HOCKEY: Dark Blues maintain the squeeze on leaders (From Oxford Mail)

HOCKEY: Dark Blues maintain the squeeze on leaders

11:00am Tuesday 19th March 2013 in Sport

Oxford University kept up the pressure on leaders Brighton in Premier Division 1 of the South League by despatching London Wayfarers 6-3 at Iffley Road on Saturday.

It was the second successive week they had hit six and it keeps them in confident mood for their crunch match away to the leaders on April 6.

Brighton are still favourites with a game in hand against bottom club West Hampstead, which is being played on April 13 when all the other clubs have completed their fixtures.

Oliver Sugg led the latest Dark Blues romp with a hat-trick, while Rupert Allison, Jamie Parkinson and Alexander Stobart also netted.

Oxford Hawks let slip a 2-0 lead and needed a goal two minutes from time to snatch a 3-3 draw at lowly Milton Keynes in the same division.

Sam Chilvers opened the scoring early on with a back-hand shot, and they made it 2-0 on 12 minutes through Dave Cresswell, who followed up after his drag-flick was saved by the keeper. Steve Kelly then hit the woodwork and another deflection went agonisingly close, but the home side weathered the storm and hit back twice before half-time. They also came on strong after the break, going ahead and forcing a number of saves from keeper Dave Jones.

Hawks looked set to miss out until a mazy run from Tom Godding was rewarded with a short corner, from which Cresswell scored.

Goals from Mark Carpenter, Matt McKeown and Dan Pilbeam earned Oxford a 3-1 victory away to Aylesbury in MBBO Regional Division 1.

Witney need one more victory from their last two fixtures to secure promotion from Division 2 after a 5-2 triumph at Oxford 2nd. Their goals came from Hugh Collins, Tim Hardy, Ben Wells, Liam Frost and Jacob Deacon, with Nick Greenwood and Ben White replying.

Bicester were outgunned 4-1 away to promotion-chasers Marlow 2nd in MBB&O Division 1.

Trailing 2-0 at the break, Bicester scored a cracking goal to pull one back through Luke Smith, but Marlow added two more to wrap up the points.

Meanwhile, Bicester 3rd have secured promotion from Open Division 9 after a 5-0 victory over PHC Chiswick 6th thanks to Nobby Stykes (3), Chris Birch and an own goal.

OTHER RESULTS.

mbb&o. Open Div 1: Oxford 3rd 4 (A Small 2, O Dale, J Le Ball), Wokingham 3.

Div 3: Oxford 4th 1 (H Tasker), Eastcote 4th 2; Oxford 5th 2 (E Viska 2), Windsor 2.

Div 4: Witney 2nd 5 (T Yallop 2, M Godwin 2, S Summers), Phoenix & Ranelagh 2nd 0. Div 6: Witney 3rd 8 (N Dunnington 4, S Hook 2, N Vigar, og), Oxford 6th 2 (A Rayner, J Taylor); Oxford 7th 4 (A Neville 3, T Joyner), Eastcote 6th 1.

Div 8: West Hampstead 8th 8, Witney 4th 1 (A Brown).

Div 9: Oxford 8th (S Thompson) 1, Oxford Hamsters 2; Oxford Hamsters 2 (M Carter, A Harris), Oxford 8th 1.

Wessex Masters League Div 1: Oxford Bulls 1, Salisbury Striders 1.