AN excellent win away at Richmond Town Reserves kept Hawes in the Scotts4Storage Wensleydale League title hunt on Saturday.

It proved an eventful game for the visitors' Luke Wilkinson. Minutes after he put his team a goal up following a good ball from Tom Calvert, Wilkinson was sin binned for arguing with the referee about a penalty appeal which wasn't given.

However, the reduction in numbers failed to stop Hawes taking control of the game, with Brett Calvert getting the Wensleydale team's second with a good header from Ryan Alderson corner.

Tom Calvert then put Hawes 3-0 up on with a neat finish just before the break.

Now back on the field, Wilkinson got his second of the game by lobbing the Richmond 'keeper from 25 yards.

Town pulled a goal back on 68 minutes through Marshall Thorogood, but Hawes wing-back Ben Fawcett went straight up the other end from the restart to put Hawes 5-1 up.

Ben Fawcett went flying down the wing on 74 minutes and put the perfect ball to the back post, where Tom Calvert was waiting to slide the ball home, before Matthew Turnbull scored a late consolation goal for the home side.

In the day’s only other fixture Richmond Mavericks went top with a comfortable 5-0 win away at Spenni.

The prodigious James Kelly got two, while Sam Pickersgill also netted twice.

Mavs' final goal was scored by Jerry Metcalfe.

Mavs visit Hawes on Saturday in a game the league's other title contenders, Unicorn, will be hoping finishes level.

Results: Richmond Town Reserves 2-6 Hawes; Spennithorne 0-5 Richmond Mavericks

Fixtures (all league): Carperby v Unicorn; Hawes v Richmond Mavericks; Richmond Town Reserves v Catterick Garrison