Hockey round-up: Stu hits a double but Spalding 1st are smashed for six

Spalding 1st suffered a 6-2 beating at Shefford and Sandy 1st in East Men’s Hockey League Premier B Division on Saturday.

On good form ahead of the away trip, Spalding couldn’t repeat their recent heroics despite a double from ace goal-getting Stuart Cunnington.

The scoreline flattered the hosts somewhat, with three of their six goals coming in the last ten minutes.

In Division 2N, Long Sutton 1st drew 2-2 at Dereham 2nd to stay in mid-table.

Josh Baker got both goals in a clash that saw Stef Fox named as man of the match, with Sutton seeing it as two points dropped rather than one gained.

Down in Division 4NW, Long Sutton 2nd are still in command at the top of the table following a 1-0 success over 1-0 rivals Spalding 3rd.

Josh Fyson got the only goal in the all-South Holland showdown at the Peele Leisure Centre, with Sutton’s Jimmy Harrison named star man.

In the same division, Spalding 2nd enjoyed a 4-2 victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Cambridge South 2nd.

Despite going into the game with a host of injury concerns, Tom Amess, Dave Burrell, Pete Wright, Glenn Richardson netted to give Spalding a potentially pivotal victory.

Meanwhile, Spalding 4th enjoyed a 4-2 home success over St Neots 2nd in Division 5NW.

Spalding 5th suffered a 2-0 loss at Louth 2nd in Division 6NW (N), but were unlucky not to take something against their high-flying hosts.

There was better news for Long Sutton 3rd in the same division, with goals from Jon Goodley and John Sullivan steering them to a 2-1 win over Leadenham 3rd.

• Spalding Poachers 1st suffered a 4-1 reverse at Alford 1st in Division 2NW of the East Women’s Hockey League on Saturday.

Caroline Chester-O’Neill got the sole goal in a game Spalding will want to forget about pretty quickly.

In the same division, Long Sutton 1st grabbed a crucial 2-1 success over Pelicans 1st thanks to goals from Connie Gittins and Gemma Parr.

In Division 3NW, Spalding Poachers 2nd enjoyed a 3-1 win at Spilsby 1st with Kate Amess (2) and Terri Bateman netting.