BOBBY CRUTCHLEY TO BE NEW ENGLAND COACH

England Hockey is delighted to announce that, following a comprehensive external recruitment process, Bobby Crutchley has been appointed to the role of head coach of the England men’s team. Crutchley, 42, has been an assistant coach to the senior men’s programme since 2005 and was part of the Great Britain coaching staff at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. He succeeds Jason Lee who was recently appointed as head coach of the senior women’s squad.

As Head Coach of the men’s programme, Crutchley will be responsible for the selection, preparation, coaching and performance of the England and GB teams and senior national squad, and the teams’ results in international competitions. The position will see the former Bath Buccaneers and University of Bath coach lead the programme for the 2013-2016 Olympic cycle taking in the 2013 and 2015 European Championships, the World Cup and Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. His first major tournament in charge will be the FIH Hockey World League semi final in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, from 29 June – 7 July.

Danny Kerry, England Hockey Performance Director, said: “I am really excited about Bobby’s appointment. Fundamentally he believes in the athletes and the programme we have and that is the key building block for success. Bobby demonstrated not just an in-depth understanding of the challenges that come with this leadership position but also a genuine insight into what needs to and can happen. The insight that our coaches have to coaching and leading at this highest of levels, I believe, are a competitive edge that will stand us in good stead over the coming years. I look forward to working with Bobby and feel the programme and team is in the most capable and ambitious of hands.”

Speaking after being appointed, Crutchley said: “As someone who has a strong passion for coaching and for hockey in Great Britain, I am absolutely delighted to have been given the opportunity.

“With personnel changes, following the London Olympics, there will be significant challenges, particularly in the short term. However, I am confident that the team can evolve to continue to challenge for medals at the highest level.”

Sally Munday, England Hockey Chief Executive, said: “I am absolutely delighted to see Bobby progress into the Head Coach role. He has been an excellent assistant coach and through the recruitment process has demonstrated that he has the knowledge and skills to step up to leading the men’s programme.  Bobby’s ambition reflects our values and his passion for English and British success shines through.”

During his time as assistant to Jason Lee, Crutchley helped coach England through their rise up the world rankings from 11th to their current standing of fourth. He was in the dugout when England won the European Championship title for the first time in 2009 and the silver medal at the Champions Trophy the following year, England’s best ever result on the world stage. England finished just outside the medals at the 2010 World Cup, coming fourth, before another European medal followed – bronze - in 2011. He coached the Great Britain men’s team at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing in which GB finished fifth and at London 2012 where the host nation narrowly missed out on a medal to Australia.

Crutchley has been involved in coaching the national teams since 1997, first as a consultant, then as Assistant Coach to the senior women’s squad from 2003 until 2004 before joining Jason Lee’s men’s coaching team in 2005. In 2002 and 2007 he served as Head Coach to the U21 England men, taking on the same role with the Great Britain U21 men at the 2007 and 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival.

Off the pitch, he successfully completed UK Sport’s Elite Coach Programme in 2010 and more recently, following the London 2012 Olympic Games, completed his Masters degree in Sports Coaching at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN).

As a player, Crutchley represented his country 80 times and was a member of the first England men’s team to compete in hockey at the Commonwealth Games, where he picked up a bronze medal in Kuala Lumpur in 1998. He played for England at the 1994 World Cup and 1999 Champions Trophy, and for Great Britain at the 1994 edition of the Champions Trophy. In 1996, he was named UK Hockey Writers’ UK Player of the Year. He retired from playing international hockey in 1999.

A high scoring forward, Crutchley, from the Wirral, began his playing career at Neston before moving south to play for Hounslow in the national league. A spell in Australia followed with Canberra before he returned to the UK to play for Cannock, sandwiching a short stint in Milan at Cernusco. A well known goal threat, Crutchley topped the goal scoring charts in England, Australia and Italy during his playing career.

He began his coaching career in Sheffield, where he coached from 1991-1993 after completing his course in business studies at Sheffield City Polytechnic. He continued to coach throughout his playing career and following his retirement from international hockey, took the opportunity to lead Bath Buccaneers and Bath University’s hockey clubs.

