Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Promotion will have to wait
Canterbury men’s 1sts narrowly missed out on promotion from National League Division 1 South despite a final-day 6-2 win against lowly Havant on Sunday.
A loss for leaders Reading and a result bigger than 9-0 would have meant the city side were going up. Canterbury drew first blood when a corner was dispatched by Tom Bean, who flicked the ball high over the keeper’s left.
As the second quarter got under way, already-relegated Havant found a foothold in the match and began to look dangerous on the break. They won a couple of penalty corners in quick succession, the second of which they levelled the scores from, after Eddie Rowney had kept out the initial effort.
In a first-half of penalty corners, Bean got his name on the scoresheet again via another, before Toby Vaughan scored from three yards out. After the restart, coach Craig Boyne converted following a goalmouth scramble and Alex Laslett added a fifth from a tight angle.
Still the team pressed for more but, in their eagerness, Canterbury left themselves vulnerable on the counter and Havant did manage to pull a goal back.
In the final minutes, Bean did complete his hat-trick.
But the news Reading had won 4-2 filtered through which put paid to any hopes of promotion for Canterbury who secured second place, just three points off top spot. The men’s Friars were beaten 1-0 at home by Maidstone 4ths in South East Division 8 Invicta.
A freak goal did for the Friars as a ball lodged in keeper Paul Donovan’s pads and suddenly popped out for a lurking Maidstone poacher to convert. John Ratcliff was player-ofthe-match.
Pilgrims lost 6-1 to Folkestone 1sts in the SE Division 1 East and finish ninth.
Their ladies’ 2nds ended their season with a 4-0 home loss to Hampstead & Westminster 2nds in National Hockey
League Conference East, Alice Wetters was player-of-thematch.
In SE Division 1 East, Canterbury 3rds lost 2-1 at home to Bromley & Beckenham 2nds.
A win for Canterbury would have seen them leapfrog Brom Becs, as the away team scored first but Canterbury responded through Lizzie Forsyth. Bromley netted
the all-important third goal in the second period, with Canterbury naming Eleni Godwin player-of-the-match. Player-of-the-match Louise Coppin scored in Canterbury 5ths’ 1-0 win against Burnt Ash in SE Division 3 Invicta. The ladies’ over-35s progressed to the National Cup final with a 2-1 home win over Clifton. Their final will be played on Sunday, May 1.