South Lakes ladies’ 1st XI lost 5-2 at home to Clitheroe and Blackburn Northern in their last match before Christmas in the North League Division Two North West last Saturday.

Two goals from Cat Cooke – one in each half - did restore some pride for Lakes on an afternoon where their visitors proved to be too strong, but the hosts never threw in the towel.

They go into the winter break with work to do in the second half of the campaign if they are to avoid relegation, as they are third-from-bottom in the table, with just two wins to their name.

It doesn’t get any easier for South Lakes when the season resumes on 12 January, as they’ll be travelling to unbeaten league leaders Fylde 2nd XI.

The men’s 1st XI were heavily beaten for the fourth weekend running, as they were thumped 9-0 at Liverpool John Moores University.

It was one-way traffic from start to finish on Merseyside and it was a particularly fruitful afternoon for LJMU’s Will Wycherley, who bagged himself six goals.

Lakes remain second-from-bottom and have a potentially pivotal match in their season coming up next month when they host Kirkby Lonsdale, the team directly above them in the table.

Thankfully, it was a more profitable weekend for their men’s 2nd XI, as they ground out a 1-0 victory against Lytham St Annes 2nd XI to leapfrog their opponents in Division Five North North and help their fight against the drop.

In the North League Division Two West, Windermere men’s 1st XI dropped a two-goal lead on the way to losing 5-3 at leaders Urmston.

Open play goals from Harry Jackson and Adam Whitehead put ‘Mere 2-0 ahead, but their great start clearly woke up Urmston, who answered with four unanswered goals to turn the match around.

Captain Will Dolman reduced the gap to 4-3 with a short corner drag flick into the top right of goal but any hopes the visitors had of taking the win were snuffed out by a fifth Urmston strike.

Windermere resume their campaign on 19 January with a trip to third-placed Knutsford.

Back in Division Five North North of the North West League, their men’s 2nd XI hammered south Cumbria rivals Kendal 2nd XI to move to fourth in the table.

‘Mere were rampant in the first half to lead 4-0 at the break and added two more goals before taking their foot off the gas in the closing stages when bottom side Kendal scored from a sloppily-defended short corner.

Teddy Ferguson scored a hat-trick, while Archie Dalzell bagged a brace and Tom Maloney was the other Windermere scorer.