HOCKEY: Bury 2st 12 Blackpool 2nd 1 (From Bury Times)

HOCKEY: Bury 2st 12 Blackpool 2nd 1

3:00pm Thursday 21st March 2013 in Sport

BURY took another significant step closer to claiming the North West Hockey League Division Five North title, and are guaranteed a top-two finish following their latest resounding victory.

It was an afternoon on which Bury’s sharp-shooters filled their boots as James Oakes scored four and Luke Fidler and Simon Major each claimed a hat-trick, while James Larmett and David Hodbod scored the others.

Blackpool posed some early resistance when they equalised after Larmett’s opener. But, the Castlebrook High School-based hosts stormed into an 8-1 lead by half-time, leaving the visitors to try to stem the attacking flow in the second half.

Fidler now has 37 league goals for the season while Oakes is one behind on 36, with Bury scoring a club-record 113 goals in total. The final league game of the campaign sees Bury take on Wigan at Castlebrook on Saturday, with only a point needed to secure the title.

Meanwhile, newly-crowned Division Eight North champions, Bury’s 2nds, defeated Urmston 3rds 3-1. Two goals from Matt Kirk and a penalty corner strike from Callum Lyall, gave Bury another three points.