West Herts all but secured their NOW: Pensions Men’s Conference East status with a 1-0 win over Richmond on Sunday.

Both teams struggled for ascendancy in the first half as torrential rain made stick control very hard, frustrating both sides’ attacking efforts.

In the second period West Herts finally got the measure of their opponents and won a short corner, which Dan Webster put inches wide.

But the frustration was short-lived as Max Webster was on hand soon after to get a diving touch from right in front of the goalkeeper.

The Stags were mostly in control from then on, apart from a couple of narrow squeaks in defence, but they held firm.

West Herts Ladies were big winners in the East Premier Division, crushing hapless Ipswich Seconds 12-2.

Going a goal behind in the first couple of minutes was no indicator of what was to follow and Herts were soon level when Jen Black popped up at the far post to guide the ball in for the first of four goals.

The Stags then began to take control of the game and it was only a matter of time before they took the lead when Black popped up for her and the team’s second.

Further goals from Becky Perry and Anna Coppel stretched the lead and although Ipswich got a second before the half time whistle, West Herts were looking comfortable for their lead.

In the second half the home side looked to add to their goal tally; Black completed her hat-trick, Perry executed a well-worked penalty corner and Louise Smith timed her run well to turn a long-range pass from Perry round the goalkeeper to make it eight.

Ipswich then found themselves down to ten players following an injury and they were without a replacement.

With the extra space available, West Herts managed to finish the game off, adding four further goals in the last five minutes of the game.

Black rounded off her sterling performance with her fourth goal; Smith and Perry completed hat-tricks and Coppel finished the scoring off with her second.

The men’s Seconds were well beaten, 5-2 at East London, whilst the Fourths were comprehensive 8-2 victors over St Albans Fifths.

West Herts Sixths lost 1-0 against Bishop’s Stortford Fifths, a marked improvement on their 10-0 away defeat. The Sevenths lost 2-0 at St Albans Eighths.

In the ladies’ section, there was a 3-2 win at Broxbourne for the Seconds, whilst the Fourths were held 1-1 at Saffron Walden.

The Fifths picked up a resounding 5-0 win over Milton Keynes Fourths.