AFTER losing top spot the previous weekend, the University of Birmingham regained the lead in the Investec Women’s Premier Division as they beat hosts Bowdon Hightown while rivals Surbiton were held to a draw.
The students won 2-0 away at Bowdon Hightown, Hannah Martin and Erica Sanders scoring the goals with goalkeeper Katherine Somerville saving a penalty stroke in the Birmingham goal.
Meanwhile, Surbiton slipped from the top as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Canterbury.
Jenna Woolven’s goal looked to have been enough to keep the visitors a point clear at the top, but a late strike from Grace Balsden salvaged a point for Canterbury who are third.
Buckingham stay bottom after they could only manage a 0-0 draw with Clifton, whilst Holcombe were comfortable 3-0 winners over Reading thanks to goals from Sarah Jones, Tamsyn Naylor and Kim Leiper.
Finally Leicester inflicted a quick-fire turnaround on East Grinstead to move up to seventh, Rachel Mack and Katie Long scoring after Alice Pyrgos had given the visitors the lead.
Investec Women’s Conference West
Olton and West Warwickshire took only their third win of the season in the Investec Conference West as they beat Isca 4-2.
Beth Marriott had given Isca an early lead but by the break, Olton were 3-1 leaders with goals from Katie Brough, Harriet Payne and Kathryn Berns. Although Sophie Jefferson reduced the arrears for Isca, Jane Wackett put the result beyond doubt with Olton’s fourth.
Sutton Coldfield lead the division by just one point after they beat Gloucester City 2-1. Just below them, Stourport kept the pressure on with a 2-1 win over Trojans. Bristol Firebrands and Swansea City drew 1-1 and Oxford Hawks beats the University of Bristol 4-2.
Investec Women’s Conference North
Wakefield are still top of the Investec Conference North despite losing 1-0 to Brooklands Poynton. Sophie Clough struck the winning goal in the 17th minute.
Beeston moved to within a point of the leaders with a 2-1 win over Loughborough Students. Sophie Robinson and Alice Huddlestone scored their goals.
The bottom two clubs met and it was Whitley Bay and Tynemouth who climbed above opponents Springfields after taking a 1-0 win with Joss Plummer scoring the all-important goal.
The University of Durham and Ben Rhydding played out an exciting 2-2 draw. Ben Rhydding took a two-goal lead through Jo Ellis and Eleanor Trafford but with ten minutes left, Durham scored a quickfire double through Juliette Inverdale and Anna Baker to take a share of the spoils. Liverpool Sefton drew 1-1 with Belper.
Investec Women’s Conference East
Slough extended their lead at the top of the Investec Women’s Conference East to nine points after Amy Sheehan’s goal gave them a 1-0 win away at St Albans.
The hosts started the day in second and were looking to close the gap on the league leaders, but Sheehan’s second half goal sees them fall to third after Cambridge won 3-1 away at Sevenoaks.
Ipswich remain winless at the bottom after they were beaten 7-1 away at Wimbledon, a hat-trick from Libby Sherriff helping to lift the home side to fifth. Elsewhere Harleston Magpies were 3-0 winners at home to Chelmsford and Hampstead and Westminster drew 2-2 at home to Maidenhead.
*The above photo shows the University of Birmingham’s Joey Turnbull and Hannah Martin celebrating a goal.
Investec Women’s Hockey League (Saturday, February 13 2016):
Investec Women’s Premier Division: Buckingham 0, Clifton 0; Holcombe 3, Reading 0; Bowdon Hightown 0, University of Birmingham 2; Leicester 2, East Grinstead 1; Canterbury 1, Surbiton 1.
Investec Women’s Conference East: Sevenoaks 1, Cambridge City 3; St Albans 0, Slough 1; Hampstead and Westminster 2, Maidenhead 2; Wimbledon 7, Ipswich 1; Harleston Magpies 3, Chelmsford 0.
Investec Women’s Conference North: Loughborough Students 1, Beeston 2; Whitley Bay and Tynemouth 1, Springfields 0; University of Durham 2, Ben Rhydding 2; Liverpool Sefton 1, Belper 1; Wakefield 0, Brooklands Poynton 1.
