EAST GRTINSTEAD WIN GRABS THE HEADLINES. Roundup of today’s league and Varsity matches.

The headline grabbing result from the England Hockey League this afternoon was East Grinstead's 11-1 win over Hampstead & Westminster, with no less than nine of the squad finding the net. The result means that East Grinstead finish top of the Premiership table and qualify for next season's EuroHockey League.

A real scrap is developing at the bottom of the table, with only two points separating the bottom three clubs after today's matches. Bottom place University of Exeter picked up three points with a 2-0 win over Southgate, and Bowdon managed a 2-1 win over Cannock. Bowdon and University of Exeter share the bottom place, with Bowdon having the better goals scored rate. Southgate are in ninth place, two points ahead.

Loughborough Students missed out on a draw at home to Beeston when Richard Dwdson-Smith had a 52^nd minute penalty stroke saved by George Pinner. Beeston emerged the winners, 2-1. Jonty Clarke also had a stroke saved in Reading's match at Surbiton, but Reading still won the match 4-3.

At the top of the East Conference, Canterbury still lead the charge with a four point lead over second placed Old Loughtonians. Loughts could only draw3-3 away at Holcombe, despite a second half revival which saw them come back from 3-0 down. Canterbury maintained their unbeaten record with a 4-3 win over Oxted. Issues at the bottom of the table have still to be settled.

In the North, Barford Tigers are clinging onto their national league status with a 5-3 win over fellow strugglers Deeside Ramblers. At the other end of the table it's still neck and neck between Sheffield Hallam and Brooklands MU. Brooklands recorded a 1-0 win over Olton & West Warwicks, whilst Sheffield overcame Belper 3-1. Sheffield top the table on goal difference.

Tim Davenport was one of the scorers in Team Bath Buccaneers 2-1 win over Guildford, but they were already crowned West Conference champions. At the bottom of the table, Bournville are relegated after losing 1-5 at home to Cardiff. Both Cheltenham and Lichfield are in contention for the relegation play-offs after Lichfield suffered a 7-2 reverse at Havant, and Cheltenham went down 4-2 at Whitchurch.

There was one match in the Investec Premiership today. Leicester blew their remote chance of finishing top of the table by drawing away at Bowdon Hightown. As a result, Reading win the automatic European place.

TalkHockeyRadio was at the Varsity Match at Southgate this afternoon, and witnessed a cracking game between Oxford and Cambridge which saw Cambridge come back from behind three times to win the match 5-3. This is Cambridge's 50^th win of the annual match, but their first since 2008. Despite being a 0-0 draw, the women's match was an excellent curtain raiser for the men's event. Oxford retain the title for the second successive year by virtue of the draw. Images from both matches will be on our www.HockeyImages.co.uk site some time tomorrow.

Full results and tables from today's league matches can be found on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

ENTERTAINING MATCH SEES SLOUGH SLIP. Roudup of today's matches in the Investec Women's League

We’ve seen some pretty dull women’s matches over the last few weeks, so it was worth taking the trip north to Bowdon to see Bowdon Hightown play Slough in the Investec Women’s Premiership and be treated to some entertaining hockey.

A look at the tables shows that Slough are in dire straights and there must be concerns for their long term future. This was reflected in the fact that they could only muster 11 squad members for the match.  But despite the shortcomings, Slough did not look like a side of the verge of extinction. Indeed, over the course of the match, Slough had more than their fair share of territorial advantage.  Indeed, Sally Walton’s 29^th minute goal for Bowdon came as a bit of a surprise.

It was no surprise when Tina Cullen got her name on the scoresheet with  a cracking goal from the edge of the circle two minutes into the second half, to increase Bowdon’s lead.  But Slough continued to enjoy the lion’s share of possession, and Kirsty Mackay in the Bowdon goal was called into action more than once. When eventually she was beaten, it was off a cruel deflection which just evaded her outstretched glove – Lauren Penny the scorer.

Bowdon Hightown’s 2-1 means that Slough have slipped in the relegation play-off spot after Birmingham University held Clifton to a 1-1 draw. 

Although Reading have all but won the Premiership – their goal difference assures them of that – their crowning was delayed by their 3-3 draw against Olton and West Warwicks.  It was a result that offers a slim chance for Bowdon to qualify for the Championship play-offs. They are only two points behind Olton.

Jess Wood scored only Cannock’s eighth goal of the season, but they went down 6-1 to Sutton Coldfield. Sutton probably appreciated the three points as it probably assures them of staying in the Premier Division next season.

Second placed Leicester beat Canterbury 3-1.  Leicester have a game in hand and theoretically could beat Reading for top spot.  The problem is that Reading’s goal difference is +48 as opposed to Leicester’s +15 and best that they can do from their remaining three matches is to draw level with Reading on points.

Full results are available on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.  Images from the match between Bowdon Hightown and Slough have been uploaded to our Pictures pages at www.HockeyImages.co.uk.

THE GLOSS IS TAKEN OFF READING’S WEEKEND

Reading had the gloss taken off their double-double header weekend when their women could only draw 0-0 against Bowdon, and their men found their heads on the block when East Grinstead demolished them 8-1, with goals from Danny Hall (4), Mark Pearn (2), Will Arthur and Darren Cheesman. By any standards that is an extraordinary change of fortunes in 24 hours.

Whilst the win might have been expected, although perhaps not the scale of it, there was another surprise in the Men's Premier Division. Second place Cannock lost to bottom place University of Exeter, a result that makes Bowdon's position even more precarious. They lost 6-2 to Surbiton, which puts them on equal points with Exeter.

Overall there were goals galore in the Premiership, with a total of 33 being scored in five matches. Beeston made a contribution to that figure with a 4-0 win over Hampstead & Westminster, whilst a revitalised Southgate pulled off a 4-1 win over Loughborough Students.

The Premiership was not the only place to see goals. East Conference leaders Canterbury beat Bromley and Beckenham 7-3. Oxted and Teddington in the bottom half of the table, managed 10 goals between them, with Oxted emerging the 7-3 winners.

It was the same in the North, where Sheffield Hallam took advantage of a waterlogged pitch at Belper to overtake Sheffield Hallam with a 5-1 win over bottom place Barford Tigers. The postponement of the match between Belper and Brooklands MU means that Sheffield and Brooklands are both on 35 points separated only by goal difference, although Brooklands have a game in hand.

With only three matches left, Team Bath Buccaneers are West Conference Champions after beating Fareham 3-0. Their nearest rivals, Havant, palyed out a 1-1 draw at home to Guildford. As a result, Havant, University of Birmingham and Guildford are all on 27 points. Bottom place Bournville looked doomed after losing 3-2 at Whitchurch. They are eight points adrift at the bottom of the table.

Full results and tables can be found on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

GOOD DAY AT THE OFFICE FOR READING. A round up of today’s national league matches (3/3/12).

It was a good day at the office for Reading this afternoon as their two Premiership sides played a double header at home.

Despite having only two of their GB players present, Reading's women dominated second place Leicester. The writing was on the wall early in the match when Alex Danson opened the scoring after only three minutes. There was a lull in the scoring until Emma Thomas scored her side's second nine minutes after the break. Lisa Letchford wrapped it up for Reading with a penalty corner strike in the 60^th minute.

Reading's win opens up the points between Reading and Leicester to 10, and with only 12 points available until the end of the season, a table topping finish is as good as in the bag.

Leicester have a game in hand over third place Clifton, who overcame Sutton Coldfield 4-0. Jenny Wilson scored a hat-trick in Canterbury's 9-3 win over relegated Cannock, whilst Slough's 2-3 defeat at the home to Olton & West Warwicks leaves them perilously close to the relegation play-off zone.

The two matches in the Men's Premiership saw a total of 15 goals. TalkHockeyRadio was at Reading to witness something that was more of an execution than a defeat, with Reading displaying some clinical finishing to win the match 7-1. On what had been a bright and pleasant afternoon, the storm clouds rolled in towards the end of the match like a portent of doom, and Bowdon have only four matches to climb out of the play-off spot. On what we witnessed this afternoon, they are going to struggle.

The other Premiership game saw East Grinstead put six past bottom place University of Exeter. The Men's Premier Division has now caught up with the backlog and there are no games in hand.

Full results and tables from today are on our web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk. Images from the double header at reading will be on our site at www.hockeyimages.co.uk tomorrow morning.

BOWDON LET TROPHY SLIP THROUGH THEIR FINGERS

Bowdon Hightown managed to let the trophy slip though their fingers when they played Slavia Praha in the final of the European Indoor Clubs Trophy in Prague this afternoon.

Bowdon had gone into the second half with a 2-0 lead, thanks to goals from Sally Walton and Michelle Liptrot, and increased the lead when Liptrott converted a corner early in the second half. But Praha were on their tails almost immediately and equalised from a penalty stroke converted by Adela Mejzlikova nine minutes into the half. Walton converted a penalty corner to allow Bowdon to re-take the lead, but the Czechs struck back quickly with two goals to take the lead. The match ended 5-4 to Slavia Praha.

Final positions: 1. Slavia Praha (Czech Rep.), 2. Bowdon Hightown (England), 3. Rotweiss Wettingen (Switzerland), 4. Lorenzoni (Italy), 5. Slagelse (Denmark), 6. Cambrai (France), 7. Zrinjevac (Croatia), 8. Armagh (Ireland). Czech Republic and England are promoted to the Club Champions Cup in 2013. Ireland is relegated to Challenge I in 2013.

The European Club Champions Cup in Vienna has seen the final decided on penalty strokes after the match ended 4-4 in ordinary time. The match was eventually won 6-5 by Berliner, who beat Ritm-Azot Grodno of Belarus. Third place was taken by Dutch side SV Kampong. MSC Sumchanka of the Ukraine and Scotland's Dundee Wanderers finished in seventh and eighth place respectively. Ukraine and Scotland are relegated to the Indoor Clubs Trophy next year.

