HAVANT AND SOUTHGATE UNABLE TO MOVE OFF BOTTOM

The Southgate Hockey Centre was not a good place for the sentimental this afternoon. Two great clubs battled it out in the hope that a win would lift them off the bottom of the Men’s Slazenger EHL Premier Division. Southgate held a slight psychological edge over Havant, having won one match this season and drawn another, but the Hampshire club were sitting at the bottom of the table with only two draws to their credit. The game started badly for Havant, with Paul Rabe being binned within two minutes, the first of two yellow cards he was shown. The match itself settled down to fairly mundane stuff and the game reached the break at 0-0. A flurry of activity early in the second half brought Southgate two goals in two minutes, the first from Dan Shingles and the second from Rick Gay. The home side then started to play like a team that were accustomed to winning every week but the euphoria of being two ahead was short lived. Havant were running out of time to grab some points and it was evident from the way they upped the pace as the final whistle approached. It brought its reward. Southgate were shattered when Havant’s Egyptian star, Ahmed Ezz Mohamed banged home two penalty corners in the dying minutes of the match. Final score 2-2 and a modest tally of one point each, which will not help either side in their struggled to lift them off the bottom.

Neither Southgate nor Havant were helped by proceedings at Loughborough, where the Students won their first match of the season. Bowdon had gone one ahead through a goal by Ali Brogdon but Loughborough Students’ Nick Catlin soon equalised. An early second half goal by James Osborn gave the Students the 2-1 win. Beeston’s match at home to Hampstead and Westminster echoed proceedings at Southgate, as the hosts were 2-0 up but finished the match at 2-2. Beeston’s scorers were Jamie Parker and Adam Dixon, whilst the scorers for Hampstead were Will Naylor and Simon Lanyon. Surbiton recorded their fifth draw of the season when they visited East Grinstead – the score 0-0 there - but the match that everyone was hanging on the result of was the game between Cannock and Reading. This morning both teams were leading the table on 20 points, with Cannock having the better goal difference. Reading took an early lead through Chris Cargo but, in a golden ten minute period, Richard Lane scored, followed by two from Gareth Andrew. Andy Watts pulled one back for Reading but the match ended 3-2 in Cannock’s favour.

As a result of today’s matches there is no change in the Premiership table.

In the East Conference, Canterbury relinquished their lead by going down 3-2 to Indian Gymkhana. Both teams are on 19 points and a goal difference of 13 and they are separated by a two goal margin of goals scored. In the North none of the three leaders – Belper, University of Durham and Brooklands MU – played this afternoon due to frozen pitches. In the West, Old Georgians could only draw against Guildford, and University of Exeter resume the lead after their 4-2 win over Stourport.

WORLD HOCKEY HAS NEW LEADER

The President of the European Hockey Federation has been elected the new President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) at the FIH Congress in Los Angeles. Leandro Negre said on his election, "I am very happy to be elected and I would like to thank the national associations for voting for me." He went on to say about the outgoing President, "And I would like to thank Els van Breda Vriesman for the excellent work she did for hockey."

Negre is a popular and avuncular Spaniard who, during his Presidency of the EHF, has seen the expansion of European club competition and in particular the introduction of the EuroHockey League. There had been fears expressed ahead of the election that the dethroning of Vriesman would mean the loss of representation for hockey on the International Olympic Committee, where she has been a member since 2001.

The FIH Congress has seen the welcoming of five new member nations - Mongolia, Qatar, Togo, Vanuatu, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The FIH now has 127 member countries.

BOWDON KEEP IT ONE HUNDRED PERCENT

Bowdon Hightown have reached the winter break with their remarkable 100% record intact, making them the only side in the Slazenger EHL to get to this stage without dropping a point. Their Women’s Premier Division match against Canterbury promised to be a stern test of their record but an early goal from Tina Cullen was sufficient to give them the three points. The gap between Bowdon and second place opened up to nine points after Slough went down to a goal by Lucy Brown in their 1-0 defeat at Leicester. Olton & West Warwicks move into second following their 2-1 win at home to Poynton, Naomi James scoring both of Olton’s goals. At the basement end of the division, Chelmsford picked up their first point of the season with a 1-1 draw at fellow strugglers Ipswich. Clifton played hosts to Trojans and sent their visitors home without a point, beating the Hampshire side 3-1, with Clifton’s goals coming from Fleur Horner, Harriett Pearce and Elen Mumford.

