Blueharts six points clear at the top of Five Counties Division One

Evie McGown (Image: Archant)

The 2nds got off to a flying start, taking control of the game with the majority of possession.

Lizzie Bayley worked tirelessly on the left to feed the ball to Nikki Baxter in the centre and McGown on the left wing.

Eventually their persistence paid off with McGown on target to put her side ahead.

The Blues continued to flood the D with lots of attempts on goal, and although their opponents had a couple of counter-attacks Dainton, Katie Ross and Lou Pillar did not let them get a look in on goal.

With the opposition down to 10 players the 2nds kept up the momentum and Bayley and Molly Kerr Barr won plenty of attacking shorts.

After several near misses a well worked corner routine saw Dainton slot the ball into the goal to secure a 2-0 win.

The victory keeps the 2nds top of Five Counties Division One, six points clear of their nearest rivals.

The Ladies’ 4ths were at home against a strong Shefford & Sandy side, but they went down 4-1.

The visitors went into the lead with two goals from open play in the first half.

Ruth Hicks, in goal, was continuously tested with the opposition scoring again, this time from a penalty flick.

The Blues came out determined in the second half with Debbie Thompson scoring from a short corner.

Thompson’s strike on the edge of the D came from a smooth injection from Izzy Davies.

Sandy went on to score a fourth goal just before the end of the game.

The men’s 5ths welcomed St Albans to Hitchin for a feisty rather than festive match.

Blueharts started with possession until a St Albans attack on the break yielded two well-worked goals.

With half-time looming Nick Franks hit a pass to Chris Slack who spun on the edge of the D to drag the ball under the keeper to make it 2-1.

The second half started with St Albans scoring a third. Blueharts dug deep and were rewarded with second-half goals firstly from Simon Bayston and then a long corner smash by Ashley Hammond.

Despite both teams trying to find a winner, the final score was 3-3.

This has been a decent first half of the season for the 5ths who are playing in a higher league - East Division 6SW - than last year.