Old Loughtonians ladies edged a seven-goal thriller against Tunbridge Wells 4-3 on Saturday to move top of the East Premier.

Against a determined Tunbridge team Old Loughts dominated possession in the first half. However, opportunities were few and far between, with only Helen Wakefield and Miranda Weeks coming close.

But it was Old Loughts’ first penalty corner which created the opening goal when a good delivery allowed Sarah Smith to pick up the rebound.

Old Loughts continued to dominate possession but could not convert their chances.

The second half continued in the same vein but suddenly Old Loughts proved to more effective as they approached the circle.

Another corner and a good delivery from Danni Haynes allowed Smith to dive bravely to deflect the ball past the goalkeeper.

Soon after, a further goal from Heidi Baber after a fine nine-pass move yielded a good team goal to put Loughts 3-0 ahead.

But from there, Tunbridge fought back with a vengeance and snatched three goals in five minutes.

The pendulum soon swung back in Loughts’ favour as a strong run from Chloe Roger saw Sorcha Crawley add the final touch to take the lead again.

Victory means Loughts are a point ahead of second-placed Cambridge City, who saw their clash with Norwich Dragons abandoned at 1-1. Loughts have played two games more, however.