Both Police and Upstarts proved they were still contenders in the men?s hockey league last weekend with wins over Rebels and Panthers respectively.

Upstarts hammered Panthers 10-0 while Police Polecats picked up a 4-2 win after a dogfight of a match against Rebels.

The hotly contested game saw four players sent off in the second half.

The first 20 minutes looked like it was going to be all about the Rebels as they came out strong and fast. They earned their first short corner just four minutes after the whistle and while the strike from Dave Gutteridge went nowhere, the three-man play which followed was decisive.

Jonathan Evans worked the ball to Andy Travis who fed it to Steve Hamshire who sent it confidently into the back of the net.

Polecats were to fall even further behind just five minutes later when Rebels earned a penalty flick. Jamal Burgess shot high to the left past Polecats ?keeper Dennis Cherry to secure a 2-0 lead.

Offensively, Police were slow to gel but managed to earn a short corner midway through the half. Nigel Deane slipped the ball to Lloyd (Skippy) Hopkins but the shot was stopped by ?keeper Andrew Frith. Hopkins fired a second attempt with the same result.

Polecats? offensive fire was starting to catch, however, and Lee Uddin soon picked up a ball on the left post and slotted it away to bring them back into the game. They began playing more creatively, mixing up their attacks on goal and it was only a matter of time before they hit the mark again.

Deane charged up the left of the pitch to find Uddin open, and he slotted home the equaliser.

Rebels fought out the half looking to regain the lead, but numerous charges fell apart at the edge of the D. They earned a short corner just before the whistle but Bert Rodney sent it high of the net and the teams left the pitch at 2-2.

In the second half, Rebels again jumped straight into attack and quickly earned a short corner but failed to convert. Of six short corner opportunities, Rebels consistently missed the mark. Polecats fared no better, however, missing three out of three.

Rebels had a great opportunity to thrust their way back into the lead when Polecats? big striker Deane was sent off in the 23rd minute with a yellow card.

Minutes later, after a failed Police short corner, Griffith followed him to the sin bin, tossing his stick in disgust as he arrived.

With a two-man advantage, Rebels started hammering at the Police goal. They earned two short corners before Deane?s penalty time was served but gained no ground.

Rebels? numbers advantage was quickly reversed when Gutteridge was sent off with 15 minutes left to play and a temperamental Rodney followed immediately.

Despite playing short, Rebels earned a short corner from which they were unlucky not to score after Cherry impressively deflected Hamshire?s shot.

Police grabbed the initiative and drove towards the Rebels net where Deane hammered the team into the lead with a hard shot to the left corner. A follow-up attack saw Griffiths seal the scoreline at 4-2 for Police.

In the women?s league, A Division action saw Canaries defeat Bluebirds 1-0, Swallows put Cardinals away 8-1 and Ravens shut out Swifts 3-0.

In the B Division, Swifts remain undefeated after beating Ravens 2-, Swallows grabbed a 1-0 win over Cardinals, and Canaries split their two weekend games, beating Wildcats 2-0 but falling to Bluebirds by the same score.