SLAZENGER EHL WOMEN’S PREMIER DIVISION: 1. Bowdon 27 pts (+18), 2. Olton & WW 18 pts (+13), 3. Slough 16 pts (+13), 4. Canterbury 16 pts (+12), 5. Leicester 14 pts (+4), 6. Clifton 13 pts (+1), 7. Poynton 9 pts (-5), 8. Trojans 7 pts (-6), 9. Ipswich 5 pts (-19), 10. Chelmsford 1 pt (-31). Chelmsford and Clifton have a game in hand (due to be played on 1/2/09).
Reading and Barnes maintain the charge at the top of the Women’s East Conference. Reading, who have a lead of one point over Barnes, inflicted a 5-1 defeat on Maidstone, Reading’s goals coming from Becky Dru, Vicyy Bryant (2) and Claire Kerry (2). Barnes had temporarily found themselves trailing at Sevenoaks after Fiona Harland opened the scoring from a penalty corner but eventually managed to win the match 3-2. The match between Old Loughtonians and St Albans had to be postponed due to the absence of an umpire.

In the North Conference Loughborough Students maintain their seven point lead after a 3-1 win at Liverpool Sefton, all the goals coming in the last seventeen minutes. Belper, in second place, had a useful 4-0 win over Doncaster. The match between Sunderland and University of Durham fell foul of a frozen pitch and now Durham and Sunderland are both two games in hand. Five was the figure for the two front runners in the West Conference. Birmingham University retain their four point lead after beating Swansea 5-0, whilst second placed Cannock benefited from Charlotte Craddock hat-trick in their 5-1 win over Rover Oxford.

AMAT AND AYMAR WIN TOP AWARD

Spanish hockey star Pol Amat (Pictures 1 & 2) has been crowned WorldHockey Player of the Year at the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Congress in Los Angeles. The presentation was made by FIH President Els Van Breda Vriesman during a special awards ceremony held at Universal Studios in the city.. Amat is the first Spanish player to win the award. He takes over the title from Australian, Jamie Dwyer. The Young Player award went to Eddie Ockenden of Australia.

The women’s Player of the Year went to Luciana Aymar of Argentina (Picture 3). This is the second year in succession that she has won the award and the fifth year in total. Aymar previously won the award in 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2007. The women’s Young Player is The Netherland’s Maartje Paumen.

The WorldHockey Player of the Year Awards were decided this year by all the players participating in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

BOWDON MAKE IT HARD WORK BUT EXTEND LEAD

Today’s wintery conditions had a limited effect on the England Hockey League, with only the match at Chelmsford against Clifton being postponed in the Women’s Premier Division. Three women’s Conference games were postponed, those being the match between Southgate and Reading in the East, and the matches between Doncaster and Sunderland, and University of Durham and Bradford, in the North. All the men’s Fourth Round Cup matches were completed.

In the Slazenger Women’s EHL Premier Division, Bowdon extend their lead at the top of the table to eight points after travelling south to play Slough, who were in second place. Missing Jane Smith, sidelined due to a knee injury, it looked as if Slough would be easy meat for Bowdon, but the visitors made heavy weather of a game they seemed easily capable of winning. The match was decided by a single goal scored late in the first half by Bowdon’s Tina Cullen. Slough now have Canterbury breathing down their necks after the Kent side beat Olton & West Warwicks 4-2 at home. Canterbury move into third place, separated on goal difference from Slough. Ipswich’s season just seems to go from bad to worse as they suffered their sixth defeat of the season away to Poynton. Leicester, who seem to be boxing well beneath their weight, recorded a useful win at Trojans, goals coming from Abi Parker, Vanessa Hawkins and Lauren Turner.

Our picture shows Tina Cullen celebrating her first half goal in her side's 1-0 win over Slough

SLAZENGER EHL WOMEN’S PREMIER DIVISION: 1. Bowdon 24 pts (+17), 2. Slough 16 pts (+14), 3. Canterbury 16 pts (+13), 4. Olton & West Warwicks 15 pts (+12), 5. Leicester 11 pts (+3), 6. Clifton 10 pts* (-1), 7. Poynton 9 pts (-4), 8. Trojans 7 pts (-4), 9. Ipswich 4 pts (-19) , 10. Chelmsford 0 pts* (-31). *Clifton and Chelmsford have a game in hand.

In the women’s Conferences, Reading maintain their lead in the East despite not having played today. Second placed Barnes took the opportunity to close the gap with a good win against Staines. Nicola Brown scored from one penalty stroke but was not able to repeat the effort just before the break when Barnes were awarded a second. However, she made amends with a penalty corner conversion in the second half. Final score 5-1 to Barnes. Southgate, another team that did not play today, now find themselves in third place but sharing 13 points with Old Loughtonians, who beat Horsham 4-1. The postponement of University of Durham’s match means that Loughborough Students now have a seven point lead at the top of the North Conference. They beat Belper at home 3-0. Durham and Belper are now both on 13 points with Durham taking the second spot on goal difference. The West played a full fixture list today, with University of Birmingham allowing the gap between them and second placed Cannock to narrow after the students could only draw 1-1 at Bournemouth. Cannock put five passed Firebrands for no reply. Sutton Coldfield share 16 points with Cannock after the they beat Exe 2-1.

