HUDDERSFIELD produced their highest score for over half a century when they slammed 16 unanswered goals past Doncaster’s third team.

It was their highest tally since the 1950s and their best start to a Yorkshire Premier League season by some way.

A highly-confident Huddersfield started at a fierce pace expecting a severe test, but they hit Doncaster so hard, so early, with four goals in the first nine minutes, that the visitors never recovered.

It was the perfect split, with eight goals coming in each half as man-of-the-match Jimmy Swinden and Ben Foo each grabbed five, Martin Hirst three, and Will Cooper, Will Rogers and Tim Blank getting one each.

The passing and movement was fantastic in the first half, and they were not prepared to sit back on their 8-0 lead at half time.

They are now playing their best hockey for many years with a young set of players eager to work hard for each other.

Huddersfield are the only side with a perfect record so far, and with an enormous goal tally and three clean sheets at the other end, they are not going to be high on anyone’s wish list to play.

Howarth, Peachey, Swinden (M), Beatson, Courtney, Kelly, Gregory, Rogers, Foo, Hirst, Swinden (J), Cooper, Hannam, Blank.

HUDDERSFIELD’S third string put in a superb first-half display to demolish a solid Doncaster side 6-0.

They were soon ahead when good skill from Elson forced a foul in the D and Hindmarsh slotted home the resulting short corner and, with Doncaster having to play the bulk of the first period inside their own half, it was not long before Huddersfield scored again.

Some slick one-two play between Connell, Hindmarsh and Beaumont ended with the latter notching his seventh goal of the season, and Foster then made it three when he swept home an excellent reverse stick shot from the top of the D.

Huddersfield continued to pass the ball around superbly between all 10 outfield players, spreading play from one side to the other and after a goalmouth scramble Doncaster conceded a penalty flick which Elson comfortably put away.

In the first game of the season, Huddersfield had let a three-goal lead slip, but there were no such problems on this occasion as they continued their high work rate and early in the second half Elson got his second after a move involving Foster, Kullar and Beaumont. Foster then completed the rout when he, too, added a second and Huddersfield’s sixth before an injury to a Doncaster play brought a slightly early end to the contest.

LOCKWOOD PARK Dragons visited the East coast chasing their best start in the North Women’s League Division I, and duly back with the points after a 4-0 victory over Driffield Ladies.

Lockwood dominated play from the outset creating a string of attacking passes and winning a short corner which captain Kelly Fillingham undercut at the Driffield keeper’s chest, helping unsettle their defence early on.

And it soon paid off as Driffield conceded a penalty flick, and with Amanda Sowerby out injured, Sarah Blackburn stepped up and slotted the ball home.

Although there were no more goals in the first half, Dragons continued playing high-paced passing hockey, slicing open areas of the pitch which allowed Rebecca Durrans and Helen Hough to make some great runs down the wide channels.

When a Blackburn strike rebounded out of the D, Fillingham picked out a superb cross to Michelle Dexter who slammed the ball into the back of the net.

Driffield had a squad of 15 players, but fresh legs failed to prevent Dragons pressing on, and a sweeping move on the right wing ended with Nikki Turner sweeping the ball into the goal for number three.

At the other end, Eleanor Townend saved a penalty flick to deny Driffield, although the home side would have been penalised anyway as their striker touched the ball twice!

Player-of-the-game Blackburn twisted and turned the Driffield players inside out, and in the dying stages her short corner was saved on the line, but pounced on by Alice Cowdell, to round off the scoring.

Townend Cowdell, Gerrard, Benson, Thomas, Fillingham, Blackburn, Durrans, Turner, Hough, Maxwell, Dexter.