As club hockey edges closer to the midseason break, the standard is improving from week to week.

This was very evident in the match of the weekend between the defending women’s premier league champions Uitenhage Comets and multiple former champions Gelvandale Tornados.

The game started with both sides throwing everything into attack with end-to-end action.

But it was the Tornados who struck first with a Shayna Harmse field goal and then straight afterwards catching the Comets on the back foot with a Gabrielle Rockman penalty corner goal, giving them an early 2-0 lead.

Not to be outdone, the Comets came back into the game with a Carla Edworthy penalty corner goal and then another by striker Simone Upman, making it 2-2 at the end of the first chukka.

Comets came out hungry in the second chukka and put two past Tornados with a Tristan Schroder field goal and a magnificent baseline backhand goal from Upman, to give the Comets a 4-2 lead at halftime.

The third chukka saw a great fightback from Tornados as they scored two penalty corner goals from Harmse and Tamara Armstrong, levelling the score to 4-4 at the end of the chukka.

It was all to play for in the fourth chukka and both sides wanted the win.

In the end, it was a penalty flick awarded to the Comets close to the end of the chukka which ultimately made the difference, with it being converted by Upman, giving her a hattrick of goals and her team the 5-4 win.

The results were:

Women

Premier League: Pirates Jolly Rodgers 1 PEC Warriors 3; Gelvandale Tornados 4 Uitenhage Comets 5.

Presidents League: Pegs A 7 Wosa 0; PEC Gladiators 2 Wosa 2; OC Academy 4 Gelvandale Panthers 0.

Men

Premier League: PEC Chargers 8 Old Grey 1; St Peters 1 Gelvandale Hurricanes 5; Lakeside Cavaliers 0 PEC Chargers 4.

Presidents League: PEC Aloes 3 Pirates Blue Beards 1; Pirates Blue Beards 4 Wosa 4; Gelvandale Knights 1 Old Grey Unicorns 1.

This weekend’s fixtures:

At KC March

Saturday: 4.30pm Women’s Prem, Pirates Jolly Rodgers v Gelvan Tornados; 6pm Women’s Pres, Gelvan Panthers v Wosa. Sunday: 10am Women’s Pres, Wosa v OC Academy; 11.30am  Men’s Pres, Wosa vs OG Unicorns; 2.30pm Men’s Prem, St Peters v Old Grey; 4pm Men’s Prem, Lakeside Cavakiers vs Gelvan Hurricanes.

At Collegiate

Saturday: 2.30pm Women’s Pres, Pegs A v St Peters; 4pm Women’s Prem, Old Collegians v UHC Comets.

At Pearson

Saturday: 4pm Men’s Prem, PEC Chargers v Gelvan Hurricanes; 5.30pm Men’s Pres, PEC Aloes v Woodridge Wanderers.

At Woodridge

Sunday: 1pm Men’s Pres, Woodridge Wanderers v Gelvan Knights