ENGLAND HOCKEY MEN’S CUP ROUND FOUR
Men’s North Conference side, Sheffield University Bankers, must have thought they had a chance against non-EHL side Fareham when their Tristan Gillbody scored in the opening seconds of the match. But, in a few see-saw minutes, Craig Peel equalised from a corner for Fareham, only to see Rob Millar repeat the trick for the Bankers. John Kinder then equalised again for Fareham and after that it was all Fareham’s, with Kinder scoring a hat-trick in their 5-3 win. Fareham’s other goal came from Geoff Abbott. Fareham remain the only non-EHL side in the competition. The other Sheffield side, Sheffield Hallam Civica faired less well, feeling Beeston’s wrath as the Nottingham side made amends for losing 4-0 in the league to Surbiton yesterday. Goals from Adam Dixon (2), Tim Whiteman, Ben Arnold, David Griffiths and Charlie Brooks gave Beeston a 6-2 win. Another side seeming to make amends for yesterday were Canterbury, who could only draw their East conference match yesterday. Star of the show there was Lloyd Norris-Jones, who scored five times in his team’s 6-1 win over Indian Gymkhana.

MEN’S CUP FOURTH ROUND:
Bowdon v Old Georgians. w/o to Bowdon
Brooklands 5 Leek 2
Cannock 2 Southgate 1
Canterbury 6 Indian Gymkhana 1
Old Loughtonians 3 Barford Tigers 2
Reading 8 Firebrands 0
Sheffield Hallam Civica 2 Beeston 6
Sheffield University Bankers 2 Fareham 5

Result of Premier Division match which started at 17:00

A late Danny Hall goal spared East Grinstead’s blushes as they nearly went down to a single second half goal scored by Bowdon’s Simon Egerton. This late result makes no difference to the table but it does confirm the gap that is opening up between the leaders and East Grinstead in third place.

SLAZENGER EHL MEN’S PREMIER DIVISION: 1. Cannock 20 pts (+19), 2. Reading 20 pts (+16), 3. East Grinstead 16 pts (+8), 4. Beeston 14 pts (+9), 5. Surbiton 13 pts (+5), 6. Bowdon 10 pts (-7), 7. Hampstead & Westminster 7 pts (-7), 8. Loughborough Students 4 pts (-10), 9. Southgate 4pts (-17), 10. Havant 2 pts (-16).

CANNOCK AND READING NECK AND NECK

Cannock and Reading are still neck and neck at the head of the table after this afternoon’s matches in the Men’s Premier Division of the Slazenger EHL. The two clubs have drawn five points clear of third place East Grinstead, whose match against Bowdon started at 17:00. Cannock travelled down to London to play Hampstead and Westminster and the Londoners managed to keep their visitors at bay until the last 15 minutes, when goals by David Harris, Hardeep Jawanda and Gareth Andrews gave the visitors a 3-0 win. Reading’s scoreline was the same when they entertained Southgate, with the goals coming from Warren D’Souza, Simon Pinks and Huw Jones in their 3-0 win. Havant must have thought themselves on course for their first win of the season, leading 3-1 at the break against Loughborough Students, with goals from Calum Giles (2) and Ahmed Ezz Mohamed. An early second half goal from Simon Faulkner and a late goal from James Osborn, dashed Havant’s hopes. The Student’s other goal came from Jerome Goudie. Surbiton, who have had a slow start to the season, pulled off a surprise 4-0 win over visiting Beeston, goals coming from Andy Cornick, Rob Moore, Matt Daly and James Tindall.

In the Conferences, Old Georgians go top in the West after an emphatic win 6-1 win over Cardiff, with goals from Nicky Thompson, John Ryan Van Der Reit, Gareth Carr (2), James Kingstone and David Tyler. OG’s benefited from a slip-up by this morning’s leaders, University of Exeter, who went down to a single goal from Guildford’s Daniel Emery. Exeter are now in second place, followed by Bournville, who won their match against Birmingham University, 3-2. In the East, Canterbury saw a 3-1 lead evaporate in seven minutes when they played Bromley and Beckenham. Despite a 3-3 draw, they stay top of the table but they are closely pressed by Indian Gymkhana and Sevenoaks, both of whom won today. In the North, Barford Tiger’s Harjinder Sandhu nearly caused an upset when he scored within two minutes of their match against leaders, Belper. They held onto their lead for just under twenty minutes before first James Hewitt, and then Tom Sherratt, found the net. Further goals by Richard Kitchen, Chris Hall and Sam McCambridge gave Belper a 5-2 win. They hold the top spot, separated from University of Durham in second place by goal difference. Durham won this afternoons encounter against Leek 3-1. Brooklands MU are one point behind the leaders and improved their goal difference with a 9-1 win over Formby. David Seddon went for a complete set of goals - one corner, two field goals, and a penalty stroke – with additional goals coming from Russell Anderson, John Bell, Ollie Cooper (2) and Aiden Khares.

PLEASE CHECK THIS BLOG AGAIN FOR THE LATE PREMIERSHIP RESULT.

