The University of Birmingham gave their hopes of qualifying for Finals Weekend a huge boost after securing a 2-1 comeback win over rivals Clifton Robinsons in the Investec Premier Division on Saturday.
The visitors opened the scoring through Hannah Coulson in the 30th minute, but the University of Birmingham hit back through Jo Turnbull (pictured), with 13 minutes to go, before Lydia Macdonell scored her first of the season to secure all three points.
The University of Birmingham are now fourth with a four-point gap over Clifton and Leicester.
East Grinstead are third, also four points clear of the chasing sides, after a 2-2 home draw against Leicester.
The hosts led twice through Lucy Bairner and Josephine Blunt but goals from Maddie Newlyn, her sixth of the season, and Liz George saw the points shared.
Holcombe became the second team to secure their place at Finals Weekend, despite being held to a 2-2 draw at Slough.
Hannah Bowe put the hosts ahead before goals either side of the break from Sarah Jones and Steph Elliott put Holcombe ahead.
Louise Bevan scored the equaliser midway through the second half to earn Slough a vital point in their battle to avoid the relegation play-offs.
Surbiton – who secured their place at Finals Weekend last Saturday – laid down a marker with a comfortable 6-0 home win over Bowdon Hightown.
Giselle Ansley became joint top scorer in the league on 13 goals with a brace against Slough – while Naomi Evans, Georgina Twigg, Hannah Martin and Jo Hunter were also on target.
Canterbury made it two wins in a row after a 2-1 home victory over bottom side Reading.
Goals from Grace Balsdon and Sarah Kerly gave the hosts the points, despite Emma Thomas levelling the scores with nine minutes to go.
Investec Women’s Conference East
Wimbledon and Sevenoaks remain separated by just three points going into the final two league games after both sides recorded 3-1 away wins in the Investec Women’s Conference East.
Nicola Lloyd, Libby Sherriff and Laura Bevan were on target as leaders Wimbledon won at Harleston Magpies.
Sevenoaks won by the same margin at Southgate with Samantha Danckert, Kate Reynolds and Maddie Thompson on the scoresheet.
West Herts picked up a crucial three points in a 4-1 win at Northampton Saints, pulling six points clear of their opponents at the foot of the table.
Two goals in the final three minutes saw Hampstead and Westminster come from behind for a 3-2 victory at Cambridge City, Jessica Orrett scoring the winner.
Elsewhere, Chelmsford and St Albans finished all square.
Investec Women’s Conference North
Brooklands Poynton kept another clean sheet in the Investec Women’s Conference North, running out 2-0 winners at home to Ben Rhydding.
The Manchester side have only conceded six league goals all season, as second half goals from Till Dyos-Szolkowska and Ellen Lockhart ensured they remain four points clear at the top of the table.
Beeston stay second after a 4-2 win at Liverpool Sefton, 16-year-old Nina Apoola scoring her first league goal for the visitors.
Lorna Jane Cruickshank scored the only goal of the game as the University of Durham won 1-0 at Sutton Coldfield.
Three goals in six minutes saw Loughborough Students to a 3-0 win against bottom side Belper, whilst Wakefield beat Timperley 4-0.
Investec Women’s Conference West
Buckingham maintained their three-point lead at the top of the Investec Women’s Conference West after a 2-1 home win over Gloucester City.
Emma Done put the visitors ahead after ten minutes, but Zoe Shipperley converted a penalty corner in each half to give Buckingham the points.
Stourport kept up the chase after a 5-0 win at Isca, Lora Symonds scoring a hat trick to take her tally for the season to an impressive 20 goals.
Exe leapfrogged Bristol Firebrands after winning 1-0 in the battle of the bottom two, Kate Hutchings scoring the only goal eight minutes from time.
Elsewhere, Sophie Clayton scored twice as Swansea City won 3-2 at Oxford Hawks and Kathryn Petch scored a brace as Trojans won 4-2 against Olton and West Warwicks.
*The photograph above shows the University of Birmingham celebrating Jo Turnbull’s equaliser against Clifton.
Investec Women’s Hockey League (Saturday, March 11, 2017):
Investec Women’s Premier Division: Canterbury 2, Reading 1; East Grinstead 2, Leicester 2; Slough 2, Holcombe 2; Surbiton 6, Bowdon 0; University of Birmingham 2, Clifton Robinsons 1.
