Men's Hockey: Windermere top for Christmas (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Men's Hockey: Windermere top for Christmas

12:17pm Tuesday 6th December 2011 in Sport By Patrick O'Kane, Senior News/Sport Reporter

North West Men’s Hockey League
Windermere 3
Chester 3s 0
Windermere gave themselves an early Christmas present with victory over Chester 3s at the Lakes School on Saturday.

Rivals Lytham and Didsbury Northern could only draw, giving Mere a four-point cushion at the top of Division Four and ensuring that they will stay top over the festive break whether or not they beat Oxton on Saturday.

Chester frustrated Mere for long spells with a deeply defensive formation but Charlie Long opened the scoring from a penalty corner with a strike from the top of the D.

Mere were forced to be patient and were rewarded with a Josh Landman goal before Will Dolman ended any hope of a Chester fight-back with a penalty corner drag flick into the bottom corner.

* Windermere's development team beat Kendal 2s 5-4 in an open-ended Cumbria Sunday Association encounter.

South Lakes recorded back to back victories for the first time this season as they climbed to ninth in Division 3 with a 6-0 win at bottom side Urmston 2nds.

Robert Handley scored the first goal, which led to further well drilled efforts by Adam Whitehead and Adam Fraser.

Steven Olliver grabbed a fourth before Lee Storey joined the action and Handley scored his second to wrap up a 6-0 win.

Last weekend Lakes defeated Mossley Hill 2nds and will be hoping to make it three from three when they face Bebington 2nds in a relegation six-pointer on Saturday.

South Lakes 2nds won in Division 8 North, while Kirkby Lonsdale remain one point behind Blackburn Northern 2nds after a 7-2 victory at Northern 3rds.