SAINTS entered Saturday s game on a high and looked in good form as they tried to impose their slick passing game on the opposition. But St Ives were not allowed to play the game their way and the match rapidly turned into a battle of styles with Vauxha

SAINTS entered Saturday's game on a high and looked in good form as they tried to impose their slick passing game on the opposition.

But St Ives were not allowed to play the game their way and the match rapidly turned into a battle of styles with Vauxhall keen to run with the ball and put the St Ives defence under some early pressure.

One such early foray into the St Ives half resulted in a penalty corner being awarded and scored by Vauxhall to break the deadlock.

Shortly after, a well rehearsed St Ives penalty corner routine brought the home team back into it with a bullet of a hit from Paul Swannell which deflected off a defenders stick and found the top right corner.

But again St Ives found themselves on the wrong end of a short corner which Vauxhall converted.

The home side hit back almost immediately with a free hit from out side the semi circle finding its way through to Alex Cade at the back post to convert.

The second half saw St Ives pile on the pressure with some great passes that exposed holes in the oppositions midfield and it was through one of these patient build-ups down the left hand side that resulted in Alex Gutteridges' reverse shot scream across the face of the goal for Darren Coles to deflect in.

Vauxhall still managed to break a few times through miss-placed passes but their fitness was fading and they could not get hold of the ball.

In the last 15 minutes, a quickly taken free hit outside the circle on the right from Saints captain Chris Duncan saw the ball transferred out to the left where Mark Clinton's pass found Gutteridge who slipped the ball pass the keeper to make it four.

nSt Ives travel to Harleston Magpies this weekend.

St Ives 3rds 1 St Ives 2nds 3

ST IVES second and third teams continued their contrasting starts to the season in a keenly-contested encounter.

The form book had this as a win for the second team and so it turned out, with the team still unbeaten in the league. The thirds have not won since late September.

The Seconds dominated first half with Andrew Lane and Kevin Gilder particularly strong in possession whilst the third team used the counterattack.

But five minutes of poor concentration undid the third team's hard work as two cheaply conceded penalty corners gave second team captain Simon Bollom and Scott Perry opportunities to score that were not refused. Will Webster added a goal number three but the third pulled a goal back with Dave Jones's smart finish from Mick Forsdick's cross.

Rutland 2nds put 10 past St Ives 4ths, who managed just one in reply.

St Ives 5ths 2 Ely City 4ths 1

KARL Buddle scored a breakaway goal to get St Ives started before Ely equalised. With Simon Penny taking control of the rear and Mike England pushing forward, St Ives went in search of the winner which arrived in the dying minutes as Barrie Izard hit the roof of the net.

ST IVES ladies, with a depleted forward line, snatched a late draw after starting off the pace in this home game against Ipswich East Suffolk.

The visitors went 2-0 up in the first 15 minutes before Emily Crack scored. And it was Crack who got the equaliser in the second half from a penalty corner with two minutes remaining.

St Ives ladies 3rds were knocked out of the cup by City of Peterborough 3rds 2-1.Dori Jackman scored the goal.