The University of Birmingham opened up a four-point gap on Surbiton with a 4-1 win over Clifton in the Investec Women’s Hockey League Premier Division on Saturday.
Jo Turnbull opened the scoring, firing home in the 12th minute before Sade Gerald doubled the lead on 24 minutes.
Laura Bridge pulled one back for Clifton but the students made it 3-1 through Hannah Martin.
Claire Thomas set up a tense conclusion to the game by bringing Clifton back to within a goal with 10 minutes remaining but Erica Sanders put the game out of reach for Birmingham in the 67th minute.
Previously one of three teams tied on 18 points and battling for the final play-off spot, East Grinstead opened up a three point lead on their rivals when they beat Holcombe 4-1.
Pippa Chapman, Josephine Blunt, Alice Pygos and Takara Haines scored for the hosts with Nicola White grabbing a consolation for Holcombe.
In the other game of the day, Leicester ran out 2-0 winners against Buckingham after hitting two goals in the second half. Liz George broke the deadlock on 42 minutes and with two minutes remaining, Rachel Mack sealed the three points from a penalty corner.
Investec Women’s Conference West
Sutton Coldfield stay top of the Investec Conference West after a 4-1 win over Trojans.
Susan Wood opened the scoring after six minutes but Trojans drew level through Jill Tombs in the 26th. Jane Sixsmith put Sutton Coldfield back ahead and a brace from Sarah Parkinson-Mills ended the scoring. Stourport are just a point behind after beating the University of Bristol 4-0.
Gloucester City are just one place above Oxford Hawks in third but ran out comfortable 4-1 winners against their opponents. Zoe Burford and Kim Pullon scored twice each.
Bristol Firebrands took a narrow 1-0 win over Olton and West Warwicks courtesy of a Megan Brazil goal and Isca also won 1-0 with Megan Crowson’s goal enough to beat Swansea City.
Investec Women’s Conference North
Wakefield continue to lead the Investec Women’s Conference North and Loughborough Students were their latest victims, losing 4-2.
A double from Cat Horn helped Wakefield to a victory which sees them keep their two-point cushion at the top.
Brooklands Poynton are waiting for Wakefield to slip up and have only lost once this season. They beat Springfields 3-0. Ben Rhydding were also 3-0 winners, beating Liverpool Sefton.
The University of Durham beat Belper 2-1 and Beeston took a 4-1 win over Whitley Bay and Tynemouth with Sophie Robinson scoring twice.
Investec Women’s Conference East
Slough pulled 12 points clear at the top of the Investec Women’s Conference East with a 3-1 win at home to Sevenoaks.
Harriet Ward, Melissa Ball and Amy Sheehan secured the goals for the league leaders who have been beaten only once all season, whilst Charlotte Lechmere was on target for Sevenoaks who drop to seventh.
Wimbledon leapfrogged their hosts Cambridge City into third with goals from Cherry Seaborn, Lauren Seaman and Emer Hickey in a 3-1 win, whilst the bottom two sides Maidenhead and Ipswich cancelled each other out in a 1-1 draw.
Elsewhere Harleston Magpies scored a last minute goal to defeat St Albans 1-0 and Chelmsford survived a late rally from Hampstead and Westminster to win 3-2.
Investec Women’s Hockey League (Saturday, February 20 2016):
Investec Women’s Premier Division: Clifton 2, University of Birmingham 4; East Grinstead 4, Holcombe 1; Leicester 2, Buckingham 0.
Investec Women’s Conference East: Chelmsford 3, Hampstead and Westminster 2; Cambridge City 1, Wimbledon 3; St Albans 0, Harleston Magpies 1; Slough 3, Sevenoaks 1; Ipswich 1, Maidenhead 1.
Investec Women’s Conference North: Belper 1, University of Durham 2; Beeston 4, Whitley Bay and Tynemouth 1; Loughborough Students 2, Wakefield 4; Ben Rhydding 3, Liverpool Sefton 0; Springfields 0, Brooklands Poynton 3.
Investec Women’s Conference West: Oxford Hawks 1, Gloucester City 4; Olton and West Warwicks 0, Bristol Firebrands 1; Swansea City 0, Isca 1; Sutton Coldfield 4, Trojans 1; Stourport 4, University of Bristol 0.
