Crostyx ladies hosted a pre-season quadrangular tournament at the weekend with opposition from East London, Waltham Forest and Hertford.

The first match was against local rivals Waltham Forest and after a slow start it was Styx who took the lead, Sophie Smith finishing off a move which saw Ella Day go on a mazy run from midfield before offloading.

Captain Anna Lawes rounded off the win with a second goal after meeting Kat Hawes’ neat cross.

Hertford were the second opposition. The match followed a similar pattern to their first with Styx overcoming a sluggish start to win 2-0.

Laura Feldman got the opener with a seamless reverse stick strike before adding a second from a rehearsed short corner routine.

Crostyx’s final match of the day was against East London, a scrappy and tired game, however, with some spells of superb play.

Styx remained on top for the duration of the contest, chasing the ball down in pairs. Their reluctance to give up finally paid off with a melee in the goalmouth resulting in new recruit for Crostyx, Louise Poulter, helping herself to a debut goal for the club.

The men’s side picked up a 3-1 pre-season win over local rivals Old Loughtonians to continue their preparations for the new season in fine style.

Despite ceding the best of the opening exchanges, Styx levelled when Laurence Budd tapped home from less than a yard.

Styx then went in front with ten minutes to play as Jake Burke lifted home before Matt Rowland added a third.