Hockey: Tight at the top as Inverleith and Menzieshill hand out thrashings

A SINGLE goal is now Inverleith's slim lifeline at the top of the Subway national indoor hockey league. Stuart Neave's charges whipped Greaves Clydesdale 12-1, while rivals Grove Menzieshill almost stole pole position by seeing off Grange 7-3 and then city rivals Dundee Wanderers 7-2, but the circumstances were shrouded in controversy.

Saturday's programme was suddenly truncated when Glynhill Kelburne, Western Wildcats, Greaves Clydesdale and AMN Hillhead decided not to play their remaining matches in the belief that heavy snow was due in the West of Scotland. Consequently, only the Dundee derby between Menzieshill and Wanderers went ahead as scheduled in the afternoon.

Five goals from Olympian Stephen Dick was the catalyst in Inverleith's dozen against Clydesdale. The contest was well over by the interval, with the Edinburgh outfit striding into a 8-1 half time lead. Dick had already notched his hat-trick, with the other goals coming from Derek Salmond, Adam MacKenzie, Chris Grassick, Philip Hall and Chris Duncan. The avalanche abated slightly in the second half, but Dick scored another two while Grassick and Hall picked up their second of the game, with Ben Peterson getting Clydesdale's consolation.

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Grange failed to do their city rivals a favour by falling 7-3 to Menzieshill in an earlier contest. The champions were shocked when Gary Cameron opened for Grange with a shot from a narrow angle, although within a minute Josh Cairns had equalised from a penalty corner. It looked ominous when Kerr Thomson put Menzieshill ahead from another setpiece, but back came the Edinburgh side with a strike from Craig Harper minutes before the interval.

Chris Wilson scored from a penalty corner in the second half following a switch from Thomson, only for teenager Duncan Riddell to equalise again following a cross by Phil Sully.

Just when an upset seemed possible, the Taysiders stepped up the action. Ross McPherson scored when the Grange defence failed to clear the danger, veteran Kenny Stibbles picked up a double and Thomson completed the scoring to give his side a four-goal advantage, a score that rather flattered the Dundonians.

Menzieshill raced into a 4-1 lead over Wanderers in the only surviving game of the later session. All the strikes came from penalty corners from Wilson (2), McPherson and Thompson after Paul Dailly scored a surprise opener for Wanderers. Menzieshill continued to press for more goals to take over pole position in the table but only managed a double from Gavin Byers and finally Stibbles, Allan Law getting the sole reply.

Earlier, Dundee Wanderers lifted themselves off the foot of the table with an 11-goal win over Hillhead. Paul Dailly grabbed three and there were doubles for Ross Glashan and Fergus Sandison.

Elsewhere, Western Wildcats clawed their way further up the table with a 6-3 victory over Kelburne, a hat-trick from captain Douglas Simpson the highlight.Stephen Percy, Rhury Smith and Simpson gave the Wildcats a 3-1 lead at the interval. Iain Scholefield and Willie Marshall got a couple back for Kelburne but Western's victory was secured by strikes from Simpson (2) and Gary Maitles.

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