A GOOD DAY FOR PREMIERSHIP LEADERS

The teams in the top half of the Men's England Hockey League Premier Division all enjoyed successful afternoons today with the exception of Cannock, who could only draw 1-1 at home to Reading. Leaders East Grinstead made up for the disappointment in the European Indoor Championships last weekend by putting six past Bowdon for no reply, with Danny Hall (2), Andy Piper, Mark Pearn (2) and Mark Cleghorne supplying the goals. Bowdon look in trouble unless they can pick up some points in the run in to the end of the season.

Beeston recorded a more modest 3-0 win against Southgate, another side who will need to find some points to avoid the play-off zone. Surbiton's Ben Tibble, James Tindall (2) and James Ashcroft, supplied the goals in their side's 4-1 win over Loughborough Students. Hampstead & Westminster have an outside chance of qualifying for the League Championships, so their 3-1 win over University of Exeter will keep their hopes alive.

In the Conferences there were a number of clubs who were playing back-to-back matches as a result of the disruption caused by the weather at the beginning of the month. East Conference leaders Canterbury had taken the points at Harleston Magpies yesterday, but could only draw away at Holcombe. Ironically, their goal came from a penalty stroke from David Matthews, who has returned to Canterbury after a spell at Holcombe. Canterbury are two points ahead of Old Loughtonians, in what is looking increasingly a two horse race. Old Loughtonians came away with maximum points from their two matches this weekend, with a 2-1 win over Calum Giles' Teddington yesterday, and a 7-1 win over Harleston Magpies today. Their Oliver Didham's managed to net the ball five time over the two matches.

In the North Conference, leaders Brooklands MU were spared having to play two matches and beat Leek 3-0. Leek were playing their second match, having come out of yesterday's match against Deeside Ramblers with a 7-5 win.

In the West Conference, Team Bath Buccaneers are on the verge of being crowned Conference Champions. With 12 points available from the remaining matches, they have an 11 point lead over Havant. They helped their cause this afternoon with a 2-0 win away at Cardiff.

In the Investec Women's Premier League, Reading have not quite wrapped things up yet, but their 7-0 win over relegated Cannock keeps them seven points ahead of Leicester in second place. Nice to see someone from outside Reading's GB contingent scoring goals, with Elizabeth Hunt netting a hat-trick for her side. Leicester visited Slough this afternoon and recorded a 4-0 win. Sutton Coldfield rocket up the table after three goals in the last ten minutes from Sarah Mills, Celia Butler and Charlotte Cross gave them maximum points. They are now in sixth place.

We were very unkind yesterday about the match between Maidstone and Chelmsford, and Chelmsford were clearly out to confound their detractors when they beat Women's East Conference leaders Surbiton 1-0. St Albans, who were chasing the leaders, also suffered a defeat, losing 1-0 to third place Sevenoaks.

There was only one match in the Women's North Conference this afternoon. It's tight at the top in the North, with only seven points separating the first and fifth placed sides, so Wakefield Bradford would have found their 1-3 win away at Doncaster useful. They move into fourth place. The West Conference leaders, Buckingham, beat Firebrands 2-0, to stay four points ahead at the top of the table. Trojans moved further away from the danger zone when they beat bottom placed Team Bath Buccaneers 5-2.

FULL RESULTS AND TABLES ARE AVAILABLE ON OUR MAIN WEB SITE AT www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

Today’s League and Cup matches

The two leaders in the Investec Women's League, Reading and Leicester were not playing today, which gave the clubs underneath them a chance to catch up. Clifton made the most of it with a 4-0 win over Olton & West Warwicks, whilst Canterbury missed their chance with a surprising 3-3 draw against ninth placed Sutton Coldfield. Slough and Birmingham University, both of whom are perilously close to the wrong end of the table, could only record a 0-0 draw.

Currently the leaders, Reading, are eight points ahead of third placed Clifton and with two games in hand. Second place Leicester have a one point gap between them and Clifton, but Leicester also have two games in hand. Sixth place Bowdon are not playing this weekend as they are in Prague for the European Indoor Club Championships, where they have reached the finals.

TalkHockeyRadio went to Maidstone to watch them play the once great Chelmsford. Unfortunately it ranks as one of the worst matches we have seen this season. One was starting to wonder why they had bothered to erect goals at either end of the pitch until Chelmsford's Loren Sherer opened the scoring sixth minute into the second half. She followed it up with a second seven minutes later, signalling a virtual collapse of Maidstone's defence. Hayley Heggie and Geogia Herron added two more to the tally. The final score, 4-1 to Chelmsford, the home side's only goal coming from a penalty stroke. At least the weather was good. Elsewhere in the East Conference, Surbiton kept up their lead at the top of the table with a 4-0 win away at Maidstone. They are being closely chased by St Albans, who recorded a 2-1 over lowly Horsham.

In the North Conference, Beeston are five points clear, with a 5-0 win over Liverpool Sefton. In the West Conference Buckingham recorded their 12^th win of the season when they beat Barnes Hounslow Ealing 2-0.

In the Men's Cup, Bowdon reached the semi finals by beating Southgate 4-1.

Full results from today's cup and league matches are on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk. Pictures of the match between Maidstone and Chelmsford are on our pictures site at www.hockeyimages.co.uk.

 

'GRINSTEAD DOWN AND OUT by Peter Savage at the European Club Championships in Hamburg

This morning the day for English supporters started as it had finished the day before, with a lot of ‘ifs’.

If East Grinstead won their protest against the score in their match with Luzerner (which they did. It was declared a draw), and if Arminen beat Luzerner (which most people expected they would), and if East Grinstead  beat Partille (they’re from Sweden – do they play hockey in Sweden?), then EG would retain their top tier status and return to make a challenge for the Championships with a full squad next year.

Then came the ‘buts’.  Possibly motivated by losing the appeal yesterday, Luzerner beat Arminen in their last Pool C match to go second in the pool.  Then to rub salt into the wound, the Swedes proved they that really can play indoor hockey.  Despite two goals from ‘Grinstead’s Daniel Koschyk (2), Dave De Prez, and Andrew Piper, there was no stopping them, and the match ended with an eye-watering scoreline of 12-4 in Partille’s favour. 

Some evidence of the desperation that crept into the match was the fact three of Partille’s goals were from strokes  and two EG players were sent to the naughty seat, including goalie David Kettle.  It was a sad day for English hockey, as East Grinstead were condemned to the Trophy tournament in 2013, due in part (but not entirely) to the absence of the GB players (with the exception of Glenn Kirkham).

The bronze medal match was won by Dinamo Elektrostal who beat Spain’s Club Egara 6-4.  The final between the host club, Der Club an der Alster, was played out before a packed house, with the organisers being forced to close the hall to further admissions for safety reasons.  The Germans, despite reaching the final, had looked a little less than champions in their pool matches, but they really turned on something special in the final, beating Dutch side HDM 7-3 to take the Championships.

Full results can be found on our main web site at www.TalkHockeyRadio.co.uk . Pictures are still being uploaded to our pictures site at www.HockeyImages.co.uk. There will be a feature on the tournament in the March edition of our on-line magazine HockeyTalk, available to download later this week.

European Indoor Clubs Championships – final placings:

1.     Der Club an der Alster (Germany) CHAMPIONS!

2.     HDM (The Netherlands)

3.     Dinamo Elektrostal (Russia)

4.     Club Egara (Spain)

5.     Partille (Sweden)

6.     Luzerner (Switerland)

7.     SV Arminen (Austria)

8.     East Grinstead (England)

PROTEST GIVES EAST GRINSTEAD A LAST CHANCE by Peter Savage at the European Indoor Clubs Championship in Hamburg

There were dramatic scenes here in Hamburg this evening after East Grinstead's game against Swiss side Luzerner appeared to end in a 3-2 defeat.

Needing at least a draw to avoid relegation, East Grinstead had played a competent enough game, although some of the problems with passing that we noted yesterday were still evident. Although Luzerner took an early lead, which they increased to two in the second half, it remained a match that could go either way. 

Penalty corner conversions by Dave De Prez and Ross Stott, put the sides on even terms, but in the dying seconds of the match Luzerner were awarded a penalty corner, which was converted by Maurice Cottier.  The final whistle sounded and that appeared to be the end of that. East Grinstead looked doomed to certain relegation.

I was in the press room after the match when I became aware that there was something going on in the corridor outside, involving EG's manager Matt Jones, coach Richard Organ and video woman Anne Needle. On enquiring I discovered that a protest had been lodged with the Tournament Director, claiming that the penalty corner had been awarded after the final hooter.  Anne's video footage seemed to confirm this.

Anyone who has read Rule 5 of the indoor rules will discover that this is anything but a straightforward matter, and we'll be covering this in the March edition of our on-line magazine HockeyTalk which is due to become available next Thursday.  Fortunately for East Grinstead, the Tournament Director upheld the protest, and so both they and Luzerner emerged from the match with a draw.  East Grinstead play Swedish side Partille tomorrow, with a slim chance of surviving at this level for another year.

Tomorrows final will be between Dutch side HDM and the hosts, Club an der Alster. HDM beat Club Egara 4-3, whilst Alster came back from behind to beat Dinamo Elektrostal 8-3.

Full results and pictures from today can be found on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk. 

GRINSTEAD LEAVE BEST UNTIL LAST BUT FINISH BOTTOM by Peter Savage at the European Indoor Club Championships in Hamburg.

It was a pity that East Grinstead found some of their best hockey when it was too late.  In contrast to yesterday, the passes were usually spot on and, overall, it was a far more controlled display.  Goalkeeper Richard Potton, who has not looked  comfortable at times during this tournament, was replaced for their final Pool B match by David Kettle, who had a good game.

