Paton emerges as the matchwinner for Kettering Hockey Club

After last week’s terrific results against Peterborough it was always going to be tricky for Kettering to raise themselves for mid table Cambridge South Seconds.

History, however shows that South can be a difficult side to play, especially at home. And so it proved before the hosts huffed and puffed to a 2-1 success.

Without Mikey Crane, Pat Cawley and Luke Naunton unavailable Kettering were down to 12 and that would always make the game problematic.

South opened the scoring when a deflection fell to an unmarked player on the far post.

This spurred Kettering to regroup and eventually they scored when Grant Carlin fired in a short corner.

The second half was fairly one way traffic and South only very rarely threatened the Kettering D, but it was a struggle in front of goal.

The increasingly influential Lewis Pywell smashed a shot off the bar, South survived a couple of scrambles but it was Ant Paton who eventually put Kettering ahead.

Good work by Pywell saw a shot come cross fired across the goal and Paton expertly turned a difficult chance in.

This week Kettering host St Ives Seconds, looking to extend a long unbeaten home league run stretching back to November 2019.

The Men’s Seconds won their relegation six-pointer with St Ives 1-0 thanks to a Wallace Cairns strike.

The Men’s Thirds outfoxed Cambridge South Fifths, winning 4-2.

Caleb Fox scored twice with Nick Cusk and Stu Mitchell also on target, Kettering seeing out the game at the second attempt after the hosts had levelled from 2-0 down.

The result mathematically ensured the league status of Kettering for next season.

This weekend they entertain Spalding in a mid-table encounter.

The Fourths also sneaked a 1-0 win, Mike Lavender on target again as they downed Long Sutton Thirds.

The Fifths saw Theo Crick and a Mike Tanser score to see off St Ives Fifths.

Kettering Ladies beat St Neots 6-1, while the Seconds won 4-0 with goals from Shez Coe, Gemma Freeman, Laura Bird and Michelle Tanser.

Top scorer Kirsty Smith bagged another four as the Thirds beat Haverhill 5-0, the returning Fliss Goodliffe getting the other.

The Ladies’ Fourths went down 5-0 to Cambridge South Fifths but continue to show improvement.