HAT-TRICKS from Rhys Durban and skipper Andy Knight helped Rochford Hockey Club to a thumping 8-2 win over Saffron Walden, despite suffering an early set back.

Rochford fell behind to an early strike as Walden played a counter attacking move to finish well past goalkeeper Tony Revell.

But, this was the wake up call that was needed and Rochford found an equaliser within five minutes thanks to a determined run from Will Early who found Sam Lowe who in turn played a neat ball for Rhys Durban who slotted the ball past the Walden keeper.

The goal seemed to settle the Rochford players as they started to find their groove and apply pressure to Walden who found themselves camped in their own half.

Goals from Knight and a Luke Smith super drag flick from a short corner took Rochford to 3-1 before Walden again scored following another counter attack.

Despite the close scoreline, Rochford were in total control of the game and further goals again from Knight and Smith and a neat finish by player of the match Durban took the game out of sight with a 6-1 lead at half time.

The second half started as the first finished as Walden struggled to get out of their own half.

As a result, it was then the turn of last week’s hero Lowe to get in on the act with a cheeky lob to beat the stranded keeper.

To their credit Walden did not give up and they continued to battle throughout the game. They netted their third after yet another counter attack against the run of play.

But Rochford went directly on the attack again with Matt Harwood-White who did one of his trade mark mazy runs in to the D and finished sweetly into the the bottom corner.

Durban then rounded off a great performance by bagging his third goal of the game before Knight also completed a hat-trick as he neatly deflected an incoming strike past the helpless Walden defence.

The win moves Rochford up to second in the league with one game remaining before the Christmas break - against third place and fellow title contenders Witham.

l Rochford are on the lookout for new players. They train at King Edmunds School in Rochford every Wednesday between 8pm and 9pm.