East Grinstead are the only team left with a 100% record after day two of the Jaffa Super 6s Women’s Premier Division at the Phoenix Sport and Leisure Centre in Telford.
Two more wins on Sunday put them two points clear at the top of the table, having beaten Canterbury 5-2 and Reading 6-0.
With GB Olympic aces Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh in their line-up, East Grinstead will be aiming to continue their good form and reach the finals which this year take place on January 28 at the Copper Box Arena in London.
Two goals from Kate Richardson-Walsh – plus others from Bara Kavanova, Pippa Chapman and captain Zoe Burrell – helped East Grinstead beat Canterbury.
And then Helen Richardson-Walsh also scored twice in their 6-0 win over Reading, with Kavanova also scoring a brace and Chapman and Ellie Cockburn adding the others.
Also unbeaten are Bowdon Hightown and Leicester, although draws on day one mean they are second and third respectively.
Bowdon Hightown were 5-1 winners over Reading in the day’s opening match, with 47-year-old GB Olympian Tina Cullen scoring two in that game.
And in their second match, Bowdon Hightown had another GB Olympic ace to thank for victory, with Sally Walton scoring a hat-trick to take her tally to four for the day and an impressive nine for the weekend.
That was only bettered by Leicester’s Lauren Turner who has 12 for the weekend. She scored a hat-trick in their first match of the day, beating Clifton Robinsons 5-4. And then she scored all six as Leicester beat Canterbury 6-2.
After losing both their games on Saturday, Holcombe turned things around well with two victories on Sunday.
They were 2-1 winners against last season’s champions Slough, then battled back from two-nil behind to win 5-3 against Sutton Coldfield in the day’s final match.
Rio Olympic gold medal winner Ellie Watton scored a hat-trick in the comeback win, taking her tally to four for the day and five for the weekend.
Slough bounced back from their loss to Holcombe with a 3-1 win over Clifton Robinsons, with Georgina Bathurst scoring two and Charly Brydon the other.
Day One
Ruth Gordon and Bara Kavanova both scored three goals for East Grinstead to help them top the early Premier Division table on day one of the Jaffa Women’s Super 6s Championship at the Phoenix Sport and Leisure Centre in Telford.
Kavanova scored a hat-trick in their 9-1 victory over Holcombe on Saturday, while Gordon scored twice and GB Olympic ace Helen Richardson-Walsh also got on the scoresheet.
And in the day’s penultimate match against reigning champions Slough, Gordon was also on the scoresheet as they ran out 3-2 winners.
Last season’s runners-up Canterbury also won both their matches on day one, beating Sutton Coldfield 2-1 and Holcombe 5-4 with Hayley Turner being their sharpshooter with three goals.
Bowdon Hightown were also unbeaten, but had to settle for a 3-3 draw with Leicester following a 5-1 win over Clifton Robinsons in their first match.
Former GB Olympic bronze medallist Sally Walton showed she is still a formidable force as she topped the scoring charts with five goals, three coming in the win over Clifton and two in the draw with Leicester.
Last season’s champions Slough got their day off to a good enough start with a 6-2 win over Reading, before losing out to East Grinstead. But they will be aiming to hit back on Sunday with four of their players having scored twice on day one – Mel Ball, Heather Batten, Charly Brydon and Georgie Whittaker.
Clifton Robinsons ran out 5-1 winners over Reading after having lost out to Bowdon Hightown with the scoreline, while Leicester had a frustrating day and finish with two draws having tied 4-4 with Sutton Coldfield as well as 3-3 with Bowdon Hightown.
The lead photo shows Slough goalkeeper Asha Tranquille-Day in action against Holcombe.
Report courtesy of England Hockey via Snowdon Sports
