BURY Hockey Club men’s first team boosted their survival hopes in North West Hockey League Division Three North with a 3-1 victory at second-bottom Kirkby Lonsdale on Saturday.

The result, courtesy of a brace from Joe Perkins and a goal from top scorer Sam Nicholson, all but guarantees Bury’s place in the league next year.

Despite dominating the early stages, Bury found themselves behind against the run of play after a swift Kirkby Lonsdale break.

Bury responded by piling on the pressure again, but were largely frustrated by a combination of solid defending and poor finishing.

The breakthrough eventually came just before half-time when Nicholson fired home a trademark, one-handed reverse stick shot to level the scores.

The second half saw the home side turn the tables on Bury and put the visitors under a period of pressure, but this time it was the away team who benefitted from a counter attack.

A deflected drive from James Berry was touched over the line by Perkins to give Bury the lead.

Perkins put the game beyond doubt five minutes later when he waltzed through the home defence and fired a thunderous reverse stick shot into the bottom corner for his second of the match.

With safety all but assured, Bury can now look ahead to next weekend’s game against Ormskirk, knowing that a win could see them finish the campaign as high as seventh.

A weakened Bury second team slumped to a 5-2 home defeat against Didsbury Northern 6ths in North West Hockey League Division Five North South.

Mid-table Bury were forced to call upon James Heatley and Harvey Booth from the junior ranks, with both youngsters giving good accounts of themselves in a tough match.

The home side defended well until moments before half time when a close-range finish for the visitors broke the deadlock.

Didsbury then took control of the tie with two goals and a penalty stroke early in the second half.

Bury’s Matthew Westwell turned home a fierce cross from Bobby Powers with a deft finish to give the home team a glimmer of hope, but any chance of a comeback were quashed by another goal for the visitors.

Bury did manage a fine consolation goal late on, however. In arguably the move of the game, a series of quick interchanges between Chris Lowe and Jon Kitchen allowed Kitchen to find some space and lash home an unstoppable shot.

Bury Ladies first team rounded off a successful first season back in Division One of the Greater Manchester Women’s Hockey League with a 4-3 victory over Didsbury Northern Ladies’ 3rds team.

Goals from Becky Nield, Charlotte Bates, and two from Emma Bailey saw the ladies secure a fifth-place finish, just two points off the top four.

Bury Ladies 2nds secured their Division Two status with a 2-0 victory over bottom side Glossop Ladies 1sts.

Top scorer Lorna Wroe grabbed her 15th goal of an impressive season, while Rosie Hanley scored for the third game in succession to seal the points, and safety.