ROUND-UP OF TODAY'S PLAY IN ROTTERDAM from Antonia Richards

Following Beeston’s opening success against Club de Campo, the second match was between UHC Hamburg and RC Polo de Barcelona (and watched keenly by Beeston to see who they would play against in the first quarter final on Sunday).  Hamburg triumphed 3-0, thanks to two field goals from Marco Miltkau and one from Moritz Falcke.

The third match between Amsterdam and Dinamo Kazan ended 6-0.  With Taeke Taekema unable to convert his many penalty corner opportunities and Floris Evers failing to score from a penalty stroke, it was left to their teammates to land six field goals to seal the comfortable victory.  Credit must go to Dinamo Kazan who played with great skill and particularly to their goalkeeper (Marat Gafarov) who made some spectacular saves.  Indeed, the spectators were quick to applaud the efforts of the Russian team who were able to penetrate to launch a few attacks on the Amsterdam goal.  

The final game of the day saw HC Bloemendaal take on Atletic Terrassa for a place in the second quarter final with Amsterdam.  After a nervous start by both sides, Bloemendaal were first on the scoreboard with a penalty corner conversion by Olmer Meijer.  The match provided an exciting and action-packed finish to the day with the score standing at 4-3 to Bloemenaal with six minutes left to play, Terrassa having nibbled away at their lead.  Bloemendaal clung on and 4-3 was the final score, which puts them into the second of the quarter finals against Amsterdam on Sunday.

Match Schedule for Saturday 7 April 2012:
0930 CET East Grinstead v CA Montrouge
1200 CET KHC Dragons v Dinamo Elektrostal
1430 CET Rotterdam v Uhlenhorst Mulheim
1700 CET Der Club an der Alster v Reading

BEESTON WIN BATTLE ROYAL from Antonia Richards in Rotterdam

The opening match was a battle royal between Beeston and Club de Campo.  The Spanish side were first to score with a field goal from Gonzalo Lasso towards the end of the second quarter.

 It was however in the fourth quarter that the game really burst into life, with a field goal from Beeston’s Ben Arnold levelling the score at 1-1.  Their opponents made a video appeal to establish whether or not the award of a free hit on the sideline which lead to the goal was a correct decision; their appeal was unsuccessful. 

With nine minutes left to play, the Spanish were reduced to ten men as Eduard Tubau received a yellow card. Beeston made the most of the opportunity and Carl Smith’s shot on goal from open play put the score at 2-1.  Club de Campo then lost Oliver Markowsky to a yellow card and for a few minutes this meant the Spanish were down to nine players. 

The excitement reached fever pitch for the crowd when Club de Campo earned a penalty corner within seconds of Eduard Tubau’s return to the field, and with just two minutes left to play, fans of both clubs held their breath.  Beeston’s video appeal against the award of the corner was unsuccessful, as was Club de Campo’s attempt to convert it, the final score of 2-1 propelling Beeston into the quarter finals.

PLAY OFFS START TO TODAY

The Championship play-offs kicked off today, along with the England Hockey League Promotion Tournament and the Relegation play-offs.

Bidding for the title of Investec League Champions and qualification for Europe, were Leicester, Canterbury, Clifton and Bowdon Hightown. At Leicester, the home side raced to a 3-0 lead within 12 minutes, thanks to goals from Crista Cullen (2) and Katie Long. Natalie Seymour responded for their opponents, Canterbury, but a late Kerry Williams goal settled the matter decisively in Leicester's favour, 4-1.

Two clubs who have enjoyed improved form this season, Clifton and Bowdon Hightown, met at Bristol with Hightown taking the lead midway through the first period with penalty corner conversions from Sally Walton and Fay Nash. Els Mansell pulled one back for Clifton in the 58^th minute, but the match ended 1-2 to Hightown.

At the other end of the table, Slough were fighting for their Premier Division existence in the promotion play-offs. A Hannah Bowe penalty corner conversion early in the second half was enough to give them a 1-0 win against North Conference champions Beeston.

