Neston South Wirral Hockey beat Winnington 3-1

Oct 19 2011 by Our Correspondent, Birkenhead News

A FINE first half performance helped Neston South Wirral to victory in North Division Two as they overcame Winnington Park 3-1.

Former skipper Rogier Van Der Ouderaa, made his first appearance of the season, and his presence added some steel to the Neston midfield, as they controlled the first period.

Max Dutton saw a flick fly inches wide, before he opened the scoring from another set piece when he found the bottom of the net. Neston passed the ball round with some purpose, and Ben McTaggart added to the lead after Fergal Horwood's aerial ball set Sean Chappel free down the left.

Neston didn't have it all their own way though, as Winnington posed a threat on the break, seeing one effort strike a post.

After the interval, Neston lacked some of their earlier cohesion, as Winnington began to press them back, but they limited their opponents opportunities, and Chappel put the Parkgate men further ahead when he prodded home.

Mike Dodd made it an anxious last quarter for Neston as he pulled a goal back after capitalising on a Greg Brooker error, but despite some slightly nervy moments, Neston hung on for their first away win of the season.

This weekend, Neston face a busy schedule, as they entertain old rivals Bramhall in the league on Saturday, before trekking to Sunderland for Sunday's National Vase tie.

Elsewhere, the ladies first team saw their winning run come to an end as they went down 3-1 at Wilmslow in the Cheshire League. Sally Bell notched the consolation goal for Neston.

GREG BROOKER