Castle brace heats up the relegation scrap

EASTCOTE HOCKEY CLUB

SOFIE Castle’s double helped Eastcote Hockey Club Ladies win a basement sixpointer 5-2 at Marlow on Saturday.

Both sides were locked together with two rivals on seven points before the start of play but Castle’s brace, and one apiece for Anita Huntley, Marissa Gresophon and Eleri Smith, saw Eastcote comfortably take the spoils.

It means another win at home to fellow strugglers West Hampstead on Saturday could see the Boars climbing towards the safety of mid-table ahead of the Christmas break.

However, the men’s hopes of topping the table over the festive period suffered a late blow as they too visited Marlow.

Ben Thorpe’s hat-trick turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead, but two points went begging when the hosts snatched a point with a third goal of their own, three minutes from time.

On Friday Eastcote hosted the Quicksticks Hockey Tournament for primary schools which saw St Swithun Wells came out on top, beating Breakspear in the final.