A LATE strike earned Acomb Men’s I a 2-2 draw at home to fourth-placed Grimsby I in Yorkshire Hockey League division one.

The game went ahead at Energise after the Tangerines players cleared the water off one third of the pitch.

In a close equal encounter between two sides that scored 22 goals the previous week, it was no surprise that both defences were under pressure.

It was 22 minutes before the first goal which went to the visitors, but immediately the Tangerines levelled from the unusual source of Barry Whitfield at a penalty corner routine.

Grimsby went back on the attack and were thwarted by a miraculous save by Samuel Opoku, which bounced off the keeper’s helmet, over the goal and over the protective netting behind.

The second half was more of the same and Stuart Baxter stayed strong for the Tangerines in defence.

Midway through the half, Grimsby found themselves two on just Tangerines player of the match Opoku, who made the initial save but the ball slipped out and the Grimsby captain netted in an open goal.

Grimsby had a shot cleared off the Acomb goalline by Baxter and then the hosts thought they had equalised when the ball went into the Grimsby goal, but it was ruled that no Tangerine player had touched the ball in the ‘D’.

With three minutes remaining, Ryan Smith made a run down the right flank and his cross found an unmarked Pete Greenwood, who flicked home the equaliser to leave a 2-2 draw as a fair result.

Acomb Men’s II played a friendly fixture against Halifax III due to the Energise pitch being partially waterlogged.

Acomb won 4-1 with all the goals coming from Richard Luscombe.

The waterlogged pitch meant the ladies fixture against Harrogate III was postponed.