In fact their match against Pool B leaders HDM got off to the best possible start with a fifth minute goal from Glenn Kirkham., and right up until half time it looked on the cards that East Grinstead could pull of a win. Unfortunately skipper Scott Ashdown found himself sitting on the naughty seat just before the break and during power play HDM equalised.

In the second half it remained honours even until Timo Kranstauber put the Dutch ahead after ten minutes, but Scott Ashdown equalised minutes later.  With less than ten minutes left, HDM scored twice to give them a comfortable 4-2 lead and that is how the match ended.

Finishing bottom of Pool B, EG now go through to Pool C (otherwise known as the Relegation Pool) where they will play the bottom two sides from Pool A.  They have to finish first or second in this pool to avoid relegation.

Full results and tables are available on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.  Photos are available to view at www.hockeyimages.co.uk.

ARMINEN AND DANGEROUS by Peter Savage at the European Indoor Club Championships in Hamburg

East Grinstead suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of Austrian side SV Arminen, and at the end of the day they only have themselves to blame.

Arminen got off the blocks with a goal in the first two minutes. Finding themselves behind, ‘Grinstead put on a flurry of activity which saw them score twice in the space of less than a minute. The first came from a penalty stroke converted by Mike Holland, and the second from open play by David De Prez. 

For a few moments it looked as if EG were going to take the match by storm but the Austrians had equalised before the ink on the scoresheet had dried.   From that point it was all downhill, with Arminen taking a 5-2 lead by half time.

Many of East Grinstead’s woes were down to lamentable passing. Perhaps the pitch here in Hamburg is slower than they have been playing on in the Super Sixes, but often passes fell a foot or two short, allowing their opponents to pounce on the loose ball.

The Austrians put away another three goals in the second half,  and Ross Stotts 37^th minute goal was little more than consolation.  Final score 8-3 to Arminen.

East Grinstead play HDM in their final pool match tomorrow.  The Dutch have already qualified for the semi-finals with two out of two wins so far.  Whilst it is theoretically possible for EG to reach the semi finals, they are current bottom of Pool B with a -5 goal difference.

GRINSTEAD IN AN EEL OF A GAME by Peter Savage at the European Indoor Club Championships in Hamburg

If you are looking for metaphors to describe a game of hockey, this one was a slippery eel.  Playing the Russians of Dinamo Elektrostal, every time East Grinstead got a hold of the game, it seemed to slip from their hands.

Fielding only one of their current GB internationals - Glenn Kirkam - East Grinstead looked sharp in the opening encounters, and could easily have gone ahead had it not been for the efforts of Rogov in the Russian goal.  Indeed, during the entire match ‘Grinstead must have easily beaten their opponents on shots at goal, but too few either beat Rogov or ended up between the uprights.

It was very much against the run of play that Dinamo scored first, and fifteen minutes into the match English side appeared on the rack when they trailed 3-1, the EG goal coming off the stick of Daniel Koschyk.  A second goal before half time – skipper Scott Ashdown the scorer – put a bit of sparkle into their game,  and Dave de Prez equalised five minutes into the second half.

This is where our metaphor with the eel comes in. Having drawn equal, it took Elektrostal three minutes to retake the lead.  Dave De Prez scored again, only to see the Russians take the lead again less than a minute later. Scott Ashdown stepped up to convert a penalty corner only to see Zhirkov score his second of the match after two  minutes. 

East Grinstead nearly fell to a late goal by Elektrostal but the ball went wide, and the match ended in a 5-5 draw. 

East GrinsEast Grinstead play their next Pool B match later today, against the Austrians of SV Arminen.

RACE AT TOP OF PREMIERSHIP GETS TIGHTER.

The race at the top of the Men's Premier Division got tighter this afternoon after a depleted East Grinstead side went down to two goals apiece from Cannock's Matthew Plunkett and David Harris. There is now only one point separating East Grinstead from second placed Cannock.

Beeston and Surbiton stay in the hunt with wins over University of Exeter and Southgate respectively. Reading's match against Bowdon was scratched due to the weather and so they now have a game in hand in fifth place behind Beeston and Surbiton.

There were no East Conference matches played today but the North lost only one match, that being the game between Leek and Deeside Ramblers. Brooklands MU look set for an early bid to return to the Premier Division with a 3-1 win over Doncaster which puts them three points clear at the top. Second placed Sheffield Hallam played their part in opening the gap by dropping points in a 3-3 draw at Olton.

The West Conference managed to survive most of the big freeze, with only the match between Guildford and University of Birmingham. Leaders, Bath Buccaneers, inflicted some pain on Bournville, beating them 8-3 to go 10 points clear at the top of the table. Bournville are bottom of the table.

Full results and tables can be found on our main web site at www.TalkHockeyRadio.co.uk. Unfortunately there are no images from this weekend's games as the match we were due to cover was postponed due to a frozen pitch.

GB MEN DRAW SERIES IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Great Britain's men drew the last of their three match series against South Africa 3-3 in Stellenbosch today. With one win apiece, plus today's draw, the series has finished in a draw. GB's scorers today were Mark Pearn, Barry Middleton and Mark Cleghorne.

BIG FREEZE STRIKES AGAIN

There were a large number of postponements in the national league today due to icy conditions.

The Premier Division of the Investec Women's League, due to play its first matches after the winter break, saw only two matches played. Clifton managed to close the gap between them and third placed Canterbury with a 2-1 win, whilst University of Birmingham added to Cannock's woes with a 5-0 win at home. Cannock remain with no points and an X-rated goal difference of -51.

There were no matches in the Investec East Conference but the North and West Conference managed to muster three games each. North Conference Springfields might be wishing that their game against Beeston had been cancelled as they went down 11-0, with Kim Leiper and Nikki Ward both scoring hat-tricks for Beeston.

There were scheduled to be three men's East Conference matches today, but only one survived the icy conditions. The surviving game saw Wimbledon beat City of Peterborough 4-1.

Full results (including scorers) and tables are available on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

GB WIN HISTORIC SILVER IN ROSARIO

Great Britain women played in their first ever world level event final last night when they met Argentina in the Champions Trophy in Rosario.

Progress through to the final had been a remarkably smooth affair, with GB coming second in their pool matches after wins over Japan and China, and a draw against The Netherlands. Korea had been beaten 4-1 in the quarter finals before GB met old rivals Germany in the semi-finals, inflicting a 2-0 defeat on them.

Facing a team like Argentina on their home soil was always going to be a daunting prospect, but the GB women looked confident on the field. It was their misfortune to have a very vocal home crowd supporting their opponents in the final and to find Argentine legend Luciana Aymar on top form. Aymar had a number of penetrating runs, but goalkeeper Beth Storry had an outstanding game and denied the Argentines several times.

The only goal of the match came just before half time when Silvina D'Elia's penalty corner strike was just beyond Storry's reach. Final score 1-0 to Agentina, but the GB girls can come home with their heads held high. Hopefully, when the teams next meet, Great Britain will have the home crowd behind them.

The bronze medal game between The Netherlands and Germany was quite a curtain raiser, with the Dutch taking an early 4-0 lead, only to get pegged back to 5-4. Haunted by the previous day's semi-final which saw them lose the shoot out after a last minute goal by Argentina, the match came to an tense climax but the Dutch managed to cling on to their lead 5-4 lead.

Full results are currently on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk

BUCCANEERS DEFY THE FREEZE

Today should have seen a full programme of Investec Women's League Conference matches, two men's conference matches, and a number of matches from various national knock out tournaments. But the icy conditions struck again, with a combination of frozen pitches and snow putting pay to all but two matches.

By a stroke of good fortune, TalkHockeyRadio had chosen to visit Havant to see them play Bath Buccaneers in the West Conference this afternoon. The conditions were almost surreal, and had it not been for snow on some long distance lorries travelling on the nearby A27, everyone may have been wondering what the fuss with the weather was about. It was hardly warm, but the temperature managed a steady four degrees for most of the afternoon.

Team Bath Buccaneers enjoyed a four point lead when they arrived at Havant, and the difference in status between the two teams showed, although both teams enjoyed a fair amount of possession. There was some good end to end stuff, but you started to get the impression that neither side wanted to spoil the match with anything as vulgar as a goal. It took the Buccaneers all of 56 minutes to penetrate the Havant defence and find the net, the goal coming from a Johnny Kinder penalty corner conversion.

The Bath side contains two former Havant players, Tom Skinner in goal, and striker Tim Davenport. The latter had thrilled us at Wembley last weekend playing in Beeston colours but he enjoyed less success this afternoon. After Kinder's goal, Davenport found himself unmarked in the 'D' on at least two occasions, with only the goalie to beat, but his scoring touch from only a week ago seemed to have deserted him and he shot wide. At the other end of the pitch Skinner pulled off a super save late in the match to retain Bath's lead.

The final score, 1-0, sees Bath increase their lead at the top of the table to seven points, but they do have a game in hand.

Coincidentally, the only other game today was in a West Conference and involved the leaders. Struggling Trojans played host to Buckingham in the Investec Women's West Conference, a match which Buckingham won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Tracy Jones.

The latest tables are on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk. Pictures of the match between Havant and Team Bath Buccaneers will appear on our HockeyImages web site tomorrow.

BIG FREEZE HALTS HOCKEY PROGRAMME

The England Hockey League, which was due to re-start after the winter break with a schedule of Conference Division matches, saw the entire programme cancelled due to frozen pitches and the threat of snow. And things do not look much better in the Investec Women's League, which was due to re-commence tomorrow. Already the East Conference matches between Sevenoaks and St Albans, and Old Loughtonians and Horsham, have been cancelled. 


