Hampstead & Westminster’s hopefuls have mixed results as women win, but men lose
Hampstead & Westminster's Sam French (pic Robert Cotterill) - Credit: Archant
Hampstead & Westminster’s title hopefuls had mixed fortunes in their penultimate outings before the Christmas break.
Hampstead & Westminster's Rupert Shipperley (pic Robert Cotterill) - Credit: Archant
The women travelled to Suffolk to take on Conference East strugglers Ipswich, looking to protect their lead at the top.
And the visitors were quickly on top as in-form Jasmine Clark converted Fleur Horner’s ball into the D on six minutes.
Hampstead held possession well and built play on the flanks, with Hayley Turner putting away a rebound off the keeper for a second goal before half time.
The second half was only two minutes old when Lucy Hyams made it 3-0 and, with their defence largely untroubled throughout, a fourth goal arrived from a corner courtesy of Turner.
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Clark claimed her second goal of the game on 52 minutes, with another brilliant deflection to seal a 5-0 win as Hampstead retained pole position ahead of a trip to Harleston Magpies on Saturday.
The news was not so good for the men, who lose their nbeaten record in the Premier Division after a 5-3 loss at East Grinstead.
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The first five minutes produced three goals, as the hosts took the lead from a corner and Rupert Shipperley levelled with a sublime reverse-stick finish from Richard Smith’s clever pass, before a penalty flick put East Grinstead back in front.
Hampstead fell 3-1 down on 16 minutes and then saw Liam Ansell score a stunning solo effort for East Grinstead at the start of the second half, before taking some drastic action with 30 minutes left on the clock by removing Toby Reynolds-Cotterill for a kicking back.
The gamble paid off as, with the extra outfield player, Sam French and Toby Roche scored in quick succession to make it 4-3.
With their keeper back on the pitch Hampstead maintained pressure in the hunt for an equaliser and won a series of short corners. But a combination of defenders on the line and great goalkeeping denied them.
With four minutes left, East Grinstead found the net for a fifth time with a clever deflection from a long ball into the D, which meant an uncomfortable train ride back to London after a first defeat of the season.
With Surbiton winning, Hampstead are now three points behind in second place, but return to Maida Vale on Sunday to host the University of Exeter.
Latest tables
Men’s Premier Division
P W D L F A Pts
Surbiton 9 7 2 0 39 14 23
Hampstead & W 9 6 2 1 22 13 20
Beeston 9 5 2 2 21 13 17
Holcombe 9 5 1 3 20 11 16
East Grinstead 9 5 1 3 22 22 16
Reading 9 4 2 3 16 20 14
Brooklands MU 9 2 2 5 24 29 8
Wimbledon 8 1 1 6 13 20 4
Uni of Exeter 8 1 1 6 10 25 4
Sevenoaks 9 0 2 7 9 29 2
Women’s Conference East
P W D L F A Pts
Hampstead & W 8 6 1 1 25 5 19
Wimbledon 8 5 2 1 28 11 17
Harleston 8 5 1 2 21 11 16
Sevenoaks 8 4 3 1 22 7 15
Cambridge City 8 4 3 1 18 8 15
St Albans 8 3 1 4 13 14 10
Horsham 8 2 3 3 13 20 9
Bedford 8 3 0 5 8 20 9
Southgate 8 1 0 7 6 24 3
Ipswich 8 0 0 8 1 35 0