With Bobby Crutchley and Jason Lee confirmed as the head coaches of the senior men’s and women’s programmes, a further announcement concerning the appointments of their assistant coaches will be made in early March.

BEESTON WILL TOP TABLE. A round-up of Sunday’s hockey.

Our apologies for this late posting of our round up from Sunday. We are gradually getting back on an even keel after a difficult week.

With the end of the season only four matches away, the clubs are settling in for the run-in, but for some the race is already run. Beeston have had a particularly successful weekend, picking up six points in two matches and building up an astonishing +41 goal difference. Yesterday they beat Loughborough Students 7-4. Now on 37 points, their nearest rivals are Reading (who did not play yesterday) on 22. With only a potential 12 points to be earned, Beeston will top the table and win automatic entry into the Euro Hockey League next season.

East Grinstead were able to recover from their match against Beeston on Saturday to beat Hampstead & Westminster 1-0 yesterday, Mark Pearn being EG's scorer. EG are currently outside the magic top five, but only three points separate them from second place Reading. Cannock and Surbiton played out a 2-2 draw and are the meat in the sandwich between Reading and East Grinstead, both on 21 points.

The bottom of the table meeting between Southgate and Brooklands MU ended 2-4 in Southgate's favour. A single win could see Southgate pull away from the relegation play-off spot, but Brooklands need a few wins in the remaining four games to avoid automatic relegation.

In the East Conference both the leaders tripped up. Wimbledon lead the table on 29 points, separated on goal difference from second placed Holcombe. Wimbledon went down 0-1 to Indian Gymkhana, whilst Holcombe succumbed to City of Peterborough 3-1. Both are eight points clear of third place Oxted.

In the North, Sheffield Hallam played on Saturday, whilst Bowdon met Olton & West Warwicks yesterday, winning 4-3. Bowdon currently lead the table on 35 points, two ahead of Sheffield Hallam. Third place University of Durham are nine points adrift of Sheffield.

In the West Conference, Guildford have managed to open up a small gap at the top of the table. They beat Firebrands 5-3, leaving the Bristol club relegated with only one point. Guildford were assisted by second place University of Exeter, who could only draw 3-3 against Bath Buccaneers. Cardiff and UWIC joined Exeter on 28 points after a 1-5 win away at Fareham.

Leicester's women are relegated in the European Indoor Clubs Cup. They had a winless weekend and finished in bottom place. Reading, who are England's qualifiers for next year's competition, will play in the Indoor Clubs Trophy.

CHILLY DAY AT POLO FARM. A round-up of today’s matches.

It was a cold and miserable day at Polo Farm this afternoon, with a few wisps of snow adding to the bitterly cold wind. It was a particularly cold afternoon for the hosts, Canterbury, who entertained Reading in a double header. In both cases the hosts enjoyed a lead over the visitors in their respective Premier Divisions, which Reading was keen to peg back.

First to take the pitch were the women. The chilly wind seemed to have an impact on the performances on the pitch, for whilst Canterbury enjoyed more than their fair share of the possession, they singularly failed to capitalise on it. Both goalkeepers had relatively quiet matches, but there were a couple of times when Sarah Ellis in the Reading goal was called on to save the day.

The extraordinary thing about this match was that after Elizabeth Hunt's first minute goal, we had just over an hour to wait before the ball found the net again. Rather appropriately, the ball seemed frozen in midfield. The scorer of the second goal, Elspeth Cockburn, gave Reading a 0-2 win, and put Reading in contention to get up with the leaders. Canterbury are on 31 points, Leicester on 30, and Reading now on 27, but Leicester have a game in hand.

If things went badly for Canterbury's women, they were about to get a whole lot worse for the men. Canterbury have been in second place since week three, but Reading proved unstoppable with goals from Craig Peel (3), Chris Newman (2), Jonny Colding, Richard Mantell and Jonty Clarke in an 8-1 win. Reading now move up into second place, displacing Canterbury, who drop to third with Cannock and Surbiton breathing down their necks, and both with a game in hand.

