Erica Sanders ensured the University of Birmingham got off to a winning start in the Investec Women’s Hockey League Premier Division by scoring a brace in their 4-1 win over Bowdon Hightown.
Birmingham came out of the blocks quickly, stunning Bowdon with three early goals. Sanders scored either side of a Holly Hunt strike to see them lead 3-0 after 15 minutes.
Tara Melvin pulled one back for the visitors on the stroke of half time but Ameila Andrew sealed the win for the students with ten minutes remaining.
Emma Trunks scored a last-minute equaliser for Holcombe as they held reigning champions Surbiton to a 2-2 draw. With no score in the first half, Rebecca Titmuss brought the game to life with a goal for Holcombe on 37 minutes.
Goals from Jo Hunter and Robyn Collins gave Surbiton the lead but Trunks pounced from a corner to tie the game.
Clifton Robinsons also took a convincing win, beating Canterbury 3-0. Jessica Bloom found the mark from a penalty corner before Claire Thomas and Laura Bridge added to the scoring after the break.
Goals from Zoe Burrell and Pippa Chapman saw East Grinstead beat Reading 2-0. Leicester and Slough played out a goalless draw.
Investec Women’s Conference East
Jen Wilson and Jess Denniff scored two goals apiece as Sevenoaks beat St Albans 5-0 in the Investec Conference East.
Harleston Magpies also hit five, running out 5-2 winners away at West Herts, with Lucy Whiting, Victoria Findlay and Kara Kilbourn all on target in the first half.
Second half goals for Tamsyn Naylor and Laura Bevan saw Wimbledon come from behind to claim a 2-1 victory at Hampstead and Westminster.
Southgate and Cambridge City could not be separated after an entertaining 3-3 draw.
Chelmsford also had to settle for a draw at Northampton Saints, a late Caroline McCabe goal securing a point for the hosts.
Investec Women’s Conference North
Last season’s Investec Conference North winners Wakefield lost out 4-1 to Ben Rhydding in their opening match of the new season.
Laura Smith scored twice for the visitors, while Tanisha Janzen and Beth Cordukes were also on target.
Brooklands Poynton secured a 4-0 win at Loughborough Students with Ellen Lockhart scoring two, while Beeston took all three points with a 3-1 victory over Sutton Coldfield.
Belper were defeated at home 2-0 by the University of Durham and Timperley scored two minutes from time to earn a point in a 2-2 draw against Liverpool Sefton.
Investec Women’s Conference West
Two goals from Kim Pullen helped Gloucester City beat newly-promoted Exe 4-1 in the Investec Conference West. Jessica Thomas and Samantha Roberts were also on target for the home side.
Last season’s runners up Stourport kicked off the new campaign with a 2-1 victory at Oxford Hawks.
A brace of penalty corner goals for Jill Tombs saw Trojans come from behind to take the points with a 3-2 win at Isca.
Elsewhere, Olton and West Warwicks ran out convincing 4-1 winners over Bristol Firebrands, whilst relegated Buckingham were held to a 1-1 draw away at Swansea City.
* The above photo shows Erica Sanders celebrating the opening goal for the University of Birmingham.
