Surbiton pulled out a three-point lead at the top of the Investec Women’s Hockey League Premier Division with a 4-2 victory over Slough on Saturday afternoon.
The two sides were first and second before the start of play and that showed in a keenly contested first half, though it was the hosts who struck first with Emily Atkinson breaking the deadlock on 25 minutes.
Ashpal Kaur Bhogal hit back for Slough three minutes later converting a penalty corner but they were level for just two minutes, Hannah Martin restoring Surbiton’s lead at the break.
The hosts pulled away in the second half, Giselle Ansley scoring her fourth of the season and Jo Hunter converting a penalty corner to put the game out of reach.
Slough did pull one back later on through Georgina Bathurst, but it was Surbiton who are now clear at the top of the table, whilst Slough make up a clutch of six teams separated by just a single point.
Two of these sides, Clifton Robinsons and Holcombe, both lost ground at the top as they had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Ellie Watton (pictured) had put Holcombe on course for victory with the opener midway through the second half, but Zoe Leach’s penalty corner eight minutes from time rescued a draw for Clifton.
The University of Birmingham moved second in the table, leapfrogging opponents East Grinstead after a 1-0 home victory.
Katelyn Aitchinson struck the game’s only goal after 21 minutes as the hosts made it four games unbeaten.
Zoe Shipperley scored on the stroke of half time as Buckingham recorded a 1-0 victory at Bowdon, breaking a run of three consecutive draws.
Meanwhile, Leicester were the biggest winners of the day, running out 4-1 victors over struggling Canterbury.
Elizabeth Honarmand and Katie Long grabbed two goals apiece in the win, Sarah Kerly with a late consolation for the visitors who are yet to taste success this term.
Investec Conference East
Hampstead & Westminster and Sevenoaks both made it six wins from six games with away victories in the Investec Conference East.
Leaders Hampstead won 2-0 at Cambridge City, Annabel Driver and Joyce Esser on target to both move onto six goals for the campaign.
Sevenoaks recorded a 3-0 win at Bedford, Sophie Crosley, Kate Reynolds and captain Katy Warrington scoring for the visitors who also kept a sixth successive clean sheet.
Wimbledon also picked up an away win to remain just three points behind the leaders, running out 4-0 victors at Harleston Magpies with Laura Bevan and Libby Sherriff amongst the scorers.
Elsewhere, Southgate were back to winning ways with a 3-2 triumph at Chelmsford, whilst St Albans picked up their first point of the season with a 1-1 draw at home to Barnes, Ellen Paterson rescuing a point for the visitors with five minutes to go.
Investec Conference North
It was six of the best for Beeston who stay top of the Investec Women’s Conference North after a 6-0 home win over Liverpool Sefton.
Rosy Stephens both opened and wrapped up the scoring for Beeston, Lauren Burrell, Nina Apoola, Esme Burge and Fenella Scutt also on target as the hosts made it six wins from six.
Brooklands Poynton remain hot on their heels after an emphatic 9-1 victory over Wakefield. Annie Mills scored fourtimes whilst Izzy Wray hit a brace, all after Wakefield had taken a sixth minute lead.
After four straight wins to start the season, it is now back-to-back defeats for Sutton Coldfield who went down 2-1 at Ben Rhydding, Jo Ellis and Tanisha Janzen on target in the first half for the hosts.
Vicky Lomas scored the winner in the dying minutes as Timperley defeated Loughborough Students 2-1, the Leicestershire side without a point this season, whilst Fylde’s game against University of Durham was goalless.
Investec Conference West
Second-placed Reading picked up a 1-0 victory at home to leaders Trojans in the Investec Conference, ending the visitors 100% start to the season.
Emma Thomas converted a 27th minute penalty corner to score the games’ only goal and cut the gap at the top of the table to a single point.
Stourport are just a point further back after a comfortable 6-1 win at Oxford Hawks, Lorna Mackenzie hitting a brace with Lora Symonds again on the scoresheet.
Sally Walton scored two and Lucy Smith one as Olton & West Warwicks won 3-2 at home to Swansea City, the hosts now unbeaten in four, whilst Gloucester City ran out 4-1 winners over Isca.
Mia Foster scored just after the restart as Cannock defeated strugglers Team Bath Buccaneers 1-0, it could have been worse for Bath if not for Kelz Bowden saving a first half penalty stroke.
The lead photo shows Ellie Watton scoring for Holcombe at Clifton Robinsons.
