Yesterday there were matches in both the men's and women's Premier Divisions, plus a full programme of men's Conference games. Let's look at the Investec Women's Premiership first where, with only one match left to play, many of the issues at the top and bottom of the table are still undecided.
The two contenders for the poll position are still neck and neck with only one point separating them. Canterbury had a bit of a goalfest at home to Olton & West Warwicks with a 6-2 win, whilst Leicester were away at University of Birmingham and came away with a 0-4 win under their belt. Keep an eye on next weekend's results, with Leicester having the easier of the two fixtures. They play Slough, whilst Canterbury visit Surbiton.
Talking of Slough, they are now definitely relegated after their 1-6 defeat at home to Surbiton. They are four points adrift at the bottom of the table. Despite their defeat against Canterbury, Olton could theoretically avoid the relegation play-offs if they could beat University of Birmingham by a substantial margin next weekend.
Reading had a real fight when they went to Clifton yesterday. Late goals from Dawn Mitchell and Zoe Leach pulled Clifton up from being 2-4 behind, but a penalty stroke by Reading's Emma Thomas with two minutes left on the clock gave her side a 4-5 win. Bowdon Hightown had a profitable visit to Sutton Coldfield, where a Sally Walton hat-trick contributed to their 3-5 win.
Yesterday's results mean that there are seven points separating the fifth and sixth placed sides, with the top five being Canterbury, Leicester, Reading, Surbiton and Bowdon Hightown.
In the Men's Premiership, East Grinstead managed to creep into the top five yesterday with a 3-2 win against Cannock, who they displace into sixth position. Next weekend East Grinstead have marginally the easier of the two games. They meet Southgate, whilst Cannock play Canterbury.
Beeston, who have been uncatchable at the top of the table for some weeks, entertained Brooklands MU, and took the points with a 5-3 win. Although Brooklands and Southgate cannot now escape from the bottom two, the automatic relegation is still not decided. Southgate, who lost 3-2 to Canterbury, are only one point ahead of them in ninth place.
If you wanted to see goals yesterday, Loughborough Students versus Reading was definitely the match to watch. It was classically a game of two halves, with the Students scoring five times in the second half to steal a 6-6 draw. Surbiton, whose record this season has been one of the most remarkable in the League, continued their winning ways with a 3-1 win at home to Hampstead & Westminster.
Contenders for the Championship play-offs in a few weeks time are still not decided although they will definitely include Beeston and Surbiton. Other possible contenders include any one of three from Canterbury, Reading, East Grinstead and Cannock.
TalkHockeyRadio was a Holcombe yesterday to watch them play Richmond. They are neck and neck at the top of East Conference alongside Wimbledon. Being an evening start, they already had the bad news that Wimbledon had beaten Bromley and Beckenham 2-7 and we now three points ahead. Whether this had any impact on their performance is hard to judge, but they definitely looked fired up from the start, with a goal as early as the fourth minute. What was very noticeable was the Danny Hall factor. Perhaps not as swift as he once was, Hall seemed to be somehow and somewhere instrumental in many of Holcombe's eight goals, scoring two of them himself. The other former East Grinstead player, Gareth Carr, also made a significant contribution, with two penalty corners and a penalty stroke finding the back of the net. Credit has to go to Richmond, who despite the final score, did make a match of it and provided the spectators with an entertaining game.
The final score of 8-2 means that both Holcombe and Wimbledon are on 38 points, with a goal difference of +28. Holcombe lead the table by virtue only of having scored more goals – 63, as opposed to Wimbledon's 61. Remarkably, with only one match left, the other sides in the East Conference are only separated by seven points and relegation issues are wide open.
The top of the table clash between Bowdon and Sheffield Hallam in the North Conference ended 1-2 in Hallam's favour, but they are still two points behind Bowdon. Preston are automatically relegated but the candidates for the relegation play-offs are still to be decided. Doncaster managed a 4-0 win over Leek yesterday and are in ninth place with 15 points. Wakefield lost 4-0 to Olton & West Warwicks and are in eighth place with 16 points.
Cardiff's 2-0 win over Guildford in the West Conference puts Guildford out of contention for promotion, and it is now between the Welsh side and University of Exeter. The University beat Havant 1-4 yesterday and are in second place, one point behind Cardiff. The relegation play-off spot has still to be decided with Fareham, Cheltenham and Whitchurch all at risk. Sixth place Havant could theoretically be in danger, but they have a much better goal difference than the teams beneath them. Bristol Firebrands are already relegated.
FULL RESULTS AND TABLES ARE ON OUR MAIN WEB SITE AT www.TalkHockeyRadio.co.uk. PICTURES FROM THE MATCH BETWEEN HOLCOMBE AND RICHMOND, AND TODAY'S MATCH BETWEEN TOJANS AND BUCKINGHAM, WILL BE ON www.HockeyImages.co.uk TOMORROW (MONDAY).
