Old Loughtonians have been relegated from the NOW: Pensions Men’s Hockey League for the first time since its inception in 1988, despite winning their final fixture.

Loughts triumphed over Cambridge City 3-1 on Sunday but were faced with an anxious wait afterwards to discover their fate. And with Teddington and Richmond – the sides directly above them both picking up wins – Loughts have dropped out of the top flight.

The afternoon had begun so encouragingly for Loughts; an early Andrew MacGregor goal from a Conor Caplan pass was swiftly followed by a Jim Jewell penalty corner to make it 2-0 to the visitors.

It stayed that way for quite some time until Gilmour scored in the second half for Cambridge City but Caplan popped up to seal the game in the final minute for Loughts.

Old Loughtonians ladies were also beaten by Cambridge City, losing 2-0 in the East Women’s League Premier Division in their penultimate fixture.

Fourth-placed Loughts were undone by two second-half goals against the league leaders and now head into Saturday’s final fixture with Ipswich Seconds with nothing to play for.

Elsewhere in the East Women’s Premier League, Wapping ladies suffered a major blow in their relegation battle after losing 1-0 to Broxbourne.

With four teams relegated from the top flight, third-bottom Wapping are five points from safety ahead of their final fixture, away to Canterbury Seconds on Saturday.

Wapping were made to pay for switching off defensively at the beginning of the second half, with Broxbourne scoring the only goal of the game.

And Wapping’s frustrations were compounded when skipper Lucy Todd was dismissed for controlling the ball with her stick above shoulder height late on.

However, there was better news for the Wapping men’s Thirds, who became the fourth team from the club to secure promotion this term by beating Upminster 4-1 in the East Men’s Division Three South East.

A brace from Alex White was added to by Chris Austin and Greg Edmunds and captain Edmunds commented: “It is fantastic for all the hard work that the team has put in over the last couple of seasons to see fruition with a promotion to Division 2S.

“We slipped up in a couple of games throughout the season which had the potential to scupper our chances but the determination and heart that everyone has shown over the last few weeks has been superb.”

Wapping Sevenths also celebrated promotion from Division Six South East, with a 3-2 triumph at Redbridge & Ilford Thirds enough to earn a place in Division Five with a game to spare.

In the Premier Division, the Wapping men’s Firsts took another step towards the title by drawing 1-1 with Cambridge University.

Man-of-the-match Felix Styles scored Wapping’s goal to earn a share of the spoils.

Bottom-of-the-league Crostyx ladies enjoyed a resounding 4-1 win over rivals Waltham Forest which keeps their survival hopes alive going into the final weekend.

Four teams go down in Division One South but the battle to avoid the drop remains open ahead of Saturday’s trip to Folkestone.

Laura Feldman put Styx ahead but Forest equalised shortly before the interval.

However, three second-half strikes from Kat Hawes, Annabelle Smith and Sophie Daltry-Smith sealed an important victory.