HORWICH Hockey Club ladies' first team are on the brink of winning their third promotion in as many years after two victories over the weekend.

On Saturday, they resoundingly beat Prescot second team 6-1 before beating Bury second team 3-1 on Sunday.

They now need only one more point to clinch promotion.

Facing a Prescot side with only 10 players, Horwich took a while to settle and were leading 2-1 at half time through goals by Zoe Searson and player-of-the-day Zoe Bluer.

Prescot tired in the second half and Horwich monopolised play, scoring a further four goals – Helen Roocroft following up her own shot to calmly slot past the keeper, Rebecca Howarth converting a penalty flick, and Jeanette Brew and Donna Vinten adding the other two.

With tired legs from the previous day's game, Horwich struggled to keep up with a young fast-paced Bury side the next day.

Second to the ball on many occasions, Horwich conceded an early goal which remained the only score of the first half.

Horwich changed to a counter-attacking style in the second half and Roocroft scored two goals from good crosses by Lara King and Brew, the latter adding the third.

Horwich men's first team were always going to find it tough against Preston's fourth team with six regular players missing.

And so it proved as they went down 4-2.

Preston took a two-goal lead in the first 12 minutes before the makeshift home side rallied and Tony Sanderson converted from a David Whiteside pass.

And it was 2-2 at the start of the second half when Whiteside went on a rampaging run, rounding several Preston players before hammering home.

Preston restored their lead 10 minutes later and made it 4-2 from a short corner.

Horwich ladies' second team beat Oldham's fourth team 2-0 away in a friendly with goals by Alicia Fairclough and Brew, who played and scored in all three of the ladies' weekend games.