Nunneley hits hat-trick as Banbury take national title

It came in Sunday’s England Hockey Mixed Trophy final at the Lee Valley Stadium where they beat Formby 4-3 with Josh Nunneley completing a hat-trick.

Banbury overcame Bristol Firebrands 3-1 in a tight semi-final on Saturday too book their place in the final.

In Sunday’s final, Banbury found themselves trailing early on. Formby continued to put the Banbury defence under pressure, creating a number of clear-cut chances.

The final was turned on it’s head with an inspired ten-minute spell midway through the first half which saw Nunneley complete a hat-trick, scoring twice from short corners and rounding it off it by sending the Formby keeper the wrong way to coolly finish from the penalty spot.

Both sides started slowly after the restart but Formby found their way back into the game with a thundering reverse-stick goal.

Despite Formby pressing hard Banbury remained resolute, doing well to shut the game out and limit their opponents to a handful of further chances. With five minutes left Max Grossmith deflected in what proved to be the deciding goal.

Formby grabbed a late consolation goal before the hooter went but it was Banbury who were crowned national champions.