BOLTON men's second team gave their survival hopes a huge boost with a shock victory over high-flying Urmston 2nds.

The 3-1 home win lifted them to within two points of second bottom seven behind the next two closest teams to them in North West League Division Four North.

Urmston, who started the day in second place and finished in fourth, found themselves 3-0 down following goals from James Robinson, Damien Pearse and Ric Coles before pulling one back.

The home side took the lead from a quick break that saw defender Phil Johnston drive forward to create a two-versus-two situation in which he slipped a pass to winger Robinson who made no mistake.

Bolton held a solid shape to go into the break on level terms, and striker Pearse doubled the lead when he pressured the Urmston defenders into making a slip and intercepted a pass before going through on goal and rounding the keeper for his eighth league goal of the season.

Coles fired home from a short corner routine to make it three before Urmston staged a strong rally which produced a goal and then a series of fine saves from keeper Tom Brants, a goalline clearance from defender Sean McGovern and a diving stick stop on the line from full-back Marcus Starr.

Bolton ladies' first team returned in style after three weeks of weather-forced inactivity when they hammered lowly Longridge 5-0 away.

Bolton, who are sixth in North League Division One, were always in control against their 11th-placed opponents who had done a magnificent job in clearing the pitch of snow to enable the game to go ahead.

The local ladies flew out of the blocks with an early goal from Ali Toft and retained the ball for long periods of the first half in which they added another three goals from Claire Wilson, Vicky Dean and a second from Toft.

Longridge stepped up their game in the second half when Dean added another.

Bolton men's fourth team fought out a 2-2 draw at West Derby 3rd Xl.

With the teams next to each other in third and fourth places in the North West Hockey League Division Six North/South, the game was always likely to be tight.

And that was the way it turned out.

The higher-placed Bolton men were looking to get their season back on track after drawing with the bottom side in their previous game.

And they took the game to their more experienced opponents whose goalkeeper came to their rescue with fine saves to deny Tom Underwood and Robert Lord.

West Derby went ahead against the run of play with a fierce shot when went through the legs of goalkeeper Nathan Bolton from a short corner.

Bolton drew level shortly after when a great move down the right saw Max Frost pick out Luke Halsall-Hart who calmly slotted away at the back post.

The local lads went ahead from the next short corner when a well worked move ended in Underwood slotting past the keeper.

West Derby levelled at the start of the second half and the game could have gone either way after that with fine defensive work from James Beamish and Tom Briscoe ensuring Bolton did not lose.

Bolton 3rd Xl were unlucky not to get something out of the game against Salford University first team in their North West League Division Five North/South clash.

Eighth-placed Bolton had two good chances to take the lead against their third-placed visitors through Wahid Kahn and Mark Woodward – who did well to break free of the last defender with good pace to give himself a shooting opportunity.

Superb last-man defending by Matt Rimmer prevented Salford from scoring on three occasions before Salford scored from two penalty corners just before half time.

Salford went 3-0 up after the break and seemed to be cruising until Bolton were awarded a penalty corner from which Rimmer fired home a trademark thunderbolt.

Bolton then took control and Dean Carney drove the ball across the D for John O'Hara to deflect the ball home impressively.