Two draws on eve of end
The fate of the hockey season is in question after the Coronavirus has forced a blanket ban on all sport for the foreseeable future. In many cases for hockey teams, there was just one game left this season and it remains to be seen whether it will get played.
At the weekend, games did go ahead and Team Bath Buccaneers fought out a 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove. Adam Flett opened the scoring via a penalty corner on 17 minutes for Brighton before Buccs scored twice in a minute through Cameron Heald and Scott Rawlings. A yellow card for Liam King on 68 minutes saw Brighton have the chance to level with a field goal from Ben Cooke.
Buccs are currently fourth in Division One South, two points clear of Havant, who have played a game less.
The ladies also had to settle for a point in a 3-3 draw with Basingstoke after leading 3-0. Lara Wiliamson gave Buccs the lead on 14 minutes before Emily Maclean doubled their advantage on 40 minutes. Di Bevan made it three 15 minutes later before Georgia Lea pulled one back from a penalty corner on 57 minutes. Two goals in the space of a minute from Nicola George broke Buccs hearts as it finished level.
With the one game to go, Buccs will finish second bottom whether that final match is played or not.
In the Verde Recreo League, Buccs A made it three wins from four to see off Wotton-under-edge 3-1 in the Premiership. Their third place is the highest they can finish this season, but Taunton Vale and Cardiff & Met A are just a point behind with a game in hand.
The B side are guaranteed to win Conference North even without playing the local derby against City of Bath. They were beaten 5-4 by Cardiff Medics but are four points clear at the top. The C side has an outside chance of finishing third in Central 1, sitting three points behind Bridgwater after their 4-0 win over Taunton Vale B. Mid Somerset could also overtake Buccs being just two points behind.
In the same division, the D team remain a point off bottom following their 3-0 defeat to Mid Somerset.
The E team are guaranteed to finish second in East Central 1 after their 6-1 thrashing of Devizes A. They were due to face the G team in the final match of the season who will finish second bottom following their 3-0 win over bottom side Swindon B. The F side drew 3-3 with Bristol UWE A to remain level on points with them, one behind Royal Wootton Bassett A and three ahead of Chippenham B.
In the West Clubs Women’s League, Buccs 2nd ran out 3-2 winners over hosts Taunton Vale and still have two games remaining this season but they can’t finish any higher than seventh in Premier 1 or any lower than tenth. The East Division title is still up for grabs for the third team as they sit three points behind Mendip after a 4-1 win over West Wilts, Gillingham are a further point back and Weymouth two. The fourth side could still finish second in Whitehorse 1 if results were to go their way. The 10-0 thrashing of bottom side Marlborough 2nd means they are just two points off second in their fifth-place berth, the lowest they could finish.
The fifth team could only climb to third in Whitehorse 2 and the sixths could drop two places to eighth after they beat Corsham 3rd 3-0 and lost 3-2 to City of Bath 2nd respectively.
■ CITY OF BATH 2nd cannot be caught at the top of Whitehorse 2 and will be crowned champions. The first team could conceivably catch Whitehorse 1 leaders Corsham with nine points separating the sides and Bath having three games to play, including a top-table decider. They beat North Wilts 5-2 on Saturday.
As for the men, they drew 4-4 with Swansea A in Conference North.
They can’t finish any lower than seventh but could rise to fifth with that final game to play. The A team could potentially move off the bottom of Central 1 but they were thrashed 8-0 by Mid Somerset on Saturday.
In East Central 1, the B side beat Royal Wootton Bassett 3-0. They can’t finish any lower than tenth but are currently on the same points as Devizes A. The C team drew 3-3 with Bristol UWE A and will finish higher than the B side this season.