COMPETITIVE sport, be it hockey, football or even tiddleywinks can raise great passion and emotion in its participants.

Channelled and controlled, it can be used to a player's advantage -- unchecked, it can cause a team's downfall.

Bolton Hockey Club's first XI gave a classic example of the two sides of the dilemma by managing to lose to Oxton 3-2.

The two teams employ contrasting styles, Bolton's passing game against Oxton's quick break and it was the opposition's ability to soak up pressure then hit hard and fast that caused Bolton problems.

The rampaging efforts of Steve Way, Chris Aitken and Craig Cook allowed Bolton to dominate the opening exchanges without reward, yet one clinical break out caught the home defence cold and Paul Neville cruelly exposed in goal.

Back came Bolton, sending wave after wave of attacks against a resolute backline.

One over-zealous tackle too many allowed Bolton to equalise as Woods wrong-footed the keeper from a penalty corner to feed Way who swept the ball home

A matter of time for Bolton to move ahead -- well, that is until another lapse of concentration at the back, again presented Oxton with only their second sight of goal to re-establish the lead.

Frustrated by this turn of events, Bolton began to lose their focus loosening mouths rather than shutting them.

Bolton started to see a foul in every challenge, an error in every decision and were not seen to voice their discontent.

With Steve Way off the pitch with a twisted ankle he could do nothing to control his side, as they hit self-destruct.

From inside the opposition half, Bolton managed to take themselves into conceding a penalty corner.

Despite one goal line clearance in the melee that followed, the ball ended up in the back of the net.

Having given themselves a mountain to climb, Bolton shut up and got on with climbing.

Julian King went close, Cook fired narrowly wide, before Aitken barrelled his way through and round the keeper to win a penalty stroke which Woods easily converted.

Time ran out as Bolton piled on the pressure. Indiscipline cost them three goals and three points and was scant reward for the heroics of Paul Neville in goal, the bruises of Scott Tobutt and the tireless running of the forwards.

q... AND then there are some games that do not even qualify as competitive, such as the second XI's 13-0 trouncing of Blackburn.

Owen Evans could have scored in the opening seconds but his miss did not matter as goals game from everywhere.

Paul Ashurst and Will Atkins got hat-tricks, Chris Dean two and one each for Matthew Short, Evans, Adam Friend, Richard Moore and Richard Turner.

All this was on a waterlogged pitch in awful conditions and without captain Jan Chowdry.

qTHE third XI suffered a convincing defeat 5-2 away at Oxton. Despite Shuttleworth's crisp strike from Bolton's first penalty corner and Woods converting Shuttleworth's through ball to give Bolton a halt-time lead, the second half awful, conceding an equaliser against the run of play seemed to dishearten the team, who succumbed weekly as three more goals heaped on the misery.

qTHE fourth XI destroyed their Bebington opposition 10-2. Damien Pearse's dominance of the right flank caused havoc from the start with Bolton four up with the opening minutes.

Captain Carl Van Bentum grabbed four, Chris Hoddle a hat-trick and Neil Flanagan, Andy Jones and Pearse one each, as Bolton controlled the game from start to finish.