Investec Women’s Conference East: Cambridge City 2, Hampstead and Westminster 3; Chelmsford 1, St. Albans 1; Harleston Magpies 1, Wimbledon 3; Northampton Saints 1, West Herts 4; Southgate 1, Sevenoaks 3.
Investec Women’s Conference North: Brooklands Poynton 2, Ben Rhydding 0; Liverpool Sefton 2, Beeston 4; Loughborough Students 3, Belper 0; Sutton Coldfield 0, University of Durham 1; Wakefield 4, Timperley 0.
Investec Women’s Conference West: Bristol Firebrands 0, Exe 1; Buckingham 2, Gloucester City 1; Isca 0, Stourport 5; Oxford Hawks 2, Swansea City 3; Trojans 4, Olton & West Warwicks 2.
This report courtesy of England Hockey via Snowdon Sports.
| Women’s Premier Division |
| Canterbury | (1) | 2 | – | 1 | (0) | Reading | ||||
| Grace Balsdon 4 – PC Sarah Kerly 63 – F |
Emma Thomas 61 – F | |||||||||
| Surbiton | (2) | 6 | – | 0 | (0) | Bowdon Hightown | ||||
| Giselle Ansley 9 56 – PC PC Naomi Evans 12 – F Georgina Twigg 43 – PC Hannah Martin 47 – F Jo Hunter 69 – F |
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| University of Birmingham | (0) | 2 | – | 1 | (1) | Clifton Robinsons | ||||
| Jo Turnbull 57 – PC Lydia Macdonell 64 – F |
Hannah Coulson 30 – F | |||||||||
| East Grinstead | (1) | 2 | – | 2 | (1) | Leicester | ||||
| Lucy Bairner 11 – F Josephine Blunt 45 – F |
Madeleine Newlyn 18 – PC Liz George 53 – F |
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| Slough | (1) | 2 | – | 2 | (1) | Holcombe | ||||
| Hannah Bowe 14 – F Louise Bevan 52 – F |
Sarah Jones 22 – F Steph Elliott 46 – F |
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| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Surbiton | 16 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 48 | 11 | 37 | 41 |
| 2 | Holcombe | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 40 | 23 | 17 | 34 |
| 3 | East Grinstead | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 28 | 19 | 9 | 29 |
| 4 | University of Birmingham | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 35 | 31 | 4 | 29 |
| 5 | Clifton Robinsons | 16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 37 | 27 | 10 | 25 |
| 6 | Leicester | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 25 | 22 | 3 | 25 |
| 7 | Canterbury | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 24 | 36 | -12 | 19 |
| 8 | Slough | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 34 | -19 | 12 |
| 9 | Bowdon Hightown | 16 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 35 | -19 | 8 |
| 10 | Reading | 16 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 46 | -30 | 2 |
| Women’s Conference East |
| Cambridge City | (1) | 2 | – | 3 | (1) | Hampstead and Westminster | ||||
| Ella Dowling 20 – F Therese De Souza 51 – F |
Fleur Horner 7 – PC Hayley Turner 68 – PC Jessica Orrett 69 – F |
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| Harleston Magpies | (0) | 1 | – | 3 | (0) | Wimbledon | ||||
| Lauren Barber 53 – PC | Nicola Lloyd 39 – F Libby Sherriff 44 – F Laura Bevan 62 – F |
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| Southgate | (0) | 1 | – | 3 | (2) | Sevenoaks | ||||
| Caitlin Wales 48 – F | Samantha Danckert 12 – PC Kate Reynolds 14 – F Maddie Thompson 63 – F |
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| Chelmsford | (1) | 1 | – | 1 | (1) | St. Albans | ||||
| Hannah De Selincourt 31 – F | Adele Sammons 26 – F | |||||||||
| Northampton Saints | (1) | 1 | – | 4 | (3) | West Herts | ||||
| Suzanne Macken 15 – PC | Jenny Morris 4 – F Helen Humphrey 13 – PC Rebecca Perry 15 – PC Anna Coppel 56 – F |
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| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Wimbledon | 16 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 59 | 16 | 43 | 42 |
| 2 | Sevenoaks | 16 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 54 | 13 | 41 | 39 |
| 3 | Hampstead and Westminster | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 48 | 21 | 27 | 34 |
| 4 | Harleston Magpies | 16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 45 | 25 | 20 | 30 |
| 5 | St. Albans | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 34 | 29 | 5 | 25 |
| 6 | Cambridge City | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 27 | 20 | 7 | 24 |
