Eastcote 2 Sonning 2 

Two goals in the last 15 minutes salvaged a draw for Eastcote from a disappointing performance at home to mid-table Sonning.

Simon Archer and debutant Gary Town hauled the Boars level after they turned around at half-time 2-0 in arrears.

Eastcote's relief was further boosted when it emerged that Milton Keynes and British Airways, joint leaders with the Boars at the top of the Middlesex, Berks, Bucks & Oxon Regional League, only managed draws as well.

Poor defending led to the Boars conceding two scrappy goals and the signs were not good as passes went astray and tackles were missed.

Harsh words at half-time from player-coach Adam Mulholland injected a sense of urgency and the second period was mostly played in the Sonning half although goal chances were fluffed and tempers rose on both sides as the officials failed to control the game.

That lack of discipline almost cost Eastcote even the draw but in the end Archer and Town showed their forwards how to finish and Eastcote even had chances to win it when they won a few short corners in the dying moments, but they could not take advantage.

The Boars will need to produce a lot more when they visit leaders Milton Keynes on Saturday.

A youthful second team eased past Epsom 4-2 to go second in the South Premier Open Division Two after Ian Sadler added to an Alex Stobbart hat-trick. The thirds lost out to Wycombe 3-2 while five other teams won including the Simbas, who triumphed 7-0 and the eighths, who struck twice in the last five minutes through Pali Sidhu and Anil Seedher to record their first victory.

On Sunday the second team won 7-2 at Gloucester City in the second round of the England Hockey Cup, Stephen Riddleston and Stobbart each scoring twice.

WOMEN

Tulse Hill & Dulwich 3 Eastcote 2 AN EARLYgoal from Meg Williams failed to launch the ladies first team on the way to victory at second-placed Tulse Hill and Dulwich.

Eastcote started confidently and created a few chances but the hosts equalised with a mis-hit penalty corner before the visitors regained the lead.

Claire Devereaux did well on the right before finding Katy Brown, who slotted home from the top of the D to send East-cote into half-time 2-1 up.

Coach Ozzie Pandor sent the Eastcote girls out fired up and they created more chances early on but Devereaux and Marissa Gresophsen could not make them count and they found themselves under pressure when Hattie Dukes was yellow-carded to leave her team-mates short-handed for five minutes.

Dulwich immediately took advantage, finding a way through the overworked Eastcote defence to equalise and although the visitors continued to attack they conceded a penalty stroke with minutes remaining when the umpire apparently spotted a deliberate foul.

TH&D converted the opportunity to seal a 3-2 win and send sixth-placed Eastcote home bitterly disappointed, with a visit from fifth-placed Sunbury to come on Saturday.

The Twos enjoyed a good 2-1 win over Hampstead & Westminster to lie joint second in their league after goals from Kim Spencer-Pell and Emily Reed.

Elsewhere the Threes went down 4-1 to PHC Chiswick, the Fours beat Hendon 1-0 and the Fives held second-placed Teddington to a 0-0 draw.

The U14 boys lost 15-1 to Wycombe, Miles Preston with their consolation. [25a0] Old Uxonians defeated British Airways Hayes 2-0 in the Middlesex Women's League with goals from Liz Laird and Lisa Kinder.

Jo Harper starred as Uxonians went top of Division Four.