MINEHEAD and West Somerset’s first team hosted their West Dorset counterparts on Saturday, looking to assert their position at the top of Parrett Division One in the West Hockey League.

The game started well for the hosts with Kyle Wheaton continuing his great form and scoring within the first minute.

This early lead however caused the home side to relax and what followed was 10 minutes of fairly lackadaisical hockey, allowing West Dorset to pinch the ball and have a few attacks, albeit fortunately to no avail.

Realising this wouldn't be such an easy ride, the home side began to wind up and play with more intensity, and it wasn't long before they'd netted more goals, going into half-time with a 5-0 lead, this included a roof of the net strike by Mark Bolton on his birthday.

There wasn't much that needed changing, just maintaining intensity and adding to the goal difference.

Minehead started the second half well; scoring quickly again, before being rocked by a really well-taken goal by the visitors who remain seventh in the eight-team division, only behind third bottom Taunton Vale Fourths on goal difference.

The visitors then scored twice more in quick succession, bringing them back in touching distance, and forcing Minehead to knuckle down once more. Fortunately the home side managed to score thrice more, and put the game to bed for a 9-3 success which included braces for Josh Hooper and Wheaton.

The home side, who have a three-point cushion over second-placed Bridgwater Seconds with both teams having played 17 times, saw James White voted as player-of-the-match.

Minehead are back in action this Saturday when they head down to Exeter to take on Isca Fifths with the fixture getting underway at 2pm on pitch two at Exeter University.