MEN’S CUP SPECIAL

Our next edition will be uploaded during
the afternoon of Monday 9 November

Investec Women’s Cup

International

England Hockey League

FULL LEAGUE RESULTS AND TABLES CAN BE FOUND
BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS ON THIS PAGE

PICTURES FROM THE MATCH BETWEEN LEWES AND
CANTERBURY CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING HERE

Men’s Hockey League

Telvision

Regional Leagues

Futures Cup

Men’s  Cup

SHOOT-OUT SAVES CANTERBURY FROM CUP SHOCK DEFEAT

Although the trees have grown since Lewes last graced the England Hockey League – it is exactly ten years since they were relegated to the South Premier – you can still see the ruins of Lewes Priory beyond the tennis courts. The club is not having the best of seasons, sitting two from bottom of the table and, by all accounts, their win against Staines on Saturday left a lot to be desired.  But could Lewes, two divisions below Canterbury, bring about further ruin the Kent club’s already ruinous season?

Lewes played Marlow in Round One, beating them 3-5, whereas Canterbury received a bye into the Second Round. Canterbury may be having a poor season, but there is no shortage of talent in the side. How would lowly Lewes fare against them?

As it happens they fared very well.  After a few jitters in the opening minutes, Lewes settled down and started to become more adventurous.  Occasional sallies into the Canterbury half started to test their visitor’s defence, and Lewes were rewarded with a nicely taken shot by Mike Wood just before the break.

One would have expected Canterbury to come out of their corner fighting in the second half. Lewes is famous for its annual bonfire celebrations, but Canterbury seemingly had failed to bring any fireworks to the party.  Dave Matthews was once the top scorer in the Dutch Hoofdklasse, but he is now approaching 40, and it was a sign of how poorly Canterbury were performing that he was brought on to bolster the attack.  He was deprived of a goal shortly after coming on, when a stinging shot was stopped by Josh Pewter in the Lewes goal. Pewter, was having a superb game, and he is undoubtedly our man of the match.

Lewes seemed to have planned this match carefully, and usually retreated into half-court whenever Canterbury had the ball. Not only did this strengthen the defence, but they often re-gained possession from the ball going carelessly out of play or from poor passing.  But this fairy-tale match was not to have a fairy-tale ending.  With only a few minutes left on the clock, Canterbury was awarded a penalty corner, which was buried by Wei Adams, Canterbury’s top scorer last season.

Forced to a penalty stroke decider, it was three apiece before Lewes’s fourth attempt was put straight at the keeper.  After that, neither side found the net again, and the shoot-out ended 4-3 in Canterbury’s favour.

So that was the end of the cup run for Lewes. Somehow you felt they deserved better.  Canterbury travel to East Grinstead to resume their league campaign on Sunday.  Their opponents in Round Three of the Cup will be Banbury.

MORE CUP NEWS BELOW.

They shall not pass.  Josh Pewter was outstanding in goal for
Lewes, including this save during the penalty stroke shoot out

READING AND CANNOCK OUT – BANKERS CASH IN – BROOKLANDS AND SURBITON STORM THEIR WAY TO ROUND THREE

Canterbury may have had a lucky escape, but it was the end of the road for Premier Division side Reading after they went down 1-0 at South Premier Havant.

Another Premiership side to hit the deck was Cannock, who lost their match at Conference West University of Birmingham 3-2.

Two other Premier Division sides in action on Sunday were Brooklands MU and Surbiton, both of which scored in double figures. Surbiton were away at Chelmsford, where they won 1-10, whilst Brooklands played host to Boots and scored 11 for no reply.  They were both overshadowed in terms of goals scored by Sheffield University Bankers, who are currently topping the North Premier League. They beat Sutton Coldfield 16-0.

Looking around the results for giant-killing acts, Southgate’s visit to South Premier Henley may be one they will wish to forget. The Conference East side lost 4-3.

WE EXPECT THE ROUND THREE DRAW TO BE AVAILABLE DURING MONDAY MORNING AND DETAILS OF THE DRAW CAN BE FOUND ELSEWHERE IN THIS EDITION.

