MATT Lewis notched a hat-trick to help RUSHALL OLYMPIC rattle up a seventh successive win and tighten their grip on a play-off place in the Evo-Stik Division One South.
Lewis’s treble sealed a 5-3 win at Glapwell to maintain fourth place in the table.
The Pics led 3-0 at the break after Lei Brown headed home Mitchell Tolley’s free-kick on four minutes and Lewis converted a Grant Beckett cross and a penalty.
Despite an Adie Smith own goal pegging them back, Rushall moved 4-1 ahead with Beckett’s curling effort. Lewis completed his hat-trick in between goals from Matt Varley and Ian Holmes for the hosts.
Sixth-placed SUTTON COLDFIELD TOWN remain two points behind after chalking up a 2-1 win at fellow contenders Kidsgrove Athletic.
Jonathon Jones gave them the half-time lead and Craig Marshall added a second from the penalty spot before Sutton faced a frantic finale when Craig Milligan was sent off and Wayne Johnson cut the deficit, but the Royals survived.
ROMULUS fell to a second defeat in five days against promotion contenders Newcastle Town after losing 2-0 at Coles Lane.
Goals from Matthew Bell and Jordan Johnson inside the opening seven minutes of the second period sealed the points and left the Roms without a win in six games.
In the Evo-Stik Premier, CHASETOWN’S play-off prospects suffered a setback after a 2-1 defeat at Frickley Athletic.
The Scholars had gone in front on 18 minutes after Richard Davies’ shot hit the crossbar and home keeper Ben Simpson could not stop it bouncing over the line.
But Frickley levelled through Grant Darley’s 43rd-minute strike and a defensive lapse allowed Watts to nab an 83rd-minute winner.
STOURBRIDGE endured an afternoon to forget as they were blitzed 4-0 by Banbury United in the Zamaretto Premier.
Nathan Haisley’s deflected 25-yard effort from the hosts’ first attack put them ahead at half-time before David Stone took over after the break. The former Rugby, Halesowen Town and Nuneaton forward completed a hat-trick with a neat follow-up on 49 minutes and further efforts on 69 and 81 minutes.
HALESOWEN slid closer to relegation after going down 3-0 at home to Oxford City.
The hosts had a positive start but Oxford stunned Town with a goal 20 seconds after the interval through Felipe Barcelos. Jerome Anderson (63 mins) and Barcelos (65) secured City’s points.