Investec Women’s Conference West: Bristol Firebrands 1, Swansea City 1; Gloucester City 1, Sutton Coldfield 2; Trojans 1, Stourport 2; Olton and West Warwicks 4, Isca 2; University of Bristol 2, Oxford Hawks 4.
| Women’s Premier Division |
| Holcombe | (1) | 3 | – | 0 | (0) | Reading | ||||
| Sarah Jones 28 – F Tamsyn Naylor 46 – F Kim Leiper 63 – F |
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| Leicester | (1) | 2 | – | 1 | (1) | East Grinstead | ||||
| Rachel Mack 34 – PC Katie Long 39 – F |
Alice Pyrgos 30 – PC | |||||||||
| Bowdon Hightown | (0) | 0 | – | 2 | (0) | University of Birmingham | ||||
| Erica Sanders 48 – PS Hannah Martin 50 – F |
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| Canterbury | (0) | 1 | – | 1 | (0) | Surbiton | ||||
| Grace Balsdon 65 – PC | Jenna Woolven 49 – F | |||||||||
| Buckingham | (0) | 0 | – | 0 | (0) | Clifton | ||||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | University of Birmingham | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 10 | 19 | 32 |
| 2 | Surbiton | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 41 | 9 | 32 | 31 |
| 3 | Canterbury | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 33 | 10 | 23 | 28 |
| 4 | East Grinstead | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 26 | 21 | 5 | 18 |
| 5 | Clifton | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 28 | -5 | 18 |
| 6 | Holcombe | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 22 | -6 | 18 |
| 7 | Leicester | 13 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 15 | 30 | -15 | 13 |
| 8 | Reading | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 18 | 34 | -16 | 11 |
| 9 | Bowdon Hightown | 13 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 33 | -22 | 7 |
| 10 | Buckingham | 13 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 27 | -15 | 6 |
|
Women’s Conference East |
| Harleston Magpies | (2) | 3 | – | 0 | (0) | Chelmsford | ||||
| Emma Lee-Smith 9 – F Elizabeth Clymer 32 – F Charlotte Lee-Smith 38 – F |
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| Sevenoaks | (0) | 1 | – | 3 | (3) | Cambridge City | ||||
| Katy Warrington 68 – F | Lucy Holder 3 5 – F F Tess Howard 26 – PC |
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| Wimbledon | (3) | 7 | – | 1 | (0) | Ipswich | ||||
| Meg Dowthwaite 14 64 – F F Catherine Ledesma 27 – PC Lizzie Rae 37 – F Libby Sherriff 57 60 65 – F F F |
Emma Millar 49 – PC | |||||||||
| Hampstead and Westminster | (1) | 2 | – | 2 | (1) | Maidenhead | ||||
| Fleur Horner 4 – PC Joyce Esser 58 – F |
Cheryl Valentine 2 59 – F F | |||||||||
| St. Albans | (0) | 0 | – | 1 | (0) | Slough | ||||
| Amy Sheehan 39 – F | ||||||||||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Slough | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 39 | 7 | 32 | 32 |
| 2 | Cambridge City | 13 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 27 | 17 | 10 | 23 |
| 3 | St. Albans | 13 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 25 | 21 | 4 | 21 |
| 4 | Hampstead and Westminster | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 28 | 25 | 3 | 21 |
| 5 | Wimbledon | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 25 | 15 | 10 | 20 |
| 6 | Sevenoaks | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 19 |
| 7 | Harleston Magpies | 13 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 18 |
| 8 | Chelmsford | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 34 | -19 | 12 |
| 9 | Maidenhead | 13 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 20 | 40 | -20 | 8 |
| 10 | Ipswich | 13 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 37 | -27 | 2 |
| Women’s Conference North |
| University of Durham | (0) | 2 | – | 2 | (0) | Ben Rhydding | ||||
| Juliette Inverdale 60 – PC Anna Baker 68 – F |
Jo Ellis 40 – F Eleanor Trafford 54 – F |
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| Whitley Bay and Tynemouth | (1) | 1 | – | 0 | (0) | Springfields | ||||
| Joss Plummer 7 – F | ||||||||||
| Wakefield | (0) | 0 | – | 1 | (1) | Brooklands Poynton | ||||
| Sophie Clough 17 – PC | ||||||||||
| Liverpool Sefton | (0) | 1 | – | 1 | (0) | Belper | ||||
| Jane Bazley-Harrison 59 – F | Sally Goodman 66 – PC | |||||||||
| Loughborough Students | (0) | 1 | – | 2 | (0) | Beeston | ||||
| Annabel Sams 28 – F | Sophie Robinson 14 – PC Alice Huddlestone 46 – F |