Correction to Women's Round Four Cup Report

An error in the press agency release made a complete nonsense of our story reagarding the walkover in the match between Clifton and St Neots. We are now informed that it was Clifton who were given the walkover, meaning that there are in fact two Premier Division sides left in the last eight.

Our apologies for the error. We have now corrected our earlier report.

GEORGIANS EXTINGUISH FIREBRAND'S FLAMES

Today proved what a volatile place the top of the men’s Premier Division of the Slazenger League can be. Beeston, who moved into third place yesterday when they won their re-arranged match against Bowdon, found themselves playing the leaders, Cannock. A 0-0 draw must be considered a good result when seen against Cannock’s form this season, but it pushes Beeston back into fourth place. Reading keep their second place but close on Cannock and are only separated by goal difference. This was as a result of their 6-2 win over Loughborough Students, who now seem deep in the trouble zone with only three points from seven games. Fellow strugglers, Southgate, move off the bottom after a 3-2 win over Hampstead and Westminster, their place being taken by Havant, who went down 3-2 to East Grinstead. Surbiton won only their second match of the season by beating Bowdon at home.

SLAZENGER MEN’S ENGLAND HOCKEY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION: 1. Cannock 17 pts (+16), 2. Reading 17 pts (+13), 3. East Grinstead 15 pts (+8), 4. Beeston 14 pts (+13), 5. Surbiton 10 pts (+1), 6. Bowdon 9 pts (-7), 7. Hampstead & Westminster 7 pts (-4), 8. Southgate 4 pts (-14), 9. Loughborough Students 3 pts (-10), 10. Havant 1 pt (-16).

TalkHockeyRadio went out this afternoon looking for goals and we found them aplenty in the West Conference match between Old Georgians and Firebrands. The tale of St George and a fire breathing dragon were not entirely lost on us and this more modern day meeting had very much the same ending. The two clubs have the distinction of being two away from either end of the table and the difference in their ranking resulted in a match that turned into a slaughter of the innocents. OGs always looked a little bit quicker, a little bit more skilful, and a little bit more inventive. After a flurry of early goals scored by Gareth Carr (two from corners) and Nicky Thompson, Firebrands made a comeback of sorts after Ben Trembath found the net s, leaving the score at 3-1 as the sides went into the break. Although it was not entirely one-way traffic, the old boys piled on the pressure in the second half, with Gareth Carr scoring from two more corners, and Patrick Kelly and David Tyler adding to the tally. The final score; a staggering 9-2, with Firebrands second goal coming from Chris Rich. What was an otherwise entertaining match was spoilt by levels of dissent which we have not witnessed in an EHL match for some time and resulted in a number of deserved yellow cards. Shame.

Our photograph shows player-coach Nicky Thompson scoring his side's third goal. Further images from this match will appear on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk soon.

OG’s win leaves them in second place behind University of Exeter, who beat Cardiff 2-0. There is now a four point gap between OGs and Bournville, who drew 2-2 today against Bath Buccaneers.

In the other Conferences, Canterbury keep up their bid for promotion from the East with a 7-0 win over Ipswich, goals coming from Lloyd Norris-Jones (3), Michael Farrer (2) and Jess Dowsing. There are now three sides on 13 points chasing Canterbury, Old Loughtonians, Indian Gymkhana and and Sevenoaks. Of the three, only Sevenoaks failed to record three points, going down to a single goal by Yasser Khan at Holcombe. In the North Conference, Belper were able to outdo Old Georgians, scoring 11 times in their 11-2 win over Sheffield University Bankers. Belper are now at the top of the division separated on goal difference from University of Durham, who beat the other Sheffield side, Sheffield Hallam , 5-4 this afternoon. Brooklands, who were top of the table this morning, could only draw against lowly Telford and Wrekin, and slip to third place.

THE WOMEN’S CUP FOURTH ROUND took on a slightly surreal look, as only two Premiership sides survive into the last eight. Clifton progress as a result of a walkover against St Neots, the latter having not touched a ball to get to this stage, themselves having had the benefit of walkovers. Two goals by University of Birmingham’s Liz George knocked out the Cup holders, Leicester, and Reading eliminated Trojans 3-1 with goals from Vicky Bryant, Marianne Downer and Gemma Wooven. The only other remaining Premiership side is Bowdon Hightown, who knocked out fellow Premier Division Olton & West Warwicks with a 4-0 win.

ROUND FOUR RESULTS:
Cambridge City 3 Old Loughtonians 0
Clifton v St Neots w/o to Clifton
Dereham 2 Barnes 5
Holcombe 0 Epsom 2
Leicester 1 University of Birmingham 2
Olton 0 Bowdon 4
Reading 3 Trojans 1
Sutton Coldfield 4 Horsham

OLTON UNABLE TO LIVE WITH LEAGUE'S BEST

Despite a flying start to the season, it looks as if Olton & West Warwicks are unable to live with the top sides in the Women’s Slazenger EHL Premier Division. This morning they were sitting in second place behind Bowdon Hightown, who they had recently played to decide the lead. But they now slip to third after this afternoon’s encounter with Slough. Slough’s Lauren Penny had opened the scoring and then added a second in the first half, with evergreen Jane Smith giving Slough a third. Olton’s Rachel Walker led the charge in a late first-half comeback, scoring twice in six minutes, but the revival was short lived. In the second half, a third from Lauren Penny and a second from Jane Smith put Slough 5-2 ahead. Lucilla Wright briefly closed the gap to 5-3 but a penalty stroke award to Slough, converted by Alex Scott, gave Slough the final word. 6-3 to Slough.

