Lymm Ladies 6 Ben Rhydding 2nd 2

LYMM boosted their promotion hopes with a win in the first of three North Hockey Women’s League Division One play-offs games.

Lymm beat the Yorkshire champions in their first outing of a mini-round robin tournament that comprises the four regional winners of the North Hockey feeder leagues in a home tie, an away tie and finally at a neutral venue.

Bradford-based Rhydding took a deserved early lead but it seemed to provide the impetus Lymm needed to raise their game. Lisa Hartley-Woodrow demanded more from her team and Nat Riley knocked in.

Lymm began to impose their own patterns of play and, despite a broken collar bone for Alex Appleton-Mitchell, Riley fired home coolly before the break.

They earned a two-goal cushion through Megan Wilkin’s finish and again via Alex Pepper’s rising flick after Rhydding had responded.

Following a succession of penalty corners Riley claimed her hat-trick with a spectacular reverse stick strike at the top of the D.

Hartley-Woodrow and Pepper then combined to feed Helen Weston, who found Suzanne Williams and she rounded the keeper to score.

Lymm also won the penalty flicks 4-2, a deciding method for if teams are tied at the finish of the round robin.

They travel to Newcastle, who have beaten them on their two previous meetings in the England Hockey Cup, this weekend.