The race for the men's hockey league title was blown wide open at Warwick Academy on Sunday when the surging Upstarts toppled previously undefeated Police Polecats.

With their 3-2 victory, Upstarts have narrowed the Police lead in the standings to just three points.

Playing short-handed they still managed to interrupt Polecats normally flowing play and a missed penalty flick by Polecat Nigel Deane in the first half helped their cause.

Upstarts piled on the midfield pressure and a slick short corner routine ended with Donny Moniz expertly netting a powerful drive.

Their second goal followed a strong midfield drive by Keir Savage that eventually released Alan Gilbertson on the edge of the circle for a clinical finish.

Polecats fought back with a spirited second half, scrambling for a far post goal to make the score 2-1.

But Upstarts reclaimed their two-goal advantage within five minutes when Neil Carroll netted on the end of a short corner routine for his first goal of the season.

While Upstarts scrambled up the charts, Rebels also announced they intend to fight out the season, whipping Chameleons 4-1 to move within five points of the leaders.

Rebels opened the game with plenty of pressure but were only able to score once in the first half when Chris Rafferty converted a short corner from a sharp angle.

A more exciting second half saw Rebels limit Chameleons to hopeful long passes. They made full use of the field to unlock the Chameleons' defence and were rewarded when Bert Rodney claimed a penalty flick after his goal-bound shot was stopped by a defender's body.

Mark Ray added another zinger before Chameleon Steve Moreton managed to convert from the penalty spot following a goalmouth scramble.

But Ray added his second goal to put the game beyond the reach of Chameleons in the last few minutes.

Rebels' midfielder Kirk Edmonds credited an upsurge in training this year for their pitch-perfect performance.

"Rebels have been training hard recently to develop a passing system of play that should cause trouble to other teams," he warned.