The shock result of the day came in the Men's Premier Division where East Grinstead, fresh from their promotion in the European Indoor Clubs Trophy last weekend, suffered a not dissimilar fate to Canterbury. Their tormentors were visiting Beeston. Goals from Simon Egerton, Alistair Wilson, Martin Jones (2), Stuart Pilgrim and Adam Dixon, gave the Nottingham side a 6-1 win, and their lead in the Premier Division is currently 12 points, with five matches left to play.

The bulk of men's matches this weekend will be played tomorrow, but this afternoon there was a 10 goal encounter between Teddington and Oxted which ended in a draw.

The other Women's Premier League matches today saw the bottom clubs in action, with Slough losing their 13^th game of the season 2-5 at home to Sutton Coldfield. Ninth place Olton & West Warwicks were leading at home to Bowdon Hightown at half time, but the visitors scored three times in the second half to take the match 2-4. Birmingham University are just outside the drop zone but managed to avoid picking up any points by losing 2-4 at home to Clifton.

In the women's Conference, the most notable result was North leaders Beeston losing 3-7 at home to Loughborough Students. Second placed University of Durham had their match at Whitley Bay postponed because of snow, which leaves them with a game in hand and only three points behind Beeston.

Playing in the European Women's Indoor Clubs Cup in Vienna, Leicester have had a difficult time, losing all three preliminary pool matches and their first relegation pool match. Leicester are relegated to the Trophy Tournament next year and will be playing tomorrow final match to try and maintain some prestige.

 

FULL RESULTS AND LEAGUE TABLES CAN BE FOUND ON OUR MAIN WEB SITE. PICTURES FROM THE CANTERBURY V READING DOUBLE HEADER WILL BE AVAILABLE TO VIEW SOMETIME ON SUNDAY.

EAST GRINSTEAD WIN EUROPEAN TROPHY. A round up of matches at home and abroad.

East Grinstead will be back in the Men's European Indoor Club Championships next year after an absence of one season.  We knew that this morning after yesterday's promotion pool match guaranteed them at least a runners-up spot. But today they went on to claim the Trophy by winning a closely fought match against the hosts, AHTC Wien.

They have much to thank their Czech international goalkeeper, Filip Neusser. who pulled off a series of world class saves early in the match to keep EG in the game. They may also need to thank the unengaged umpire for spotting a lifted ball just before a shot from the Austrians hit the back of their net. The goal was disallowed after the umpires had conferred.

Both East Grinstead goals came from Niall Stott in the first half, but there was a tense four minutes at the end of the match after Bernhard Schmidt pulled one back for AHTC.  'Grinstead seem to like to entertain, and they certainly did so with a nail biting few seconds before the final hooter.  Final score 2-1 to East Grinstead.

Whilst the English team's performance has been less than perfect on occasions, they emerged as clearly the best team here, with five wins out of five matches. If they can hang on to their guest players, Richard Smith and Filip Neusser, they have the potential to go far.

Back home there were a couple of matches in the Investec Women's League.  The top of the table clash between Leicester and Canterbury ended as a stalemate at 1-1. 

In the Men's Hockey League there was not a full fixture list due to East Grinstead's absence in Vienna. Beeston have a clear lead the Premier Division, but there is a real tussle taking place below them, with five clubs only separated by three points, Canterbury, Cannock, Surbiton, Reading and Loughborough Students.  Canterbury were beaten at home 2-3 by an increasing confident Surbiton, whilst Reading came away from their match at Southgate with three points after their 2-3 win. Loughborough Students lost 5-3 to Cannock.

FULL DETAILS OF THE MATCHES IN VIENNA CAN BE FOUND BY FOLLOWING THE LINK ON OUR HOME PAGE.

IMAGES FROM VIENNA ARE AVAILABLE ON OUR SISTER SITE AT WWW.HOCKEYIMAGES.CO.UK.

'GRINSTEAD GAIN PROMOTION FOR ENGLAND. Round up of today's matches at home and abroad.

Whilst eyes were on the action in the men's European Indoor Club's Trophy in Vienna, it was an un-dramatic day back home in the Investec Women's League Premier Division.

