Alresford produced a heart-warming performance at chilly Arlebury Park on Tuesday night to inflict a rare defeat on league leaders Lymington.

The game got off at a lively pace, with both sides playing some high-octane football. Lymington had already threatened a couple of times when, with the game just two minutes old, Alresford snatched the lead. Matt Bolland was the creator with a good run down the right and low cross, and Dean Cole's shot seemed to take a deflection as it flew into the net.

Stung by this setback, Lymington attacked in droves, with ex-AFC Bournemouth player John Bailey orchestrating the midfield and the dangerous Kevin James making some lightning-fast forays down the left.

Danny Kyle headed over his own bar under pressure from a Lymington attacker, and keeper Chris Martin made the first of a string of cracking saves as Alresford held on grimly. Danny Veal missed a decent chance to equalise when he hooked wide, and when two home defenders collided Phil Stone was left free in the box - but he too shot wide.

At the other end Joel Matthews squeezed a shot under Stuart Williamson only to see it cleared off the line, but Lymington were soon attacking again. Ten minutes before half-time a corner fell to Veal, who powered the ball goalwards only for the stalwart Martin Shephardson to block it on the line.

The second half, too, was packed with action and incident. Mark Sherwin cleared a Veal shot off the line, and Martin saved spectacularly from James.

Joel Matthews became the third Alresford player to clear off the line, but Lymington's best chance of the lot came midway through the half when Chris Burden managed to plant a free header straight into Martin's grateful clutches.

Alresford threatened on the break, with Williamson saving well from Cole and sub Martin Jerams setting up counter-attacks with intelligent use of the ball.

But with tempers becoming increasingly frayed, there was no way through for either side, and Cole's early strike proved decisive.

At the end, it was good to see rival managers Keith Curtis (Alresford) and John Pyatt (Lymington) shrugging off the tensions of battle to congratulate each other on a cracking match.

Lymington are still hot favourites to win the league, but Alresford have shown that they too can live with the best.

For two pages of Hampshire football, see this week's Hampshire Chronicle.