OXFORD Hawks preserved their National League status with a dramatic 4-3 win over Norton in their second Inter-League play-off match at the National Hockey Stadium, Milton Keynes on Saturday.

It was their second successive play-off victory after a 2-1 triumph the day before against Midlands representatives Harborne.

Simon Mott was Hawks' hero on Saturday by striking the winner with just five minutes to go against Norton, the Northern Regional League winners.

The Oxford club's players, who were ordered to compete in the play-offs when the English Hockey Association controversially reduced Harleston Magpies' six-point penalty for fielding an unregistered player in four different games, spent much of the weekend celebrating.

Hawks goalkeeper Paul Humphreys said: "Having just three days to prepare for two games back-to-back and with one or two of our players the wrong side of 30, we knew it was going to be a tall order but to win both these games was a great achievement.

"We succeeded in maintaining our National League status and at the same time I think we probably wiped a bit of egg off the faces of those at the Hockey Association."

It's thought that Hawks will still carry on with their protest that the EHA should not have been lenient to Harleston. Hawks began slowly against Norton and were a goal down in three minutes before Simon Dawson levelled from a short corner.

Matt Osborne put Hawks 2-1 up at half-time with ano-ther short corner but Norton equalised at the start of the second half.

Paul Poulter put Hawks back in front at 3-2 with a penalty stroke after a challenge by the keeper on Osborne, only for Norton to make it 3-3 with eight minutes to go.

Mott's winner came when he deflected in a Dawson shot and even the sending-off of Andy Clark for dissent four minutes from time could not diminish their delight.

The previous day, Osborne and Dawson had scored in a 2-1 victory over Harborne that proved quite comfortable. Ed Baldock was sent off for time wasting near the end of that game.

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