Surbiton moved to within one point of the University of Birmingham at the top of the Investec Women’s Hockey League Premier Division after a 2-0 win over East Grinstead.
Rebecca Middleton and Olivia Chilton were both on target in the first half to give Reading a 2-0 victory as Birmingham slipped to a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Reading.
It’s only their second loss of the season and the game was decided by a single goal with Sophie Shakespeare slotting home for Reading after 45 minutes.
Holcombe boosted their chances of securing a play-off spot after a 3-1 win against bottom-of the table Buckingham put them level on points with fourth-placed East Grinstead.
Buckingham took an early lead when Lauren Thomas fired in from a penalty corner in the third minute but Leah Wilkinson levelled for Holcombe and Steph Elliott put them 2-1 in front on the stroke of half time. Leigh Maasdorp secured the points with a third with ten minutes left.
Canterbury stay third after a goal in each half saw them defeat Clifton 2-0. Alice Brown put them ahead on 10 minutes before Lauren Piper doubled their advantage after the break.
In the game between Bowdon Hightown and Leicester, goals from Sally Walton and Lily Wolstenholme gave Bowdon Hightown a 2-0 win after Walton missed a penalty stroke.
Investec Women’s Conference East
Cambridge City made the most of a rare Slough defeat to close the gap at the top of the Investec Conference East to nine points.
Slough still top the division despite a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to Hampstead and Westminster with Joyce Esser hitting a brace and Jasmine Clark also on target.
Cambridge enjoyed a 5-0 win over Maidenhead with Jo Ellis, Samantha Skelton, Ellie Harrison, Tess Howard and Lucy Holder scoring.
Harleston Magpies beat Ipswich 4-1 and Sevenoaks played out a 3-3 draw with Chelmsford. Wimbledon beat St Albans 1-0.
Investec Women’s Conference North
Wakefield are four points clear at the top of the Investec Conference North after a 3-1 win over Belper. Rosie Tootell, Heather Stafford and Cat Horn all scored for Wakefield with Sally Goodman having given Belper the lead.
Loughborough Students took a 4-0 win over the University of Durham and Beeston moved up to second as a Rebecca Walker goal saw them beat Brooklands Poynton 1-0.
Ben Rhydding beat Springfields 2-0 away from home and a single goal from Rowan Rochester was enough to hand Whitley Bay and Tynemouth a 1-0 win over Liverpool Sefton.
Investec Women’s Conference West
The University of Bristol are relegated from the Investec Conference West after losing 3-2 to city rivals Bristol Firebrands. Abi Porter scored the winning goal on 65 minutes.
With just one win and three points, they can no longer catch Olton and West Warwicks. Olton managed to pick up a point on their travels, drawing 2-2 with second in the table Stourport.
That means that Sutton Coldfield have a three-point lead at the top after a 3-2 win over Isca. Sarah Parkinson-Mills was the star of the show, scoring twice. Gloucester City beat Trojans 3-1 and Oxford Hawks drew 1-1 with Swansea City.
* The above photo shows Surbiton celebrating a goal.
Investec Women’s Hockey League (Saturday, February 27 2016):
Investec Women’s Premier Division: Canterbury 2, Clifton 0; Buckingham 1, Holcombe 3; University of Birmingham 0, Reading 1; East Grinstead 0, Surbiton 2; Bowdon Hightown 2, Leicester 0.
Investec Women’s Conference East: Hampstead and Westminster 3, Slough 0; Sevenoaks 3, Chelmsford 3; Maidenhead 0, Cambridge City 5; Wimbledon 1, St Albans 0; Harleston Magpies 4, Ipswich 1.
Investec Women’s Conference North: Brooklands Poynton 0, Beeston 1; University of Durham 0, Loughborough Students 4; Whitley Bay and Tynemouth 1, Liverpool Sefton 0; Wakefield 3, Belper 1; Springfields 0, Ben Rhydding 2.
