Gorleston 9, Ipswich IV 0AFTER their humiliating defeat at Lowestoft last week, Gorleston hockey players took satisfying revenge against their Suffolk counterparts with a comprehensive league victory over Ipswich IV at the Cliff Park community pitchon Saturday.

Gorleston 9, Ipswich IV 0

AFTER their humiliating defeat at Lowestoft last week, Gorleston hockey players took satisfying revenge against their Suffolk counterparts with a comprehensive league victory over Ipswich IV

at the Cliff Park community pitch

on Saturday.

Welcoming back Jamie Higginbotham to action, though still without Mark Vaudin following a bad football-related shoulder injury, Gorleston tore into the experienced Ipswich team and scored through Jamie Clarkson with their first move of the game.

Five minutes later they were two up as Russ Crawford swept home an Andrew Lilly cross past a startled keeper.

Ipswich steadied briefly but with Jamie Higginbotham Andrew and Martyn Vaudin dominating the midfield and Peter Jones and skipper Kevin MacDonald mopping up anything behind them, that left the forward line plenty of opportunity to foray forward - which they did with increasing success.

First operating on the left flank, Simon Long after 19 minutes opened his account for the club with a clinical finish.

On the stroke of half-time Jamie Clarkson somewhat fortuitously struck again - his shot this time looping off a defender's stick high over the keeper and into the net.

After the break the pattern of the game continued with the Gorleston forwards, prompted by man-of-the-match Richard Pallant, causing havoc with his jinking runs and boundless energy.

Russ Crawford scored the fifth goal with a fine individual goal before Simon Long grabbed the sixth and then his hat-trick, touching in a Martyn Vaudin strike before it crossed the line.

There was to be no respite for the by now shell-shocked visitors as Jamie Clarkson completed his own hat-trick on 27 minutes before Jamie Higginbotham completed the scoring two minutes later with a typically robust effort.

The best performance from the team for many a day and all this with two players, Peter Jones and Monty Raymond, less than fully fit.

Nice as it to get their first three points of the season in Division Three North East of the NE14 East Men's League, there is no room for complacency as Gorleston next match must travel to Weybread to take on the Harleston III X1 team who humiliated them 8-0 in a friendly game only four

weeks ago.

Harleston also trounced the same Ipswich team 7-1 seven days ago, so it would be a better sign of progress if Gorleston could come away with a point or more.

Transport leaves the Albion at noon for pushback at 1.45pm.