We will be posting the latest league tables to our main web site although, of course, these remain unchanged.

PAUMEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Dutch international and specialist penalty corner striker Maartje Paumen has been elected women's FIH Player of the Year.  Nominations were put together by a panel of coaches, including England's Danny Kerry, before a player vote determined the winner.  Paumen had previously won the FIH Young Player of the Year Award in 2008.

The award follows on from Paumen becoming the highest scorer in Champions Trophy history when she scored twice during The Netherlands 4-1 victory over Japan on Tuesday.

This years FIH Young Player of the Year is Stacey Michelsen of New Zealand.

The men's award had been announced during the Champions Trophy in New Zealand and won by Jamie Dwyer

SUPER SUNDAY OF HOCKEY AT WEMBLEY from Peter Savage and Antonia Richards at the Maxifuel Super Sixes Finals

Singer Katy Shotter came onto the pitch and as she started to sing it became apparent that her microphone wasn't working. That turned out to be one of the only dud moments in a super afternoon of hockey at the Wembley Arena. At least it proved that she was not miming, and she's actually quite a good singer.

The women's final, despite the dearth of goals, was actually a very good match, something we've not always been able to say in the past. Both goalkeepers, Sarah Ellis for Reading and Maddie Hinch for Leicester, were in fine form, and Reading's Sam Quek and Emma Thomas had cracking games. The only goal in the match came from Leicester's Lauren Turner in the 36^th minute. It was a shame that there had to be a loser.

Reading gave East Grinstead a run for their money in the first of the two men's semi finals, with Reading pegging back their opponent's lead to have a 4-3 advantage midway through the second half. East Grinstead re-took the lead with goals from Barry Middleton and Ashley Jackson, but Jonty Clarke's last gasp equaliser took the match into penalty strokes. With all square after the first barrage, it went to sudden death, but after Richard Potton saved off Simon Mantell, it only remained for East Grinstead's Iain Lewers to pop in the winner.

Beeston were far too good for Bowdon in the second semi-final, with the Nottingham side emerging 11-3 winners. Out of that tally, Beeston's Paddy Schmidt accounted for five and guesting Timothy Davenport three.

With that sort of background the final was surprisingly one-sided, with most of the damage done by East Grinstead in a six minute golden spell, when they found the net six times, courtesy of Messrs De Prez (2), Koschyk (2), Jackson and Ashdown. In fact two of Beeston's five goals were not scored until the dying seconds when it was all too late. Final score, 8-5 to East Grinstead. East Grinstead are off to the European Clubs Championships in Hamburg in two weeks time and will be buoyed up by that emphatic win.

Images from the match are available to view at our pictures site at www.HockeyImages.co.uk. The February edition of our on-line magazine, HockeyTalk, has pictures and articles about the Maxifuel Finals and the European Indoor Nations Championships. This can be found at www.TalkHockeyRadio.co.uk.

ENGLAND WIN PROMOTION IN DENMARK by Peter Savage at the Women's Indoor Championships in Slagelse

It says something about the improved state of women's hockey that this nation of ours can effectively raise two - no, correct that - three quads to play simultaneously in international competition.

The fact that England have managed their second promotion on the bounce in European indoor competition whilst the GB squad is in Argentina is something of an achievement. And I say 'three squads' because there was even something in it for our friends North of the Border.  That is not to say that England has found it's last two matches in the European Indoor Champions II in Slagelse easy.  The defeat at the hands of France yesterday - a combination of a good French side and England not playing their best hockey - was a serious wobble on the road to promotion, and England looked uncomfortable on occasions against the Swiss in their final match this afternoon.

It was the Swiss who took first blood when Stephanie Walti scored early in the match. But Katie Long, who has had a quite outstanding tournament, was able to redress the balance, and Emma Thomas put England ahead early in the second half. Denise Marston-Smith increased the lead to 3-1 from a penalty corner two minutes later.

From that point the Swiss looked increasingly dangerous, with Maddie Hinch in the England goal having to work hard for her keep.  Saskia Muller, the Swiss captain, was rewarded for her side's pressure when she converted a penalty corner to pull the score back to 3-2.  We were then treated to 14 minutes of nail biting play, much of it in the England half of the court, but eventually the final hooter sounded and England emerged as the winners.

Where England finished in the final table depended on the outcome of the final match in the promotion pool, between France and Lithuania.  Although Lithuania surprisingly won this game, they failed to inflict sufficient damage with their 2-1 win to bite into France's goal difference. As a result France win the Championships II and England are runners-up.

You have to shed a tear for our hosts, Denmark. After an improvement in form yesterday, they found the Slovak Republic too strong for them. The final score, 5-2, means that Denmark is relegated to Championship III in 2014.  They will be joined there by Russia, who were beaten today 4-2 by Scotland. Only a day earlier there had been some gloom in the Scot's camp at finding themselves in the Relegation Pool, but they were eventually the only side to take full points from the final pools and they finish in a respectable fifth.

Full results and tables are on our main web site.

ENGLAND'S GOOD DAY FINISHES BADLY. Round up of today's play in the EuroHockey Indoor Championships in Slagesle, Denmark.

England finished their Pool A matches in top position this morning and the squad went into the afternoon with the knowledge that relegation was no longer an issue.  But the morning's news was not all good.  Abi Harper turned her ankle in the match against Lithuania and will remain unfit for the rest of the tournament.

England's first opponents in the promotion pool were France, the nation that came second when England won promotion in Rouen two years ago. France had performed well, but England had the edge when the two sides met in 2010.  This afternoon, however, was the first time in this tournament that it was apparent that England were not fielding a first choice team. The French have had an outstanding tournament so far in Slagelse, with their Peggy Bergere being the danger woman in front of goal.

There were early signs that England might be in trouble when Sam Quek stopped a penalty corner flick at waist height with her stick in the opening minutes of the match to keep the score at 1-1.  Bergere showed her goal scoring prowess by finding the net twice in as many minutes shortly after.

Although England tried to compose themselves and take control of the match in the second half, the French skipper, Emilie Begue, gave her side their third. Sam Quek's 38th minute penalty corner for England was little more than a consolation goal and the match ended at 3-1.

England will have to calm their nerves when they play their final match of this tournament against the Swiss tomorrow. In theory, all four teams in the promotion pool can finish in the top two (and thereby gain promotion), but it is most likely that the second place will hinge on the England v Switzerland match.

The hosts, Denmark, have had a difficult tournament and lost there final Pool A match to Switzerland 6-1 this morning. So there was something of a cup final win atmosphere when they beat Russia 6-3 in the first of their relegation pool matches.  They have been excellent hosts and it would be a shame to see them relegated. And it should not be forgotten that the were promoted to the Championships II four years ago when they beat England.

Scotland's hopes of survival rose when they played their first relegation pool match.  After losing their last Pool A match 4-3 to France this morning, they went on to beat the Slovak Republic 3-2 to give them a lifeline to stay in the second tier tournament.

In the other promotion pool match, Lithuania started with promise against Switzerland, and they were leading until the final two minutes when Switzerland's Stephanie Walti scored twice from penalty corners.

Up to date scores and tables are available at our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

ENGLAND REACH PROMOTION POOL by Peter Savage at the Women's Indoor Championships in Slagelse

It was a win and a double whammy to boot.  Not only did England beat the overnight leaders in Pool B, the three points earned against Lithuania will be carried over to the promotion pool which plays its first matches this afternoon.

England were magnificent.  Any sign of nerves - and this was an important match - were not apparent as England came out fighting. They got onto the scoresheet early when Denise Marston-Smith converted a fifth minute penalty stroke. A minute later, Katie Long made it two with a long ranging run which ended with the ball in the back of the Lithuanian net.

There was a wobbly moment early in the second half when Ina Kenstaviciute scored twice in less than a minute to equalise, and English fans were on the edge of their seats for five minutes until Long found the net again.  But overall, a brilliant performance against one of the better teams here.  The mixture of experience and youth seems to have brought home the goods for England.

The final score of 3-2 puts England on top of Pool B.  Details of the promotion pool matches will appear later.

Results and tables can be found on our main web site at www.TalkHockeyRadio.co.uk.








 

ENGLAND CAN MAKE PROMOTION POOL. A round up of today's play in the EuroHockey Women's Nations Championships in Slagelse, Denmark

It snowed this afternoon in Slagelse but events inside the Antvorskov Hall were too gripping for the weather outside to concern us.

Having picked up four points from today's matches (see earlier reports), and with a healthy goal difference, England can make it into the promotion pool tomorrow. They have one more match to play in Pool B and and that is against the stand-out side in the pool, Lithuania.  We believe that England can win this game, which would mean that they would head the table.  Even if they lose, England still remain in with a chance unless they let the Lithuanians chip too deeply into their goal difference and/or the Russians go on a goal scoring spree against the Slovak Republic.

In Pool A the situation is similar for Scotland, albeit that they have a thinner goal margin. Scotland play France tomorrow in what could be a titanic battle.  The French, who were promoted alongside England in 2010, have looked very sharp.  The Danes, who deprived England of promotion back in 2008, have had a difficult tournament, having lost to both Scotland and France. They cannot now escape the relegation pool and will have to hope that their form improves in the last two matches of the tournament.

Full results are available on our main web site.

ENGLAND DRAW SECOND MATCH by Peter Savage in Slagelse

Despite peppering the Russian goal than more shots than I could keep count of, England were unable to find the target.  Playing in their second match of the European Indoor Championships II, it was Katie Long who was again the star of the show, finding the net five minutes into the second half.  But Tatiana Voronina's goal canceled out the English goal and the match ended at 1-1.

The Russian's were much improved over the side that lost to Lithuania earlier today and, although England played well, they had lost some of the bite they had shown against the Slovaks this morning.  They will face their sternest test tomorrow when they play the very capable looking Lithuanian side.