Olton’s defeat allowed Bowdon to increase their lead at the top to five points. Bowdon’s Tina Cullen and Sally Walton scored the only two goals in their match against Trojans. Leicester, who seem to be struggling to find their form this season, move up one in the table after their 1-0 win over Clifton. Abi Harper the scorer there. Canterbury have lost the drawing habit and found the scoring habit with their third win of the season, this against Ipswich. Chelmsford, propping up the Premier Division, were probably grateful for a fairly modest defeat this afternoon. Helena Roberts managed to score a first half equaliser in their match against Poynton but Helen Armishaw’s second half goal for Poynton was the decider.

WOMEN’S SLAZENGER EHL PREMIER DIVISION: 1. Bowdon 21 pts (+16), 2. Slough 16 pts (+15), 3. Olton 15 pts (+14), 4. Canterbury 13 pts (+10), 5. Clifton 10 pts (-1), 6. Leicester 8 pts (+1), 7. Trojans 7 pts (-2), 8. Poynton 6 pts (-6), 9. Ipswich 4 pts (-17), 10. Chelmsford 0 pts (-31).

The re-arranged match between Men’s Premier Division Beeston and Bowdon, postponed from last weekend because of a waterlogged pitch, ended 5-3 in Beeston’s favour, Beeston’s scorers being Martin Jones, Adam Dixon, David Griffiths (2) and Mohammed Nadeem. With all sides having played six matches, Beeston’s win pushes East Grinstead into fourth, with Beeston occupying the third place vacated by them.

In the women’s East Conference, second placed Barnes slipped up when they visited Old Loughtonians, losing 4-2. However, the top of the table remains unchanged. By virtue of their win, Old Loughtonians move up from seventh to fifth. Things are tight near the top of the North Conference, as can be evidenced by the effect that a 1-1 draw had when Beeston went to Liverpool Sefton. Beeston drop from second in the table to fifth. Leaders Loughborough Students put six passed Sunderland Ladies in their 6-1 win away. In another high scoring match, Durham Uni scored eight in a 8-2 win at home to Doncaster. In the West, the top-of-the-table clash between leaders Birmingham University and second placed Firebrands ended emphatically, with the student’s Anna Coppel scoring four in their 7-0 win. Firebrands now slide down to fourth, their place being taken by Sutton Coldfield, who won 3-1 this afternoon in their match against Swansea.

CANNOCK INCREASE LEAD AS GRINSTEAD FALTER

East Grinstead missed their opportunity to go top of the Slazenger EHL Premier Division this afternoon. Yesterday’s one point gap between them and leaders Cannock, opened up to four points during the course of this afternoon. Cannock picked up the maximum points against bottom place Southgate, beating them 2-0 with goals by David Harris and Gareth Andrew. Reading, who had been cheering East Grinstead on in Lille last weekend, showed less support when the two sides met at Sonning Lane. Reading’s Richard Mantell opened the scoring early in the game and it was he who scored the winner, shortly before half time. Final score 3-2 to Reading. Reading’s other scorer was Jonty Clarke, with East Grinstead’s Martin Haner scoring their two. Hampstead and Westminster pulled themselves away from the danger zone by a comprehensive win over Loughborough Students at home. The Students took an early lead through Simon Faulkner and Nick Catlin, but the match went into the break at 2-2 after Edward Bevan and David Eakins equalised for the Londoners. Two more second-half goals from Eakins and a goal from Will Naylor gave Hampstead a 5-2 win and a very valuable three points. Havant’s Ahmed Ezz Mohamed was on the score sheet early when Havant entertained Surbiton but Rob Moore scored for the visitors just before the break. Surbiton went ahead shortly after the re-start via Ben Tibble but Tim Davenport was able to scrape Havant’s first point of the season with a late equaliser. After six matches Havant and Southgate share the bottom place, the decider possibly being when the two sides meet at the end of November. The weather got in the way of the match between last season’s cup finalists, Beeston and Bowdon, the pitch at Highfields being waterlogged.

SLAZENGER MEN’S EHL PREMIER DIVISION: 1. Cannock 16 pts (+16), 2. Reading 14 pts (+9), 3. East Grinstead 12 pts (+7), 4. Beeston 10 pts (+11)*, 5. Bowdon 9 pts (-4)*, 6. Surbiton 7 pts (+0), 7. Hampstead & Westminster 7 pts (-3), 8. Loughborough Students 3 pts (-6), Jt 9. Havant 1 pt (-15), Jt 9. Southgate 1 pt (-15). *Beeston and Bowdon have a game in hand.

