Windermere Men’s 1s beat previously undefeated Crewe 5-2 to climb to sixth in North League 2 West.

Jake Sorrenson gave Mere a dream start, scoring in the first five minutes, but Crewe levelled almost immediately.

Mere then took control again for skipper Adam Whitehead to score their second.

However, a Crewe short corner right on half-time morphed into a successful penalty stroke after a foot block on the line and the sides were all square at the interval.

A super Will Dolman drag flick gave Mere the lead for a third time soon after the restart and man of the match Sam Whitehead provided breathing space when he made it 4-2.

But Crewe’s response was to press high and besiege Mere’s D for fully ten minutes.

Shots, through balls and a string of short corners came thick and fast but Mere’s defence held and the result was then sealed when Sam Whitehead broke away, dodging his way through Crewe’s stretched rearguard.

He passed to his older brother Adam who gleefully finished with a sliding reverse stick strike.

Unbeaten Kendal Men’s 2s came from three goals down at half-way to share the spoils 3-3 in their first derby clash of the season with Windermere 2s.

Mere dominated the first half of their NW Hockey league Div 4NN encounter and led 3-0 at half-time thanks to an Isaac Ravenhill hat-trick.

But when two Mere midfielders were sin-binned at the same time after the restart, Kendal stormed back with two short corner goals and a late equaliser as they made the most of their second-half momentum.

Mere’s man-of-the-match was again midfielder Jack Spiby.