Snow disrupted the Slazenger League for the second week running, with only five matches played in total. Casualties included the rearranged match between East Grinstead and Beeston in the Men’s Premier Division, which had been snowed off last weekend.
Two matches in the Women’s Premier survived the weather, although Ipswich might have cause to wish that the ice had made their pitch unplayable too. Their Chloe Hunnable opened the scoring early in the game but their opponents, Olton & West Warwicks, are one of the form sides this season and three late goals in the first half, put the visitors in the driving seat. The scorers: Lisa Hunter, Denise Marston-Smith and Lucilla Wright. Emma Lee-Smith’s goal early in the second half gave Ipswich a brief look in, but a second goal from Marton-Smith and a last minute penalty corner from Laura Price gave Olton a deserved 5-2 victory. The weather favoured Leicester as they travelled to Poynton, where their 3-0 win lifts them into third place, above Slough and Clifton who did not play today and have a game in hand.
In the Women’s Conferences a first half lead by Maidstone was wiped out by two second half goals from Old Loughtonian’s Rebecca Halle. Final score there, 2-1. There were no other matches played in the East. In the North, the only match played ended in a 4-0 win for University of Durham against Liverpool Sefton. It was a similar story in the West, with only the 3-0 win of University of Birmingham against St Austell surviving the day.
None of the three Men’s Conference Matches re-scheduled for today were played.
Full league tables are available on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.
The outlook for tomorrow (Sunday) does not look promising with the matches at Beeston, Surbiton, Bromley, Peterborough and Sheffield Hallam, already posted as postponed. The prospects for hockey elsewhere do not look promising due to freezing overnight temperatures and isolated snow shows forecast for some parts of the UK
