LEICESTER FINISH TOP WITH TWO GAMES TO PLAY

A Kerry Williams hat-trick helped Leicester achieved what they failed to achieve last weekend, when they finally claimed the top spot in the Women's Premiership by beating Olton 8-1 away. They are now 8 points ahead of second place Reading, with only two matches left to complete the season.

At the basement end of the division, relegated Trojans went down to University of Birmingham 4-0. Bowdon's relegation worries, which had receded as a result of some good recent results, loom again as they found the gap between them and Clifton closed to one point. Clifton won 3-2 at Brooklands Poynton, whilst Bowdon Hightown went down 1-3 at Reading. Bowdon may find that their fate hangs on their final match of the season against Clifton.

Canterbury seem to have lost their way as they lost 1-4 when they played host to Slough.

There was a definite Canterbury-Slough connection at Horsham this afternoon as we visited the Women's East Conference match between the hosts and Sevenoaks. Cathy Gilliat-Smith (pictured), formerly of Canterbury, scored in the 4-0 defeat of Horsham. Sevenoaks, now coached by former Slough star Sue Chandler, are running neck and neck with Ipswich for promotion, only separated by goal difference.

The East Conference is not the only Conference with two leading sides on the same points. In the West both Cannock and Barnes HE are on 41 points, 14 points ahead of the nearest competition. Cannock currently top the table with the better goal difference.

THERE WERE MATCHES IN THE MEN'S PREMIER DIVISION THIS AFTERNOON with contenders for the top spot, Surbiton, losing again, this time 5-1 at the hands of Beeston. Reading, who play Bowdon tomorrow, still lead the table with a four point advantage.

Danny Hall, who had been suffering from back problems, seems to have returned to fitness with two goals in East Grinstead's 6-2 demolition of Hampstead & Westminster. They still seem to be clear of relegation worries as the team beneath them , Brooklands, went down 5-2 at Cannock. Tomorrow's matches could seal the fate of University of Exeter and secure Hampstead's Premier Division status.

England Hockey League results and tables for 13/3/10:

Men's Premier Division

Beeston		(3)		5	-	1		(1)		Surbiton
Jamie Parker 9 12 - PC F Stephen Wood 16 - F Samuel Ward 40 54 - F F										Mike Houlihan 35 - PC
Cannock		(1)		5	-	2		(2)		Brooklands MU
Alexander Penney 3 - PC Robert Smith 42 - F Will Pearce 52 - F Andrew Appleton 52 - F Tim Deakin 65 - F										Mark Bateman 8 - F David Seddon 12 - F
East Grinstead		(4)		6	-	2		(1)		Hampstead and Westminster
Danny Hall 4 48 - F F Mark Pearn 6 - F Niall Stott 7 52 - PC PC Ben Payne 15 - F										Will Naylor 31 66 - F F

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Reading	15	10	4	1	42	21	21	34
2	Surbiton	15	9	3	3	49	37	12	30
3	East Grinstead	15	8	4	3	59	41	18	28
4	Beeston	15	6	5	4	40	33	7	23
5	Bowdon	15	4	7	4	36	32	4	19
6	Cannock	15	5	4	6	36	33	3	19
7	Loughborough Students	15	5	4	6	23	29	-6	19
8	Hampstead and Westminster	15	5	1	9	22	33	-11	16
9	Brooklands MU	15	3	3	9	25	45	-20	12
10	University of Exeter	15	1	3	11	20	48	-28	6

