Premier Division leaders Canterbury would probably have preferred
to have won their three points this afternoon by some other means. With Reading only one point behind them , but
with a much better goal difference, Canterbury need all the goals they can get
to guarantee staying top. Playing Olton & West Warwicks could have given
them a hatfull of goals. After all, Olton has been shipping goals at an average
of just over six per match – many of them double figure defeats. But Olton
decided to avoid further humiliation and concede the match. Canterbury take the
three points, but the nominal 3-0 win leaves them looking vulnerable. Next weekend Canterbury play Clifton and
Reading play Bowdon Hightown. We wouldn’t like to predict the outcome of either
of those matches.
Reading won their match this afternoon against Leicester
1-2, with Alex Danson and Kate Richardson-Walsh scoring for Reading after
Pascale Massey had given Leicester an early lead.
Elsewhere, Surbiton has lost touch with the leaders after a
0-0 draw at Bowdon Hightown. Surbiton are in third place, four points behind
Reading. In fact, none of today’s
results has changed the table. Olton & West Warwicks are already relegated
and Sutton Coldfield was destined for the play-offs. Sutton made a brave effort
to recover some dignity this afternoon, with Charlotte Cross and Vicky Woolford
both scoring after Clifton had taken a first half lead. Final score there, 2-4 to Clifton.
In the other Premier Division match, Beeston beat Birmingham
University 4-1.
In the Conference
West, Buckingham secured the promotion play-off spot by winning 0-3 away at
Isca. It had almost slipped our attention, but Buckingham has the best
defensive record in the Investec League, having conceded only eight games all
season. Second placed Slough, who are
four point behind them, made relegated Exe’s season even less memorable by
beating them 16-0, with no less than eight players on the scoresheet.
The East Conference
is gripping, not so much for what is going on at the top, but what is going on
at the bottom. Holcombe are already qualified for the promotion play-offs, and
they won 2-1 at home to Old Loughtonians this afternoon, increasing the Essex
club’s relegation fears. In fact, with
only one more match to play, no less than five clubs are theoretically in harm’s
way. Ipswich gained a reprieve by beating Harleston
Magpies 2-1 in a local derby, and they move from bottom to eighth place.
Beneath them are the Loughts, with Chelmsford bottom. Chelmsford lost 3-2 away
at Sevenoaks, but they have a respectable goal difference of -6, which could
see them rise to eighth place if they could pick up three points. For their
final matches, the bottom placed clubs all face higher ranked sides, with the
exception of Ipswich, who meet Old Loughtonians.
In the North Conference, Brooklands Poynton lead Wakefield
by two points after they beat Loughborough Students 4-2. Wakefield won their match against University
of Durham 3-0. Two sides are in the frame for relegation, although it has yet
to be decided which will be automatically relegated. Doncaster are currently in
bottom place, and they lost 1-2 at home to Kendall. Boots are three points
ahead of them, but on a slightly inferior goal difference. They lost 0-2 at
home to Ben Rhydding.
With the season
coming to a close, only one of the feeder divisions shows a certain promotion
to the England Hockey League. In the
West Clubs League, Cheltenham lead the Premier 1 Division by 15 points, with
two more games to play.
