but they either shot direct into his hands or kicked wildly outside.

The most pleasing feature of the game was the display of Compton at left back. This was his first appearance in the first eleven, and while he is at the moment on the slow side, he kicks strongly, while his coolness and a sense of anticipatiopn are assets. Like Dean, who is doing yeoman service at right back, Compton and Morton are old Hendon schoolboys, and this policy of encouraging local talent is to be commended.

It is satisfactory to note that while some players have failed to maintain their form, Evans, who has had bad spells, has never played better than he is doing at the present time, and we have to go back a long time when the centre-forward position was so satisfactorily filled.