Women's Premier Division

Brooklands Poynton		(1)		2	-	3		(2)		Clifton
Katie Maltman 7 49 - F F										Fleur Horner 13 70 - PC PC Leah Wilkinson 30 - F
Canterbury		(0)		1	-	4		(2)		Slough
Kathleen Taylor 61 - F										Katie Shanahan 16 - F Lauren Penny 23 - F Jane Smith 52 - F Fiona Greenham 64 - PC
Olton & West Warwicks		(1)		1	-	8		(4)		Leicester
Rachel Walker 11 - PC										Kerry Williams 12 35 37 51 - F F F F Katie Long 23 - PC Hannah Smith 31 - F Crista Cullen 46 - PC Vanessa Hawkins 64 - F
Reading		(1)		3	-	1		(0)		Bowdon Hightown
Alex Danson 4 61 - PC F Laura Puddle 45 - F										Clare Parkhill 54 - F
Trojans		(0)		0	-	4		(2)		University of Birmingham
										Alys Brooks 10 - F Jenna Woolven 18 56 - F F Sophie Bray 68 - F

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Leicester	16	15	1	0	56	8	48	46
2	Reading	16	12	2	2	53	26	27	38
3	Slough	16	11	3	2	48	22	26	36
4	University of Birmingham	16	6	3	7	33	33	0	21
5	Canterbury	16	5	4	7	33	28	5	19
6	Olton & West Warwicks	16	5	4	7	20	33	-13	19
7	Brooklands Poynton	15	5	1	9	21	35	-14	16
8	Bowdon Hightown	15	4	3	8	28	36	-8	15
9	Clifton	16	4	2	10	21	42	-21	14
10	Trojans	16	0	1	15	8	58	-50	1

Women's Conference East

Chelmsford		(1)		3	-	1		(1)		Cambridge City
Kat Letts 15 57 - PC F Libby Knifton 45 - PC										Natalia Allen 11 - F
Horsham		(0)		0	-	4		(1)		Sevenoaks
										Kathryn Barnett 4 - F Cathy Gilliat-Smith 36 - F Sophie Crosley 43 - F Jet Van Zalen 66 - PC
Harleston Magpies		(1)		2	-	2		(0)		Old Loughtonians
Angie Wheelhouse 4 50 - F F										Rachel Dunning 56 - PC Anna Coppel 70 - F
Northampton Saints		(0)		1	-	1		(1)		Southgate
Frances Lee 70 - F										Alice Madden 7 - PC
St. Albans		(0)		1	-	2		(0)		Ipswich
Joelle Weston 65 - F										Camilla McWhirter 50 - PC Charlotte Anderson 67 - PC

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Ipswich	16	11	4	1	37	12	25	37
2	Sevenoaks	16	12	1	3	35	15	20	37
3	Harleston Magpies	16	9	3	4	31	13	18	30
4	Chelmsford	16	9	1	6	27	23	4	28
5	Horsham	16	7	4	5	27	19	8	25
6	Old Loughtonians	16	5	7	4	23	22	1	22
7	St. Albans	16	2	6	8	20	36	-16	12
8	Southgate	16	3	3	10	12	28	-16	12
9	Cambridge City	16	3	2	11	18	34	-16	11
10	Northampton Saints	16	1	5	10	13	41	-28	8

Men's Conference North

Doncaster		(2)		3	-	3		(1)		Harborne
Joe Morrison 18 35 46 - F F F										Chris Adams 20 - PC Chris Hine 38 - F Alex Kotlarzewski 65 - F

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Deeside Ramblers	15	12	1	2	61	30	31	37
2	Sheffield Hallam Civica	15	9	2	4	52	28	24	29
3	Leek	15	8	2	5	37	33	4	26
4	University of Durham	15	7	2	6	35	35	0	23
5	Harborne	15	6	4	5	38	35	3	22
6	Doncaster	15	6	3	6	28	37	-9	21
7	Belper	15	6	1	8	37	33	4	19
8	Barford Tigers	15	3	6	6	33	43	-10	15
9	Sheffield University Bankers	15	4	3	8	25	38	-13	15
10	Formby	15	1	2	12	18	52	-34	5

