Shock as Pulsars pummel Warriors

Warbury look to have blown their World League title hopes for a second season running after a shock 3-1 defeat to Prague Pulsars. They need to win their last two games and hope the three teams above them slip up to have any chance of winning.

The Warriors were 3-0 down at half time courtesy of poor marking and a howler by goalkeeper Rufus Lebonque. And they were little better up front, managing only three shots on target before Jack Duffy netted a consolation goal two minutes from time.

The result leaves not only manager Kurt Panzer's future in doubt but also many of his ageing players.

But the biggest shocks happened elsewhere as rival title hopefuls St Louis crashed 3-1 at home to bottom club Shamrockers, and champions Mombasa Mambas lost 0-1 at home to Brecknock Dragons.

Lima Incas are three points clear at the top after their 3-1 victory over Highland Terriers.

Warbury slide into fourth place

A great win for Warbury in Darwin was followed by a shock 3-3 draw at home to struggling Bucharest Vampires that sent them slipping from second to fourth in the World League, with three games to go.

Callum Angelo netted a first-half hat-trick in Australia, while goals from Merenghi, Eze and Duffy should have given them victory against the Vampires at Gasworks Road. But with the score at 3-1 with 16 minutes left, two goals from Petra earnt the Romanians a draw.

Striker fans save the comic!

Striker's incredible fans have secured the next 12 issues of the weekly comic by raising more than £45,000 in just two weeks in a nail-biting crowdfunding campaign.

After £14,000 was raised on the first day, the following 13 days saw pledges coming in at an average rate of just under £2,400 a day - meaning the campaign went right to the wire, with many fans staying up into the early hours on the final day to see if the £45,000 target would be met.

Striker creator Pete Nash said: "For our fans to raise that much money in such a short space of time at Christmas is a fantastic achievement. It not only guarantees the next 12 issues of the comic, but it will impress potential investors who I hope to meet in the New Year.

"Investment is important because it will enable us to reach out to a new audience and develop new products, including merchandise. There are some exciting plans in the pipeline but we need to take one step at a time."

The next comic - issue 13 - will be published on Wednesday, January 16.

There will be some changes to the comic format and these will be announced soon.