St Albans Hockey Club’s men’s 1sts put in a sparkling team performance against top of the table Harleston Magpies on Saturday, emerging through unity and endeavour with a deserved 3-2 victory.

The win puts the tangerines into third place in East Premier Division A and within three points of the top. It also means the men remain unbeaten at Oaklands.

Skipper Matt Davey led the way with drag flick penalty corner goals in each half, and he also set up Adam Jones for the second. In a high-tempo game of hockey, the Magpies early in the second half and converted a late penalty stroke, but Davey’s impressive penalty corner success rate - two from three - and Jones’s stunning deflection were enough to lock out the visitors and secure the points.

This was a victory which capped a fine day’s results for the tangerines men’s sides. There was a 2-0 win at Reading for the 2nds, a 7-1 win at Harpenden for the 4ths, a 5-2 home win against Blueharts for the 5ths, a 3-2 win at West Herts for the 6ths, a 1-1 draw against Hertford for the 7ths, a 1-0 win at Rickmansworth for the 8ths, and a 2-0 win against Richmond for the senior vets. On a rest day for the 3rds and over-50s, the men’s junior vets were beaten 1-0 in a close encounter with league leaders Old Georgians.

Meanwhile, Champions Trophy-bound England internationals Ellie Watton and Hannah Macleod had to watch from the dugout as their team-mates went down 1-0 to Chelmsford. The ladies’ 1sts stay second in the Investec National League East Conference after paying the price for failing to convert their dominance, including in a 8-0 penalty corner count, into goals.

The Ladies’ 2nds stayed top of East Division 1S with two-goal Sarah Embrey dominant in a 5-2 win at Brentwood 1sts. The 3rds had no game, while the Bodiceas warmed up for their wine-tasting event with a 1-1 draw against Letchworth, and the 4ths lost narrowly, 1-0, at Tring. Toast of the tangerines was Gemma Little who scored six goals as the 5ths beat Luton 2nds 10-0 to go second in Five Counties Division 3.

This week the St Albans 1st teams continue their league campaigns by travelling in opposite directions: the ladies to Maidenhead and the men to Cambridge University.