West Conference Buckingham, who are trying to gain promotion at the second attempt, beat Surbiton from the East Conference 1-2.

There was one women's relegation play-off match today, which saw East Conference Horsham beat North Conference Springfields.

In the men's England Hockey League, it was a successful day for Reading and Surbiton. Reading saw the Mantell brothers, Simon and Richard, score one apiece in the first half in their match against Beeston. Martin Jones raised Beeston's hopes late in the second half, but a Jonty Clarke penalty stroke in the last minutes of the match settled the issue in Reading's favour, 1-3.

Surbiton's James Tindall (2), Phil Messent, Tim Pinnock and Fergus Dunn, were all on target in their match against Cannock. The final score was 3-5 to Surbiton, with Ross Hayward (2) and David Harris being the scorers for Cannock. Surbiton will be hoping to put behind them a dismal record for European qualification. This win will help.

Team Bath Buccaneers may have sailed through the West Conference, but they found life a little more difficult in their promotion play-off match against Canterbury. Despite a 3^rd minute Johnny Kinder goal, the match did not go their way and the final score favoured Canterbury 3-5. Exeter University played Brooklands MU, but a solitary goal from Mark Richardson was enough to give the Manchester side the win.

Bromley & Beckenham's improvement in form in their last East Conference matches continued in the relegation play-offs as they beat Barford Tigers 5-3.

FULL RESULTS AND TABLE FROM TODAY ARE ON OUR MAIN WEB SITE AT www.TalkHockeyRadio.co.uk.

SOUTHGATE CONDEMN BOWDON TO RELEGATION

Relegation issues in the men's England Hockey League were still awaiting the outcome of today's matches, with two potential candidates – Southgate and Bowdon – playing each other.

Bowdon's fate was sealed by a Dan Shingles' 46^th minute goal away at Southgate, which lifts Southgate out of the relegation area and into eighth place. Bowdon are now automatically relegated. Bowdon's result, plus a 4-3 win against Loughborough Students, means that University of Exeter live to fight another day. They will have to re-qualify for the Premiership via the play-offs. Tom Carson must be a popular man at Exeter, as it was his hat-trick that contributed to their 4-3 win, although three late goals from Loughborough made it a close run thing.

TalkHockeyRadio was at Saint Hill to see East Grinstead play Surbiton. EG were uncatchable at the top of the Premiership, and Surbiton were assured of a place in the Championships, so there was little to be gained by either side from the outcome. Despite this, after a relatively slow start, the match developed into quite a tussle. Surbiton dominated the early encounters with Fergus Dunn scoring in the 15^th minute. Barry Middleton equalised 20 minutes into the second half, but a second from Dunn put Surbiton ahead. Mark Cleghorne quickly replied for East Grinstead, but a penalty stroke converted by Tim Pinnock restored Surbiton's lead. We hardly had time to stop clapping before Danny Hall equalised again. This seemed to take the wind out of the visitors' sails and a 64^th minute penalty corner conversion from Niall Stott gave the home side a 4-3 win.

Just as a note, we noticed how well mannered Surbiton were in this match, not something we have always been able to say in the past. Keep up the good work boys!

In the midlands, a late David Harris goal for Cannock robbed their visitors, Beeston, of a win, and the match ended 2-2. It was also a 2-2 draw at Hampstead & Westminster, where they were entertaining Reading.

As a result of today's matches, the winners and losers in the Men's Premiership are:

Championship play offs: East Grinstead, Beeston, Reading, Cannock and Surbiton.
Relegation play offs: University of Exeter.
Bowdon: Relegated.

In the Conferences:

North Conference:
Promotion play-offs: Canterbury
Relegation play-offs: Bromley & Beckenham
Relegated: Harleston Magpies

North Conference:
Promotion play-offs: Brooklands
Relegation play-offs: Barford Tigers
Relegated: Deeside Ramblers

West Conference Conference:
Promotion play-offs: Team Bath Buccaneers
Relegation play-offs: Lichfield
Relegated: Bournville

IN THE INVESTEC WOMEN'S CUP SEMI FINALS Surbiton beat Clifton 1-0, with University of Birmingham winning their match against Buckingham 5-0.

