Steve Fox scored a hat-trick to fire St Albans Hockey Club Eighths to a 3-0 win at Welwyn Garden City Fourths on Saturday.

The team are the Tangerines’ newest side having entered the East league this season as part of the club’s expansion programme. Under the leadership of skipper Andy Golding, they go into the Christmas break in third place in Division 9SW with a game in hand over league leaders Potters Bar Fourths.

Elsewhere, on a weekend when the weather claimed many fixtures, the St Albans ladies Bodiceas stormed to a 4-0 victory at Tring Seconds and the men’s Fourths won 3-2 at home to Bedford Fourths.

The ladies Seconds suffered a 2-0 defeat but stay top of East Division 1S. Indoors, the ladies performed strongly to clinch second place behind Holcombe in the East Indoor Prem.

St Albans head coach and England manager Andy Halliday saw his side beat Belgium to finish seventh in the men’s Champions Trophy in India.

England had defeated the silver and bronze sides (Pakistan and Australia) in the group games, but lost their quarter final to the gold medal winners (Germany).