We say 'un-dramattic' because the results for the top four went to form. Canterbury put bottom placed Slough to the sword with a 5-2 win, whilst Leicester (who will be in Vienna themselves next weekend for the Women's Indoor Championships) overcame Bowdon Hightown 1-6.

Canterbury currently lead the table on 30 points, with  Leicester in second on 29 points.  The third and fourth place clubs are both on 24 points and are waiting for the leaders to slip up if they are ever to overtake either of them. Surbiton beat Sutton Coldfield 4-2, whilst Reading scored four for no rely against University of Birmingham.  

In Vienna, East Grinstead have won promotion to the full Championship tournament next year. We have to await the outcome of Sunday's match against the hosts, AHTC, to see whether it will be as Champions or runners-up.  Although there is no final in the Trophy format, this match will be de facto a final. 

East Grinstead always like to keep us on the edge of our seats, and their first of two promotion pool matches was just such a game. Playing a side from the Ukraine whose name is so long it will not fit on the match report form (it's actually Kolos-Sekvoya Vinnitsa) they trailed for much of the game and then, having taken the lead, threw it away in the 27th minute.

It was Niall Stott, who added to his 20th minute goal, to score the winner with two minutes to spare.

We have a page dedicated to results and tables from Vienna on our main web site.  We also have lots of pictures from most of the matches at our sister site at www.HockeyImages.co.uk.

HAMPSTEAD ROB BEESTON OF POINTS. A round up of oday’s Men’s League Matches.

Hampstead and Westminster made it the second weekend on the bounce to rattle the Men's Premiership leaders, Beeston. Last weekend they knocked them out of the Cup. Today it was in the League, where H&W forced the Nottingham side to their first draw of the season.

Beeston's Sam Dixon had given Beeston a 1-0 lead in the 17^th minute, but Tom Kavanagh equalised 11 minutes into the second half to giv a final score of 1-1.

Despite the draw, the gap between Beeston and second placed Canterbury opened up to 10 points after the Kent side went down 6-5 away to Loughboroough Students. Canterbury staged a bit of a late recovery, with three of their five goals scored in the last ten minutes. The result moves the Students up one place to third in the table, displacing Cannock who lost 2-1 away at Reading.

Surbiton, who were propping up the table for five weeks earlier in the season, have moved up to fifth as a result of some useful wins, the latest of which was a 3-0 win over bottom placed Southgate this afternoon. Brooklands MU, who historically have had some good results against East Grinstead, were not so fortunate. Despite leading 0-2 in the 44th minute, they went on to lose 2-5.

TalkHockeyRadio was at Guildford v Cheltenham after the weather forecast put us off visiting our original venue in Kent. It was a slightly odd game to say the least, which caused us to comment that if Guildford had been a darts team, the safest place would have been in front of the board! The matched started with one of the most spectacular own goals we've seen this season – a cross which deflected high into the Cheltenham net – and Guildford managed to net the ball themselves twice in the next few minutes to give themselves a 3-0 lead. After that, Guildford continued to dominate the match, but managed to miss the target time after time. The air around the Cheltenham dug out was blue during the half-time briefing, and they did manage to make amends for a fairly dire first half, with a much improved second. But one could not help feeling that the final score should have been more like 8-1 to Guildford than the 3-1 which was the actual final score.

Pictures from this match are on our sister web site at www.HockeyImages.co.uk.

On the back of their win Guildford move into top spot in the West Conference, displacing Cardiff by virtue of goal difference. Cardiff could only draw against University of Birmingham this afternoon. The leaders are being chased hard by University of Exeter and Bath Buccaneers, both of whom recorded wins.

It looks as if we missed a cracker when we decided not to go to Holcombe. They made up for a poor performance last weekend with a 6-1 win over Cambridge City. They head the table, three points ahead of Wimbledon, who beat Richard away 3-5.

North Conference leaders Bowdon stay top after a 2-0 win at home to Wakefield. Sheffied Hallam's Phil Roper had a penalty corner hat-trick in his side's 1-6 win away at Khalsa. They remain in second place.