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| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Wakefield | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 29 | 16 | 13 | 28 |
| 2 | Brooklands Poynton | 13 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 26 |
| 3 | Beeston | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 34 | 18 | 16 | 24 |
| 4 | Ben Rhydding | 13 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 32 | 16 | 16 | 21 |
| 5 | University of Durham | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 24 | 26 | -2 | 20 |
| 6 | Loughborough Students | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 24 | 23 | 1 | 17 |
| 7 | Belper | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 20 | -5 | 15 |
| 8 | Liverpool Sefton | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 31 | -14 | 12 |
| 9 | Whitley Bay and Tynemouth | 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 22 | -10 | 9 |
| 10 | Springfields | 13 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 34 | -22 | 8 |
| Women’s Conference West |
| Trojans | (0) | 1 | – | 2 | (0) | Stourport | ||||
| Nyssa Cole 40 – F | Claire Pearson 38 – F Heidi Devey 50 – F |
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| Gloucester City | (0) | 1 | – | 2 | (2) | Sutton Coldfield | ||||
| Zoe Burford 48 – F | Emma Mccabe 1 – F Bethan Merriman 34 – F |
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| Olton & West Warwicks | (3) | 4 | – | 2 | (1) | Isca University | ||||
| Katie Brough 14 – PC Harriet Payne 16 – F Kathryn Berns 35 – F Jane Wackett 58 – F |
Beth Marriott 9 – PC Sophie Jefferson 47 – F |
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| Bristol Firebrands | (1) | 1 | – | 1 | (0) | Swansea City | ||||
| Amy Moss 30 – F | Natalie Blyth 51 – PC | |||||||||
| University of Bristol | (1) | 2 | – | 4 | (3) | Oxford Hawks | ||||
| Lucy Mckee 24 – F Lucy Preston 37 – F |
Becky Odlin 3 – F Heather Francis 15 – F Kathryn Poulter 18 – F Lucy Millington 40 – F |
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| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Sutton Coldfield | 13 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 53 | 10 | 43 | 33 |
| 2 | Stourport | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 9 | 16 | 32 |
| 3 | Swansea City | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 31 | 14 | 17 | 26 |
| 4 | Gloucester City | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 27 | 22 | 5 | 21 |
| 5 | Oxford Hawks | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 27 | 31 | -4 | 21 |
| 6 | Isca University | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 17 |
| 7 | Trojans | 13 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 22 | 28 | -6 | 13 |
| 8 | Olton & West Warwicks | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 25 | -11 | 12 |
| 9 | Bristol Firebrands | 13 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 18 | 37 | -19 | 8 |
| 10 | University of Bristol | 13 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 11 | 52 | -41 | 3 |
FIXTURES – Saturday, February 20
Investec Women’s Premier Division
Clifton v University of Birmingham 13:00
East Grinstead v Holcombe 13:30
Leicester v Buckingham 14:00
Investec Women’s Conference East
Chelmsford v Hampstead and Westminster 12:00
Cambridge City v Wimbledon 12:30
Slough v Sevenoaks 13:00
St Albans v Harleston Magpies 13:00
Ipswich v Maidenhead 14:00
Investec Women’s Conference North
Belper v University of Durham 12:00
Beeston v Whitley Bay and Tynemouth 12:00
Loughborough Students v Wakefield 12:30
Ben Rhydding v Liverpool Sefton 13:30
Springfields v Brooklands Poynton 14:00
Investec Women’s Conference West
Oxford Hawks v Gloucester City 12:00
Olton and West Warwicks v Bristol Firebrands 12:00
Swansea City v Isca 12:00
Sutton Coldfield v Trojans 14:00
Stourport v University of Bristol 18:00
Sunday, February 21
Investec Women’s Premier Division
Reading v Canterbury 12:30
League Finals weekend now on sale
The next big event in the club calendar is the League Finals Weekend on the 16th and 17th April – this year the Men’s and Investec Women’s Hockey Leagues Finals and playoffs are combined into one action-packed weekend at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre so drama is guaranteed!
Report provided by Snowdon Sports on behalf of England Hockey