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!
League Finals Weekend tickets are on sale now here . Knockout Finals tickets will also go on sale soon on this page.
This report courtesy of England Hockey by Snowdon Sports.
* The photo above shows Clifton’s Dawn Mitchell Mackenzie shooting during their clash with the University of Birmingham.
| Women’s Premier Division |
| East Grinstead | (1) | 4 | – | 1 | (0) | Holcombe | ||||
| Ruth Gordon 27 – F Josephine Blunt 40 – F Alice Pyrgos 47 – F Takara Haines 56 – F |
Nicola White 41 – F | |||||||||
| Leicester | (0) | 2 | – | 0 | (0) | Buckingham | ||||
| Liz George 42 – F Rachel Mack 68 – PC |
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| Clifton | (0) | 2 | – | 4 | (2) | University of Birmingham | ||||
| Laura Bridge 46 – F Claire Thomas 60 – F |
Jo Turnbull 12 – F Sade Gerald 24 – F Hannah Martin 53 – PC Erica Sanders 67 – PS |
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| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | University of Birmingham | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 12 | 21 | 35 |
| 2 | Surbiton | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 41 | 9 | 32 | 31 |
| 3 | Canterbury | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 33 | 10 | 23 | 28 |
| 4 | East Grinstead | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 30 | 22 | 8 | 21 |
| 5 | Clifton | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 25 | 32 | -7 | 18 |
| 6 | Holcombe | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 26 | -9 | 18 |
| 7 | Leicester | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 17 | 30 | -13 | 16 |
| 8 | Reading | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 18 | 34 | -16 | 11 |
| 9 | Bowdon Hightown | 13 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 33 | -22 | 7 |
| 10 | Buckingham | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 29 | -17 | 6 |
| Women’s Conference East |
| Cambridge City | (1) | 1 | – | 3 | (0) | Wimbledon | ||||
| Tess Howard 23 – PC | Cherry Seaborn 55 – F Lauren Seaman 57 – F Emer Hickey 69 – PS |
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| Chelmsford | (3) | 3 | – | 2 | (0) | Hampstead and Westminster | ||||
| Victoria Clark 5 20 – F F Thea Franklin 24 – F |
Cressida Grant 47 – F Joyce Esser 56 – PS |
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| St. Albans | (0) | 0 | – | 1 | (0) | Harleston Magpies | ||||
| Lauren Barber 69 – PC | ||||||||||
| Ipswich | (0) | 1 | – | 1 | (1) | Maidenhead | ||||
| Heather Dixon 57 – F | Holly Cram 14 – F | |||||||||
| Slough | (1) | 3 | – | 1 | (1) | Sevenoaks | ||||
| Harriet Ward 6 – PC Melissa Ball 52 – F Amy Sheehan 66 – F |
Charlotte Lechmere 31 – F | |||||||||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Slough | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 42 | 8 | 34 | 35 |
| 2 | Wimbledon | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 28 | 16 | 12 | 23 |
| 3 | Cambridge City | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 28 | 20 | 8 | 23 |
| 4 | Harleston Magpies | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 21 |
| 5 | St. Albans | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 25 | 22 | 3 | 21 |
| 6 | Hampstead and Westminster | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 30 | 28 | 2 | 21 |
| 7 | Sevenoaks | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 26 | -2 | 19 |
| 8 | Chelmsford | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 18 | 36 | -18 | 15 |
| 9 | Maidenhead | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 21 | 41 | -20 | 9 |
| 10 | Ipswich | 14 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 38 | -27 | 3 |
| Women’s Conference North |
| Loughborough Students | (0) | 2 | – | 4 | (1) | Wakefield | ||||
| Annabel Sams 39 – PC Ellie Tait 54 – PC |
Hannah Norman 12 – F Cat Horn 55 65 – F PC Georgia Byas 59 – F |
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| Ben Rhydding | (1) | 3 | – | 0 | (0) | Liverpool Sefton | ||||
| Kate Hesketh 16 – F Rachel Doherty 53 – F Tanisha Janzen 60 – PC |
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| Springfields | (0) | 0 | – | 3 | (2) | Brooklands Poynton | ||||