Chelmsford and Bowdon Hightown played their WOMEN'S CUP QUARTER FINAL a week early. The match ended 0-4 in Bowdon's favour.

FULL LEAGUE RESULTS AND TABLES CAN BE FOUND ON OUR MAIN WEB SITE.

 

CANTURY STILL LEAD INVESTEC LEAGUE. A round up of today’s results.

Canterbury continue to lead Investec Premiership table with 27 points after they beat Bowdon Hightown at home this afteroon. Canterbury's scorers were Cara Jones and Eliza Brett.

Second place Leicester won their match against Olton & West Warwicks by a single goal from Hannah Macleod. Olton are six points adrift of eighth place University of Birmingham and appear candidates for the relegation play-offs.

A late Alex Danson goal at Reading spared the home side's blushes after Surbiton's Vicky Bryant gave Surbiton an early lead. The two sides share the points with a 1-1 finish.

Slough's problems deepened as they lost their 11^th match of the season. Slough seemed in with a chance after Amy Turnbull equalised early in the second half, but visitors Clifton managed to notch up three more to finish the match 4-1.

A Vicky Woolford hat-trick helped Sutton Coldfield win the points at home to University of Birmingham with a 6-1 win.

In the Women's East Conference Harleston Magpies drew two points ahead of second place Sevenoaks, after Sevenoaks lost 2-4 at home to Oxford Hawks. Magpies won their match against bottom place Bromley & Beckenham 3-0.

The top of the table clash in the North Conference ended in Beeston's favour after they defeated University of Durham 2-0 at home. Beeston lead the table by three points from the University but they also have the advantage of a massive goal difference.

In the West, Buckingham keep up their 12 point lead at the head of the table with the only 100% record in the Investec League. They beat Staines away this afternoon.

FULL LEAGUE TABLES CAN BE FOUND ON OUR MAIN WEB SITE.

ENGLAND LOST THEIR INVESTEC CHALLENGE semi final match against The Netherlands in Cape Town today. They will play tomorrow (Sunday) i the bronze medal match.

ENGLAND SUFFER THIRD STRAIGHT DEFEAT

An inexperienced England team suffered their third consecutive defeat when they played the last of their preliminary matches in the Investec Challenge in Cape Town yesterday (Thursday).

Playing Australia, Olympic bronze medallist Nicola White scored a late consolation goal for England to finish the match 3-1. England play in the first semi final tomorrow against the team finishing top of the preliminary table.

The finals and 3^rd/4^th place matches will be played on Sunday and not as previously reported.

ENGLAND SUFFER SECOND DEFEAT IN CAPE TOWN

An early goal by Sophie Bray in England's second match in the Investec Challenge in Cape Town yesterday (Tuesday) was an encouraging start against Olympic Champions, The Netherlands. In fact England managed to hang on to their lead for much of the first half until Kitty Van Male found the net, followed by the ever-dangerous Maartje Paumen from a penalty corner.

The second half had barely started before the Dutch struck twice more, the first another penalty corner strike from Paumen, and the second in open play from Roos Drost. Final score, 4-1 to The Netherlands.

England play their third and final preliminary match on Thursday against Australia. The finals and 3^rd/4^th place match are on Saturday.

ENGLAND LOSE OPENING CHALLENGE MATCH

England played their opening match in the Investec Challenge when they met the hosts in Cape Town yesterday.

Taking the opportunity to rest many of the GB squad and blood some less experienced players, England struggled against a South African side who have been together for the last six weeks. Pietie Coetzee, South Africa's penalty corner specialist and world's top scorer, opened SA's account in the first five minutes and, with less than five minutes left to play, England were trailing 4-0. Canterbury's Dilly Newton, playing her first senior match for England, scored England's only goal of the match, which finished 4-1.

In the other match in this four-nation tournament, Australia drew against The Neherlands.

