Bingley Bees handled the pressure well to defeat visitors City of York Eighths 5-1 in a must-win game for the hosts as they bid to preserve their Yorkshire Men’s Division Six North status.

A strong pre-match team talk from Bingley skipper Ben Clough left no-one in any doubt as to what was required, and a strong performance in midfield from Clough and Simon Woodhead and superb distribution from Mark Greenbank meant the Bees forwards were constantly supplied with attacking opportunities.

York held out until midway through the half before Matthew Clough scored from a short corner, a second goal quickly following.

York pulled one back but Clough added his third before half-time.

Patient work by Bees forwards Jack Matthews, Stephen Booth, Joe Manning and Bill Livingstone kept the pressure firmly on the visitors’ defence, and Clough’s fourth goal was a scorcher from the edge of the D into the top left corner.

The hosts spread the ball confidently and, with solid defence from Sean Massey, Tony Hart and Robbie Manning, the ball rarely came out of the York half, Clough scoring his fifth goal to seal the game.

Promotion-chasing Bingley Bees drew 2-2 with City of York Seconds in Yorkshire Women’s Division One.

Bingley started well, a pass to Mel Burgess giving Jo Geldard to chance to put the home side ahead.

A penalty corner was awarded to York on the half- time whistle, from which they made it 1-1, but Bingley came back fighting.

Gail Day’s accurate cross from the wing found Hannah Nichol, who passed to Burgess, whose fantastic strike made it 2-1.

The Bees fought hard with man-to-man marking and possession of the ball until the final minutes, when York scored from a penalty corner.

Midfielder Emily Lawrence was Bingley’s man of the match with seven and a half votes.

Gaynor Fisher, Jane Sharkey and man of the match Fran Nichols scored for Bees Seconds in their 5-3 defeat against Syngenta in Yorkshire Women’s Division Three.

Bingley took the lead with an early goal from Fisher who managed to slot the ball past the Syngenta keeper from a near-impossible angle!

Sharkey then strengthened this advantage by capitalising on a lovely cross from Nichols, via Fisher, scoring with a first-time hit at goal.

The Bees settled down with this two-goal lead but it was short-lived as Syngenta, via a short corner, managed to slip the ball around stand-in keeper Michelle Clarke, who had a stormer.

This was shortly followed by a scuffle in the Bees goalmouth and a flick over the keeper's head to bring the scoreline to 2-2 at half-time.

Within the first few minutes of the second half, the Bees again took the lead with a first time strike at goal from Nichols.

Unfortunately, Syngenta went on to utilise their strongest two players and finished 5-3 up. Nichols was man of the match with four votes.