Lytham St Annes Hockey Club round-up: Mixed fortunes for men and women

Playing at home in blustery conditions, Lytham were looking to build on the good work of recent weeks.

They pressed well from the start, giving Leyland little time in possession while forcing them back with good, swift passing.

Lytham took the lead after 15 minutes when Joe Briggs found Michael Robbins, who neatly slotted home on the reverse stick.

Continuing to push for more goals before half-time, Lytham were thwarted by a mixture of good goalkeeping and missed chances.

With the wind behind them in the second half, Lytham regularly ran at pace against their opponents but again failed to take advantage when having the upper hand.

Nevertheless, they secured victory 20 minutes in through Steve Osborne’s wrist flick from a penalty corner.

Although there was no further addition to the score, it was a good result and team performance.

The ladies’ first team lost 16-2 when they travelled to league leaders Wilmslow for the penultimate match of the season.

It was always going to be a tough game against a Wilmslow team determined to go out on a high.

Wilmslow notched up four goals before Lucy Bridges fired home to pull one back.

Despite conceding again, Lytham scored a second when a short corner eventually ended with Lucie McNally slotting home.

The second half saw Wilmslow increase their tally despite Lytham’s players fighting until the end.

Their final game of the season is against Carlisle at AKS on April 6.