THE highly-anticipated rematch between the Geographe Bay Seasiders and Busselton ladies started with a minutes silence to remember local Black Dog Rider Les James who was very close to some of the players.
With emotions riding high, the game was everything a local derby should be with end-to-end action throughout the match.
Bonny Berridge returned to her best form and opened her account in the early stages after a bursting run through midfield. Ashlee Hollet made it 2-0 soon afterwards with a perfectly angled shot in to the corner to put Geographe firmly in command.
Busselton tried to counter but were thwarted by a solid defence from the Seasiders and found themselves 3-0 down following another fine effort from Berridge.
However, complacency from Geographe in the final minutes of the first half allowed Busselton to seize on a loose ball to reduce the deficit.
Early in the second half a Busselton player was knocked unconscious by the ball after it was kicked out from defence and an ambulance was called, delaying the game.
The event was unsettling as a similar event had occurred in the previous derby between the two sides but the players re-focused once the injured girl was declared ok.
After the restart Busselton continued to counter-attack but despite some impressive efforts they were unable to break-down the Geographe defence.
Frustration crept in to the game, with the referee called upon to calm down some minor skirmishes, and then Geographe sealed the match and completed the scoring when Berridge headed home a pin-point corner from Dana Avery.
Choosing a player of the day was difficult, as all players raised their game for the local derby but Tegan Hollett collected the Christian and Co. player of the match for an outstanding display in the heart of the Seasiders’ defence.
