HOCKEY: Late Drama Secures Point for St Neots Men’s 1s in Thrilling Draw

St Neots had a mixed weekend, with the Men’s 1s and Women’s 1s drawing, the Men’s 2s and Women’s 4s winning, and the Men’s 3s and Women’s 3s narrowly losing.

St Neots Men’s 1s snatched a dramatic late equaliser to earn a 2-2 draw at home against Cambridge City 3s. Robert Hoye’s last-minute strike from a short corner cancelled out City’s second-half lead and ensured the Saints shared the spoils.

The first quarter of the match was tense, with yellow cards dominating proceedings more than goals, though both sides created chances. Cambridge City took the lead ten minutes before half-time and maintained their advantage until Saints were awarded a penalty stroke, which Rory Jones calmly converted. City regained the lead shortly afterwards, but Hoye’s decisive goal in the dying moments secured a deserved point for St Neots.

The Women’s 1s also produced an entertaining draw, sharing points 4-4 with Wisbech Town 1s. Kira Herbert opened the scoring for Saints, who then went on to take a 2-1 lead thanks to Sue Glover. Herbert completed a second-half hat-trick to give Saints the advantage, only for Wisbech to snatch two late goals, denying the home side back-to-back wins.

Meanwhile, the Women’s 2s held Cambridge City 6s to a 0-0 draw, with goalkeeper Georgina White earning player of the match honours for her second clean sheet of the season. The Men’s 2s were more fortunate against Cambridge City 6s, claiming a 1-0 victory thanks to Eamon Grantham’s early goal and a string of crucial saves from keeper Thomas Daniels, who also claimed player of the match.

Elsewhere, the Women’s 3s narrowly lost 2-1 to Oundle 1s despite Natalie Read-Bone’s late goal, while the Women’s 4s celebrated an impressive 6-2 home win over City of Peterborough 5s. Amelia Kite scored a hat-trick, with sister Frankie adding two, and captain Fiona Humphrey netting from a short corner to secure all three points.

St Neots Men’s 3s remain in search of their first points following promotion, falling 2-0 to March Town 2s. Despite creating chances, the Saints were unable to convert.