Oldfield's Southern Counties South campaign has clicked up a gear over the last month and skipper Lee Sumsion puts that down to one factor -

the return to action of the Shaft Road club's talismanic fly-half Joel Hawkins.Hawkins, known to his clubmates as "Showboat" missed Oldfield's first three league matches this season and Oldfield missed Hawkins, who was busy spending £1,000 of his own money on medical treatment and rehabilitation to get himself fit again, because they lost the lot.

"Since Joel came back into the side against Dorchester at the start of this month, we've reeled off three straight wins," said Sumsion.

"That's a clear indicator of what Joel brings to the team - he's an out-and-out match-winner playing in a key position."

Now 28, Hawkins got his first taste of the game playing with Bath minis and Beechen Cliff School, where played alongside current Bristol winger, Bath-born Lee Robinson.

After attending Cardiff University and taking up a career in the financial sector, Hawkins became a fixture in the Oldfield side.

"I suppose Joel was one of a generation of players who missed out on the chance to get involved at Bath Rugby because there was no academy structure as we know it now when he was at the appropriate age," said Sumsion.

"Fortunately for Oldfield, Bath Rugby's loss was our gain because he is one of the best play-makers on the local junior rugby scene.

"He has the pace to make line-breaks, the kicking game to keep our pack going forward and the vision to get our back-line moving to good effect as well.

"There's no doubt about it, we look a better balanced and more threatening side with Joel at fly-half.

"And he's the sort of player who commands respect from all of the teams we come up against in Southern Counties South as well, because they are aware of the threat he poses to them."

In recent seasons, Hawkins has been one of the key components in Oldfield's drive out of Somerset Premier.

They won the divisional title in 2004-05, thanks to a 45-metre last-minute pressure penalty goal from Hawkins at Nailsea & Backwell to step up into Western Counties North, where they played for a season before they were moved sideways into Southern Counties South two seasons ago.

Currently seventh in the table with three wins from six starts, Oldfield are on the march and if Hawkins stays fit, the chances of the Shaft Road club pushing their way into the promotion places will increase dramatically over the next six to eight weeks.