UHC M5s (5 v 2) Saffron Walden M7s

Upminster 5s preserved their status at the top of Division 9SE with a fine 5-2 victory over Saffron Walden 7s at Coopers on Saturday. Louis Pickering opened the scoring for the home team with a fine individual goal, but some tenacious attacking from the visitors, ensured they went into the break on level terms, after scoring from a well-worked short corner routine on the stroke of half time. Upminster took control in the second half, with Paul Scott grabbing a skillful hat-trick within ten minutes of the restart, but the ambitious Walden team took the game to Upminster, and cut the deficitΒ in half with a far post finish. Galvanised by their goal, Walden sought to attack with even more vigour, but this exposed their defence to the skill of Pickering who late on collected the ball from defence, and ran the length of the field to cross for Nathan Killilea to finish, for his first goal in adult hockey, thus wrapping up the victory for the 5