CATCH-UP MATCH MOVES GRINNERS OUT OF DANGER ZONE

East Grinstead’s Dominic Bowdon scored two for his side on Saturday. Seen here during EG’s only previous win of the season, against Reading.

A run of bad form, plus carrying a game in hand for several weeks, has seen last season’s table-toppers East Grinstead languishing in ninth place.

The game in hand was as a result of them missing their league match against Hampstead & Westminster on 11 October due to their Euro Hockey League commitments.  With no England Hockey League matches over the weekend, it was their chance to catch up.

The result of Saturday’s re-scheduled match against H&W will bring some comfort to the EG camp Although they are not out of the woods yet, they find themselves moving two places up the table and out of the relegation zone.

East Grinstead got off to a slow start, with the only goal of the first half coming from their Under 21 international Dominic Bowden.

Newly signed Bowden, who previously has been playing his hockey in The Netherlands, scored a second early in the second half, with Ross Stott bringing the score up to 3-0 minutes later.

Neil Hamilton pulled one back from a penalty corner for H&W in the dying seconds of the match, but there was still enough time for Tim Deakin to finish the match at 4-1.

The result moves East Grinstead from ninth to seventh. Hampstead & Westminster remain in sixth. EG have an opportunity to pick up more points next weekend when they play Canterbury.   H&W could also fare well when they play Beeston, who are currently not enjoying their best season.

Saturday’s result has re-shuffled the bottom four places, with EG seventh (6 pts: -11 GD), Beeston eighth (5 pts: -3 GD), Brooklands MU ninth (5 pts: -4 GD) and Cantebrbury in bottom place (0 pts: -23 GD).

CRUTCHLEY CHOOSES HIS EIGHTEEN – AND THERE’S NO MIDDLETON OR JACKSON IN THE SQUAD!

Great Britain head coach Bobby Crutchley has announced his squad for the World League Finals, which will be held in Raipur, India, from 27 November until 6 December.

The selection is noteworthy as much for those not included, as those who are.

Out are captain Barry Middleton, Ashley Jackson, George Pinner, Adam Dixon, Mark Gleghorne and Iain Lewers, whilst Chris Griffiths and David Ames are not available due to injury. Middleton’s place as captain is taken by Dan Fox.

New to the quad are Wimbledon’s Ian Sloan, and H&W goalkeeper Harry Gibson.

Great Britain are drawn in the same pool as Australia, Belgium and Canada. They play their first match, against Canada, on 28 November

GB Squad for World League Finals: James Bailey, Alastair Brogdon, Michael Hoare, Phil Roper, Ian Sloan and Henry Weir (all Wimbledon), Nick Catlin, Dan Fox and Sam Ward (all Holcombe), David Condon (East Grinstead), Alan Forsyth and Chris Grassick (both Surbiton), Harry Gibson (Hampstead & Westminster), Simon Mantell and Dan Shingles (both Reading), Harry Martin, Tim Whiteman and Ollie Willars (all Beeston).

WE SAY: Has the GB head coach lost his senses, leaving out the very experienced Barry Middleton, and GB/England’s top scorer, Ashley Jackson?  Put into context, the World League Finals are an important tournament, but they lag behind the Olympics and the World Cup in those terms.  The important work was done at the Semi-finals, where GB secured Olympic qualification.  The Finals are a bit after the lord mayor’s show seen in that context. A chance to blood some newcomers, and increase the experience of the less-experienced members of the squad? You betcha!  It’s a brave choice of squad, but dare we venture to suggest that it is an inspired one.

Dan Fox will be wearing the captain’s armband
for Great Britain in the World League Finals

ALEX IS A QoS WINNER!

England and GB international Alex Danson was a guest on Phil Tuffnell’s team on the BBC sports quiz game, “A Question of Sport”, first broadcast last Thursday evening. Also on Alex’s team was England football international, Darren Bent.  On the opposite team were Greg Rutherford, Dominic Cork and Kallum Watkins.

Alex showed a remarkable all-round knowledge of sport, although she seemed to hesitate when her team was asked who had beaten England men in the semi finals of the 2015 European Hockey Championships (it was Germany of course), and Phil Tuffnell answered first.

Alex and her team won the quiz 31 to 30, and if you missed it you can see the programme by going to the BBC iPlayer.

