Lytham St Annes 6 South Lakes 6

CAPTAIN Holly Nuttall was a striking sensation as she netted four goals to help South Lakes to a 6-6 draw at Lytham St Annes.

A match full of goals and drama saw Nuttall made an inspired move when she played herself out of position up front.

She opened her account in the Northern Hockey League North Division Two match-up just five minutes in, when Sarah Robinson played a fine through ball to her captain, who skilfully played it around the keeper and pushed it into the goal.

Lytham found themselves on the scoresheet just six minutes later, when their forward pounced on a loose ball and slotted it into the net, setting the pattern for a high-scoring to-and-fro encounter.

Not to be deterred, South Lakes were awarded a short corner which came from an attack from the restart. From it, Nuttall once more placed the ball into the back of the home net.

The visitors went 3-1 up when Nuttall pounced on a loose ball Lytham had not been able to clear and flicked it over the line.

However, the hosts were not going to give up the points without a fight and one of their forwards intercepted a South Lakes clearance and roofed the ball into Joy Heighton’s net.

South Lakes’ defenders – Rebekah Nuttall, Lesley Davey and player-of-the-match Hannah Swainson – had to regularly put their bodies on the line to clear the ball.

But one such save was deemed a foul and Lytham were awarded a penalty stroke.

Heighton stood up to the task and saved the flick, but Lytham found themselves on the scoresheet again before the break to make it 3-3.

South Lakes started the second half in the same vein as the first, with Pam Robertson finding Cat Cooke in front of goal, Cooke slamming the ball home to put them back in the lead.

The visitors' wingers, Lois Viney and Emma Armstrong, worked hard to press the ball into the Lytham D and Angela Thornton was unlucky when she almost deflected an Armstrong cross.

Rebecca Cook also unleashed a couple of stingers when she was allowed to drive into the D untroubled by the Lytham defence, but they went wide.

The hosts scored twice within 10 minutes to take a 5-4 lead, but Holly Nuttall led by example once more and scored her fourth with her new lucky stick to bring South Lakes on level terms again.

Four minutes before the end, Lytham were awarded another penalty stroke and this time they ensured it was unstoppable.

South Lakes did not give up and Cooke scored her second when she was found by Cook on the post a minute before the final whistle.

Although the point leaves South Lakes bottom of the table, it adds to their three from the home win against Clitheroe and Blackburn Northern.

They are at home at Ulverston Leisure Centre against Leyland and Chorley on Saturday.

Anyone interested in joining South Lakes or attending a ladies or men’s training session, can visit their website at www.southlakeshockeyclub.co.uk for more information.