HELENSBURGH Hockey Club’s first team finally got their league campaign under way on Saturday, but were defeated 4-2 at Uddingston.

Helensburgh started brightly with some good attacking hockey on what was a difficult pitch.

It took only five minutes to open the scoring with Black playing it through to Cox who slotted it past the keeper.

Burgh must have felt it was going to be plain sailing as they took their foot off the gas.

Helensburgh maintained most of the pressure but couldn’t make any more chances count – and they were duly punished for it.

Uddingston hit Helensburgh with a quick counter attack break and scored the equaliser just before the half-time whistle blew.

In the second half the game started getting ugly, with Kennedy receiving a green for repeated bad tackles.

Uddingston were equally as guilty, with one of their players receiving a green as well.

The home side took the lead after a fortunate strike was completely mishit and ended up looping over all the players in the D and into the top of the goal.

Helensburgh were still struggling to come to terms with this when Uddingston struck again. After a scramble in the D, the ball trickled past Keith, in goals, only to hit a Burgh foot.

The umpire had to award a penalty flick which was dually finished.

Cox was doing his best up front to create an opening for the away side, but was fairly isolated and it wasn’t until late in the game when a resurgence looked possible.

A great run by MacKenzie down the left saw the ball hit to the back post where Hartopp waited, slotting it home to bring the score within one.

Burgh were lifted momentarily after this but Uddingston capitalised on Helensburgh flooding forward, with a late goal.

Helensburgh: C. Keith, H. Johnson, G. McWilliam, D. McGregor, C. McMenemin, G. Black, B. Kennedy, A. Stuart, G. MacKenzie, J. Cox, D. Hartopp, J. Gumbrell, A. MacAuley, G. Caulfield.

Thanks to Andy Richardson for umpiring.

The second team travelled away to Giffnock and looked to have rescued themselves from being 3-1 down to snatch a draw.

But it was cruelly taken away from them with the last hit of the game.

The tie finished 4-3. Burgh goals came from B. Cox, N. McKend and J. Murphy.

The third team suffered a similar fate, after a late goal earned Kelburne a 2-2 draw in their game.