BROMSGROVE Hockey Club Men's First XI have have been dealt a double blow in their West Midlands One survival quest.

Not only did Julian Court's side lose 3-1 at Kynoch last Saturday, but they have also had three points deducted, putting them one place above the drop zone.

Bromsgrove found out last Thursday that they would lose the points after fielding an illegal player in the opening game of the season.

The club did not realise that Scott Woodley had previously played for Bournville Seconds last term and an official transfer had not taken place.

Woodley is now a registered Bromsgrove player and will need to help drag his team out of their relegation fight.

Captain Court said: "It was a misunderstanding and nothing untoward went on."

And last Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Kynoch did not help Bromsgrove's demotion cause.

Bromsgrove never looked troubled early on but lost last week's two-goal hero Mark Robinson to a hamstring injury after a couple of minutes and struggled to put any pressure on the hosts' goal.

Kynoch broke the deadlock after Bromsgrove lost the ball in midfield, leaving the defence and goalkeeper Neil Evans exposed to a deflected shot.

Kynoch snatched a second from a short corner after the break and got another from a similar routine.

Finally, Bromsgrove managed to put sustained pressure on the Kynoch goal and scored through Ash Clarke.

Bruce Turner also hit the outside of the post late on.

The Seconds cruised to 13-2 home success against Rugeley. Nick Frizzell scored six.