WORCESTER Norton ladies' comprehensive defeat of basement team Luton puts them within two points of league leaders Charnwood Livingwell, who are the visitors to Nunnery Wood at 3pm on Saturday.

This sets up the most eagerly anticipated clash so far in the Midland Premier League.

Last season the temperature of the two encounters between the teams frequently rose to boiling point mainly over controversial umpiring decisions. This led to a number of temporary suspensions for several players, with Worcester getting the nod over their Leicestershire rivals by the odd goal on both occasions 4-3 and 3-2.

With the excellent goal difference already of +17, Worcester will go top if they win.

Squad: Fiona Nash, Hannah Bourne, Sadie Lapper, Becky Handy, Sophie Wood, Am-anda Smith, Charlene Mason, Tina Evans, Elaine Shepperd, Becky Adams, Kate Draper, Jo Walker, Lucy Huddlestone, Kate Fletcher.

Worcester seconds were disappointed with their draw against Droitwich in their bid for the Worcestershire Division One title and will need to take all three points when they visit Harborne on Saturday to keep in touch with the leaders.

At the other end of the table Worcester thirds are still pointless and need to be more competitive if they are to move away from the relegation zone, but Saturday's game at Nunnery Wood at 4.30pm against Droitwich will be a tough call. The fourths will be seeking their second win of the season in Division 3 when they visit Malvern.

The Under 18s spectacular win against Barton in the EHA Under 18 Cup puts them into Round 3 and they will be joined by the Under 15 team in round three in their cup age group competition because of a walk-over result against Whitchurch from Shrop-shire who could not field a side.

LUTON 0 WORCESTER NORTON 9

Worcester crushed bottom-of-the-table Luton with a scintillating display of attacking hockey to maintain their second place in the Midland Premier League.

Becky Adams registered a hat-trick and Elaine Shepperd, Kate Draper and Lucy Huddlestone claiming a brace apiece.

Worcester had Luton on the ropes from the start but it was not until the ninth minute that Draper opened the scoring after a flowing move involving Jo Walker and Charlene Mason.

Adams made it two in the 20th minute and Shepperd took the score to 3-0 just prior to half time.

Some casual defending by Worcester in the first half allowed Luton to earn eight penalty corners but keeper Fiona Nash and the defence unit dealt effectively with each situation.

Within three minutes of the restart Worcester put any Luton revival out of the question with goals from Draper and Shepperd and a much more professional second half performance meant the noose became progressively tightened around the Bedfordshire outfit. Huddlestone claimed her first league goals in the 55th and 66th minutes and Adams' two in two minutes gave her the hat-trick to set the seal on Worcester's best league performance to date.

BARTON 1 WORCESTER NORTON 13

Worcester Under 18s produced a devastating performance against their Staffordshire opponents in the second round of the EHA Cup with England Under 18 international striker Kate Draper scoring six and Midlands Under 17 midfielder Charlene Mason bagging five.

Two other Midlands Under 17 representatives, Tina Evans and Sophie Wood, completed the scoring.

Barton provided stiff resistance early on and up to the 18th minute the score was 1-1 but a hat-trick to Mason eased the score out to 4-1 at half-time but with no real indication of the onslaught that was to follow.

Draper recorded one of the fastest ever hat-tricks with three goals in three minutes immediately after the restart and then the Mason-Draper partnership went through their repertoire with increasing confidence and efficiency to regularly put the ball in the net.

Defenders Jackie Russell, Lucy Allen, Charlotte Tysler, Anna Simmonds and Becca Saunders provided an excellent platform with their speed of passing to continually switch the point of the attack to stretch the Barton defence.