Women's Conference North

Beeston		(0)		2	-	1		(0)		Liverpool Sefton
Shona Mccallin 40 - PC Hannah Wraith 50 - F										Bethan Hardiman 62 - F
Belper		(1)		1	-	1		(1)		University of Durham
Charlotte Hobbs 9 - F										Gabrielle Foster 2 - PC
Doncaster		(2)		3	-	1		(1)		Wakefield Bradford
Holly Brown 20 - F Laura Smith 21 - F Charlotte Tomlin 66 - PC										Nicola Woodhead 31 - F
Sheffield Hallam		(0)		2	-	5		(4)		Sutton Coldfield
Kathryn Hughes 53 57 - F PC										Vicky Woolford 19 22 32 59 - F F F PS Celia Butler 22 - F
Sunderland Ladies		(2)		2	-	1		(0)		Loughborough Students
Ali Gordon 2 - PC Julie Hope 25 - F										Victoria Warden 59 - F

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	University of Durham	16	13	2	1	42	10	32	41
2	Sutton Coldfield	15	11	2	2	57	25	32	35
3	Belper	15	8	3	4	34	19	15	27
4	Beeston	16	7	1	8	38	41	-3	22
5	Sunderland Ladies	16	6	2	8	38	36	2	20
6	Wakefield Bradford	16	6	2	8	26	31	-5	20
7	Loughborough Students	16	6	1	9	25	33	-8	19
8	Doncaster	16	6	0	10	33	41	-8	18
9	Sheffield Hallam	16	4	2	10	19	56	-37	14
10	Liverpool Sefton	16	3	3	10	23	43	-20	12

Men's Conference West

University of Birmingham		(0)		2	-	1		(0)		Stourport
Phil Messent 36 - F Peter Jackson 66 - PC										Phil Lashford 65 - F

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Team Bath Buccaneers	15	13	1	1	59	31	28	40
2	Whitchurch	15	7	2	6	41	35	6	23
3	Guildford	15	6	4	5	35	26	9	22
4	Fareham	15	6	2	7	39	34	5	20
5	University of Birmingham	15	6	2	7	35	33	2	20
6	Havant	15	5	5	5	35	37	-2	20
7	Bournville	15	5	4	6	32	47	-15	19
8	Old Georgians	15	5	2	8	35	45	-10	17
9	Stourport	15	4	4	7	28	37	-9	16
10	Plymouth Marjon	15	3	4	8	29	43	-14	13

Women's Conference West

Aldridge		(0)		1	-	3		(0)		Firebrands
Helen Parr 55 - F										Georgie Field 40 - PC Sophie Ainge 50 - F Becca Mccormack 66 - F
Barnes Hounslow Ealing		(0)		2	-	0		(0)		Exe
Hannah Adcock 52 - F Triona Doyle 60 - F
Cannock		(1)		3	-	2		(2)		Buckingham
Hayley Turner 8 - F Latasha Webb 56 - PC Lucy Spencer 68 - F										Andrea Freshwater 25 - F Samantha Sothcott 29 - PC
Swansea		(2)		2	-	1		(0)		Bournemouth
Emma Keen 5 - PC Sophie Clayton 30 - PC										Sarah Brimyard 64 - PC
Team Bath Buccaneers		(3)		3	-	2		(1)		Staines
Eleanor Stones 3 - F Jessica Cremin 32 - PC Tamara Fateh 34 - F										Kelly Morgan 12 - F Rosemary Evans 50 - PC

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Cannock	16	13	2	1	58	28	30	41
2	Barnes Hounslow Ealing	16	13	2	1	38	14	24	41
3	Buckingham	16	9	0	7	39	30	9	27
4	Exe	16	8	2	6	38	26	12	26
5	Staines	16	6	3	7	35	38	-3	21
6	Firebrands	16	6	1	9	30	38	-8	19
7	Team Bath Buccaneers	16	5	3	8	25	29	-4	18
8	Aldridge	16	4	3	9	21	46	-25	15
9	Swansea	16	4	1	11	19	32	-13	13
10	Bournemouth	16	3	1	12	17	39	-22	10