The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Long Sutton 1st gave their East Men’s Hockey League Division Two North West season a shot in the arm by thrashing St Neots 1st 6-1 on Saturday.
Josh Fyson (2), Josh Baker (2), Dan Batten and Luke Proctor all found the net for Sutton at what was a very stormy Peele Leisure Centre amid 40mph winds, heavy rain and sideways sleet.
A nice solo goal from Baker inside five minutes got the ball rolling, before Batten added the second after good build-up play from Luke Jackson, Dom Ibrahim and Fyson.
It was 3-0 by half time, with Fyson firing home from a short corner.
The second half started in the same vein as Fyson added his second after picking up the loose ball and flicking into the net.
At the other end, St Neots pulled one back from a from a short corner. But Sutton weren’t done and sealed their victory when Baker tapped home his second from an Olly Taylor cross.
That was swiftly followed by another tap in, this time from Proctor after good work from Frazer Watt and Baker.
In the same division, Spalding 2nd remain in the bottom two after they suffered at 7-1 thrashing a table-topping St Ives 1st.
Steve Rogers got the Spalding consolation goal.
Up in Division One North, Spalding 1st are two points clear at the top following a 4-1 triumph over Wisbech Town 1st at Glen Park.
A swift start saw Tom Mayhew’s quick break bamboozle Wisbech – leading to the ball gloriously falling to Stuart Cunnington within the D, who fiercely flicked it into the top right corner of the net.
Cunnington was involved in the second goal too, as his brilliant ball into the box was turned in by Will Baker.
The second half saw Wisbech reduce the deficit early on, but Jacob Baker soon made it 3-1 with a finish into the roof of the net.
Baker was at it again soon after, rounding off the win with a super solo goal.
As well as being pleased with the result, Spalding were further boosted by impressive debuts from 14-year-olds Harry Maplethorpe and Harry Naylor.
Elsewhere, Long Sutton 2nd remain top of Division Four North West after a dominant 5-0 victory over Wisbech Town 3rd.
Good work from Tyler Hagan saw him push the ball through for Alex Canham to score the opener midway through the first half, before Ed White picked up a Stefan Fox pass and finished well for 2-0.
The roles were then reversed when White set up Fox for a smart turn and finish to make it 3-0 at half time.
After the interval, a Tom Baguley beauty made it 4-0, setting the stage for Canham to volley home the fifth as Sutton made it nine wins from ten and sit five points clear at the top.
Also in Four North West, Spalding 4th romped to a 7-1 victory over Cambridge South 5th to move level on points with two other sides in joint second spot.
Ben Scholes (3), Tiago Read, Dave Burrell, Matthew McMcManamon-Cookson and Glenn Perkins all scored in that one for the mighty maroons.
Down in Division Five North West, Long Sutton 3rd were denied a derby win by a late Bourne Deeping 5th leveller in a 3-3 away draw.
Goals from Alex Wilkinson, Eddie Hales and player-of-the-match Jack Smith almost got Sutton over the line.
In Division Six North West, Spalding 5th are now nine points clear at the top after a big 7-0 win over rock-bottom Kettering 5th.
Finley Roy stole the show with a hat-trick for Spalding, while Brendan Atkin (2) and Ed Sly also found the net in a game where the gulf in quality between the sides was very apparent.
Saturday fixtures: University of East Anglia v Spalding 1st (2.30pm); Spalding 2nd v Cambridge City 4th (12.30pm); City of Peterborough 4th v Long Sutton (4pm); March Town 2nd v Spalding 4th (2.30pm); Cambridge South 5th v Long Sutton 2nd (noon); St Ives 4th v Long Sutton 3rd (3.30pm); St Neots 4th v Spalding 5th (11.30am).