ENGLAND WIN FIRST MATCH IN SLAGELSE by Peter Savage at the Indoor Championships II

England's women got off to a fine start in their opening match in the European Indoor Nations Championships here in Salgelse this morning.

 With England contributing the major part of the Great Britain squad in Argentina, the indoor squad here in Denmark consisted of experience plus a number of senior hopefuls.  Calling them a makeshift squad however, would hardly be fair in mind of the performance they put in. Forty minutes of consistent pressure on the Slovak Republic took its time to get any result, and there were only two penalty corner goals as a reward, both from Denise Marston-Smith.

England's fitness at international level is almost becoming legendary, and when England players swamped their opponents, they were swiftly back to cover any danger caused.  Katie Long, often to be found on the left, was constantly pressurising the Slovak defence, and after Sam Quek had made it three for England, Long was rewarded with two goals. 

The icing on the cake came when Emma Thomas scored England's sixth, leaving the final score 6-1 in England's favour.

Earlier Lithuania beat a rather naive Russian side 9-2 in the other Pool B match.

TEST EVENT LINE UP ANNOUNCED AT THE WRITERS’ AWARDS

LOCOG has announced the line up for the Olympic Test Event to be held at the Riverbank Stadium at the Olympic Park this May.

Invited to take part in the Men's Tournament are Australia, India and Germany, as well as Great Britain. Only India, from that group, has not yet qualified for the Olympics. Taking part in the women's tournament will be Argentina, China, Korea and Great Britain, all of which have already qualified.

The tournament starts on Wednesday 2 May and finishes on Sunday 6 May. Friday 4 May will be a rest day.

The Riverbank Stadium is the new name for the Olympic Hockey Centre. The change reflects the fact that the stadium will not be exclusively for hockey. It will also host the Paralympic 5 and 7-aside football tournaments.

Further details of the Test Event will appear in the next edition of our on-line magazine, HockeyTalk, which will be available to download on 26 January 2012.

The announcement was made at the Hockey Writers Club Awards in London's Knightsbridge, where East Grinstead's Mark Pearn won the Men's UK Player of the Year Award. The women's award went to Reading's Alex Danson.

The other awards were the Higgins Youth Awards, which went to Joanne Leigh of Clifton and Joe Sharp of Belper. The Higgins Junior Awards went to Martha Baker of Beeston and James Albery of Old Loughtonians.

VICTORY BUT RELEGATION FOR ENGLAND

England's final match in the European Indoor Championships has ended in victory but resulted in relegation.

Russia's 3-2 win over Switzerland in the preceding match left a glimmer of hope for the England side as they took on Spain in the relegation pool. With the Russians on four points, with a goal difference of +0, they could be overtaken if England could win by a substantial goal difference. That would have meant sixth place and a return to the tournament when it is next held in two years time.

Despite a first half penalty stroke conversion by Ashley Jackson, England looked like heading for a defeat as the final seconds of the match ticked away. With Spain leading 2-1, and with two minutes left, Jackson found the net again, this time from open play, to equalise. Moments later Nick Catlin scored the winner for England.

The result puts England on four points, the same as Russia, but with a goal difference of only one separating them. As a result, England finish seventh and are relegated along with Switzerland who finished eighth. Both will play in the EuroHockey Indoor Championships II in 2014.

The final was won by Germany who beat the Czech Republic 4-0 in the final. The bronze was won by Austria.

Full results and tables are available on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

TalkHockeyRadio will be in Denmark for the Women's EuroHockey Indoor Championships II next weekend.

ENGLAND NOW LOOKED DOOMED INDOORS. The latest from Leipzig.

With one match left to play, England's chances of staying in the top division of the European Indoor Championships were looking slim after today's games. Spain's opponents this afternoon were Russia, whose 3-2 defeat means that Spain now tops the relegation pool with 6 pts. England will now have to beat Spain by a healthy margin tomorrow and hope that the match between Switzerland and Russia ends in a draw or a narrow victory for the Russians.

The semi finals between Austria and the Czech Republic, and Germany and The Netherlands take place this evening. The winners play each other in the final tomorrow.

Full results are on our main web site.

JACKSON GOAL BLITZ FAILS TO RESCUE ENGLAND FROM BOTTOM PLACE. Report on the European Indoor Nations Championships in Leipzig

The match against the Czechs was the first of two drawn matches, the second being a remarkable 8-8 draw against Russia this morning (Saturday). The match was remarkable for the fact that Ashley Jackson almost single handedly rescued the day for England at 8-3 down with a five goal blitz in almost as many minutes, with four of the five coming from penalty corners. Jackson's remarkable feat makes him the top scorer in the tournament at the end of the preliminary pools. He seems to be in his element in Leipzig, scoring three of England's five in their 5-7 defeat against The Netherlands yesterday.

Unfortunately, the draw leaves England at the bottom on Pool B, and they play the first of their relegation pool matches later this afternoon when they meet Switzerland. The second will be tomorrow against Spain.

Germany finish top of Pool A, with Austria in second place.

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

SPAIN’s MEN GET OLYMPIC PLACE AFTER SA WITHDRAWS

The FIH has announced that Spain will be replacing South Africa as one of the automatic qualifiers for the 2012 Olympic Games men's hockey tournament. This follows the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee turning down their nation's direct entry into the games. They had originally qualified as a result of winning the Africa Cup.

In accordance with an agreement between the FIH and the IOC, the vacancy left by South Africa was offered to the highest ranking team that had not already qualified, namely Spain. Spain had been due to play in a qualification tournament in Japan in April.

The FIH has also announced that a number of nations have declined invitations to qualifying tournaments. There appears to be an error in the information currently released on this matter and we are seeking clarification from the FIH before publishing this.

BIRMINGHAM UNI, SOUTHGATE AND WOKING JOIN MAXIFUEL LEAGUE

Birmingham University have won the Midlands qualifying tournament to play in the Maxifuel National Indoor League, beating Khalsa in the final at Lilleshall.

The South's qualifying tournament, held in Croydon, sees former National Indoor Champions Southgate return to the Maxifuel League, along with Woking.

GB MAKE IT FIVE OUT OF FIVE

Great Britain's women return home with a 100% record from their five match series against the USA in San Diego.

Their final match, played yesterday (Sunday), ended 4-0 in GB's favour, with Wales' Sarah Thomas and Scotland's Vikki Bunce scoring two of the goals. The other goals came from England's Ashleigh Ball and Alex Danson, Danson scoring her sixth goal of the series.

GB WOMEN WIN AGAIN

Great Britain's women have decisively won the fourth match in their five match series against the USA in San Diego. After a goalless first half, Laura Unsworth opened the scoring for GB from a penalty corner, with a goal from Helen Richardson four minutes later giving the visitors a 2-0 lead. Kathleen Sharkey pulled one back for the Americans, but further GB goals from Becky Herbert, Hannah Macleod and Katie Long increased the lead to 5-1 before Caroline Nichols scored a goal for the USA in the closing minutes. Final score 5-2 to Great Britain.

GB play their final match in the series this afternoon (Sunday).

GB WOMEN WIN THE SERIES

Great Britain's women have won the five match series against the United States, with a 4-1 victory in their third match in San Diego. Although Michelle Kasold of the US opened the scoring, Alex Danson was quick to equalise for GB. A second half goal for Danson, and goals from Katie Long and Chloe Rogers, secured the win.

Great Britain play the final matches of the series on tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday.

GB WOMEN WIN SECOND OF SERIES

Great Britain's women won the second of their five match series against the USA in San Diego yesterday, despite a late rally by the home side. Katie Reinprecht gave the USA a first half lead which was cancelled out by two goals in less than a minute from Scotland's Laura Bartlett. Kate Walsh's second half penalty corner strike increased the lead to 3-1, and although Reinprecht scored her second in the dying minutes of the game, Great Britain emerged as the 3-2 victors.

On Sunday an Alex Danson hat-trick had given GB a 3-0 win in the first of the series. The second match was due to be played on Tuesday but was postponed until Saturday due to heavy rain. Other matches will be played today (Thursday) and Sunday.

GB CONDEMNED TO SIXTH PLACE

A single goal from Germany's Thilo Stralkowski condemned Great Britain to sixth place in the Champions Trophy in Aukland today, which means that GB do not automatically qualify for next year's edition of the tournament.

The final between Australia and Spain was won by Australia. Although not an entirely surprising outcome, it took Australia all of 59 minutes to break down the defence of this revitalised Spanish side, who seem to have come on leaps and bounds since the European Championships in August. The only goal of the match came from a penalty corner conversion by Eddie Ockenden.

The Netherlands take the bronze medal after defeating New Zealand 5-3.

Full results can be found on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

GB ARRIVE LATE AT THE PARTY

Great Britain arrived late at the party but took home all the presents as they played Korea in their second and final Pool D match in Auckland this afternoon.

GB were 0-2 down by the seventh minute of the second half, when James Tindall found the net to make the score 1-2. With ten minutes of play left Ashley Jackson equalised from a penalty corner, and Tindall scored his second a few minutes later to give England the lead. It was a short lived lead, as Nam Hyun-Woo scored from the penalty spot. An appeal to the video umpire failed to have the decision reversed after it appeared as if Hyun-Woo may have controlled the ball with his body as he entered the circle.

It was left to the oldest member of the team, 34 year old Mark Pearn, to clinch the match for Great Britain after a mix up in the Korean defence allowed Pearn time to control the ball and slot the ball home with the winner.

Final score, 4-3, and GB will play Germany for the fifth place tomorrow.

