Spalding 4th completed a flawless season in East Men’s Hockey League Division 6NW (N) with another huge win on Saturday.
They thrashed Alford 2nd 11-1 at Glen Park, with Shaun Dewing and Jeremy Watt both firing four, while Max Bland (2) and Bailey Harker also bagged.
The champions won all 18 of their league games, scoring 114 and shipping just nine goals.
Spalding 5th also concluded their 6NW (N) season on a high by hammering hosts Louth 2nd 6-1.
Alex Cunnington, Daniel Dorey-Rodriguez, George Halgarth, Andy Barlow (2), and Jack Martin got the goals to seal a fourth-placed finish.
Long Sutton 3rd finished two points behind them in fifth after beating Bourne Deeping 5th 3-0 at the Peele Leisure Centre, while Long Sutton 4th – who propped up the division – conceded their game at Leadenham 2nd (5-0 forfeit).
Up in Premier B, Spalding 1st’s promotion bid remains on track after a battling 2-2 draw at struggling Havering.
Stuart Cunnington’s clinical short corner split two home goals as Spalding went in 2-1 down at half-time, but they battled back after the break.
It took a drag flick from Cunnington to level the scores, but man-of-the-match went to Sam Howitt and fellow defender Matt Sanders, who starred at the other end to ensure Spalding shipped no more goals.
They host leaders CoP 2nd this Saturday (12.30pm) – and a win would put them in the box seat for the title.
Down a level to Division One, Long Sutton 1st edged out already-relegated CoP 3rd 2-1 on home turf.
In Division 3NW, Spalding 2nd suffered a second successive heavy defeat as St Ives 2nd tonked them 11-0.
Skipper Rob Callaby made several outstanding saves against the promoted side, who ran riot at Glen Park.
Spalding 3rd, meanwhile, lost 2-1 at basement boys Wisbech Town 2nd. Dave Burrell had given them an early lead, but Wisbech put in a surprisingly strong showing.
In the same division, Long Sutton 2nd won 4-3 at CoP 4th to keep their hopes of survival alive.
Luke Jackson, Gary Hales, Nick Ellis and Josh Baker all bagged for them.
- Evie Maltby buried a hat-trick as Spalding Poachers 1st put lowly Wisbech ladies’ 2nd to the sword 9-0 in East Women’s Hockey League Division 2NW.
Kelly Slater (2), Georgina Maplethorpe, Charlotte Maplethorpe, Macy Carr and Charlotte Boreham also netted for Poachers, who remain the highest-placed South Holland side in fifth.
Two points behind them are Long Sutton ladies’ 1st, who went down 2-0 at second-placed Cambridge City 3rd to dent their promotion dream.
In Division 3NW, Spalding Poachers 2nd won 3-0 at Horncastle 1st thanks to goals from Danielle Croson, Eva Keyes and Charlotte Morris.
Down in Division 4NW, strikes from Kate Beeson, Lisa Caesar and Rachel Adams gave Spalding Poachers 3rd a 3-0 win over Bourne Deeping 2nd, while Long Sutton 2nd lost 7-3 to March Town.
