The Old Loughts v Teddington fixture is one of the oldest and most contested games in the England Hockey National League. The matches are rarely dull affairs and the match on Sunday at Teddington School lived up to its billing.

The afternoon should have been a double header but the anticipated noon ladies fixture was postponed because of the still frozen pitch.

The match started at a fast pace with Teddington struggling to match the Loughts speed of pass. Within ten minutes Teddington were down to ten men after the first green card of the match. Two minutes later Loughts were awarded their first penalty corner and Mark Loughrey’s shot was too good for the Teddington keeper. One nil Loughts.

With no quarter given by either side it remained 1-0 at half time despite a green card for Loughts. Then, within a matter of four minutes the game took off. Max Sydenham scored for Loughts, Teddington pulled one back two minutes later from a penalty corner and then Conor Caplan made it 3-1 only two minutes later.

Loughts pressed on knowing that Teddington’s best chance of scoring would come from their dangerous drag flicker from penalty corners. Their determination was rewarded when Mark Loughrey scored his second following a well worked move down the left. Loughts could have scored more. Four penalty corners in a row were charged down by the Teddington defence. Teddington were then awarded a penalty corner themselves but Jack Tranter in the Loughts goal made a fine save to deny Teddington and the game finished 4-1.

The win moves Loughts up to third in the table. The league resumes at the beginning of February when Loughts host Brighton after the Christmas break.”