Bingley Bees’ men ensured promotion from Division Five North of the Yorkshire League with a 3-1 home win over Leeds Adel Fourths.

The free-scoring Bees found themselves in the unusual position of being goalless and trailing at the interval.

The visitors scored in the eighth minute and despite plenty of pressure from Bingley, which included one shot hitting the crossbar, they needed a strong second half to pull through.

They attacked immediately from the whistle and were quickly rewarded when a half-clearance from the Adel defence only found Bill Livingstone at the top of the D and he powered the ball into the goal.

Further pressure, and with the added bonus of highly vocal support from the Bees ladies second team, the hosts took the lead when Gavin Waddell capitalised on a defensive scramble.

The final goal came five minutes from time when some neat passing inside the D ended with Stephen Booth tapping in at the post.

The victory leaves Bingley well clear in the second promotion place but they would overtake leaders York University Thirds, who have concluded their fixtures, if they win their last two games against teams in the bottom three.

Meanwhile, the Bees’ ladies first team climbed off the foot of the Premier Division table and out of the two relegation places on goal difference with a valuable 3-2 win at fellow strugglers Brigg.

Player of the match Rachel Holdsworth opened the scoring for Bingley with an excellent shot after good build-up play from Emily Lawrence and Mel Burgess.

The second and third Bees goals both came from penalty corners as they established a 3-0 lead.

The first was a fabulous strike from Gail Day, which the keeper had no chance of saving, while the second was a deadly accurate shot by Burgess.

The home team responded well with two goals of their own and although this led to a tense last ten minutes, Bingley were able to hang on to secure the win that keeps alive their hopes of staying up.

There was less joy for the Bees ladies second team, who were missing a number of key players due to a virus, as they slumped 7-1 to their Brigg counterparts in a mid-table Division Four clash.

Despite the absences, Bingley showed their usual determination and hard work and Sarah Eaton epitomised this in midfield as she tirelessly supported both the defence and forward line.

Eaton was pivotal in the only Bees goal as she ran from the right wing before passing for striker Jane Sharkey to finish off in front of the target.

The player of the match award went to Eaton for her gallant efforts.