HOCKEY: A BUSY weekend saw Olton ladies claim four points from two away matches at Gloucester and Bristol.
On Saturday the ladies travelled to Gloucester to play a side that they had beaten 4-3 at home in the reverse fixture.
Having been giving a beating last weekend against league leaders Stourport, it was important that Olton produced an improved performance against a mid-table side.
It was Gloucester who took the lead in the 14th minute with a goal from open play but the visitors hit back eight minutes later with an Anna Griffiths goal from a penalty corner.
The game remained nip and tuck for nearly 30 minutes before Gloucester retook the lead again from open play.
Olton kept on fighting and pulled back onto level terms with a Laura Collins strike from another penalty corner. It was not a convincing display but it earned Olton a point.
The following day Olton travelled down to Bristol to play Firebrands in a game that had been postponed due to frost and snow.
Again it was a very close game with the home side taking the lead from open play in the tenth minute, but just five minutes later Jenny Pritchard pulled Olton level from a penalty corner.
Early in the second half Kat Berns gave Olton the lead with a goal from open play. Firebrands pulled level in the 56th minute from a penalty corner but in the last minute Sally Walton fired in the winner from another penalty corner.
Again it was not a convincing win but it was four points over the weekend keeping Olton third place in the League.
The men’s team travelled to Liverpool to take on Oxton but they were without the injured Mark Wadsley and striker Stuart Pilgrim, however the rest of the squad stepped up to the plate in what was going to be a tough game.
Olton took the lead in the 15th minute with a goal from open play from Chris Rawlings, but the lead lasted for only a minute before Oxton equalised from a penalty corner.
There were no more goals in the first half but in a 12 minute period Olton increased their lead to 4-1 with three goals from Steve Batten, Martin Ebbage and Jack Williams.
Two minutes later, whilst Olton were down to ten men, Oxton scored two goals within two minutes, setting up an interesting last 11 minutes.
But the visitors held on for three more valuable points and remain in second place ahead of this week’s trip to Sheffield Hallam.
