WORCESTER Norton Ladies Hockey Club continue their pre-season campaign with a trip to Northampton on Saturday.

It will be a tough test for the City girls who face the side which won the Division A title last year, claiming promotion to the Premier Division.

And it will be an under-strength Worcester who will be without the services of several top players because of a Midlands squad training weekend.

Strikers Kate Draper and Laura Macfarlane have been called up as have Sophie Ward and Becky Handy.

However, opportunity knocks for Amanda Smith, Julie Harwood and Nicky Sprague to stake a claim for first team spots.

On Saturday, they showed their steel with a battling 1-0 home win over West League side Lansdown in a friendly.

The visitors earned 12 penalty corners yet failed to profit from a single one. Partly due to their sloppy routine but also to the gritty Worcester defence and in particular goalkeeper Emily Price who saved a penalty stroke.

Draper was on the mark early in the second half to bag the all-important goal.

Soon after, Kate Fletcher also had the ball in the net with a clean strike at a corner but it was ruled too high.

The second and third teams are in action over the weekend, the seconds away to Malvern and the thirds at home to Tenbury at University College, starting at 3.00pm.

l PIP Sirrell's hat-trick was not enough to save Worcester Norton Hockey Club's sixth side going down 9-5 at Leominster A on Saturday. With both sides playing attractive, open hockey it was no surprise their were 14 goals in the game.

The home side were 5-2 up at half-time but a mini recovery saw Sirrell star while Charlie Lane also bagged a brace for Worcester.