Leicester stun Reading in early-season title clash

LEICESTER coach Chris Mayer was adamant his team were well-worthy of the points after beating title-rivals Reading to move to the top of the England Hockey League women's Premier Division on Sunday.

Rebecca Herbert opened the scoring for Leicester in the 14th minute before two late Hannah Macleod goals handed the home side a 3-0 victory.

It could have been very different for the hosts had Reading made the most of their second-half dominance but the Berkshire side couldn't find the net and had to relinquish their 100 per cent record.

Instead it is Leicester who replace Reading at the top of the table and Mayer insisted his side are in good shape to compete for the title which they lifted in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

"It was a massive game for us and obviously we're delighted to come away with the result and to have played so well," said Mayer.

"I think 3-0 was a fair result. We let them off the hook a little bit in the first half because we had so much possession but only went in 1-0 at half time.

"They picked their game up in the second half and put us under pressure but thankfully we managed to ride the storm and get back on track.

"We haven't deserved to win the league in the past two years but we feel we have a strong enough squad this time to be successful.

"It's nice to be top with a perfect record but we'll take it one step at a time - you need a bit of luck to stay injury free and there are plenty of other good teams in the league and we have to respect them."

Elsewhere Olton & West Warwicks moved to second after maintaining their 100 per cent record with a 2-1 victory over Canterbury.

Jenny Hall's ninth minute strike gave Canterbury a surprise lead but Olton bounced back through Naomi James' 49th minute penalty corner and Lucilla Wright's strike six minutes later.

Premier Division newcomers Birmingham University dealt defending champions Bowdon their second defeat in as many games with a 2-1 victory in the West Midlands.

Ashlie Caddick and Susie Gilbert were the goal heroes for Birmingham, netting in the 16th and 66th minutes respectively, before Sally Walton grabbed a last minute consolation for Bowdon.

Meanwhile, in an early six pointer at the bottom of the table, Brooklands Poynton lifted themselves out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win at Trojans.

Takara Haines handed Trojans the lead with a 25th minute penalty corner but Phillippa Jones' second goal in as many games restored parity before Kayleigh Humphreys sealed the Brooklands win with a 50th minute penalty corner.

In the final match on Sunday, Slough moved up to third with a 3-0 victory against Clifton.

Alex Scott put the home side ahead in the 29th minute before second-half strikes from Lauren Penny and Louise Bevan secured the win and left Clifton still searching for their first points of the season.

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