In the Conferences, Old Georgians’ challenge for the top place in the West faltered after they were held to a remarkable 5-5 draw at Team Bath Buccaneers. The old boys were trailing 3-1 at half time and were 4-2 behind with ten minutes of play left but, in a golden spell, goals from Adam Lewes, James Kingstone and Gareth Carr, briefly put them in the lead. Bath’s James Kellock scored his second in the last minute of the match to equalise. Leaders, University of Exeter, stay two points ahead of OGs after a 5-2 win away at Firebrands. In the East Conference, Canterbury lost their 100% record, going down 3-2 to Sevenoaks. Sevenoaks are now only two points behind Canterbury. In the North the three leaders are separated by only one point. Brooklands stay in the lead after beating Sheffield Hallam 3-2, whilst Belper pushed Leek into fourth place when the two side’s met. Belper took the honours there, 2-1. University of Durham beat Doncaster 3-2.

Saturday - Late result.

Further to our previous post, there was one Conference match today. In the Men's East Conference, Sevenoaks beat Old Loughtonians 1-0.

QUICK SCORING CANTERBURY TOO GOOD FOR CHELMSFORD

Picture: Cathy Gilliat-Smith takes to the air as Cindy Botha scores Canterbury's third.

We had barely settled down to watch this match and Canterbury were two up. Facing bottom place Chelmsford in this Slazenger EHL Women’s Premier Division clash, Canterbury found the going easy in the first half, with a hat trick of goals from South African Cindy Botha and goals from fellow South African Jenny Wilson, Cathy Gilliat-Smith and Mel Clewlow. Chelmsford stiffened their defence in the second half and a string of good saves from Lynsey Warren kept the scoreline down to a respectable figure. A penalty stroke by Canterbury towards the end of the second half failed to make it to the goal line, but minutes later Cathy Gilliat-Smith scored her second to give a final score of 7-0 to Canterbury. A dismal result for Chelmsford at the end of a damp and dismal afternoon. Lyn Bollington’s presence on the sideline just served to remind us of how many players have either retired or deserted the Essex club, who now seem hopelessly anchored at the bottom on the table.

Elsewhere in the Premiership, Bowdon maintain their three point lead at the top by beating Leicester 2-1. An early goal by Bowdon’s Fay Nash was cancelled out just after the break by Vanessa Hawkins but, with 12 minutes of play left, Nadine Merabi scored the winner. Olton & West Warwicks, who recently relinquished the lead to Bowdon, stay in touch with a 1-0 win at Trojans. Bowdon exile, Ashleigh Ball, was on the score sheet when Slough played host to Ipswich. It was a visit that Ipswich may prefer to forget, as they went down 8-1 from goals by Ball, Alex Scott, Lauren Penny, Natalie Bell, and a hat trick by Jane Smith. The scorer for Ipswich was Emma Lee-Smith. Clifton stay within range of the top with a 4-2 win over Poynton, during which Cat Savage missed a penalty stroke for Poynton. Clifton’s Carys Hopkins scored a hat-trick, with Fleur Horner being Clifton’s other scorer. Poynton’s scorers were Jane Ambler and Helen Armishaw.

WOMEN’S PREMIER DIVISION: 1. Bowdon 18 pts (+14), 2. Olton & West Warwicks 15 pts (+17), 3. Slough 13 pts (+12), 4. Canterbury 10 pts (+8), 5. Clifton 10 pts (+0), 6. Trojans 7 pts (+0), 7. Leicester 5 pts (+0), 8. Ipswich 4 pts (-14), 9. Poynton 3 pts (-7), 10. Chelmsford 0 pts (-30).

East Grinstead and Reading meet tomorrow and the outcome may decide who leads the men’s premiership. In the only men’s EHL match today, Cannock were held to a 2-2 draw, which gives Cannock a one point lead over chasing East Grinstead and two points over third placed Reading.

In the Women’s Conferences, Reading, Barnes and Southgate won their matches this afternoon to maintain their first, second, and third places in the East Conference. Loughborough Students who are leading the North Conference could only draw 0-0 against Durham University, allowing Beeston to slip into second place ahead of Durham. Three goals by Eleanor Ward, all from penalty corners, gave them a 3-2 victory over Belper. Beeston, University of Durham and Belper, are all on 10 points, separated by goal difference. There were no less than three hat-tricks in University of Birmingham’s 14-1thrashing of Aldridge in the West Conference. Their scorers were Sophie Bray (3), Liz George (3), Alys Brooks (3) Sarah Page, Claire Mackinder, Anna Coppel, Susie Gilbert and Jo Turnbull. Birmingham have a three point lead over second place Firebrands, who beat bottom-of-the-table St Austell 3-1 this afternoon. Cannock, who are current third were held to a 0-0 draw when they visited Exe.

