LEICESTER AND CANTERBURY SECURE TOP PLACES

Photo: A chip off the old block? Sarah Kerly celebrates her early second half goal for Canterbury in her side's 8-0 defeat of Olton & West Warwicks. (Photo: HockeyImages.co.uk / Peter Savage)

The two front runners in the Women's Premiership scored an astonishing 15 goals for no reply this afternoon and in doing so settled their final positions in the table.

While Leicester were securing the top spot with a 7-0 win over Birmingham University, TalkHockeyRadio was at second placed Canterbury to see them play Olton & West Warwickshire. In what was one of the most entertaining women's matches we have seen for a long time, Canterbury dominated the match from the start, with two goals in the opening five minutes. Canterbury's forwards showed lots of imagination and were prepared to take risks, most of which paid off. Sarah Kerly showed that she is a chip off the old block, by scoring Canterbury's first goal and then adding two more in the second half to earn her hat trick. The final score 8-0 to Canterbury. A good day for the hosts but a bad day for Olton, who find themselves perilously close to a play-off place. They play Clifton next weekend, whilst ninth placed Cannock play University of Birmingham.

In the Women's East Conference, Sevenoaks secured a place in the promotion play-offs with a 1-0 win over Harleston Magpies. At the other end of the table Dereham blew their last chance of avoiding automatic relegation with a 5-0 defeat away at Ipswich. Cambridge City could only draw 1-1 away at Old Loughtonians and will now have to play off to stay in the England Hockey League.

At the top of the North Conference it's still neck and neck between Sutton Coldfield and Loughborough Students, with only a point separating them. Loughborough Students surrendered their lead by only managing a draw against Durham University, whilst Sutton Coldfield put eight past Belper for no reply. Issues at the bottom of the table have still to be settled, with bottom placed Aldridge drawing 1-1 against Springfields UCLAN to keep a slim chance of avoiding the drop alive.

A 4-0 win by Buckingham over Swansea means that they are West Conference champions. Worcester's fate at the bottom of the table was decided some time ago, but Staines managed to move out of the automatic relegation play-off place by beating Worcester 3-0. Their place is taken by Exe who lost 1-2 to Firebrands at home.

In the MEN'S WEST CONFERENCE there was one match played today, that being the vital decider at the top of the table between Team Bath Buccaneers and University of Exeter. Exeter will have an early opportunity to return to the Premiership after they beat Bath 3-1. They are now eight points ahead of Bath with only one match left to play.

The MEN'S CUP FINAL will be between Doncaster from the North Conference and the holders, Beeston. A first minute goal by Martin Jones set the tone for this afternoon's semi final, and a second goal from him and goals from Martin Scanlon, James McBlane and Andrew Monte, gave Beeston a 5-2 win. Doncaster overcame Premiership strugglers Cannock 3-0, thanks to penalty corner shooting by Joe Morrison (2) and Andre Otten.

England Hockey League results and tables for 20 March 2011:

Women's Premier Division

Brooklands Poynton		(1)		1	-	3		(1)		Bowdon Hightown
Katie Maltman 22 - PC										Fay Nash 17 50 - F F Sally Walton 46 - PC
Canterbury		(4)		8	-	0		(0)		Olton & West Warwicks
Jen Wilson 3 27 - PC F Sarah Kerly 4 44 67 - F PC F Susannah Townsend 12 - F Jenny Hall 41 - F Susie Rowe 54 - PC
Clifton		(1)		4	-	3		(0)		Cannock
Leah Wilkinson 6 41 53 - F F F Dawn Mitchell 62 - F										Joanna Leigh 45 - F Eleanor Watton 60 - PC Linda Royston 66 - F
Slough		(0)		1	-	2		(2)		Reading
Natalie Bell 43 - PC										Alex Danson 20 - F Samantha Quek 35 - F
University of Birmingham		(0)		0	-	7		(3)		Leicester
62min, Laura Bainbridge had Pen stroke saved by Maddie Hinch										Crista Cullen 8 11 - PC PC Lucy Brown 19 - F Rebecca Herbert 38 68 - F F Hannah Macleod 55 - F Lauren Turner 58 - F

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Leicester	17	13	2	2	51	12	39	41
2	Canterbury	17	12	1	4	48	18	30	37
3	Reading	17	11	0	6	46	27	19	33
4	Bowdon Hightown	17	10	2	5	34	27	7	32
5	Slough	17	9	2	6	28	27	1	29
6	University of Birmingham	17	8	1	8	35	36	-1	25
7	Clifton	17	5	2	10	27	36	-9	17
8	Olton & West Warwicks	17	4	3	10	31	61	-30	15
9	Cannock	17	3	3	11	37	59	-22	12
10	Brooklands Poynton	17	1	2	14	20	54	-34	5

Men's Conference West

Team Bath Buccaneers		(0)		1	-	3		(1)		University of Exeter
Shaun Matthews 55 - F										Tom Carson 21 50 - F PC Ian Haley 40 - F