JAMIE DWYER, was awarded the FIH Player of the Year in Auckland this afternoon. The 32 year old Australian had previously won the award in 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2010 – more times than any other male player. The Young Player of the Year also went to an Australian, Matthew Swann. The women's awards will be announced at the Women's Champions Trophy in Rosario in February.

70th MINUTE HEARTBREAK FOR GREAT BRITAIN

A 70^th minute penalty corner goal by Germany's Jan-Marco Montag sealed Great Britain's fate as they battled it out in Pool D of the Men's Champions Trophy in Auckland.

The writing was on the wall as Martin Zwicker scored for Germany after only four minutes. But a 22^nd minute goal by Glenn Kirkham meant that GB could have come away with this match with some points, and it took Germany until the last seconds of the match to score their winner. Final score 2-1 to Germany.

Great Britain play Korea on Saturday in their second and final Pool D match. They are currently lying third in the pool on three points, behind Pakistan on goal difference. The teams finishing first and second in this pool play for fifth place on Sunday to guarantee an automatic invitation to next year's tournament.

Full results and tables can be found on our main web site at www.TalkHockeyRadio.co.uk.

GREAT BRITAIN IN SHELL SHOCK RESULT IN AUCKLAND

Great Britain manager Andy Halliday described his feelings after the match as 'shell shocked', and pundits will be reaching for their record books to see if his side's result against Spain in the Champions Trophy in Auckland has broken any records.

Barry Middleton's 23^rd minute goal for GB seemed a favourable enough start, but Spain managed to squeeze a shock reply between Middleton's goal and the half-time hooter. Eddie Tubau and Pau Quemada each managed to score in the space of a minute, and Santi Frexia and Gabriel Dabanch repeated the trick before the half ended.

George Pinner, playing his first ever Champions Trophy match and only his third GB cap, was subjected to a baptism of fire as Juan Fernandez increased Spain's lead early in the second half. But Great Britain's final indignity was yet to come. With five minutes left on the clock, Frexia scored his second and Spain's sixth. As the game moved into the dying minutes, James Tindall was sin-binned and Spain used the power play to net the ball twice more, both coming from Roc Oliva.

Final score 8-1 to Spain and GB finish Pool A in third place, above Pakistan. One crumb of comfort from the results is that GB go into the next round of matches in Pool D with points in hand from their Pool C match against Pakistan. They play their first Pool D match against Germany on Thursday. The other members of Pool D will be Korea and Pakistan.

Full results and tables are on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

MANTELL GIVES GB RAY OF HOPE.

A 55^th minute goal by Simon Mantell offered Great Britain a ray of hope in what was always going to be a difficult match in the Men's Champions Trophy in Auckland.

Playing Australia, GB went down to an early goal from Matthew Butturini and went into the second half with a 0-2 deficit after Matt Gohdes found the net. Although Australia continued to dominate the game, a ferocious shot by Mantell beat the Australian 'keeper to keep GB in the match.

Two minutes later the ever dangerous Jamie Dwyer restored the margin with a well taken goal and, in the dying minutes, penalty corner specialist Luke Doerner increased the lead to 4-1, which was the final score.

Great Britain slump to third in Pool A after Spain beat Pakistan 4-2 to move into second place.

As a result of Sunday's programme being postponed to today due to torrential rain, GB will now play their third game in three days when they meet Spain tomorrow, without the benefit of a rest day.

Full results and tables can be found on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

DECIMATED ‘GRINSTEAD TAKE THE POINTS

At TalkHockeyRadio we were curious to know how East Grinstead would fare in a Premier League match against Loughborough Students whilst their ranks were decimated by GB call-ups. EG have lost eight players, including South African international Gareth Carr.

Carr and the absent Ashley Jackson are 'Grinstead's usual penalty corner strike force, so it was with some surprise that their deputy had such an impact on the match. Loughborough Students, who are a good side but desperately in need of some points, went into the second half with the benefit of a goal from Sam Ward. But did not take long for Rick Gay to equalise from a penalty corner.

EG slipped behind seconds later when Chris Griffiths scored the Students' second. Some of the more experienced East Grinstead players are used to having the likes of Middleton, Jackson and Stott around them, and sometimes expected too much of their less experienced colleagues. But as the second half progressed they adapted to the conditions and, in the 59^th minute, Gay scored his second from a penalty corner to equalise.

It remained end-to-end stuff, and it looked as if the match was going to end in a draw – in some ways a fair result. However, a late penalty corner resulted in Gay scoring his hat-trick, and the match ended 3-2 to EG.

The result leaves the table positions of the two sides unchanged. This is more than could be said for the match between Bowdon and University of Exeter, which finished 4-3 in Bowdon's favour. This lifts Bowdon out of bottom place, which they have occupied since week four, into eighth. Their place is taken by the University. The result did not help Southgate who, despite an early Dan Shingles goal, went down 1-2 to Cannock. Southgate slip one place to ninth.

Some of the gloss seems to have gone off Beeston's season, with a 1-3 defeat at home to Reading. Their table positions were influenced by the result at Paddington Rec, where Hampstead & Westminster took the points in a 2-1 win over Surbiton. Reading climb to third place, two points behind Cannock, Beeston drop to fourth, and Surbiton slip down to fifth.

These are the last matches before the winter break. Hockey moves indoors next weekend.

Full results and tables can be found on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk. Images from the match will appear on our Pictures pages later.

RAIN HALTS PLAY IN AUCKLAND

There has been no play in the Champions Trophy in Auckland today (Sunday) due to torrential rain. All matches have been rescheduled for Monday, which had been a rest day.

Great Britain were due to play Australia today.

LAST GASP DANSON GOAL BRINGS READING THE POINTS

A 70^th minute penalty corner goal by Alex Danson allowed Reading to come away from their match against Clifton with maximum points when they met in the Investec Women's League this afternoon.

An Aileen Davis penalty corner conversion just before half time had allowed Clifton to take a 1-0 lead into the second half, but Danson scored shortly after the restart. Reading's Emma Thomas gave her side a brief lead, only to see Georgie Twigg equalise from a penalty corner. 29 minutes without further goals, finally saw Danson resolve the issue with her later winner. Final score 3-2.

Slough's results continue to be unpredictable, and they probably thought that they had this one in the bag when, at 1-1 against Sutton Coldfield, Alex Scott converted a 69^th minute penalty stroke. Less than a minute later Vicky Woolford equalised for Sutton from open play. Final score 2-2.

Olton & West Warwicks move up into fourth place after two goals in the last ten minutes robbed Bowdon Hightown of the points. The score there, 4-3 to Olton. University of Birmingham's woes continue as they lost 2-1 at Canterbury, thanks to two Jen Wilson goals. Things are worse at Cannock, who have failed to pick up a single point this season. They lost 0-5 at home to Leicester.

There was one other match in the Investec league today and that was the fixture between Liverpool Sefton and University of Durham, re-arranged from 5 November, which ended 7-1 to the students. They moved from fifth in the table to third. There are only four points separating the top five sides in the North Conference.

These are the last matches in the Investec league until after the winter break. The Premier Division of the indoor league commences next weekend.

GREAT BRITAIN START CHAMPIONS TROPHY WITH A WIN

Great Britain got off to the best of possible starts in the Men's Champion's Trophy in Auckland, New Zealand.

Playing Pakistan, GB went behind to a Muhammad Imran penalty corner late in the first half. But some excellent play by Mark Pearn, who threaded his way past the goalkeeper and two defenders, to equalise ten minutes into the second half, put GB back into the game. Simon Mantell gave Great Britain the winner when he shot the ball high into the Pakistan net in the follow up to a penalty corner strike in the last five minutes of the match.

Final score, 2-1 to Great Britain, who go into second place in Pool A behind Australia. Australia have the benefit of a higher goal scored tally as a result of their 3-2 win over Spain.

In Pool B, Germany beat New Zealand 2-1. The Netherlands 2-0 win over Korea puts them at the top of the Pool B table.

Great Britain's next match is against Australia tomorrow.

Great Britain squad against Pakistan: Adam Dixon (Beeston), James Fair (Cannock), Mark Cleghorne, Ashley Jackson, Glenn Kirkham, Iain Lewers, Barry Middleton, Mark Pearn and Niall Stott (all East Grinstead), Ben Hawes (Wimbledon), Iain Mackay, Richard Mantell and Simon Mantell (all Reading), Harry Martin (Old Loughtonians), Rob Moore and James Tindall (both Surbiton).

 

 

 

 

WILSON FLIES HOME FROM AUCKLAND

Beeston's Alistair Wilson has been forced to withdraw from the Champions Trophy in Auckland, which is due to start tomorrow.

Wilson has suffered a recurrence of tendonitis around the knee and will fly home from New Zealand to receive treatment. His place is taken by Surbiton defender Ken Forbes, who is already in Auckland training with the Great Britain squad preparing for the Champions Trophy, which starts on Saturday.

BARTLETT IS GB ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Scotland's Laura Bartlett has been named BOA Hockey Athlete of the Year. The 23 year old Scotland and Great Britain midfielder has had an outstanding year, taking a significant role in Scotland's bronze medal success in the Champions Challenge I, and winning gold in the European Nations Championships II.

The award is made to the top performing hockey athlete of the year and the winner is selected by Great Britain Hockey on behalf of the British Olympic Association.

Bartlett, who made her senior international debut in 2007, currently plays for English club Reading. She has 57 caps for Scotland and 22 Caps for Great Britain.

BARBARA MIROY DIES

Pat Rowley writes on the passing of a great servant of hockey:

Barbara Miroy, a person who almost single-handedly ran English men's hockey for many years, died this morning (30 Nov) at the age of 91. She out-lived Neville, he husband and an equally prominent servant of the game, by 21 years.