| 7 | Chelmsford | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 19 | 38 | -19 | 15 |
| 8 | Southgate | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 30 | 42 | -12 | 13 |
| 9 | West Herts | 16 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 22 | 63 | -41 | 7 |
| 10 | Northampton Saints | 16 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 10 | 81 | -71 | 1 |
| Women’s Conference North |
| Brooklands Poynton | (0) | 2 | – | 0 | (0) | Ben Rhydding | ||||
| Tilly Dyos-Szolkowska 41 – F Ellen Lockhart 64 – F |
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| Liverpool Sefton | (0) | 2 | – | 4 | (3) | Beeston | ||||
| Natalie Hannah 62 – F Chloe Tyler 65 – PC |
Rebekah Walker 1 – F Nina Apoola 14 – F Paige Gillott 35 – PC Meg Byas 43 – PC |
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| Sutton Coldfield | (0) | 0 | – | 1 | (1) | University of Durham | ||||
| Lorna Jane Cruickshank 17 – F | ||||||||||
| Loughborough Students | (0) | 3 | – | 0 | (0) | Belper | ||||
| Ellie Rayer 44 – PC Lauren Burrell 46 – F Claudia Moehrke 50 – F |
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| Wakefield | (1) | 4 | – | 0 | (0) | Timperley | ||||
| Gwen Veitch 3 – PC Aisling Madden 43 – F Kelly Baxter 48 – F Alice Blades 66 – PC |
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| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Brooklands Poynton | 16 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 6 | 40 | 45 |
| 2 | Beeston | 16 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 49 | 13 | 36 | 41 |
| 3 | University of Durham | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 14 | 8 | 26 |
| 4 | Ben Rhydding | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 29 | 24 | 5 | 24 |
| 5 | Loughborough Students | 16 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 20 | 21 | -1 | 23 |
| 6 | Wakefield | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 35 | -14 | 21 |
| 7 | Sutton Coldfield | 16 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 29 | 32 | -3 | 20 |
| 8 | Liverpool Sefton | 16 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 21 | 33 | -12 | 11 |
| 9 | Timperley | 16 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 47 | -29 | 10 |
| 10 | Belper | 16 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 11 | 41 | -30 | 7 |
| Women’s Conference West |
| Oxford Hawks | (1) | 2 | – | 3 | (1) | Swansea City | ||||
| Lucy Stewart 31 – F Catherine Reaney 57 – F |
Sophie Clayton 27 65 – F PC Amy Burton 36 – F |
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| Bristol Firebrands | (0) | 0 | – | 1 | (0) | Exe | ||||
| Kate Hutchings 62 – PC | ||||||||||
| Isca University | (0) | 0 | – | 5 | (2) | Stourport | ||||
| Lora Symonds 20 58 67 – F F F Sarah Parkinson-Mills 20 – F Heidi Devey 56 – F |
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| Buckingham | (1) | 2 | – | 1 | (1) | Gloucester City | ||||
| Zoe Shipperley 25 46 – PC PC | Emma Done 10 – PC | |||||||||
| Trojans | (1) | 4 | – | 2 | (1) | Olton & West Warwicks | ||||
| Maddy Lambrou 18 – F Kathryn Petch 39 62 – F F Sally Gibson 60 – F |
Katie Brough 20 – F Sally Walton 43 – F |
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| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Buckingham | 16 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 46 | 8 | 38 | 43 |
| 2 | Stourport | 16 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 58 | 14 | 44 | 40 |
| 3 | Olton & West Warwicks | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 34 | 35 | -1 | 29 |
| 4 | Trojans | 16 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 28 | 34 | -6 | 28 |
| 5 | Swansea City | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 23 | 18 | 5 | 25 |
| 6 | Isca University | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 35 | -17 | 18 |
| 7 | Gloucester City | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 22 | 28 | -6 | 16 |
| 8 | Oxford Hawks | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 20 | 28 | -8 | 14 |
| 9 | Exe | 16 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 16 | 42 | -26 | 9 |
| 10 | Bristol Firebrands | 16 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 13 | 36 | -23 | 6 |