IMAGES FROM THE MATCH BETWEEN EAST GRINSTEAD AND SURBITON WILL APPEAR ON OUR PICTURES SITE SOON. Go to www.HockeyImages.co.uk.

 

 

RELEGATION LOOMS FOR SLOUGH IN LAST DAY DEFEAT

That was the season that was, at least for the Investec Women's League. The men's national league plays its final games tomorrow.

A surprising number of promotion and relegation issues were left until the final week. Probably the most significant was the scrap at the bottom of the Premier Division to avoid the relegation play-offs. Slough, in their final match, had the misfortune to meet neighbours Reading, who punished them with a 1-8 win at home, which included an Alex Danson hat-trick. The result pushes Slough into ninth place.

Clifton's 6-1 win over relegated Cannock offered them an opportunity to overtake third place Canterbury, but the Kent side also scored maximum points with a 2-1 win over Bowdon Hightown. Bowdon held onto their fifth place despite this, thanks to Leicester winning 0-2 at Olton & West Warwicks.

The final positions in the Premiership mean that Reading, Leicester, Canterbury, Clifton and Bowdon Hightown will be in the Championship play-offs. Slough will be in the relegation play offs and Cannock are relegated.

RELEGATION AND PROMOTION ISSUES IN THE CONFERENCES:

East Conference:
Promotion Play offs: Surbiton
Automatic Relegation: Maidstone
Relegation Play-offs: Horsham

North Conference:
Promotion Play offs: Beeston
Automatic Relegation: Northampton Saints
Relegation Play-offs: Springfields

West Conference:
Promotion Play offs: Buckingham
Automatic Relegation: Exe
Relegation Play-offs: Team Bath Buccaneers

 

2015 EUROPEAN CUP COMING TO LONDON

The European Hockey Federation has announced that the 2015 European Championships for both men and women has been awarded to England.

The tournament will be played in the legacy facility at Eton Manor. The Riverbank Stadium, which is the venue for the Olympic Hockey Tournament, is due to be relocated after the Games to Eton Manor, which forms part of the Lee Valley Park.  The tournament will take place at the end of August 2015.

The 2013 European Championships is due to be played in Boom, Nr Antwerp in Belgium.

Pictures from today's announcement can be found on our www.HockeyImages.co.uk site.

SURBITON SECURE PLAY OFF PLACE. Roundup of today’s league and cup matches.

There was a full programme of matches in the Investec Women's Conferences today, the penultimate day of the 2011-2012 season.

In the East Surbiton's 2-0 win over Harleston Magpies means that they are four points ahead of Sevenoaks in second place, and consequently they qualify for the promotion play-offs. It's still neck and neck at the bottom of the table, with any two of three facing either automatic relegation or the relegation play-offs. Old Loughtonians lost 3-1 to St Albans and are on nine points, whilst Horsham and Mainstone are both on eight. Horsham lost away at Sevenoaks to a single goal from Cathy Gilliat-Smith, whilst Maidstone went down 0-2 at home to Ipswich.

The meeting between table topping Beeston and relegated Northampton Saints in the North Conference, was only ever going to go one way. However the margin was an unexpected 12-0 in fabvour of Beeston, with hat-tricks from Eleanor Watton and Hollie Webb. Beeston can still be caught by University of Durham, who could only draw 1-1 at home to Loughborough Students. The relegation play off spot goes to Springfields who, despite their 2-2 draw against Doncaster, are too far adrift from eighth place Liverpool Sefton to escape.

Buckingham lead the charge in the West Conference with a 0-4 win against Exe. Buckingham can still be caught by Swansea, who won their match against Staines 0-4 and are only two points behind. The automatic relegation place is still a tussle between Exe and Team Bath Buccaneers, the Buccs losing to Isca this afternoon 2-1. Exe are on 11 points and Buccaneers on 10.