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Investec Women’s Hockey League Premier Division
Results, Saturday 28 October 2017 to Sunday 29 October 2017
| Home Team | HT | FT | HT | Away Team | ||
| Surbiton
Emily Atkinson (FG25), Hannah Martin (FG30), Giselle Ansley (PC38), Jo Hunter (PC54) |
(2) | 4 | – | 2 | (1) | Slough
Ashpal Kaur Bhogal (PC28), Georgina Bathurst (PC61) |
| Bowdon | (0) | 0 | – | 1 | (1) | Buckingham
Zoe Shipperley (FG35) |
| Clifton Robinsons
Zoe Leach (PC62) |
(0) | 1 | – | 1 | (0) | Holcombe
Eleanor Watton (PC52) |
| Leicester
Elizabeth Honarmand (FG12) (PC65), Katie Long (FG26) (FG66) |
(2) | 4 | – | 1 | (0) | Canterbury
Sarah Kerly (FG69) |
| University of Birmingham
Katelyn Aitchinson (FG21) |
(1) | 1 | – | 0 | (0) | East Grinstead |
League table
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Surbiton | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 13 |
| 2 | University of Birmingham | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 10 |
| 3 | East Grinstead | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | Clifton Robinsons | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| 5 | Slough | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 10 |
| 6 | Buckingham | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 9 |
| 7 | Holcombe | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| 8 | Leicester | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 9 | Bowdon | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 4 |
| 10 | Canterbury | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 15 | -9 | 1 |
Investec Women’s Hockey League Conference East
Results, Saturday 28 October 2017 to Sunday 29 October 2017
| Home Team | HT | FT | HT | Away Team | ||
| Bedford | (0) | 0 | – | 3 | (2) | Sevenoaks
Sophie Crosley (PC6), Kate Reynolds (FG24), Katy Warrington (PC40) |
| Cambridge City | (0) | 0 | – | 2 | (0) | Hampstead & Westminster
Annabel Driver (PC40), Joyce Esser (FG48) |
| Chelmsford
Lucy Falzon (FG40), Alexandra Went (FG70) |
(0) | 2 | – | 3 | (1) | Southgate
Elisa Filarmonico (FG9), Lucy Thayer (FG38), Emily Ruffell-Hazell (FG52) |
| Harleston Magpies | (0) | 0 | – | 4 | (2) | Wimbledon
Laura Bevan (FG12), Eliza Brett (FG18), Libby Sherriff (FG37), Harriet Naismith (PC69) |
| St. Albans
Kirsty Barber (PC59) |
(0) | 1 | – | 1 | (0) | Barnes
Ellen Paterson (PC65) |
League table
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Hampstead & Westminster | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 4 | 24 | 18 |
| 2 | Sevenoaks | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 18 |
| 3 | Wimbledon | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 2 | 22 | 15 |
| 4 | Cambridge City | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 9 |
| 5 | Barnes | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 8 |
| 6 | Southgate | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 23 | -16 | 7 |
| 7 | Harleston Magpies | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 10 | -8 | 6 |
| 8 | Bedford | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 17 | -10 | 4 |
| 9 | St. Albans | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 18 | -11 | 1 |
| 10 | Chelmsford | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 21 | -17 | 1 |
Investec Women’s Hockey League Conference North
Results, Saturday 28 October 2017 to Sunday 29 October 2017
| Home Team | HT | FT | HT | Away Team | ||
| Ben Rhydding
Jo Ellis (PS22), Tanisha Janzen (PC34) |
(2) | 2 | – | 1 | (0) | Sutton Coldfield
Vicky Woolford (FG70) |
| Beeston
Rosy Stephens (FG3) (FG64), Lauren Burrell (FG8), Nina Apoola (FG33), Esme Burge (PC47), Fenella Scutt (FG61) |
(3) | 6 | – | 0 | (0) | Liverpool Sefton |
| Brooklands-Poynton
Annie Mills (FG14) (FG40) (FG44) (PC61), Izzy Wray (PC17) (FG19), Sophie Clough (PC22), Jen Park (FG49), Kate Harris (PC51) |
(4) | 9 | – | 1 | (1) | Wakefield
Alice Blades (PC6) |
| Fylde | (0) | 0 | – | 0 | (0) | University of Durham |
| Loughborough Students’
Megan Lewis-Williams (PC7) |
(1) | 1 | – | 2 | (1) | Timperley
Samantha Hargreaves (FG24), Vicky Lomas (FG69) |
League table
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Beeston | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 23 | 18 |
| 2 | Brooklands-Poynton | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 6 | 18 | 15 |
| 3 | Sutton Coldfield | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 12 |
| 4 | University of Durham | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 10 |
| 5 | Ben Rhydding | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 6 | Fylde | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 8 |
| 7 | Timperley | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 14 | -5 | 6 |
| 8 | Wakefield | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 26 | -21 | 6 |
| 9 | Liverpool Sefton | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 23 | -18 | 3 |
| 10 | Loughborough Students’ | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 20 | -14 | 0 |
Investec Women’s Hockey League Conference West
Results, Saturday 28 October 2017
| Home Team | HT | FT | HT | Away Team | ||
| Cannock
Mia Foster (FG36) |
(0) | 1 | – | 0 | (0) | Team Bath Buccaneers |
| Gloucester City
Jessica Thomas (PC27), Frankie Mayes (PS39), Danielle Gibson (FG45), Sarah Jennings (FG57) |
(1) | 4 | – | 1 | (0) | Isca
Natasha Patient (FG58) |
| Olton & West Warwicks
Sally Walton (PS11) (FG55), Lucy Smith (FG25) |
(2) | 3 | – | 2 | (1) | Swansea City
Sarah-Jayne Thorburn (FG33), Amy Burton (FG41) |
| Oxford Hawks
Becky Odlin (FG36) |
(0) | 1 | – | 6 | (3) | Stourport
Lorna Mackenzie (PC15) (PC18), Sophie Thompson (FG22), Sarah Parkinson-Mills (FG49), Lora Symonds (FG53), Sarah Cavendish (FG55) |
| Reading
Emma Thomas (PC27) |
(1) | 1 | – | 0 | (0) | Trojans |
League table
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Trojans | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 13 | 15 |
| 2 | Reading | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 14 |
| 3 | Stourport | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 5 | 16 | 13 |
| 4 | Gloucester City | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| 5 | Swansea City | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| 6 | Olton & West Warwicks | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 13 | -2 | 8 |
| 7 | Cannock | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 14 | -8 | 6 |
| 8 | Isca | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 4 |
| 9 | Oxford Hawks | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 21 | -14 | 4 |
| 10 | Team Bath Buccaneers | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 14 | -12 | 1 |
This report has been provided on behalf of England Hockey by Snowdon Sports.
