Swiss Cottage-based Highbury Korfball Club returned to winning ways at the weekend, with seven of their eight players scoring hat-tricks in a 24-11 victory away at Bec III in London Regional League One.

Highbury, who were top of the league at Christmas, had suffered three successive defeats in their previous outings, leaving them third in the table – but this triumph took them up into second with three games to go.

The visitors, who were hit by injuries, called upon Leonie Ansems De Vries for her first match of the season – and the two sides traded scores at the start of the game.

Morven Masterton got the opening goal for Highbury, striking from close range, and Matt Dodds notched a second for the visitors.

However, the home team cancelled out both efforts and then took a 3-2 lead – the only time they would hold the advantage in the match.

Highbury hit back twice through Moses Hutchinson-Pascal and Niccola Hyslop, while Bec levelled the scores again, and Highbury’s player-coach Andrew Speck then called a time-out.

His words clearly had the desired impact as Highbury went on to score seven goals without reply, giving them a substantial first-half lead.

Hyslop got the ball rolling from range and Martin Petrie followed suit for the reds before further goals from Masterton, Hyslop, Petrie and Mackie made it 12-5 to the away team at the interval.

The defence was just as important as the attacking threat in establishing such a winning position

Bec came out for the second half looking to get back into the game – and they did briefly threaten to do so after netting two unanswered goals shortly after the restart.

Highbury were struggling to find the rhythm that they demonstrated in the first half but, when Dodds scored his second of the game, the visitors quickly regained their earlier momentum.

Hutchinson-Pascal doubled up with two goals, completing his hat-trick, and Petrie also got on the scoresheet again to wrap up his treble.

That gave Highbury a nine-goal lead at 16-7, and Mackie was next to join the group of hat-trick heroes, with his goal being sandwiched by two Bec efforts.

Highbury started to enjoy their advantage and, with the pressure off, they scored the next five goals, showing signs of the form that they showed earlier in the season when they suffered just one defeat in their opening nine games.

Hyslop, Dodds, Dixon and Masterton also hit the target, and Ansems De Vries registered her first goal of the season to give the team a 13-goal advantage at 22-9.

Bec pulled one goal back but it didn’t stem the tide as Highbury hit two more late goals through Hutchinson-Pascal and Dixon, before Bec registered a late consolation.

Highbury will go into their next game, against Trojans II on March 2, full of confidence.