HOCKEY
Gosport II 2, IW 10
IW MOVED four points clear at the top of Hampshire 5, with a comfortable win at mid-table Gosport.
The hosts were shell-shocked early on when IW took the lead through Simon Butler but recovered well to equalise.
However, any joy was shortlived as James Liddiard stole in and put IW back in front. Further goals from Butler, with a great reverse stick effort, and Dan Bartlett, gave them a 3-1 lead at the break.
Gosport needed an early goal to keep in touching distance of the Island and they got one within two minutes of the restart, but their comeback was nipped in the bud when Liddiard restored the three-goal advantage and Butler completed his hat trick.
Colin Simmonds then got on the score sheet from a fine pass from Stuart Allen before Butler took his tally to four.
Allen then got the goal he deserved with a powerful shot from a penalty-corner, before the scoring was rounded off near the end, as Butler netted his fifth.
With Southampton University surprisingly losing to Fordingbridge, IW are now four points clear at the top.
IW: Butt, Stubbings, Heaven-Gandy, Leggett, Reynolds, Bartlett, Allen, Gould, Simmonds, Kirby, Butler, Liddiard.
IW II 9, Trojans VI 0
Table-topping IW II made it seven wins out of seven with a clinical display against spirited Trojans VI.
Another good start saw IW force the pace and by the break, they were 4-0 up, courtesy of goals from Stephen Woodford, Barry Lloyd, and two from Tom Young.
In the second half, the goal of the game came just after the break, when Henry Cripps executed a delightful flick from the right of the D into the top corner.
A Trojans’ defender then was forced off with injury and with the extra man, IW dominated even more.
A quick-fire double from Woodford saw him complete his hat-trick, and Young followed suit to complete his own hat-trick and then one more, both stunning strikes from oblique angles.
The Island almost made it ten, but the combination of another fine save and a goal-line clearance restricted the final score-line to nine.
IW II: Speer; Pearson, Curtis, Dickinson, Donald, H. Cripps, Howsam, Joyce, Young, Woodford, Lloyd. Subs: Sewell, M. Cripps.