A STEVE Cook hat-trick couldn’t prevent Redditch Hockey Club Men from losing 6-4 away to Ludlow last Saturday.

Redditch started brightly and took a 3-1 lead in the early stages.

Tom Dunkley found himself with bags of time and space to score his first ever league goal for the team before Cook scored a brace.

However, the game was levelled by Ludlow before the break.

In the second half, the Redditch defence struggled to cope with Ludlow’s tactics and soon fell to a 6-3 deficit.

Cook completed his hat-trick shortly before the final whistle but it proved too late for a Redditch reply.

They will now face table-toppers Finchfield at home this weekend.

Meanwhile, the seconds hosted Old Wulfs looking to bounce back from a disappointing performance away at Droitwich the previous weekend.

Old Wulfs took the lead midway through the first half but the Kingfishers hit back when Steve Dawes slotted the ball into the bottom corner to level. This seemed to force Old Wulfs into another gear as they took a 2-1 lead into the break.

A tactical change saw Matt Grubb and Dawes move into the centre of midfield. With a more solid platform to build from, Redditch pressed forward and won their first penalty corner of the game. Dave Baker stepped up and drilled the ball in hard to make it 2-2.

Old Wulfs responded with their young forward working the ball wide before slotting home to once again restore their lead.

Redditch were able to respond through when Lee Beadon made it 3-3.

With four minutes to go, Redditch won their second penalty corner of the game. Dawes this time pulled the ball out with pace and accuracy, which allowed Baker plenty of time to drill the ball home brilliantly into the bottom corner, securing a 4-3 win for the home team.

Meanwhile, the Ladies’ drew 2-2 against second-placed Harborne on Saturday, with Lyndsey Morris and Ruth Waite scoring the goals.