England squad in South Africa for Invesetc Challenge: Giselle Ansley, Laura Unsworth (both Louhgborough Students), Susie Gilbert, Sam Quek (both Reading), Sarah Haycroft (Surbiton), Beckie Herbert (Pinoke [Netherlands]), Maddie Hinch, Jo Hunter, Nic White (all Leicester), Jo Leigh (Clifton), Dilly Newton, Susannah Townsend (both Canterbury), Hollie Webb , Ellie Watson (both Beeston), Sophie Bray (MOP [Netherlands]), Steph Elliott (Uni of Durham), Lauren Turner (HDM [Netherlands]) and Kirsty Mackay (Bowdon Hightown).

England's next match is against The Netherlands today.

JASON LEE APPOINTED WOMEN'S COACH

 Text of England Hockey's Press Release:

England Hockey is delighted to announce that Jason Lee has been appointed to the role of Head Coach of the England women’s team. Lee, 42, has led the England and Great Britain men’s hockey teams as Head Coach for three Olympic cycles.

After nearly a decade in the role, England Hockey felt that the men’s programme needed fresh leadership and made the decision not to reappoint Lee for the 2013-2016 cycle.

Having applied for the position of women’s Head Coach, and following an extensive recruitment process that drew interest from applicants from across the globe, he was identified as the best candidate.

Sally Munday, England Hockey Chief Executive, explained: “Jason’s wealth of experience is extremely valuable to England Hockey and whilst we feel that the men’s programme needs a change of leadership I was delighted that he applied for the role of women’s Head Coach. There was a strong field of candidates and the appointment panel felt that Jason was uniquely placed with his extensive international experience to take the women to the next level in our quest for higher podium finishes.”

Speaking after being appointed, Lee said: “The new challenge of coaching the women’s team is indeed an exciting one. They have achieved an exceptionally high standard of commitment and performance and I hope to be able to help them to win more medals, with the World Cup qualification and the EuroHockey Nations Championships this year being the first targets.

“I’ve had a long and emotional time in charge of the men’s team and I leave it with many great memories. I will miss not being in the men’s programme but am confident that they will be successful and wish the team the very best of luck.”

Danny Kerry, England Hockey Performance Director, said: “I¹m extremely pleased that we have retained the expertise and vision that Jason brings to our programmes. His vast experience working at the top level of international sport will put us in a great position to continue the progress made in recent years. I believe Jason has the ability to take the women¹s programme further on, continuing to medal at major tournaments and progress the team’s play. Jason knows what it takes to win gold having led the England men to their first European Championship title in 2009 and I look forward to continuing to work with him.”

As Head Coach of the women’s programme, Lee will be responsible for the selection, preparation, coaching and performance of the England and GB teams and senior national squad, and the teams’ results in international competitions. The position will see the former Loughborough Students coach lead the programme for the 2013-2016 Olympic cycle taking in the 2013 and 2015 European Championships, the World Cup and Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

During nearly a decade in charge of the men’s programme Lee led England from 11th in the International Hockey Federation’s world rankings to its current position of fourth. In 2009, under his leadership England won the European Championships for the first time before going on to take the silver medal at the Champions Trophy the following year, a best ever world level result for England. Another European medal – bronze - followed in 2011. As Head Coach of Great Britain, he led the men’s team at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games where GB narrowly missed out on a podium finish, losing out to World Champions Australia in the bronze medal match.

Prior to becoming England men’s Head Coach, Lee took Loughborough Students from the bottom of the Midlands league to the top end of the National Premier League, leaving the Students after finishing runners-up to Reading in the 2003 final. He also served as Assistant Coach to the national men’s and women’s squads during this time.

As a player, Lee competed for GB at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games and for England at the 1998 World Cup. After making his senior international debut at the age of 19, he went on to make 87 appearances before retiring following the 1998 World Cup.

At club level, his playing career took him from Old Bordenians, through spells with Beckenham, East Grinstead, Old Loughtonians, Cannock and Loughborough Students. He still occasionally turns out for his local hockey club.

The recruitment process to appoint a new Head Coach for the England and Great Britain men’s squads will commence immediately. Lee will take up his role with the women’s squad once a new men’s Head Coach has been confirmed.

England’s women’s squad is currently in Cape Town competing in the Investec Challenge. The team’s first match is against South Africa at 18:00 GMT tonight. Karen Brown is leading the team at the tournament, which also features the Netherlands and Australia.