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	University of Exeter	17	15	1	1	64	17	47	46
2	Team Bath Buccaneers	17	12	2	3	52	34	18	38
3	Guildford	17	7	7	3	32	21	11	28
4	Havant	17	5	8	4	40	40	0	23
5	University of Birmingham	17	7	1	9	38	39	-1	22
6	Whitchurch	17	6	4	7	33	39	-6	22
7	Cheltenham	17	6	1	10	38	51	-13	19
8	Bournville	17	5	2	10	37	51	-14	17
9	Fareham	17	4	2	11	37	48	-11	14
10	Stourport	17	2	4	11	28	59	-31	10

Women's Conference East

Chelmsford		(2)		5	-	0		(0)		Dereham
Kat Hales 8 52 55 - F F F Jess Ecott 26 - PC Sarah Bolton 59 - PS
Harleston Magpies		(0)		0	-	1		(0)		Sevenoaks
										Heather Batten 52 - PC
Horsham		(1)		1	-	2		(0)		Ipswich
Fran Crossley 10 - F										Annika Broster 49 - F Charlotte Anderson 52 - PC
Old Loughtonians		(0)		1	-	1		(0)		Cambridge City
Sarah Smith 44 - PS										Kellie-Lee James 36 - F
Surbiton		(1)		2	-	0		(0)		St. Albans
Stephanie Addison 2 - F Helen Grant 55 - F

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Sevenoaks	17	11	5	1	38	10	28	38
2	Chelmsford	17	10	4	3	45	22	23	34
3	Surbiton	17	10	4	3	38	17	21	34
4	Ipswich	17	10	2	5	37	22	15	32
5	Harleston Magpies	17	9	2	6	30	20	10	29
6	Horsham	17	7	5	5	28	16	12	26
7	Old Loughtonians	17	5	6	6	24	25	-1	21
8	St. Albans	17	3	4	10	20	41	-21	13
9	Cambridge City	17	2	2	13	17	44	-27	8
10	Dereham	17	1	0	16	11	71	-60	3

Women's Conference North

Beeston		(0)		3	-	1		(0)		Sunderland Ladies
Sophie Robinson 41 67 - F F Ellie Atkins 64 - F										Charlotte Marwood 59 - F
Doncaster		(3)		4	-	4		(2)		Wakefield Bradford
Rachel Smart 17 34 - PC PC Abbie Brant 20 - PC Lauren Firth 49 - F										Jenny Wilson 2 40 67 - F F F Laura Smith 27 - F
University of Durham		(0)		0	-	0		(0)		Loughborough Students LHC
Springfields UCLAN		(0)		1	-	1		(0)		Aldridge & Walsall
Emma Nokes 49 - F										Omarah Taylor 48 - F
Sutton Coldfield		(4)		6	-	0		(0)		Belper
Charlene Mason 1 - F Vicky Woolford 3 - F Jane Sixsmith 13 34 41 - F F F Laura Wooton 40 - F

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Sutton Coldfield	17	14	0	3	79	20	59	42
2	Loughborough Students LHC	17	13	2	2	49	12	37	41
3	Sunderland Ladies	17	11	1	5	42	32	10	34
4	University of Durham	17	9	5	3	45	19	26	32
5	Wakefield Bradford	17	9	3	5	42	33	9	30
6	Doncaster	17	5	6	6	38	42	-4	21
7	Beeston	17	3	3	11	24	37	-13	12
8	Springfields UCLAN	17	3	3	11	26	60	-34	12
9	Belper	17	2	3	12	19	52	-33	9
10	Aldridge & Walsall	17	1	4	12	12	69	-57	7

Women's Conference West

Team Bath Buccaneers		(0)		0	-	2		(0)		Isca University
										Emily Masson 44 - PC Tam Pascoe 50 - F
Barnes Hounslow Ealing		(0)		0	-	1		(0)		Trojans
										Becky Westall 62 - PC
Buckingham		(2)		4	-	0		(0)		Swansea
Samantha Sandham 17 38 - F F Lauren Thomas 26 - PC Leanne Grimsley 55 - PC
Exe		(1)		1	-	2		(1)		Firebrands
Linda Webb 15 - F										Stephanie Kinder 31 - PC Sophie Fynn 42 - F
Worcester		(0)		0	-	3		(2)		Staines
										Lucy Todd 15 29 - F F Catriona Bausor 52 - F

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Buckingham	17	13	2	2	54	12	42	41
2	Isca University	17	11	4	2	38	18	20	37
3	Trojans	17	9	3	5	45	21	24	30
4	Swansea	17	7	5	5	30	28	2	26
5	Team Bath Buccaneers	17	5	7	5	27	23	4	22
6	Barnes Hounslow Ealing	17	6	3	8	22	21	1	21
7	Firebrands	17	5	6	6	23	27	-4	21
8	Staines	17	5	4	8	18	37	-19	19
9	Exe	17	4	5	8	31	34	-3	17
10	Worcester	17	0	1	16	7	74	-67	1