As expected, the weekend's weather hit the Men's League today, following the disruption to the Investec Women's League yesterday.
At the bottom of the Premier Division, Brooklands MU lost their opportunity to play their get out of gaol card. They were beaten 2-3 at home by Surbiton, and so are now automatically relegated. Southgate's home match against East Grinstead did not go ahead, but they are now wedged in the relegation play-off spot with no means of escape.
Beeston's late season loss of form continued with a 2-1 defeat at Reading, Craig Peel scoring the winner in the 63rd minute. With Cannock v Canterbury being one of the cancelled matches, places three to six in the table remain unresolved.
Hampstead & Westminster and Loughborough Students finished their league programme with Londoners beating the Students 3-2. They finish the season seventh and eighth respectively.
The monumental tussle at the top of the East Conference was settled this afternoon. Under any other circumstances Holcombe's 1-3 win away at Old Loughtonians should have been enough to secure for them the promotion play-off spot, but Wimbledon's 5-0 win against Cambridge City gives them a goal difference advantage of +3. It could not have been much closer. The remainder of the table has been pretty right too but, with no East Conference games cancelled today, City of Peterborough's 4-1 defeat at Richmond means that they are relegated. Cambridge City will have to play in the relegation play offs to retain their national league status.
The North Conference was badly hit by the weather, with none of the front runners playing. Bowdon, with one game left to play, are two points ahead of Sheffield Hallam, who have two matches in hand. Preston were already relegated, but the relegation play-off place relied on the outcome of the match between Wakefield and Doncaster, which was played. The match ended 2-2, so Doncaster will have to go to the play-offs.
The West Conference managed to finish its programme today. A 0-0 draw between the first and second placed teams means that Cardiff finish top, with University of Exeter in second place. Whitchurch are condemned to the relegation play-offs after losing 1-2 to Havant. Fareham would have been in their predicament had Whitchurch not lost. They lost 2-4 to Bath Buccaneers and they finish only two points ahead of Whitchurch. Firebrands, who are already relegated, lost 0-1 at home to Cheltenham.
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Only one of the two matches in the Investec Women's Cup survived the weather. Clifton go through to the final after beating Sutton Coldfield on penalties after the match ended 2-2 in normal time. The game between Buckingham and Bowdon Hightown was snowed off.