One of Alex’s questions was to identify who this
player is. The answer is at the bottom of this page.

The “mystery” player pictured in our piece about “A Question of Sport” is Dutch international Maartje Paumen.

NB: The photograph used in this piece is from our own archive and is not the picture used in the programme.

BIG CATS IN ACTION OVER WEEKEND

The Futures Cup took place over the weekend at Cannock Hockey Club.

The Futures Cup is intended to give players in the Under 16 and Under 18 age groups experience of playing in an international environment.  The tournaments are played on a round-robin basis, but the Under 18 group finish with matches to decide the 1st/2nd and 3rd/4th places.

The Under 18 Girls Final was won by Mercia Linx, who beat Saxon Tigers 3-1. Third place was taken by Pennine Pumas.

The Boys Under 18 tournament was won 0-3 by Saxon Tigers who beat Wessex Leopards in the final. Third place was taken by Pernnine Pumas.

In the Under 16 tournaments, Mercia Lynx Boys finished top of the round-robin table, followed by Pennine Pumas, Saxon Tigers and Wessex Leopards. In the Girls tournament , Saxon Tigers finished top, followed by Mercia Lynx, Wessex Leopards and Pennine Pumas.

MEN’S CUP DRAW GUARANTEES THE LOSS OF ONE TOP SIDE

The Men’s Cup Third Round drawer was announced just before we went on-line.

There are five Premier Division side’s left in the competition, but at least one of those will not make it to the Quarter Finals.  Beeston find themselves drawn against Brooklands MU, who put 11 past Boots in Round Two.

The highest scoring side in Round Two, Sheffield University Bankers, is drawn against Barford Tigers, who are currently mid-table in the Midlands Premier League.

The other high-scoring side in Round Two, Surbiton, will be hosting Plymouth Marjon.

Matches are scheduled to be played on 15 November

Round Three draw in full:

Banbury v Canterbury

Beeston v Brooklands MU

Chichester Priory Park v Hampstead & West.

City of Peterborough v Henley

Preston v University of Birmingham

Sheffield University Bankers v Barford Tigers

Surbiton v Plymouth Marjon

University of Cambridge v Havant.

SEVERAL REGIONAL LEAGUE CLUBS BIDDING TO RETURN TO TOP FLIGHT

Get relegated to your Regional League, and you cannot wait to get back! That’s the case for several clubs fighting to return to the England Hockey League.

East

Rather like this time last season, the competition at the top is between one club with history in the England Hockey League, and one without. St Albans’ men and Wapping men are currently  fighting for top place but Old Loughtonians seem intent on joining in the fun.
Top three: 1. St Albans (18 pts: +15 GD), 2. Wapping (16 pts: + 11 GD), 3. Old Loughtonians (16 pts: +5 GD).

The East Women’s table is currently headed by West Herts, who have a three point lead over Bromley & Beckenham.

Top three: 1. West Herts (19 pts: +17 GD), 2. Bromley & Beckenham (16 pts: +8 GD), 3. Bedford (15 pts: +9 GD).

Midlands

In the Midlands, Leek men look keen to make a return to the England Hockey League with a five point headway at the top of the table.  Two other clubs, also keen to make a return, are Khalsa and Belper, both only separated from each other on goal difference.

Top three: 1. Leek (22 pts: +29), 2. Khalsa (17 pts: +19 GD), 3. Belper (17 pts: +17 GD).

For the women there are two clubs sharing top place separated by goal difference. However, the leader is prevented from being promoted by League rules.

Top three: 1. Birmingham Uni 2s (13 pts: +15 GD), 2. Lichfield (13 pts: +11 GD), 3. Boots (12 pts: +6 GD).

North

Sheffield University Bankers, scorer of 16 goals in Round Two of the Cup, have a good lead over Brooklands and Alderley Edge. although only four points separate second from eighth in the table.

Top three: 1. Sheffield University Bankers (17 pts: +14 GD), 2. Brooklands MU 2s (13 pts: +8 GD), 3. Alderley Edge (13 pts: +5 GD).

Doncaster has a good lead in the North Women’s League, although it is tight below that.

