The Bedford Hockey Club Ladies are still hanging on in there in the chase for the Conference Midlands title after a key victory against Khelsa Leamington kept them in the hunt of leaders, Sutton Coldfield.
Undefeated Sutton Coldfield hold all the keys, but with third placed St Albans slipping up, its now down to Bedford to chase them as they eventually saw off Khelsa 5-0 at the weekend.
They face University of Birmingham next, in the hope that Sutton Coldfield experience a blip in their blistering form in order to close the gap.
Their male counterparts are struggling somewhat, falling by the same scoreline in St Albans as they grapple away in mid table.
The Men’s 2nd XI completed a 5-3 victory against Havering in an ill-tempered affair at Chester Road while the Ladies 2nd’s also faced a top-of-the-table Havering side in a rearranged fixture.
The Ladies 2nd XI sit in third in Division One South but saw their title dreams fade as Havering scored a last minute winner to win 3-2 and remain top of the standings.
A fourth consecutive win for the Ladies 3rd XI have set them up for a late surge on the title; a 2-0 win at Shefford and Sandy leaving them six points behind leaders, Hertford but with two games in hand.
The Ladies 4th XI were defeated 2-0 at Saffron Walden but remain second in their division, with the only other Ladies team in action being the 7th XI who secured a superb 4-3 win against Welwyn.
The Men’s 5th and 7th XI’s were the only male participants in action, with the 5th XI securing a vital 3-2 win against Luton Town while the 7th’s lost at Bishops Stortford.
Over 35’s well set to defend their title
Elsewhere, the Women’s Over 35 squad, defending their England Hockey Championship title, travel to Harleston Magpies this weekend in the hope of continuing their stunning scoring streak.
Having scored a huge 33 goals over the first three rounds, they are huge favourites to continue storming towards retaining the Championship.
The Over-55’s are also in preparations for the Tier 2 Championships, travelling to Chichester South this coming weekend. They beat Peterborough 3-1 in a friendly match and go into the game in good spirits.