Barbara was heavily involved in hockey for over 50 years. She will be best remembered for three things, being secretary and later personal assistant to two former Hockey Association Hon Secretary's; for organising for countless years the world famous Folkestone Easter Hockey Festival and for running the London and Home Counties Hockey Fixture Conference.

She was awarded the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal when it was recorded "She holds a unique position in the administration of men's hockey in England. She has given unstintingly of her time and energy to a sport in which she is totally involved and to which she is utterly devoted". Robin Struthers, the then Hon. Secretary of the Hockey Association, was quoted as saying, "She is a walking encyclopaedia of hockey".

Her health had been deteriorating for some time. Last week she had a fall at home and broke her hip. It was necessary to operate but unfortunately she survived only a short time after the operation.

Barbara's funeral will not be held for at least a fortnight so that her American relatives can be present.

Editor's Note:

If, like me, you had been a fixture secretary in the days before league hockey became the norm, you would have really appreciated the work that Barbara did in organising the London Fixture Conference. I spent two spells as a club fixture secretary, on the first occasion with a brand new club. Managing to fill a blank fixture list without the Conference would have been virtually impossible, and so I am both grateful to Barbara and sad to learn of her passing.

SURBITON AND BEESTON PROVIDE THE MATCH OF THE DAY.

When TalkHockeyRadio chooses which matches to go to, it is a matter of pot luck what we find. But we definitely struck gold this afternoon at Sugden Road to watch Surbiton play Beeston, in what surely must have been the match of the day.

The game started fairly routinely. A fair bit of action, but nothing special, saw the sides go into the break with the home team holding onto a slim lead. But things really started to hot up in the last 20 minutes when Phil Messent scored to make it 3-0.

Tim Pinnock scored his second to increase the lead, and Patrick Schmidt's 58^th minute goal for Beeston looked as if it was going to be little more than a consolation. But Schmidt found the net again three minutes later, followed swiftly by a goal from Carl Smith. Surbiton were rocked on their heals when Tim Whiteman scored Beeston's fourth to equalise. That's four goals in seven minutes if you've lost track.

Unfortunately the fairy tale ending for Beeston was not to be. We've described Tim Pinnock as 'dependable' in the past, and dependable he was again today. His 69^th minute penalty corner conversion for Surbiton was a heartbreaker for Beeston, but you've got to hand it to the visitors. They gave us a memorable match with nine quality goals from both sides.

Beeston's defeat means that they slip down the table to third, partly due to Cannock recording their sixth win of the season, 2-1 against Hampstead & Westminster, to move up to second.

Loughborough Students took an early lead at home to bottom placed Bowdon and finished the match 4-2. This moves the Students one place further away from the relegation zone into sixth. Reading keep up their charge to stay in the top five with a 4-2 win over University of Exeter.

The match between East Grinstead and Southgate was played last night and resulted in a surprise 0-0 draw. The one point for Southgate still leaves them perilously close to the relegation zone, with only three points separating them and Bowdon.

Results and table from all today's matches can be found on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HIGHTOWN MOVE OUT OF RELEGATION AREA. Round-up of today’s matches in the Investec Women’s League.

It was all change near the bottom of the Investec Women's League Premier Division this afternoon after two Tina Cullen goals gave Bowdon Hightown a timely leg-up the table. Bowdon had slumped to the relegation play-off spot last weekend but today's 2-0 win over Clifton moves them into seventh place.

Bowdon's promotion was at the expense of University of Birmingham, who lost 1-3 at home to Reading, and now occupy the play-off spot. Slough also move down one place after drawing 1-1 at home to Canterbury.

Leicester remain seven points behind the leaders, Reading. Leicester's 3-1 win over Sutton Coldfield saw their England players to the fore, with Hannah Macleod finding the net twice and a goal from Crista Cullen. But the big scorers today were Olton & West Warwicks who put seven past bottom placed Cannock for no reply, four of Olton's goals coming from penalty corners.

In the East Conference, Surbiton and St Albans are the teams to catch, both winning today. Sevenoaks slipped away from contention by losing 4-2 away at Chelmsford. The gap between them and second place St Albans opens up to five points.

In the North Conference Beeston consolidated their lead by beating one of the challengers, Brooklands Poynton. The score there 5-1. Loughborough Students are chasing hard, and now move into second place after beating Wakefield Bradford 1-0. Only three points now separate Beeston, Loughborough Students and Wakefield Bradford.

In the West Conference a 10 point gap has opened up between second place Swansea and third place Barnes Hounslow Ealing. Only six points separate the third and bottom placed sides in this division, which had resulted in at least one dramatic change in the table this afternoon. Barnes Hounslow Ealing is promoted from sixth to third as a result of a 4-2 win over Exe. Leaders, Buckingham remain unbeaten and won against Team Bath Buccaneers 2-0 today. Swansea keep in touch with the leader with a 2-1 win over Trojans.

Full scores and tables are available on our main web site at http://www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk/page51.html.

 

MINNOWS SWALLOWED UP BY BIG FISH. Cup and league results for 20 November.

The last 16 of the Men's Cup was played today, with no real surprises emerging. Cannock, Bromley & Beckenham, Brooklands MU (as a result of a walkover), Beeston, Hampstead & Westminster, Canterbury, Southgate and Bowdon go through to the quarter final draw.

As usual there were some high scoring matches as some of the minnows came up against the elite teams from the Premier Division, but you could hardly find a greater gap between high flying Cannock and Brighton & Hove from the South Premier League. Despite being depleted by injuries from their previous day's tussle against Surbiton, Cannock should have been the odds on favourites to win this match but they probably have James Fair's deputy, Patrick Smith, to thank for coming away with a respectable scoreline.

Cannock's strength was their speed on the break, but they have an Oli Westbrook penalty corner to thank for their first goal. Ajan Chana made it two from a penalty corner just before the break, but it was honestly difficult to split the teams in terms of skill, enterprise and possession. Ben Crease's superb 67^th minute goal for Brighton just emphasised how little there was to choose between the two sides. The cheering from the home supporters was cut short however by Tom Moore's almost instant response, to clinch the result 3-1 in Cannock's favour.

Photographs from the Brighton & Hove v Cannock match are on our pictures site at www.HockeyImages.co.uk .

In the Investec Women's Premier Division, today's only match saw Reading open up the gap between them and second placed Leicester with a 7-0 win over Olton & West Warwicks. Reading currently lead the division by seven points and an incredible goal difference of +33.

In the Women's East Conference, Surbiton pulled away to put a two point gap between themselves and second place St Albans. This was after Surbiton beat Harleston Magpies, but St Albans could only draw 0-0 against lowly Old Loughtonians. Sevenoaks keep in touch with the leaders with a 6-0 win over Horsham, leaving the Sussex club at the bottom of the table with seven defeats in nine outings.

In the North, Beeston are still neck and neck with Wakefield Bradford, both on 20 points. Beeston bolstered the goal difference which separates them with a 10-0 win over Northampton Saints. Wakefield's effort was a comparatively modest 2-0 over Whitley Bay and Tynemouth.

In the West, Buckingham continue to lead the charge with a 4-0 win over Exe, whilst Swansea stay in touch with a 4-1 win over Staines. Buckingham are on 26 points and Swansea on 21. After that there is a sizeable gap with third place Gloucester City on 13 points.

FULL RESULTS AND TABLES CAN BE FOUND ON OUR MAIN WEB SITE AT www.TalkHockeyRadio.co.uk.

 

PAIN FOR BOTTOM CLUBS CONTINUES

RESULTS AND TABLES FOR TODAY'S MATCHES CAN BE FOUND ON OUR MAIN WEB SITE AT www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk.

The pain continues for those clubs propping up the bottom end of the Men's England Hockey League Premier Division table. Bowdon went to Championship contenders Beeston, where they suffered a 4-1 defeat, despite their Nigel Croke opening the scoring after only five minutes. Hampstead & Westminster appeared to be in the driving seat when they played host to Southgate, going into the break 2-0 ahead. A second half flurry of goals from the visitors gave a final score of 3-3, but one point leaves Southgate in eighth place. University of Exeter will know their fate later when they play East Grinstead in an evening match at Saint Hill. They are currently occupying the relegation play-off spot.

Cannock, who face non-league Brighton & Hove in the Cup tomorrow, found Surbiton too much for them, going down 3-1. Reading slip one place down the table to fifth after scraping a draw at Loughborough Students.

The squabble between Brooklands MU and Sheffield Hallam at the top of the North Conference went in Brooklands' favour when the two sides met this afternoon. Brooklands' 5-4 win means that they now lead the table by one point. Barford Tigers are now five points adrift at the bottom of the table after they lost 3-2 to Doncaster and Preston drew 2-2 at home to Olton & West Warwicks.

TalkHockeyRadio was at the West Conference match between Ian Jennings' Guildford and struggling Lichfield. Lichfield got off to a cracking start with a Steven Bailey goal in the fifth minute, and for much of the first half they seemed to be dominating the match. Guildford's Jonathan Hayes put some sanity back into the scoreline with a late penalty corner conversion, and we suspect that coach Ian Jennings scorched the changing room walls with his half time chat judging by his side's second half performance, which saw Guildford emerge 4-1 winners. Lichfield remain one off the bottom and Guildford stay in fourth. Bath Buccaneers now have a four point lead after beating second place University of Birmingham.

In the East Conference both Canterbury and Old Loughtonians won today. If you were looking for a lot of goals in this division, Oxted was the place to be, where it could have been mistaken for thinking the game was Andrew Baggs versus City of Peterborough. Baggs scored all three of Oxted's goals from penalty corners in their 3-4 defeat at home.

There were four games in the Investec Women's Premier Division this afternoon. The fifth game (Reading v Olton & West Warwickshire) and Conference matches will be played tomorrow.