Top three: 1, Doncaster (18 pts: +16 GD), 2. Kirkby Stephen (13 pts: +12), 3. City of York (13 pts: -6 GD)

South

The South Premier is another table that looks similar to last year. Currently Old Georgians lead the pack, with Havant in second place but on the same points as two other clubs.

Top four: 1. Old Georgians (15 pts: +21 GD), 2. Havant (12 pts: +22 GD), 3. Oxford Hawks (12 pts: +8 GD), 4. Spencer (12 pts: +4 GD).

The women’s South Clubs’ League is headed by Surbiton 2s, Surbiton, of course, cannot be promoted by virtue of having their 1st team in the Investec Women’s League, so Southgate and Barnes are currently in the promotion frame.

Top three: 1. Surbiton 2s (16 pts: GD+10), 2. Southgate (11 pts: +8 GD), 3. Barnes (11 pts: +3 GD).

West

Bristol University has a six point lead at the head of the West League, with the two chasing sides both being 2nd teams.

Top three: 1. Bristol University (18 pts: +14 GD), 2. Cardiff & Met A (12 pts: +8 GD), 3. University of Exeter (12 pts: +7 GD).

For the West women, Exe have a two point lead at the top of the table. In second place is Clifton 2s, who are not eligible for promotion.

Top three: 1. Exe (15 pts: +6 GD), 2. Clifton 2s (13 pts: +13 GD), 2. Cheltenham (11 pts: +5 GD.

After a week off from League duties for all but two clubs, there are some great matches to look forward to this weekend.

On Sunday there are two table topping clashes in the Men’s Premiership, with first placed Surbiton played second placed Holcombe at Holcombe Park. Fourth placed Reading visit Wimbledon for their fourth versus third clash. The Holcome and Surbiton also have their women in action this weekend, but that’s on Saturday.

The Investec Women’s Premier Division also has a third/fourth place meeting, Canterbury visiting East Grinstead.  See our League Table links for the latest start times.

HOLDERS KO’d BY BARNES

Space prevented us from including the results of the matches in Round Two of the Investec Women’s Cup in our last edition.

The upset of the round, played on 25 October, was the win of South Club’s League side Barnes over the holders, Surbiton. Barnes will now play Conference East Chelmsford in Round 3.

Last season’s losing finalists, Clifton, had better luck with a 0-3 win at Maidenhead.

In addition to Clifton, four other Premier Division sides survive to play in the next round. Two clubs struggling at the bottom of the table, Buckingham and Reading, played in the only all-Premiership match, which saw Buckingham go through with a 3-1 win. East Grinstead beat Gloucester City 0-1, whilst Bowdon Hightown had a 0-2 win at Liverpool Sefton.

Two Premier Division sides progress to Round Three courtesy of walkovers. They are Holcombe (w/o against Havant) and University of Birmingham (w/o against Wakefield).

The pick of the Third Round matches are probably the meeting of Premier Division sides East Grinstead and Clifton, and Buckingham against Conference East Hampstead & Westminster.

FULL RESULTS AND ROUND THREE DRAW

Barnes 1

Surbiton 0

Ben Rhydding 12

Didsbury Northern 0

Boots 3

Timperley 1

Brooklands Poynton 3

Cannock 0

Buckingham 3

Reading 1

Doncaster 2

Stourport  2

Stourport win after s/o

Gloucester City 0

East Grinstead 1

Holcombe v Havant

w/o to Holcombe

Lindum 0

Hampstead & West. 3

Liverpool Sefton 0

Bowdon Hightown 2

Loughborough Students 2

Leamington Ladies 2

Students win after s/o

Maidenhead 1

Clifton 3

Sevenoaks 4

Chelmsford 4

Chelmsford win after s/o

Staines 3

Old Loughtonians 0

Sutton Coldfield 4

Beeston 5

Birmingham University v Wakefield.

w/o to University

Draw for Cup Round 3

To be played on 8 November

Barnes v

Chelmsford

Ben Rhydding v

Loughborough Students

Boots v

Bowdon Hightown

Brooklands Poynton v

Stourport

Buckingham v

Hampstead & Westminster

East Grinstead v

Clifton

Staines v

Holcombe

University of Birmingham

Beeston