Leicester Hockey Club

After a season of unprecedented success in indoor and  outdoor hockey, Leicester came up short against Slough in the Championship Final when it really mattered. And whilst the team did not play at its fluent best it was not helped by some inconsistent umpiring.

As the League table gap of 12 points and 27 goals would suggest, Leicester was the better side throughout but pieces of mis-control at critical times and solid saves by Slough's GB keeper Becky Duggan meant that Slough, fast on the counter, was always in with a puncher's chance. When that punch came, it was delivered like a rocket by the excellent Chloe Strong at a 55th minute penalty corner.

Leicester had the more skilful individuals and some sublime pieces of team play in build up but it was around the circle that Leicester floundered. There should have been more than two penalty corners to show for Leicester's dominance. Slough stick tackles in the top 23 were not punished with the expected penalty corners and Slough defended well against free hits 5 metres out. Hannah MacLeod looked likeliest for Leicester, her skills took her through the flailing tackles and too often the umpires let her down when a clean challenge took the ball after two rustic ones had thrown her off balance.

Leicester's two penalty corners saw Duggan make regulation stops from Chloe Rogers and Crista Cullen. The rule that seemed to cause the umpires most problems was not tackling within 5 metres of the self-pass. Leicester's Katie Long was green carded for this in the first half, Slough players repeatedly offended in the second half, notably Alex Scott, whose tackle came after less than a metre. When the umpire went to her pocket, Scott should have been as surprised as the Leicester crowd that only a green emerged.

Leicester will look back with frustration  on some of the umpiring but will also have to acknowledge that the game was there for the taking and chances were spurned. The otherwise dangerous Chloe Rogers looked to have been put in on the top right of the circle in the first half but let the ball squirm over her stick and Katie Long miscontrolled a superb long ball from Cullen that should have seen her at least test Duggan.

This defeat consigns Leicester to the second European qualifying spot for England and further disappointment came with the news that this might not be a ticket to the higher tier of European competition and that the club will have to wait two weeks for a European Hockey ruling. This would be frustrating as when Leicester agreed in principle to the Championship play-off format it was with the proviso that whoever topped the League would go to Europe as England's number 1. With most teams voting for the format that proviso was not added so a team with Leicester's array of talent, demonstrably the best across the season, may be playing teams from hockey's European backwaters rather than the best Dutch and German sides.

Leicester went into the game without injured GB star Beckie Herbert, whose hip injury may keep her out of the Cup Final on May 15th and finished it minus Hannah MacLeod whose calf muscle strain could keep her out of the Cup too. They should be able to welcome back Emma Clarke, currently in Chile with Ireland for the World Cup Qualifiers.

Elsewhere, Leicester 3rds completed a season of success with a 6-0 win over the club 4ths. The 3rds took the lead in the first minute when Carys Margetts took advantage of a defender missing a cross to deflect past Steph Mason in 4ths' goal. The second goal came from another defensive lapse when Abi Lester tapped in unmarked. The half ended with Sandy Yeates turning well and finishing neatly.

3rds' domination continued in the second half with two penalty corner goals from Yeates and Nicky Ginn before Yeates completed her hat-trick with a fierce rising shot that went in at the near post. 3rds now look forward to next season in Midlands Conference whilst 4ths still have two matches to play to conclude their season.