Division 3 news
UNIVERSITY WIN PROMOTION
University of Bristol clinched promotion to Division Two when they defeated Birkenhead 11-8 in the play-off at Loughborough (12 December).
It was only a year ago that the University, under the experienced guidance of ex-GB coach Mark Taylor, won promotion from Division Four by beating Ealing in a play-off.
The match against Birkenhead was level at 3-3 after two periods. But the University, a mix of students and players with extensive experience with other NWPL clubs, led 8-7 after three and then controlled the last quarter. Sean Love (3), ex-Cheltenham forward Mark Taylor (3), Nick Hemmings (2), Fergus Allerton, David Evans and Anthony Rogers scored the Bristol goals. Birkenhead: Chris Howard (3), Stuart Parry, Julian Bewley, Andy Howard, Andy Fowler, Lee Cadwallader.
Birkenhead, founder members of the NWPL in 1962, drop to Division Three for the first time.
WARLEY TRIUMPH IN PLAY-OFF
Warley retained their Division Three status when they defeated Ealing - runners-up in Division Four - 19-14 in an exciting play-off at Walsall (13 December).
Ealing led 10-8 at one point in the second period and went 13-12 up when Vincenti Torres scored at the start of the final quarter. The game was then transformed as the Midlands side hammered seven goals without reply - including a hat-trick by Nick Covington.
Covington finished with seven goals and Adam Whitehall added six more for Warley. Linas Liudzius was the leading Ealing marksman with seven. Johan van der Flier added three.
PERKINS STEERS HUCKNALL TO TITLE
After a severe attack of promotion jitters in a surprise defeat by Warley, Hucknall recovered their composure to beat University of Bristol 11-8 in a winner-takes-all championship decider at Walsall (15 November).
Hucknall's slip-up against Warley meant they faced Bristol with just a one point advantage.
The game was predictably tight, with Hucknall leading 7-4 after two quarters but pegged back to 7-6 as the University rallied in the third. It was Brett Perkins, back with his home club after a stint in Division One with City of Manchester, who held centre stage in the final period.
He was twice excluded. But he also scored two of the three goals in the last three minutes that deservedly took Hucknall to victory. Perkins finished with five and there were two apiece for Tom Archer and Adam Ellis. Mark Taylor scored three for the University. The picture above shows Hucknall skipper Andy Johns holding the trophy and, left to right, Adam Ellis, Anton Ferdinand, Adrian Taylor, Tom Hendy, Lee Denham, John Bright (Coach), Tom Archer, Tom Wall, Phil Foster, Josh Hall, Greg Oldham, Brett Perkins.
Warley finish in seventh place - and face the likelihood of a play-off against the Division Four runners-up - despite their excellent 11-10 victory over Hucknall. At the start of the last period, Hucknall led 9-8 only to concede three quick goals scored by Gareth Cheadle, Nick Covington an Adam Whitehall - which was sufficient to give Warley the points. Whitehall finished with five goals.
Warley's prospects of overhauling sixth-placed Swindon Dolphins were dashed when they lost 15-12 to South Derbyshire on day two.
Solihull, who are quitting the league at the end of this season (see below), signed off in the grand manner with their first two victories - 11-10 against Caledonia and 15-10 against Swindon. The Caledonia win was clinched 56 seconds from the end when Phil Powell scored his fifth goal.
University of Bristol beat South Derbyshire 18-12, with Sean Love (7) and Mark Taylor (6) in good shooting form. Gary Tonks netted five in Birmingham's 14-10 defeat of Swindon.
HUCKNALL CLOSE IN ON TITLE
Hucknall, relegated from Division Two last season after defeat in the play-offs, seem poised to bounce back after continuing their domination of Division Three at Marlborough College, Wiltshire (31 October/1 November) with victories over Birmingham, South Derbyshire and Solihull.
