BLACKBURN HAWKS 2 SOLIHULL KINGS 7

Haig's men savaged by the Wildcats

BLACKBURN Hawks found the challenge of back-to-back cup ties against Premier League opposition just too much and suffered successive defeats, away to Swindon Wildcats and home to Solihull Kings.

The team still tops the English National Hockey League North with a 100 per cent record in four games, but that counted for nothing in the Premier Cup ties.

A disappointed player coach Bobby Haig said: "We simply didn't have enough players at Swindon, thanks to holidays, injuries and the under 19s having other commitments.

"As a result, we didn't compete and we were over-run. To be fair, we're coming up against teams with three imports, who train two or three times a week and have higher fitness and technique levels than we have."

Haig agreed that morale was low, but insists the league is his priority.

"Heavy defeats do nothing for morale and there's no positives here, but we have said all along that we want to win our league. As quick as you lose games, you can win them and that makes all the difference."

With the score at 8-0 in the second period at Swindon, Wes Barnett, assisted by Haig, collected the Hawks' only goal of the game. It proved scant consolation, though, as the Wildcats rattled in another four to finish runaway 12-1 winners.

Back at the Blackburn Arena, and with more players available, Haig had hoped to overturn Premier League bottom-placed club Solihull Kings.

It didn't go as planned, however, and the Kings raced into a six-goal lead going into the third period, before David Sheffield capped a good move involving Scott Barnett and Adam Fuller.

Haig set up Ricci Hulme for a second soon after, but Solihull scored again to clinch a 7-2 victory.