Smart Alex at the double but Old Loughts miss out on the play-offs

�Old Loughtonians brought the curtain down on their season with a comfortable victory over Indian Gymkhana on Sunday.

With Southgate already assured of top spot and a place in the promotion play-offs, Loughts incentive was simply to maintain their winning run, which now stretches to four matches, following victories against Harleston Magpies, Sevenoaks and Wimbledon respectively.

Alex Jennings struck twice from open play in the second half for Dominic Camilleri’s side, taking his season’s tally to 16 and cementing his position as the club’s leading scorer.

The Chigwell side finished second in Men’s Conference East, just four points behind winners Southgate, who now face a round-robin play-off competition for the right to play in the Premier Division next season.

Since suffering two defeats in their opening three games, Loughts have been resurgent.

They won 11 of their subsequent 15 matches and qualified for the prestigious super sixes National Indoor Hockey finals at Wembley Arena in January and will no doubt be aiming for promotion to hockey’s top tier again next season.

Old Loughtonians Ladies finished their Women’s Conference East season with a 3-0 defeat away to Ipswich on Sunday. Emma Millar opened the scoring from a penalty corner after four minutes and Faye Curran doubled the home side’s lead on 27 minutes.

The victory was sealed just two minutes later through Chloe Hunnable as Loughts finished a disappointing seventh, although a comfortable 13 points clear of the bottom two.