It means that one point from matches against Warley and the University of Bristol on the final weekend of competition at Walsall (14/15 November) will now be sufficient to give them the title. That would leave the University as runners-up - with their own chance of promotion to come via the play-off system.
Bristol opened at Marlborough with an 18-9 defeat of Warley, but their games were very much tighter after that.
Against Caledonia, they were 5-1 ahead early in the second period but then had to face a steady Scottish recovery which eventually saw the scores level at 8-8 five minutes from the end. Caledonia then missed a penalty and it was left to Sean Love - with his seventh goal - to snatch a winner at 9-8 with less than three minutes to play.
The University were then pushed all the way by Swindon Dolphin, who can perhaps consider themselves unlucky to lose 11-10. Swindon were never out of contention but only led once - when Rob Toolen notched his fourth goal two minutes into the final period to make it 10-9. Mark Taylor levelled shortly afterwards and then Love added the killer blow.
Hucknall, by way of contrast, eased through their matches, Dan Siddons scoring five in a 16-5 defeat of Birmingham and Neil Swainson five against South Derbyshire, who were beaten 16-10. Hucknall rounded off by defeating Solihull 16-7.
Adam Whitehall's seven goals failed to prevent Warley's 15-8 defeat by Caledonia. Neil Strachan (4), Mark Speed (3), Dave Baxter (2) and Stewart Carlile were all on target for the Scots.
SIX-GOAL SIDDONS KEEPS HUCKNALL ON TOP
The latest Division Three weekend at Basingstoke (17/18 October) could hardly have worked out better for leaders Hucknall. They picked up maximum points from three hard-fought matches - and enjoyed the bonus of seeing nearest rivals University of Bristol suffer defeat at the hands of South Derbyshire.
Hucknall began with a 17-8 defeat of Swindon Dolphin and were then involved in a titanic struggle with Caledonia. They led 4-1 after the first period but, once the Scots drew level at 7-7 early in the third, the game was on a knife-edge right up to the final whistle.
It was 11-11 early in the final quarter and Caledonia then grabbed a 13-11 lead with goals by Chris Campbell and Steve Adams. Goals by Dan Siddons (pictured) and Lee Denham brought Hucknall back level with 1.37 remaining. Then Caledonia's Callum Fraser was excluded and Siddons' sixth goal of the match on 1.14 gave Hucknall a breathless 14-13 victory.
Brett Perkins (3), Adam Ellis (2), Denham, Jason Hawkesworth and Adrian Taylor scored the other Hucknall goals. Fraser claimed five for Caledonia.
Later, Hucknall trailed 6-5 at the halfway stage against a determined Warley side but finally ran out winners, 14-8. Hucknall also beat Swindon 17-8 (the action picture, right, shows goalkeeper Tom Wall preparing to thwart a Swindon attack).
University of Bristol's Sean Love scored ten in his team's 20-10 defeat of Solihull. The University also beat Birmingham 17-14 - including six goals by Mark Taylor - but crashed 14-11 to South Derbyshire, for whom Craig Mellors (4) and Neil Swainson (3) were the leading scorers.
South Derbyshire have been something of a Jekyll and Hyde team this season, dropping points to lesser fancied sides but pulling out all the stops against anyone with promotion ambitions. They won all three matches at Basingstoke, beating Swindon 15-13 - after Swindon had led 6-2 - and then beating Caledonia 13-10, including five goals by Swainson and two apiece for Birch, Tony Lamparelli and Mellors.
Nick Covington scored seven in Warley's runaway 24-10 defeat of bottom club Solihull.
Warley and Birmingham were level at 6-6 towards the end of the third period before Birmingham eased clear to win 13-8. Gary Tonks (5) and Matt Foulds (4) were the main Birmingham marksmen.
HUCKNALL OUTGUN BRISTOL IN TOP-OF-THE-TABLE CLASH
Hucknall claimed top spot in Division Three when five goals each from Brett Perkins and Dan Siddons helped clinch a super 15-6 victory over the previous leaders University of Bristol at Ponds Forge, Sheffield (26/27 September).
