Fylde hockey: Scene set for grand finale to season

They started strongly in the heat at Mill Farm, with slick passing by Taegan O'Hara and Lucy Woods.

It was a tough fight against physical opponents and the first half ended goalless.

Fylde dominated possession in the third quarter but couldn't make it count and Doncaster took the lead with a drag-flick from a short corner.

The home side battled for the equaliser with strong runs by Hattie Madden, and Bo Madden levelled the scores with a reverse-stick shot.

Fylde couldn't force a winner, despite the rest of the game being played mostly in Doncaster's half, but the performance laid foundations for this weekend's final match at Timperley, where victory could seal a top-three finish

Dawn Child scored twice for Fylde 2, who will finish sixth in North West Division One after beating Liverpool Sefton 2 3-1. Chelsea Atkinson was the other scorer.

Fylde 3 were edged out 3-2 by a Penrith senior team who replace them in fourth spot in Division Two North. Georgie Hampson and Lucy Wane were the Fylde scorers.

A much-changed Fylde 4 lost 4-0 against the second-placed Brookfield first team at Walton-le-Dale in Division Three North (Central).

Fylde conceded twice in each half, though Dani Howarth made some great saves, Kirtika Saravanen was player of the match and several players caught the eye on debut.

Fylde 5 ended their season with 1-0 home win over bottom club Lancaster 3 in Division Four North (Central).

Fylde had plenty of chances before Soraya Rigby sealed victory for fourth-placed Fylde. Abbie Warburton dominated the right and Eve Clarkson impressed on debut.

Fylde Hockey Club Men's 7-5 defeat at Prescot means their battle to stay in North West Division One goes to the final game.

The home side also needed the points to secure safety but had no answer to Fylde's fast start.

Phil Hope's shot into the bottom left corner gave Fylde the lead after just 92 seconds.

A lack of substitutes was always going to be a problem for Fylde on such a hot day.

However, after Prescot had equalised Ryan Nicholls restored the visitors' lead with a shot through the GK's legs.

However, fatigue set in and Prescot scored four goals to lead 5-2, though Nicholls pulled one back by half-time after a great solo run.

Fylde dug deep to tie the match at 5-5 just 10 minutes into the second half.

Captain Gareth Sym scored his 10th penalty-corner goal of the season and Adam Ball struck his first for the team.

But the comeback came to nothing as Prescot scored twice in the final five minutes, leaving Fylde to face a must-win match against University of Liverpool at Mill Farm.

Fylde 3 were beaten 12-3 by Division Four North winners Preston 4.

The hosts scored early but Luke Cosgrove found the net from Chris Banks' long pass to give Fylde hope at 2-1, though the Preston side were much more clinical.

Thirteen-year-old Bertie Young scored the first goal of the second half, following Jack Williams' run down the right. Harry Marsh added a third for Fylde, who could yet stay up by winning their final match against Kendal 2.

Lytham St Annes Hockey Club's senior ladies and men's teams played their final home league fixture of the season.

The ladies faced title-chasing Bowdon 2 in the North West Premier Division and soon came under pressure.

Bowdon moved the ball quickly as LSA continued to concede penalty corners.

Two down at half-time, LSA started the second half strongly and pulled one back from a short corner. However, it was second-placed Bowdon's day as they sealed a 4-1 win.

LSA Men also welcomed high-flying opposition in Alderley Edge 2, who started strongly despite their late arrival due to traffic.

Like the ladies, LSA trailed 2-0 at half-time in this North West Division One fixture but improved after the break, hitting the crossbar before captain Neil Mallalieu pulled one back from a short corner. However, hopes of a fightback were halted by a further Alderley goal, sealing a 3-1 victory for the third-placed team.

Both LSA senior sides end their season with an away fixture on Saturday.

LSA Men's 2 lost 7-1 away to their Kendal counterparts, despite some fine saves by Mark Hodgkinson on his first game in goal.

Connor Burnett scored the consolation for LSA, who trailed 4-0 at half-time.

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