St Neots Hockey Club suffer mixed fortunes in busy weekend of fixtures

St Neots Hockey Club experienced a challenging weekend for their senior sides, but there were positives further down the teams, with wins for the Men’s 2s and Women’s 3s.

The Women’s 1s endured a difficult double-header, starting with a heavy 6–1 defeat at home to Cambridge South 1s on Saturday. Amy Wilkinson scored the only goal for Saints, converting from a penalty corner.

They were back on the pitch on Sunday for a rearranged away fixture against Dereham 2s, where they narrowly lost 2–1. The hosts took the lead in the first half, and despite Saints travelling with a bare 11, they worked tirelessly to keep the scoreline close. China Saywell levelled midway through the second half, but as fatigue set in, Dereham found a late winner.

The Men’s 1s also fell to defeat at home, losing 3–1 to Wisbech 1s. A tight first half ended with Wisbech edging in front, before Phil McMorris equalised shortly after the restart. However, two late goals from the visitors sealed all three points and continued a frustrating run for Saints.

Both second teams faced St Ives opposition over the weekend. The Women’s 2s lost 3–1 away, with Sue Glover scoring Saints’ equaliser shortly after the hosts had opened the scoring. Two late penalty corner goals ultimately decided the contest in St Ives’ favour.

The Men’s 2s enjoyed a more positive outcome, beating St Ives 3s 2–0 to extend their unbeaten run. James Neuhauser broke the deadlock late in the first half from a short corner, before Chris Butterworth added a second from another penalty corner to secure the win.

The Women’s 3s also claimed three points, edging past Pelicans 3s with a 1–0 victory. An early penalty corner goal from Charlotte Duberly proved enough to settle the match.

The Men’s 4s were involved in an entertaining high-scoring game at home to Kettering 4s but were denied a result, losing 4–3. After an early Kettering goal, Steve Moore struck twice in quick succession to put Saints ahead. A penalty stroke just before half-time levelled the scores, and although Chris Bates scored Saints’ third in the second half, a late Kettering winner sealed the outcome.