| Women’s Premier Division |
| University of Birmingham | (3) | 4 | – | 1 | (1) | Bowdon Hightown | ||||
| Erica Sanders 8 15 – F F Holly Hunt 13 – F Amelia Andrew 60 – PC |
Tara Melvin 35 – PC | |||||||||
| East Grinstead | (1) | 2 | – | 0 | (0) | Reading | ||||
| Zoe Burrell 5 – F Pippa Chapman 41 – F |
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| Clifton Robinsons | (1) | 3 | – | 0 | (0) | Canterbury | ||||
| Jessica Bloom 18 – PC Claire Thomas 65 – F Laura Bridge 69 – F |
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| Leicester | (0) | 0 | – | 0 | (0) | Slough | ||||
| Holcombe | (0) | 2 | – | 2 | (0) | Surbiton | ||||
| Rebecca Titmuss 37 – F Emma Trunks 70 – PC |
Jo Hunter 43 – PC Robyn Collins 51 – PC |
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| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | University of Birmingham | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | Clifton Robinsons | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | East Grinstead | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Holcombe | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Surbiton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Leicester | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Slough | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Reading | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 9 | Bowdon Hightown | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
| 10 | Canterbury | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
| Women’s Conference East |
| Sevenoaks | (2) | 5 | – | 0 | (0) | St. Albans | ||||
| Jen Wilson 7 40 – F F Jess Denniff 18 46 – F F Renee Ojikutu 67 – PC |
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| Hampstead and Westminster | (1) | 1 | – | 2 | (0) | Wimbledon | ||||
| Hayley Turner 5 – F | Tamsyn Naylor 57 – F Laura Bevan 60 – F |
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| Northampton Saints | (0) | 1 | – | 1 | (0) | Chelmsford | ||||
| Caroline McCabe 65 – F | Kate Maxey 54 – PS | |||||||||
| West Herts | (0) | 2 | – | 5 | (3) | Harleston Magpies | ||||
| Anna Mcglaughlin 41 – F Helen Humphrey 43 – F |
Lucy Whiting 2 – F Victoria Findlay 24 – F Kara Kilbourn 30 – F Louisa Greenacre 37 – PC Elizabeth Clymer 56 – F |
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| Southgate | (2) | 3 | – | 3 | (2) | Cambridge City | ||||
| Alexandra Fenwick 20 – PC Milly Berndes-Cade 30 – F Charlotte Burrows 50 – F |
Heidi Baber 4 36 – F F Anna Nicholson 29 – F |
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| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Sevenoaks | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| 2 | Harleston Magpies | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | Wimbledon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Cambridge City | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Southgate | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Chelmsford | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Northampton Saints | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Hampstead and Westminster | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| 9 | West Herts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 0 |
| 10 | St. Albans | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 0 |
| Women’s Conference North |
| Beeston | (2) | 3 | – | 1 | (0) | Sutton Coldfield | ||||
| Alice Huddlestone 26 – F Fenella Scutt 33 – F Tori Wensley 67 – F |
Vicky Woolford 53 – PC | |||||||||
| Wakefield | (1) | 1 | – | 4 | (3) | Ben Rhydding | ||||
| Hannah Norman 6 – F | Tanisha Janzen 17 – PC Laura Smith 28 65 – F F Beth Cordukes 34 – F |
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| Liverpool Sefton | (1) | 2 | – | 2 | (0) | Timperley | ||||
| Jane Bazley-Harrison 32 61 – F F | Nikki Walsh 40 – F Lexi Panteli 68 – F |
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| Belper | (0) | 0 | – | 2 | (0) | University of Durham | ||||
| Anna Baker 39 – F Connie Vickers 43 – F |
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| Loughborough Students | (0) | 0 | – | 4 | (2) | Brooklands Poynton | ||||
| Tilly Dyos-Szolkowska 15 – PC Ellen Lockhart 33 67 – PC PC Tor Hughes 45 – F |
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| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Brooklands Poynton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 2 | Ben Rhydding | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | Beeston | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | University of Durham | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | Liverpool Sefton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Timperley | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Sutton Coldfield | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
| 8 | Belper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| 9 | Wakefield | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
| 10 | Loughborough Students | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
| Women’s Conference West |
| Isca University | (1) | 2 | – | 3 | (2) | Trojans | ||||
| Megan Crowson 2 – PC Sophie Jefferson 47 – PC |
Jill Tombs 17 22 – PC PC Maddy Lambrou 41 – F |
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| Olton & West Warwicks | (2) | 4 | – | 1 | (0) | Bristol Firebrands | ||||
| Katie Brough 2 – PC Kathryn Berns 9 – F Sally Walton 55 – F Laura Collins 65 – F |
Holly Savage 50 – F | |||||||||
| Swansea City | (1) | 1 | – | 1 | (0) | Buckingham | ||||
| Lowri Ratti 35 – PS | Zoe Shipperley 48 – PC | |||||||||
| Oxford Hawks | (0) | 1 | – | 2 | (1) | Stourport | ||||
| Claire Werlinger 42 – F | Claire Pearson 13 – F Sarah Parkinson-Mills 50 – F |
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| Gloucester City | (3) | 4 | – | 1 | (0) | Exe | ||||
| Kim Pullon 3 25 – F F Jessica Thomas 29 – F Samantha Roberts 65 – F |
Kelly Barrett 40 – F | |||||||||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Gloucester City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | Olton & West Warwicks | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | Trojans | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Stourport | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | Buckingham | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Swansea City | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Isca University | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 0 |
| 8 | Oxford Hawks | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| 9 | Bristol Firebrands | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
| 10 | Exe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
Report courtesy of England Hockey via Snowdon Sports
