STORMY conditions wiped out Bury's final home fixtures of 2015 but the men's first team managed to fit in two away games over the weekend, pulling off a late comeback to clinch a 3-3 draw at Leyland on Saturday before winning 4-2 at Rochdale the following day.

The seniors grabbed a last-gasp goal against third placed Leyland to cement their place in second in Division Three North of the North West Hockey League.

Missing key players in Rob Bradburn and Ian Hillary, Bury put themselves under further pressure with a poor first-half performance, lacking the usual poise and composure, as Leyland went into the break 2-0 up.

The home side's lead may have come from two soft goals, but it was deserved on the balance of play.

The second half was a different story, however, as Bury turned things round magnificently.

Simon Major recaptured his best form to orchestrate the game from midfield, while forwards James Oakes and Adam Friend were willing runners in front of him.

It was Oakes who put Bury back into contention as he fired home a trademark finish, just five minutes into the half, before Friend continued his fine goal-scoring form by flicking in from a narrow angle to level the scores.

The drama was not over, however, as Leyland regained the lead with 10 minutes remaining as a drag flick from a short corner spun off keeper Rob Fogwill’s pads and into the net.

Bury responded by throwing everything at the home side in search of the equaliser, but left themselves open on the counter attack.

A timely interception by Jack Dixon launched Bury’s own counter, however. He drove deep into Leyland territory before finding Oakes, who grabbed a second and claimed a point for Bury in a breathless game.

On Sunday the firsts travelled to Rochdale for a rearranged fixture, looking to build on the momentum from their excellent comeback.

Oakes continued his excellent weekend form by grabbing a hat-trick, opening the scoring early on as Friend pulled the ball back from the by-line for the Bury forward to fire home.

With Oakes and Friend both missing opportunities, the home side found their way back into the game as they converted a goalmouth scramble to level the scores.

Parity did not last long, however, as Friend finished off a flowing passing move, netting his 12th goal in all competitions as he moved Bury back in front.

The second half started badly for the Castlebrook-based side, as another scrambled goal saw Rochdale equalise and the home side threatened to take control.

But Bury were once again indebted to Simon Major, who exerted his influence on the game to provide a drilled ball in for Oakes to deftly deflect home to move them back in front.

Bury centre-back Ahtisham Khan was then sin-binned as tempers frayed, but despite concerted pressure Rochdale could not draw level.

With Khan’s return to the game, Bury sealed the victory as Oakes grabbed his third with an improvised lifted finish on his reverse stick.

The successful weekend helped Bury cut the gap to leaders Prescot to just two points.