Investec Women’s Conference West: Oxford Hawks 1, Swansea City 1; Trojans 1, Gloucester City 3; Isca 2, Sutton Coldfield 3; University of Bristol 2, Bristol Firebrands 3; Stourport 2, Olton and West Warwicks 2.
| Women’s Premier Division |
| Bowdon Hightown | (0) | 2 | – | 0 | (0) | Leicester | ||||
| Sally Walton 51 – F Lily Wolstenholme 60 – F |
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| East Grinstead | (0) | 0 | – | 2 | (2) | Surbiton | ||||
| Rebecca Middleton 15 – PC Olivia Chilton 24 – F |
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| Canterbury | (1) | 2 | – | 0 | (0) | Clifton | ||||
| Alice Brown 10 – F Lauren Piper 49 – F |
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| Buckingham | (1) | 1 | – | 3 | (2) | Holcombe | ||||
| Lauren Thomas 3 – PC | Leah Wilkinson 18 – PC Steph Elliott 35 – PC Leigh Maasdorp 60 – F |
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| University of Birmingham | (0) | 0 | – | 1 | (0) | Reading | ||||
| Sophie Shakespeare 45 – F | ||||||||||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | University of Birmingham | 15 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 33 | 13 | 20 | 35 |
| 2 | Surbiton | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 43 | 9 | 34 | 34 |
| 3 | Canterbury | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 38 | 12 | 26 | 34 |
| 4 | East Grinstead | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 30 | 24 | 6 | 21 |
| 5 | Holcombe | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 27 | -7 | 21 |
| 6 | Clifton | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 25 | 34 | -9 | 18 |
| 7 | Leicester | 15 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 17 | 32 | -15 | 16 |
| 8 | Reading | 15 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 21 | 37 | -16 | 14 |
| 9 | Bowdon Hightown | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 13 | 33 | -20 | 10 |
| 10 | Buckingham | 15 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 32 | -19 | 6 |
| Women’s Conference East |
| Sevenoaks | (0) | 3 | – | 3 | (3) | Chelmsford | ||||
| Maddie Thompson 48 – F Jet Van Zalen 66 66 – F F |
Kate Maxey 2 20 – PS PS Kate Taylor 30 – F |
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| Wimbledon | (1) | 1 | – | 0 | (0) | St. Albans | ||||
| Harriet Naismith 28 – F | ||||||||||
| Maidenhead | (0) | 0 | – | 5 | (4) | Cambridge City | ||||
| Jo Ellis 4 – PC Samantha Skelton 7 – PC Ellie Harrison 19 – F Tess Howard 28 – F Lucy Holder 67 – F |
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| Hampstead and Westminster | (2) | 3 | – | 0 | (0) | Slough | ||||
| Joyce Esser 32 40 – F F Jasmine Clark 34 – PC |
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| Harleston Magpies | (1) | 4 | – | 1 | (0) | Ipswich | ||||
| Emma Lee-Smith 19 – PC Abby Gooderham 58 – F Susan Wessels 65 68 – PC F |
Chloe Williams 56 – F | |||||||||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Slough | 15 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 42 | 11 | 31 | 35 |
| 2 | Cambridge City | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 33 | 20 | 13 | 26 |
| 3 | Wimbledon | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 29 | 16 | 13 | 26 |
| 4 | Harleston Magpies | 15 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 25 | 14 | 11 | 24 |
| 5 | Hampstead and Westminster | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 33 | 28 | 5 | 24 |
| 6 | St. Albans | 15 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 25 | 23 | 2 | 21 |
| 7 | Sevenoaks | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 27 | 29 | -2 | 20 |
| 8 | Chelmsford | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 39 | -18 | 16 |
| 9 | Maidenhead | 15 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 21 | 46 | -25 | 9 |
| 10 | Ipswich | 15 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 42 | -30 | 3 |
| Women’s Conference North |
| Whitley Bay and Tynemouth | (0) | 1 | – | 0 | (0) | Liverpool Sefton | ||||
| Rowan Rochester 49 – PC | ||||||||||
| Wakefield | (0) | 3 | – | 1 | (1) | Belper | ||||
| Rosie Tootell 45 – PC Heather Stafford 50 – F Cat Horn 51 – F |
Sally Goodman 22 – F | |||||||||
| University of Durham | (0) | 0 | – | 4 | (3) | Loughborough Students | ||||
| Rachel Malcolm 5 – F Tilly Dyos-Szolkowska 10 – F Lottie Colquhoun 17 – PC Ellie Tait 54 – PC |
