Bolton Hockey Club’s men’s thirds have had a fantastic season in North West Men’s Seven East, but for an unseen foot foul and points dropped at Timperley, their impressive season may have seen them not promoted.

They went into the last day knowing victory would send them up, but they travelled for their furthest game to Buxton thirds.

The opposition have struggled to get a team out away, but have done well at home.

An early lead from Daniel Parsonson was cancelled out by a Buxton equaliser leaving it all square at half time.

The thirds have shown great spirit this season, though, and in the second half they maintained composure under pressure.

Parsonson got a second, and it was fitting for captain Phil Morgan to put the icing on the cake for a 3-1 win and send the team back up after last season’s relegation.

Their final record was P14, W11, D1, L2 as they finished one point behind the champions, while Stockport Bramhall in third were only one point behind Bolton.

The men’s firsts ended their season on cloud nine despite missing out on promotion from North West Men’s Three South.

Their promotion chances had started to slip away with defeat away at Chester thirds at the turn of the year. but they gained revenge with an impressive 9-0 home win.

The Chester men, who find themselves just surviving relegation, managed a surprise victory over then high-flying Bolton last time the sides met but it started a slump of just one win in six.

The return match was a result that looked little in doubt after just a few minutes, Bolton taking an early lead and never letting up.

Sam Robertson helped himself to a hat-trick and Damian Pearse got two. George Brennan was also on the scoresheet, but most of note was a rare goal for Martin Luke, who opened his account on the last day of the season.

The team finished with a league record of P22, W12, D4, L6, for a third-place finish, just two points off second as the title was won by Macclesfield, who won all 22 matches.

The men’s seconds travelled to Bowdon sixths knowing they could not catch their hosts, but that defeat may mean another Bowdon team may overtake them in North West Men’s Six East.

Their day was made harder with no recognised goalkeeper, but captain Matt Simpson stepped up and put on the pads for a second time this season as they won 4-2.

He put in a heroic performance, making many fine saves when called upon.

While he could do nothing for Bowdon’s opener, he got to observe some fine front-foot hockey in a feast of first-half goals from the seconds. Goals from Shahwar Azeem (two - one a penalty flick), a fine poacher’s effort from Louie Morgan and a good finish from Greg Dorsky after he was put through with an audacious one-handed reverse pass from Kyle Hatch saw them surge ahead.

Bowdon pushed in the second half and did get one back, but the 11 men of Bolton held on for a vital victory that saw them push up the table.

Winning two out of the last three helped them rise to eighth with a final record of P22, W8, D3, L11.

In North West Women’s One, the goal for the women’s firsts has been pride.

Two weeks ago they had just three draws and sat nine points behind 11th, destined to go down.

Going into their game at Alderley Edge seconds, they were three points behind, having won two on the bounce, against relegation rivals.

But they would need to dig deep if they were to beat their third-place hosts and secure the points that might give them a chance of 11th.

Bolton were playing with all the confidence and a goal for Rachel Wilson was early reward.

It was soon cancelled out by an Alderley equaliser, but before half time, Jen Brookfield poked home after a goalmouth scramble to re-establish the lead for the visitors.

The second half lasted an eternity for Bolton as Alderley had chances, as did they, but neither team scored again as it ended 2-1.

Against the odds, Bolton had won away for the first time this season and they waited for the Blackburn result.

They lost, leading to jubilation as, miraculously, Bolton had climbed off the foot of the table for the first time since the opening weekend.

While the season still ended in relegation, they should take immense pride from their determination to close the gap and show they could mix it at this level with a final record of P22, W3, D3, L16.

The women’s seconds have been safe in mid-table in North West Women’s Four East since the turn of the year, picking up results but dropping points in equal measure.

They played league champions Stockport Bramhall seconds away on the final day, with the home side in slight danger of not wrapping up the league without a win.

They made sure of that with a comprehensive 8-0 win, but for Bolton it has been a solid season, finishing sixth, with a record of P22, W8, D5, L9.

The women’s thirds finished a turbulent season in North West Women’s Six East at home to Wigan seconds. and the away side took the spoils with a single goal to end Bolton’s season on a downer.

The results have been okay in general for the team with a record of P20, W6, D1, L13, which gives them a platform to build on with a very young talented squad coming through.