A TOP of the table clash in the Yorkshire & North East Men's Premier Division delivered some exceptional hockey between Ben Rhydding and Lindum, but the former lost 3-2 in a dent to their title hopes.
A cagey first half with valiant defending from Rhydding saw them deadlocked at 0-0 at the break.
Rhydding looked to be in the driving seat in the second half, coming out and taking the lead with a great goal from George Gamble but Lindum replied quickly with a break away that was mishandled and ended up in a goal.
Rhydding, in the ascendancy, went ahead through a Will Musgrave corner, but then had a ropey spell and allowed Lindum back in to equalise.
Rhydding had the chances to put the game to bed but let it slip away and a Lindum corner was just the gift they needed to take the lead late enough in the game to hang on for the win.
Winning the league is still in Rhydding's hands with eight games to go, including a return fixture at Lindum in April. This Saturday they travel to Newcastle.
The day before, Ben Rhydding had thumped Yorkshire rivals Harrogate 5-1 in a league clash.
Maybe it was the driving rain and gusty gales, but top of the league Rhydding could not convert their dominance into goals early on, and went into the half-time break at 0-0.
Harrogate's goal was relentlessly peppered in the first half, but they took a shock lead in the second half when they were awarded a penalty stroke.
Harrogate then faced an upgrade in Rhydding’s onslaught. Charlie Smith began with a gorgeous corner, quickly followed by a great captain’s goal from Rob Ramsden.
Rhydding were now in full flow and Harrogate could not contain them.
Superb build up play led to the next goal, began by Mark Portnell and finished by Smith.
Skipper Ramsden struck again, smashing home to make it 4-1.
Rhydding continued to dominate and superb circle work ended with Max Helme blasting in the fifth on his back hand.
As for the women's team, who play in Division One North, they grabbed a 2-2 draw at Brooklands Poynton, the same result as in the physical reverse fixture.
This game saw a very wet start to the match for the National League teams, with Brooklands applying the pressure from the off.
But Ben Rhydding quickly fought back and took control of the ball and the game.
Nearing the end of the first quarter, Ben Rhydding locked in a goal to pull ahead, slotted home by Rebecca Birch off a slick short corner set-piece.
Goalkeeper Charlotte Smith protected the 1-0 lead for the rest of the half, making strong saves and initiating momentum from the back.
The rain continued to get progressively worse for the second half.
Brooklands returned to the pitch with a vengeance and managed a scrambled first goal in the third quarter.
With the pressure on both teams at 1-1, the intensity picked up and both teams were getting warned for the physicality on the pitch.
Following some unconverted short corner attempts, Brooklands secured their second goal in the fourth quarter to pull ahead.
With the clock counting down, Ben Rhydding managed to regain composure and once again control the play. This was rewarded in the last two minutes with a driving run by Kate Wood to the baseline.
The ball was passed out of the reach of an over-committed keeper and brought home by Sarah Bell.
While this 2-2 draw wasn’t the result Ben Rhydding were looking for, it was a hard-fought match in some tough conditions.
It showed that Ben Rhydding have the fortitude needed to advance up the ladder in the later half of the season, as they currently sit third-bottom with just one win in their opening 10 games.
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