Crouch hits treble for five-star Spurs

IRELAND captain Robbie Keane was on the scoresheet while Peter Crouch made the most of only his third start of the season by claiming a clinical hat-trick as Tottenham hammered Preston 5-1 at Deepdale last night.

Crouch made the most of his recall in the 14th minute when he dispatched Gareth Bale’s deep cross with a fine volley and Jermain Defoe effectively finished Preston off with a predatory header seven minutes before half-time but there were plenty more goals to come.

With 13 minutes remaining, Crouch tapped home Aaron Lennon’s low cross to add further gloss to a fine night for Spurs, who were given several scares by Alan Irvine’s high-flying Coca-Cola Championship outfit.