A MATT Gardner double gave Worcester men's firsts their first Midland League Division One victory of the season.

They won 2-1 at mid-table Sutton Coldfield to pull away from the bottom two.

Worcester should have gone ahead when Alex Milton’s pass found Dom Sullivan who won a penalty corner but Jack Townsend shot over from close range.

The visitors kept plugging away and won another penalty corner quickly with a deflection from Sullivan falling to Gardner who fired into the back of the net.

The second half saw Worcester on top again and Gardner claimed his second after a penalty-corner routine broke down.

Sutton came back but good saves from keeper Tom Dalton kept them at bay until they scored with 10 minutes to go.

Worcester visit Warwick on Saturday.

Several matches were hit by poor weather and pitch conditions.

Worcester thirds lost 6-2 to a strong Harborne side with a goal each for Brett Pittam and Elliot Lamond while the fourths fell 7-0 to runway leaders Stourport.

The fifths lost a see-saw encounter 4-3 at Barford Tigers with an Adam Ball brace and a stunning solo goal from Niall O’Kane who picked the ball up in Worcester’s half and beat a string of opposing players.

The sevenths lost 2-1 to Bromsgrove with a rare Andy Bowkett strike.

The only women’s fixture was the third XI who took on Droitwich Spa and narrowly lost in the last couple of minutes 2-1 with a goal from Eleanor Fawcett.

The men’s over 50s side took on a strong Barford Tigers team in a cagey affair with their opponents having most of the possession but Worcester enjoying good opportunities to score.

The game ended 1-1 in normal time with a powerfully-struck equaliser from Kev Oliver in the last few minutes but Worcester lost the resulting penalty shoot-out.