This was a commanding team performance from Hucknall, whose only blemish so far in this campaign has been the point they dropped in a 12-12 draw with Swindon Dolphin on the first day.
Siddons scored eight in Hucknall's 21-7 defeat of Birmingham. Hucknall also collected two points without breaking sweat when Solihull were unable to field a team.
Solihull, who twice in recent seasons have narrowly failed to win promotion to Division One via the play-offs, have run into serious problems following the loss of a home pool for a year and the departure of key players. They struggled to raise eight men for their first game at Ponds Forge - a crushing 35-13 defeat by a South Derbyshire team led by ten-goal Neil Swainson. As if that scoreline wasn't painful enough, two members of the Solihull team were dismissed for misconduct, which meant automatic suspension against Hucknall and left insufficient players to start the game.
University of Bristol began the weekend with a convincing 19-11 victory over Swindon, including six goals by the division's leading scorer, Sean Love.
Love's fifth goal with just 42 seconds remaining clinched a 13-12 win over Caledonia. This was a marvellous match in which the Scots led 4-2 after the first period and 8-5 after two.
Caledonia remain in third place thanks to wins against Warley (14-8) and Birmingham (17-10). Mark Speed scored eight in the Birmingham game.
Adam Whitehall (4), Gareth Cheadle (3) and Nick Covington (3) were Warley's main scorers as they edged out South Derbyshire 15-14.
There was no doubting the goal-scoring feat of the weekend. This belonged to Rob Toolen, of Swindon (picture, by Mike Coles) who showed poor old Solihull no mercy with a personal goal tally of 12 in a 27-7 win.
lOVE HELPS UNIVERSITY TO WINNING START
University of Bristol, boosted by the recruitment of ex-GB international Sean Love (pictured), emerged from the opening weekend (12/13 September) of Division Three action at Ponds Forge, Sheffield, with the only 100 per cent record.
Love's experience was very much in evidence for last season's Division Four runners-up in a hard-fought victory over the fast-improving City of Birmingham side. His five goals gave his side the edge after the match had stood all square at 7-7 midway through the third period.
Mark Taylor (ex-Cheltenham) added three for the University, who had to work hard to beat outstanding goalkeeper Tom Carpenter. Mike Foulds, Gary Tonks, Matt Foulds and Tobias Hook all scored twice for the Midlanders.
Bristol also defeated Solihull 16-6 and held off a late rally by Warley to claim a 12-11 victory - including five more goals by Love.
Hucknall look stronger this season following the return to their home club of goalkeepr Tom Wall, from Polytechnic, and Phil Foster, City of Manchester. They gained a surprisingly straightforward 12-3 win over Caledonia and beat South Derbyshire 14-9 but dropped a point against spirited Swindon, who forced a 12-12 draw when Rob Toolen claimed his sixth goal just 30 seconds from the final whistle. Eight of the Hucknall goals were scored by Dan Siddons.
Last quarter goals by Toolen, Darryl Pye and Michal Trzeciak ensured Swindon's 11-10 success against South Derbyshire. But the West Country side finally ran out of steam in their third match of the weekend against Caledonia, conceding eight goals in the final period to lose 18-11. Callum Fraser (5), Mark Speed (3) and Chris Campbell (3) were the main Caledonia marksmen.
Birmingham came off best in two Midlands derbies - 12-9 against Warley and 11-8 against Solihull. Ex-GB international Gary Tonks produced his usual consistent performances for Birmingham.
Warley held a comfortable 9-5 lead against Solihull but were then pegged back to 11-10. It needed a goal by David Lane 22 seconds from the end to steady the nerves and give Warley a 12-10 victory.
Division Three clubs return to Ponds Forge on 26/27 September for their next round of matches. For detailed scores and tables click on the results page.
