A weakened Bury first team, missing six regular starters, produced a battling performance on Saturday to see off Ormskirk in the North West Hockey League, and stay in touch with league leaders Blackburn.

Ormskirk pressured the Bury defence in the opening minutes but were unable to produce any clear cut openings, as the Bury defence held firm. Against the run of play, Luke Fidler then played top scorer James Oakes in on goal with an inch perfect aerial pass. Oakes produced a fine piece of skill to give himself room to finish past the home keeper, and open the scoring for Bury. Ormskirk responded with more pressure and had several opportunities at short corners, however strong defensive work from keeper Jonny Howard and defenders Tariq Sheikh and James Berry, kept the score at 1-0 going in to the half time break. The second half saw Bury offer more of an attacking threat as Calvin Flowers combined with Oakes and Fidler to create several chances. At the other end, when Ormskirk did manage to threaten, Howard was once again in fine form, as he and the Bury defence dealt confidently with several attacks.

With eight minutes to go, Bury turned their second half dominance into goals as Oakes added another to his season’s total and Fidler rounded off the scoring after another fine passing move, hitting his 20th goal of the campaign. Bury now face free-scoring league leaders Blackburn Northern on Saturday.