BEESTON OUT OF CUP. A round up of today’s cup and league matches.

TalkHockeyRadio paid a visit to one of the Quarter Final fixtures in the England Hockey Cup this afternoon. 

In the rather atmosphere-free surroundings of Langley Park School, Bromley and Beckeham met visitors Oxted for a place in the semi finals. Despite having the greater percentage of possession, Oxted struggled to make any of their penetration count, and it was Beck's Nck Bluett who found the net first after 13 minutes. Going into the second half 2-1 down, Oxted managed to make better use of their possesion and were rewarded with two goals, the second only three minutes from time from Lorne Barnard. The final score, 2-3 to Oxted, left Bromley and Beckenham regretting a missed penalty stroke, although there can be little doubt that Oxted deserved the win. 

Last time we were at Bromley and Beckenham the match was watched by one man minus his dog. This time it was pleasing to see a decent level of support for an important match. For us the game was somewhat spoilt by players' frustration sometimes being vented on the umpires. Shame really. 

Pictures from this match are available to view on our sister site at www.HockeyImages.co.uk.

Oxted will meet either Hampstead and Westminster, Cannock or Surbiton in the semi finals. Hampstead reach the next round after a surprise win against Beeston. Beeston, who have almost claimed ownership of the Cup in recent seasons, were 3-2 up at half time, but goals from Neil Hamilton and Will Naylor gave Hampstead the 3-4 win. Cannock had a comfortable win against Doncaster from the North Conference, with Josh Barras claiming a 70^th minute consolation goal for Doncaster in the 4-1 result. Sheffield University Bankers, who are ninth in the North Premier League, managed to score a late goal in their 1-4 defeat at home to Premier Division Surbiton.

It was the turn of the Women's Conferences to restart the Investec League after the winter break this afternoon. Unlike yesterday's men's matches, there was no untoppling of table leaders. Sevenoaks continue to lead the East Conference after a 0-1 win away at St Albans. Harleston Magpies are one point behind them after beating Wimbledon 1-3 away. Ironically, despite losing to Sevenoaks, St Albans move from fourth to third in the table on goal difference, after third placed Ipswich lost 3-1 away at Oxford Hawks.

In the North it is still neck and neck between Beeston and Uni of Durham, who are both on 30 points. Beeston have an amazing +43 goal difference, which they added to this afternoon by beating Cannock 5-0. Cannock now drop into bottom place. The University, with a goal difference of +27, could only manage a 2-0 win over third placed Loughborough Students.

In the West, Buckingham are a massive 12 points ahead of second placed Trojans after a 4-0 win over Firebrands. 

Full league results and tables can be found on our web site.

A DAY FOR UNTOPPLING LEADERS. A round up of today’s Conference matches.

The Conference divisions of the Men's England Hockey League re-started this afternoon after the Winter break. The Premier Division starts next weekend.
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It was a day for toppling leaders. There was a swap at the top of the North Conference, with Bowdon moving into first place at the expense of Sheffield Hallam. Bowdon had gone to Doncaster, and come away with a 1-3 win. Sheffield Hallam's visit to Belper left them without points after a 2-1 defeat. 

Knocking the leader off the top place continued to be fashionable, with Cardiff beating Firebrands to move two points ahead of Guildford. Firebrands 37^th minute goal was put in the net by a Cardiff player, meaning that all three goals in Cardiff's 1-2 win were scored by the Welsh side. Firebrands occupy bottom place with only one point and, with seven matches left to play, they appear to be in serious trouble. Cardiff's elevation came as a result of Guildford drawing 1-1 away against eighth place Havant. The Hampshire side need all the points they can get with three sides only separated by as many points in a bid to avoid a relegation play off place. 

Among the results was a surprise from the East Conference, where leaders Holcombe were beaten 2-3 at home to struggling Indian Gymkhana. Second place Wimbledon beat Richmond 3-1, thanks to a hat-trick from Ben Hawes, but they are still three points behind Holcombe.
 
Full results from today's matches are available on our web site at www.TalkHockeyRadio.co.uk.