Our main web site, www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk will have images from this afternoon’s match between Canterbury and Chelmsford from tomorrow.

Round up of cup and EuroHockey League from the weekend including fourth round Cup draw

With the exception of East Grinstead and Hampstead, all the Premier Division clubs still in the England Hockey Cup progress through to Round 4. East Grinstead will take some comfort from the fact that their forced withdrawal from the competition was caused by a very successful weekend in the EuroHockey League in Lille.

In the men’s cup, Bromley & Beckenham were able to put up a fight against Cannock, who have recorded some high scoring result in the league and cup this season. Gareth Andrew’s 16th minute goal started the scoring for Cannock but shortly afterwards Daniel Holmes hit the first of what was to be a hat-trick. Ultimately, Cannock were too strong for the Kent side, with three more goals from Andrew, and one each from Stewart Pilgrim, Peter Flanaghan, Rohit Kapoor and Richard Lane. Final score 8-4 to Cannock, with Bromley & Beckenham’s other scorer being Donwood Abbot. Hampstead & Westminster went down 3-1 to last year’s finalists, Bowdon. Bowdon’s scorers were Saxon Hill, Tom Gilbert and Ian Wilson. Beeston allowed their opponents to have a brief spell of success in the second half of their match against Harborne. James Wright and James Bassett scored twice in five minutes, but Beeston were already 5-0 up and went to win the match 8-3. Brad Apted’s 67th minute penalty stroke was all Wisbech Town had to show for their visit to Southgate, losing 5-1. Probably one of the more remarkable performances of the day was the David Seddon Show at Brooklands, where he scored five of the Manchester side’s six against University of Cambridge in their 6-5 win over the students.

Round 3 results:
Barford Tigers 3 Plymouth Marjon 1
Belper 1 Sheffield UB 2
Bromley & Beckenham 4 Cannock 8
Deeside Ramblers 3 Fareham 4
Edgbaston 2 Canterbury 5
Firebrands 5 Spencer 1
Hampstead & Westminster 1 Bowdon 3
Harborne 3 Beeston 8
Indian Gymkhana 3 Brighton & Hove 2
Old Georgians 7 Chichester 5
Sheffield Hallam 6 Maidstone 4
Southgate 5 Wisbech Town 1
Team Bath Buccaneers 2 Leek 3
University of Cambridge 5 Brooklands MU 6
Reading progress through to Round 4 having played the previous weekend.

FOURTH ROUND DRAW (MEN)

Bowdon v Old Georgians
Brooklands MU v Leek
Cannock v Southgate
Canterbury v Indian Gymkhana
Old Loughtonians v Barford Tigers
Reading v Firebrands
Sheffield Hallam Civica v Beeston
Sheffield University Bankers v Fareham

In the women’s cup, Buckingham’s Andrea Freshwater put a small dent in Bowdon Hightown’s result, scoring two second half goals. Final score there, 6-2 to Bowdon. Last year’s losing finalists, Slough, saw a 4th Round place slip through their fingers in an all-Premiership match against Clifton, having led 3-1 well into the second half. Clifton’s Cerys Hopkins 54th minute goal drew the match in ordinary time and an extra time penalty stroke, converted by Isabel Palmer, gave Clifton the 4-3 victory. Current holders, Leicester were able to despatch Poynton 4-1, whilst Trojans are through to the next round after a 3-1 win against Loughborough Students. There were two walkovers in this round. One could perhaps understand Havant’s prospects against Premier Division Olton & West Warwickshire were a bit daunting, but Surbiton’s withdrawal gives St Neots a 4th Round tie without having touched a ball so far in the competition.

Women’s Round 3 Results

Barnes Hounslow Ealing 2 Hampstead & Westminster 0
Bowdon Hightown 6 Buckingham 2
Clifton 4 Slough 3
Deeside Ramblers 1 Cambridge City 5
Dereham 5 Liverpool Sefton 1
Epsom 3 Oxford Hawkes 2
Holcombe 1 Team Bath Buccaneers 0
Horsham 1 Sevenoaks 0
Old Loughtonians 3 Beeston 2
Olton & West Warwicks w/o. Havant withdrawn
Poynton 1 Leicester 4
Reading 7 Taunton Vale 0
St Neots w/o. Surbiton withdrawn.
Sutton Coldfield 4 Sheffield Hallam 3
Trojans 3 Loughborough Students 1
University of Birmingham 5 Firebrands 1

FOURTH ROUND DRAW (WOMEN)

Cambridge City v Old Loughtonians
Clifton v St. Neots
Dereham v Barnes Hounslow Ealing
Holcombe v Epsom
Leicester v University of Birmingham
Olton & West Warwicks v Bowdon Hightown
Reading v Trojans
Sutton Coldfield v Horsham

EUROHOCKEY LEAGUE

Reading and East Grinstead both qualified for Round Two of the EuroHockey League as a result of a very successful weekend in Lille. The following clubs progress through from Round 1b:
Pool E: Rotterdam, Reading. [Western Wildcats are eliminated]
Pool F: East Grinstead, Waterloo Ducks. [Kelburne are eliminated]
Pool G: Real Club de Polo de Barcelona, Hamburg. [Lille are eliminated]
Pool H: Leuven, Three Rock Rovers. [Atletic Terrassa are eliminated]

Later today (Monday), there will be photographs from Lille on our main web site www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk and the competition will feature in our podcast, which is available to download from our main site from Thursday.