Today saw some significant movement in the bottom half of the Premier Division table. Lauren Penny's hat-trick at Slough against Bowdon Hightown drops Bowdon down the table from seventh to the relegation play-off place. Sally Walton had equalised for Bowdon in the 23^rd minute but the match finally ended 3-1 in Slough's favour. As a result of their win, Slough move up the table to sixth, displacing Birmingham University who lost 0-2 at home to Clifton.

Sutton Coldfield's 3-1 win against struggling Cannock moves them up the table from ninth to seventh.

Canterbury and Leicester's chances of catching Reading took a knock when they could only manage a 0-0 draw. Leicester missed out on the three points after Crista Cullen failed to convert a third minute penalty stroke.

STUDENTS GAIN POINTS AT EXPENSE OF CANNOCK

The unpredictable results in yesterday's Investec League matches seem to have permeated the Men's England Hockey League matches this afternoon.

Cannock gave Loughborough Students a chance to clear the relegation play-off zone by losing 4-1. The Students stay in seventh place, but they have put space between themselves and Southgate who lost 2-0 at home to Reading. Cannock remain second in the table.

The crazier results were produced by Surbiton and University of Exeter, where the final results was a 1-1 draw, both goals coming in the second half. Bottom place Bowdon, who have had a difficult season, were visited by Hampstead & Westminster, where a Nigel Croke penalty corner secured Bowdon's second win of the season. Final score 4-3.

The match of the day, between East Grinstead and Beeston, was won with a 69^th minute Ashley Jackson penalty corner to finish 3-2 in EG's favour.

Today's Premier Division brought no major changes in the table, although Reading's win moves them up to fourth.

In the North Conference, leaders Sheffield Hallam are still knocking them in, putting seven past mid-table Belper in their 7-1 win at home. Their scoring rate is in excess of five goals per match. At the other end of the table, Deeside Ramblers managed to haul themselves up one place to eighth after a 3-1 win over Barford Tigers, thanks to an Ali Ghazanfar hat-trick.

In the West Conference, Bath Buccs have overtaken University of Birmingham to take the top spot. This followed a 5-0 win over Guildford, whilst the University lost to an improving Havant side, 2-0.

England international Ben Hawes was on form for Wimbledon in their East Conference match against Indian Gymkhana. Hawes scored a hat-trick in his side's 6-0 win. Wimbledon are one point behind the leaders, Canterbury, who recorded a 3-1 win at home against Oxted. Teddington added another three points to their tally when they beat Magpies away, with Warren D'Souza scoring one of their goals in their 2-1 victory.

Full results and tables are now on our main web site at www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk, where you will also find the results of today's matches in the Investec Women's Cup.

 

LEICESTER MOVE INTO SECOND AFTER A DAY OF CRAZY RESULTS

It was a day for some really crazy results in the Investec Women's Premier Division this afternoon.

Possibly the craziest was the 11 goal encounter at Bowdon, where Bowdon Hightown played University of Birmingham. 3-3 at half time, four second half goals from Tina Cullen (2), Sally Walton and Natalie Wray gave the home side a 7-4 win. It was also a good day for the clubs beneath them, with Slough overcoming Olton & West Warwickshire 5-2, and Sutton Coldfield pulling off a surprise win at home to Clifton. Clifton found themselves trailing 3-0 at half time as a result of two goals from Jane Sixsmith and a goal from Sarah Mills, but managed to pull three back in the second half to finish the match 4-3.

Leicester jump from fourth to second after beating the leaders, Reading, 3-2 at home, with a goal from Lucy Brown and two penalty corner strikes by Crista Cullen. Down in Kent, Canterbury got their campaign back on track with a 5-0 win over lowly Cannock. The Staffordshire side have now played eight games without a point, and with a goal difference of -32.

At the top of the East Conference, Surbiton and St Albans remain neck and neck. Surbiton improved their goal difference with a 4-1 win over Oxford Hawks and stay top, whilst St Albans overcame Ipswich 2-1. The situation is similar in the North Conference, where Beeston and Wakefield Bradford are both on 17 points separated on goal difference after Beeston drew 2-2 at home against Louhgborough Students. They swap places with Wakefield Bradford, who lost away to Brooklands Poynton.

In the West Buckingham still enjoy a substantial lead, but they dropped their first points this afternoon when they could only draw 4-4 at Isca, after a second half rally by the home side. Staines drop to bottom after going down 6-3 to fellow strugglers Firebrands.

FULL RESULTS AND TABLES ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON OUR MAIN WEBSITE www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk

READING’S WOMEN WIN BATTLE OF THE SEXES. Summary of today’s action in the England Hockey League

In a sense it was the battle of the sexes at Reading this afternoon, and the women came out top. Reading were playing a double header and, unusually, their opponents were both from the same club.

It was an experience that Cannock women would probably prefer to forget. They have already been propping up the table for several weeks without a point to their name. Playing the leaders was always likely to a challenge, but it turned into a disaster. Alex Danson started the ball rolling for Reading with a goal in the first two minutes, but it gave little clue of what was to follow. 15 minutes later Rebecca Halle knocked in a second, and after that the goals just kept coming. Danson's opener was just the first of a hat-trick, with a second from Halle and goals from Liana Smith (2), Helen Richardson, Sam Quek and Jessica Brooker. Final score 10-0 and Reading now lead the Investec Women's Premier League by eight points, whilst Cannock remain rooted at the bottom.

A single goal by Cannock's men was enough to give them the win at Reading and Cannock are now separated on goal difference from leaders East Grinstead. EG used the opportunity of playing bottom-of-the-table Bowdon to consolidate their position with a 6-1 win this afternoon. The match followed the official announcement of their sponsorship deal with the airline Emirates, which must have convinced their sponsors that they'd backed a winning horse.

Hampstead and Westminster demonstrated again that they don't take too many prisoners, with a useful 4-1 win at University Exeter. The Exeter are currently occupying the relegation play-off spot, just behind Southgate who lost 3-0 at home to Beeston. Surbiton have produced some hard to predict results this season but the smart money would have been on them winning against Loughborough Students, which they did, 3-0.

Reading's defeat means they slip down the table to sixth, and Hampstead and Surbiton move up to fourth and fifth respectively.

The North Conference table seemed to be set in stone until this afternoon, when Doncaster's 4-2 win against Preston moved them up from sixth to fourth. The leaders, Sheffield Hallam and Brooklands MU, both had big wins. Hallam's Phil Roper scored five of his side's goals in their 8-1 win against Barford Tigers, and David Seddon accounted for three in his side's 7-0 win over Belper.

In the West, Guildford crept up into fourth place after a 3-1 win at home to Havant, which saw Ian Jennings on the score sheet. Havant drop one place to be replaced in second by Bath Buccaneers, who bit Fareham away 3-2.

Canterbury maintain their lead in the East Conference with a 7-0 win at Bromley & Beckenham, but there was a reshuffling of the leaders when Indian Gymkhana lost 4-2 to Old Loughtonians. Wimbledon took advantage by beating Harleston Magpies 3-2 and move into second place. Old Loughts and Holcombe move up to third and fourth respectively.

FULL RESULTS AND TABLE FROM TODAY'S MATCHES CAN BE FOUND ON OUR MAIN WEB SITE. FOLLOW THE LINK ON OUR HOME PAGE.

SLOUGH WIN BUT FAIL TO MOVE UP. Round up of today in the Women’s Ivestec Hockey League

Slough recorded only their second win of the season when they overcame University of Birmingham in the Investec Premier Division this afternoon. Slough had taken a 14^th minute lead, thanks to a penalty corner conversion by Laura Penny, but the University looked to have the game in the bag when Tina Evans and Alice Sharp scored early in the second half. But two goals in less than a minute, with 10 minutes left on the clock, stole the win for Slough. The scorers were Lauren Penny and Alex Scott. Final score 3-2 to Slough. Images from this match will appear on our sister site at www.HockeyImages.co.uk soon.

Slough would have climbed four points clear of the drop zone had it not been for a surprise 3-2 win by Sutton Coldfield at Canterbury. It was Jane Sixsmith who scored the decider there. Clifton climbed back into third place after a 3-2 win over Olton & West Warwicks, two of Clifton's goals coming in the last five minutes.

Leicester continue to clamber up the table and move into fourth after a useful 2-0 win over Bowdon Hightown. This puts three clubs on 13 points, with Olton and Clifton separated only by goals scored.

The top of the East Conference remains tight with Surbiton and St Albans both on 17 points, four points clear of the pack. Surbiton's 5-1 win this afternoon was at the expense of Old Loughtonians, who slump to the bottom of the table. St Albans won 2-0 away at Maidstone.

In the North Conference, Wakefield Bradford have a one point lead at the top. They beat Northampton Saints 4-0, whilst chasing Beeston kept up their challenge with a 3-1 win at Doncaster.

In the West Buckingham have a six point lead over Swansea, with a goal difference of 20 after seven games, helped by a 4-2 win at home to Gloucester City.

FULL RESULTS AND TABLE CAN BE FOUND AT OUR MAIN WEB SITE BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: http://www.talkhockeyradio.co.uk/page51.html.

Latest FIH World Rankings

The International Hockey Federation has just announced its latest World Rankings for men and women.

The biggest shock is the relegation of Argentina's women from first to second. Their place is taken by The Netherlands. The demotion takes place after the USA beat Argentina 4-2 in the final of the recent Pan American Games in Guadalajara.

MEN'S RANKING TABLE TOP 10

1. Australia    
2. Germany
3. Netherlands
4. Spain
5. England
6. Korea
7. New Zealand
8. Argentina
9. Pakistan
10. India

WOMEN'S RANKING TABLE TOP 10

1. The Netherlands
2. Argentina
3. Germany
4. England
5. China
6. New Zealand
7. Australia
8. Korea
9. Japan
10. USA