| Sarah Newman 15 – PC Áine Curran 23 – PC Tor Hughes 64 – F |
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| Belper | (1) | 1 | – | 2 | (0) | University of Durham | ||||
| Sally Goodman 26 – F | Ellen Paterson 57 – F Rebecca Raby-Smith 61 – PC |
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| Beeston | (2) | 4 | – | 1 | (0) | Whitley Bay and Tynemouth | ||||
| Sophie Robinson 9 70 – F F Alice Huddlestone 23 – F Tori Wensley 42 – F |
Claire M Dobison 58 – PC | |||||||||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Wakefield | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 33 | 18 | 15 | 31 |
| 2 | Brooklands Poynton | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 24 | 14 | 10 | 29 |
| 3 | Beeston | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 38 | 19 | 19 | 27 |
| 4 | Ben Rhydding | 14 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 35 | 16 | 19 | 24 |
| 5 | University of Durham | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 26 | 27 | -1 | 23 |
| 6 | Loughborough Students | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 26 | 27 | -1 | 17 |
| 7 | Belper | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 22 | -6 | 15 |
| 8 | Liverpool Sefton | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 34 | -17 | 12 |
| 9 | Whitley Bay and Tynemouth | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 26 | -13 | 9 |
| 10 | Springfields | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 37 | -25 | 8 |
| Women’s Conference West |
| Swansea City | (0) | 0 | – | 1 | (1) | Isca University | ||||
| Megan Crowson 2 – F | ||||||||||
| Sutton Coldfield | (1) | 4 | – | 1 | (0) | Trojans | ||||
| Susan Wood 6 – F Jane Sixsmith 36 – F Sarah Parkinson-Mills 56 59 – F PC |
Jill Tombs 26 – PC | |||||||||
| Stourport | (3) | 4 | – | 0 | (0) | University of Bristol | ||||
| Katie Miller 2 – PC Claire Pearson 15 – F Sarah Cavendish 33 – PC Georgina Bathurst 67 – F |
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| Olton & West Warwicks | (0) | 0 | – | 1 | (0) | Bristol Firebrands | ||||
| Megan Brazil 43 – F | ||||||||||
| Oxford Hawks | (1) | 1 | – | 4 | (0) | Gloucester City | ||||
| Lucy Millington 3 – PC | Kim Pullon 45 56 – F F Zoe Burford 48 51 – F F |
|||||||||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Sutton Coldfield | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 57 | 11 | 46 | 36 |
| 2 | Stourport | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 9 | 20 | 35 |
| 3 | Swansea City | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 31 | 15 | 16 | 26 |
| 4 | Gloucester City | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 31 | 23 | 8 | 24 |
| 5 | Oxford Hawks | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 28 | 35 | -7 | 21 |
| 6 | Isca University | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 26 | 25 | 1 | 20 |
| 7 | Trojans | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 23 | 32 | -9 | 13 |
| 8 | Olton & West Warwicks | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 26 | -12 | 12 |
| 9 | Bristol Firebrands | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 19 | 37 | -18 | 11 |
| 10 | University of Bristol | 14 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 11 | 56 | -45 | 3 |
FIXTURES – Saturday, February 27
Investec Women’s Premier Division
Canterbury v Clifton 11:45
Buckingham v Holcombe 12:00
University of Birmingham v Reading 12:30
East Grinstead v Surbiton 13:30
Bowdon Hightown v Leicester 13:45
Investec Women’s Conference East
Hampstead and Westminster v Slough 12:00
Sevenoaks v Chelmsford 12:00
Maidenhead v Cambridge City 13:30
Wimbledon v St Albans 14:00
Harleston Magpies v Ipswich 14:00
Investec Women’s Conference North
Brooklands Poynton v Beeston 11:45
University of Durham v Loughborough Students 12:00
Whitley Bay and Tynemouth v Liverpool Sefton 12:30
Wakefield v Belper 13:30
Springfields v Ben Rhydding 14:00
Investec Women’s Conference West
Oxford Hawks v Swansea City 12:00
Trojans v Gloucester City 12:00
Isca v Sutton Coldfield 12:30
University of Bristol v Bristol Firebrands 13:00
Stourport v Olton and West Warwicks 18:00
