Week 11 Review of the England Hockey League

Loughborough Students go into the Christmas break with a three point advantage at the top of Division One North on the back of a 5-1 win over local rivals Nottingham University, five different scorers finding the target.  Brooklands MU trail them by three points after they won 2-1 at home to Birmingham University and they now have a seven point lead over third placed Nottingham. Ninth placed Lindum’s recent good run was ended by Deeside Ramblers who repeated the 5-3 score they achieved when the teams met in the first week of the season. A 69th minute corner form Si Claris earned bottom of the table Stourport their first points of the campaign in a 4-3 win over Olton & West Warwicks; Claris scored all four of Stourport’s goals from set pieces. Elsewhere Durham University and Harborne drew 1-1. Harborne make the short trip to Olton for a rearranged game this Thursday evening

Reading are a point clear of Indian Gymkhana at the top of Division One South after both teams won on Sunday. Reading were 4-1 victors at Bristol University, Gymkhana having to work harder for the points with a 2-1 win at Sevenoaks with Rizwan Ali netting both goals. Third placed Teddington lost ground at bottom of the table Canterbury who fought back from 4-1 to draw 4-4 with two goals in the last three minutes. Teddington host Reading tonight (Tuesday) in a rearranged game. Elsewhere Old Loughtonians won 2-1 at Team Bath Buccaneers and Exeter University were the only team in the Division to secure a home win, 2-1 against Havant.

Timperley remain unbeaten heading Conference North by three points. They beat Durham University 2s 4-0 and nearest rivals Leeds came from behind to defeat Brooklands MU 2s 4-2 with Will Gascoigne grabbing a hat-trick. Doncaster’s pursuit of the top two faltered in a 2-2 draw at bottom of the table Wakefield. A Will Musgrave treble helped Ben Rhydding overcome Sheffield 4-2 and see them move from ninth, above their Yorkshire rivals and Durham, to seventh. Didsbury Northern won 3-1 at Oxton.

Will Haspel’s 67^th minute goal saw Surbiton 2s win 2-1 at Brighton & Hove and propel them to the top of the Conference East table. Previous leaders London Wayfarers lost 2-0 at home to Old Cranleighan  and third placed Spencer lost ground drawing 4-4 with Bromley & Beckenham. Alex Salmon leapt to Tunbridge Wells aid with two goals in their 3-1 win against Hampstead & Westminster 2s. Two Joe Snell goals were key to bottom of the table West Herts’ 2-1 victory over Wimbledon 2s, their first points since early October.

Front runners Repton saw their lead at the top of Conference Midlands cut to two points after they were held 1-1 by Norwich City. Second placed St Albans were able to narrow the gap, but only just, Matt Davey scoring a 70^th minute winner as they beat Cambridge City 2-1. It was bad day for bottom of the table Harleston Magpies who lost 11-0 at home to Nottingham University 2s, Guy Morley-Jacob and Ben Sharlow both netting trebles. Barford Tigers beat Birmingham University 4-1 and a hat-trick of corners from Josh Nunneley were instrumental in Banbury’s 3-0 defeat of Chelmsford.

A Cameron Baker hat-trick helped Conference West leaders Guildford to a comprehensive 7-1 win over Reading 2s. Clifton Robinsons kept up the pressure on Guildford with a 5-3 win at Fareham. There’s a 10 point gap before third placed Chichester, who went down 2-1 to Oxford Hawks who join them on 15 points. Ben Rees was another hat-trick hero in Exeter University 2s 3-1 win over Team Bath Buccaneers 2s and the Devon derby went the way of Ashmoor, 4-2 victors over Isca.                          

It was a good weekend for Barnes who top Women’s Division One South by four points going into the mid-season break.  They beat Sevenoaks 4-2 with Rachel Goodwin scoring two of their goals and also saw close rivals drop points. Guildford, who had risen to second on the back of six successive wins, were held 2-2 by Southgate, earning a point coming from two down. Surbiton 2s, who were third, lost 2-0 at home to Harleston Magpies. Exeter University leapfrog both teams moving into second, beating bottom of the table Wimbledon 2s 2-1. The teams just above Wimbledon, Bristol Firebrands and Slough played out a 1-1 draw.

Durham University made it nine wins out of nine after a 4-0 win at Leicester City on Saturday. They have a rearranged game against Gloucester City this Saturday. They are three points clear of Beeston who enjoyed a six-point weekend beating Olton & West Warwicks 6-0 on Saturday, with braces for Hannah Grieve and Lauren Burrell, and coming away from Pendle Forest with a 4-0 win on Sunday, Isabelle Smith hitting a hat-trick.  A 1-1 draw at Ben Rhydding means Buckingham are now eight points behind Durham in third. Bottom of the table Wakefield lost 2-1 twice in two days, to Pendle Forest and Leicester City, important points for the latter who are now three clear of Wakefield in ninth. Repton won 4-3 at Gloucester City.

Reading 2s are now six points clear at the top of Conference West. They won 5-0 at Swansea and closest rivals Trojans dropped points in a 1-1 draw with Lansdown. Clifton Robinsons 2s go above Trojans on goal difference. They came from 3-1 down at half time to beat Marlow 4-3.  Witney who are tenth came close to earning another point but were beaten 3-2 at Team Bath Buccaneers and also saw Exeter, who are one place above them, extend the gap to six points in beating Cheltenham 2-1.

The top two in Conference North both had comfortable wins with leaders Leeds beating bottom side Harrogate 5-0 and second placed Fylde enjoying a 4-1 win against Didsbury Northern. There’s a point between the top two and Bowdon 2s are a further point back after a 2-0 victory over visiting Doncaster.   Durham University 2s won by the same scoreline at Whitley Bay & Tynemouth, as did Newcastle University at Alderley Edge.  There is an almost full round of games in the Division this Saturday following postponements on 23 November.

Loughborough Students 2s stay a point clear at the top of Conference Midlands with a game in hand. They won 2-1 at Stourport and play their outstanding game against Cannock this Thursday.  Cannock drew 1-1 with Cambridge University on Saturday and these results see  the University go above Stourport into third. Cambridge City remain second thanks to a 4-2 win at St Albans. At the other end of the table the bottom four all picked up a point. Seventh v tenth, Beeston 2s v Bedford ended 1-1, ninth placed Oxford Hawks drew 3-3 with Birmingham University 2s  and, as above, Cannock in eighth drew 1-1.

There were 2-2 draws for the top three in Conference East. Leaders Teddington were held at eighth placed Canterbury, Hampstead & Westminster 2s  took a point from their visit to bottom to the table East London and Spencer drew with Wapping. An Olivia Lee-Smith hat-trick helped London Wayfarers to a 6-3 win over Sevenoaks 2s to close the gap in fourth. Old Loughtonians beat Old Georgians 2-1.