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| Brooklands Poynton | (0) | 0 | – | 1 | (0) | Beeston | ||||
| Rebekah Walker 67 – F | ||||||||||
| Springfields | (0) | 0 | – | 2 | (1) | Ben Rhydding | ||||
| Amy Cordukes 14 – PC Laura Smith 66 – F |
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| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Wakefield | 15 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 36 | 19 | 17 | 34 |
| 2 | Beeston | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 39 | 19 | 20 | 30 |
| 3 | Brooklands Poynton | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 24 | 15 | 9 | 29 |
| 4 | Ben Rhydding | 15 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 37 | 16 | 21 | 27 |
| 5 | University of Durham | 15 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 26 | 31 | -5 | 23 |
| 6 | Loughborough Students | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 30 | 27 | 3 | 20 |
| 7 | Belper | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 25 | -8 | 15 |
| 8 | Whitley Bay and Tynemouth | 15 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 26 | -12 | 12 |
| 9 | Liverpool Sefton | 15 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 17 | 35 | -18 | 12 |
| 10 | Springfields | 15 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 12 | 39 | -27 | 8 |
| Women’s Conference West |
| Oxford Hawks | (0) | 1 | – | 1 | (1) | Swansea City | ||||
| Kate Lowe 38 – PC | Joanne Westwood 23 – F | |||||||||
| Isca University | (1) | 2 | – | 3 | (1) | Sutton Coldfield | ||||
| Megan Crowson 18 – F Sophie Jefferson 48 – F |
Sarah Parkinson-Mills 23 53 – F PC Jane Sixsmith 68 – F |
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| Trojans | (1) | 1 | – | 3 | (0) | Gloucester City | ||||
| Rachael Rountree 27 – PC | Zoe Burford 49 – F Maisie Robertson 64 – F Kim Pullon 65 – F |
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| Stourport | (2) | 2 | – | 2 | (2) | Olton & West Warwicks | ||||
| Erin Preece 16 – PC Claire Pearson 31 – F |
Mandy Gatherer 5 – PC Katie Brough 24 – PC |
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| University of Bristol | (1) | 2 | – | 3 | (1) | Bristol Firebrands | ||||
| Lily Pratt 6 – PC Alison Oliver 47 – F |
Frankie Mayes 32 – PC Tam Pascoe 52 – F Abigail Porter 65 – F |
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| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Sutton Coldfield | 15 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 60 | 13 | 47 | 39 |
| 2 | Stourport | 15 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 11 | 20 | 36 |
| 3 | Swansea City | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 32 | 16 | 16 | 27 |
| 4 | Gloucester City | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 34 | 24 | 10 | 27 |
| 5 | Oxford Hawks | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 29 | 36 | -7 | 22 |
| 6 | Isca University | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 20 |
| 7 | Bristol Firebrands | 15 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 22 | 39 | -17 | 14 |
| 8 | Trojans | 15 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 24 | 35 | -11 | 13 |
| 9 | Olton & West Warwicks | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 28 | -12 | 13 |
| 10 | University of Bristol | 15 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 13 | 59 | -46 | 3 |
FIXTURES – Saturday, March 5
Investec Women’s Premier Division
Holcombe v Bowdon Hightown 12:00
Buckingham v Canterbury 12:00
University of Birmingham v East Grinstead 12:30
Surbiton v Clifton 14:00
Leicester v Reading 14:00
Investec Women’s Conference East
Chelmsford v St Albans 12:00
Cambridge City v Ipswich 12:30
Slough v Wimbledon 13:00
Hampstead and Westminster v Sevenoaks 13:30
Maidenhead v Harleston Magpies 13:30
Investec Women’s Conference North
Belper v Springfields 12:00
University of Durham v Whitley Bay and Tynemouth 12:00
Brooklands Poynton v Loughborough Students 12:00
Liverpool Sefton v Wakefield 12:30
Ben Rhydding v Beeston 13:30
Investec Women’s Conference West
Bristol Firebrands v Isca 11:00
Trojans v Swansea City 12:00
Gloucester City v Stourport 12:00
University of Bristol v Olton and West Warwicks 13:00
Sutton Coldfield v Oxford Hawks 14:00
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.
Report courtesy of England Hockey via Snowdon Sports.