WATTS PULLS ONE BACK FOR READING by Peter Savage at the EuroHockey League in Lille

Reading escaped with honour from their encounter with Rotterdam in Lille this afternoon. It only took three minutes for Simon Child's to open Rotterdam's account but Reading defended stoutly and managed to keep the Dutch at bay until the third quarter, when Phil Burrows scored their second. Despite looking on the back foot in the early exchanges, Reading never looked outclassed and earned a well deserved goal from open play in the final quarter, when Andy Watts scored from open play. Final score 2-1 to Rotterdam, but Reading join Cannock and East Grinstead in Round Two.

Earlier we reported on the surprise position in the match between Leuven and Terrassa. Leuven finally won the match 3-1, eliminating Terrassa from the competition at the first hurdle.

Results from the EH Cup will appear on this blog tomorrow, plus a summary of the weekend's play in Lille. Photographs from the weekend will appear on our main website at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

EAST GRINSTEAD LEAVE IT LATE by Peter Savage at the EuroHockey League in Lille

East Grinstead made hard work of it but they finally assured their qualification for Round 2 of the EuroHockey League by beating the Scots contenders from Kelburne. Grinstead took the lead shortly before the end of the first half, when Martin Haner found the net from a penalty corner. Neither side was able to score for another 36 minutes, during which time East Grinstead had a penalty stroke award taken away by the video umpire and a goal disallowed. As the match drew to its conclusion, the Scots seemed to lose heart and constant pressure from Grinstead finally brought its reward. Dominic Male pushed the ball under the goalkeeper to earn the Sussex side their second, and Danny Hall put the icing on the cake by a stinging shot which had the Gavin Sommerville in the Kelburne goal well beaten. Final score 3-0 to East Grinstead, and the English side go though to Round 2 as champions of Pool F.

The match between Terrassa and Belgian side Leuven is currently being played. The Spaniards, who have massively under-performed in this tournament, currently trail 0-1.

Our report of the match between Reading and Rotterdam will follow later.

READING QUALIFY FOR ROUND 2 by Peter Savage at the EuroHockey League in Lille

Reading, who play Rotterdam tomorrow (Sunday), have now booked their place in Round 2 without touching a ball today, courtesy of......Rotterdam. The star-studded Rotterdam side took on the other Pool F contender this afternoon, the Scots from Western Wildcats. In the opening stages, the Wildcats were massively outclassed by their Dutch opponents, and although they saw more of the game in the second half, the Dutch ran out the winners 5-0. So Western are eliminated at the first hurdle. The match between Reading and Rotterdam is now a bit of a formality, although a victory, or even a modest defeat, would be a great morale booster for Reading, against a team which includes a veritable line-up of top players from around the globe.
Three Rock Rovers’ reputation grows, although against less eminent opposition than Terrassa yesterday. They managed to hold Belgian side Leuven to a 1-1 draw. In the final match of the day, the Spanish demonstrated their standing in European hockey, despite the dismal performance of Terrassa the day before, when Barcelona beat Hamburg 4-4.

In tomorrow’s matches, kelburn play East Grinstead and Reading play Rotterdam. Host club Lille will have their work cut out against Hamburg but they may have the advantage of playing on their home turf. Leuven take on Terrassa.

Our photographs are from the match between East Grinstead and Waterloo Ducks earlier today. They show German under 21 player Martin Haner, who scored East Grinstead’s first goal, and Duck’s ‘keeper Cedric De Greve, well beaten by David Cresswell’s winning penalty corner.

VIDEO UMPIRE RESCUES GRINSTEAD by Peter Savage at the EuroHockey League in Lille

The video umpire came to the rescue of East Grinstead in their first match of Round 1b of the EuroHockey League this morning in Lille. After trailing twice against Waterloo Ducks in chilly and wet conditions, Grinstead found themselves at 2-2 with 11 minutes of play left, their goals coming from German international Martin Haner and Danny Hall. A decision at the top of the Ducks' circle, which had gone against East Grinstead, was the subject of a video umpire appeal. The result was a penalty corner award which was converted by David Creswell. Grinstead managed to hang on to their 3-2 lead tenaciously to record a win, which will probably see them qualify for Round 2. They play Kelburne tomorrow, who lost against the Ducks yesterday.

We hope to bring you some photographs from the match this evening subject to finding a fast and reliable Internet connection.