Brooklands MU have qualified for the promotion play offs as a result of the only match today in the Men's North Conference. Catching up on postponed fixtures, they beat Belper 0-1 away and are now six points clear of second place Sheffield Hallam. Havant were also catching up when they played Whitchurch in the Men's West Conference. They move up to second, but they are a massive 16 points behind leaders, Bath Buccaneers.

The first of the Men's Cup semi finals were played today. Bowdon were unable to salvage anything out of what has been an awful season for them. Despite briefly taking the lead, they fell to late goals from Hampstead & Westminster's Will Naylor and Neil Hamilton. Final score 5-4. If you want the result of the other semi final, you will have to wait until the evening of Thursday 16^th April, when Beeston play Cannock.

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

BEESTON GO ALL OUT BUT ARE TOO LATE

The fact that East Grinstead had already achieved first place in the Premier Division of the England Hockey League did not stop their nearest rivals, Beeston, going all out for a win when the two leading sides met at Saint Hill this afternoon.

Beeston's Adam Dixon found the net in the first three minutes, but East Grinstead's Ashley Jackson replied soon after. After that the two sides shared no less than 12 goals between them. At 8-5 in Beeston's favour, Nial Stott scored in the dying seconds, but the match ended 8-6 to Beeston. Four points separate the two sides but, with only one match left to play, Beeston must settle for second.

Reading are now four points behind Beeston after putting Southgate to the sword, 6-0. Fortunately for Southgate, Hampstead and Westminster beat Bowdon 4-3. Bowdon slip to bottom after University of Exeter shared the points with Surbiton in a 1-1 draw. Southgate, University of Exeter and Bowdon are on 15, 14 and 13 points respectively.

Cannock drop one place to fourth after losing 1-2 at home to Loughborough Students. Loughborough Students, in sixth place, are four points behind fifth place Surbiton, which means that East Grinstead, Beeston, Reading, Cannock and Surbiton, have all secured Championship play-off places.

TalkHockeyRadio was at Luxborough Lane to see Old Loughtonians go down 1-2 to visiting Bromley and Beckenham in the East Conference. Old Loughts were playing on their new blue and pink pitch and pictures of this match will appear on our HockeyImages web site tomorrow (Sunday). Unfortunately for them, the defeat means that they can no longer catch Canterbury in poll position, despite Canterbury losing 2-3 to Teddington this afternoon.

There was a bit of déjà vu for us this afternoon, as two years ago we were at Old Loughts when they were high in the table and they lost to a struggling Bromley and Beckenham. Despite the win, Bromley will now face a relegation play-off. On what we saw this afternoon, they deserve better. Harleston Magpies, one place below them at the bottom of the table, drew 4-4 against Indian Gymkhana but are relegated.

The top of the table clash in the North Conference ended with Sheffield Hallam going down 0-4 to Brooklands MU. Sheffield can catch Brooklands and have a better goal difference, but Brooklands have a game in hand. Issues are still to be decided at the basement end of the table, with Deeside Ramblers losing 4-5 to Belper, and Barford Tigers losing 5-4 to Doncaster. Next weekend's results will decide which is relegated and which will be in the relegation play off.

Team Bath Buccaneers secured the West Conference Championships several weeks ago, but they are ending the season with a flourish with a 3-1 over University of Birmingham in their penultimate match. Bournville are already relegated, but the relegation play off place is still to be decided. Cheltenham, currently in eighth place, could be caught by Lichfield in ninth. Lichfield recorded a 2-1 win at home to Guildford this afternoon.

There was a full set of matches played in the Investec Women's Premier Division this afternoon. Bowdon Hightown beat Sutton Coldfield 3-2, and move up into fifth place, two points ahead of Olton & West Warwicks.

The automatic relegation spot was decided some time ago, but there is a real scrap going on for the relegation play off placed. Slough, in ninth place, beat relegated Cannock 2-1, whilst eighth place University of Birmingham beat Olton & West Warwicks 4-1. Today's results leave Sutton Coldfield on 20 points and University of Birmingham and Slough on 19.

The Division winners, Reading went down 0-3 at home to Canterbury, which means that the Kent side move up to third. Second place Leicester beat Clifton 5-0.

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

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.