Leicester has qualified for next weekend's National Championships to be held at Trent FM Arena in Nottingham. Going into the final League weekend in Croydon, Leicester lay second in the table behind Slough, a seriously depleted squad having performed superbly before Christmas to win three of four games played. Leicester was able to welcome back several players who had missed out previously when Leicester supplied 7 players for the Great Britain Test series in Argentina. Chloe Rogers and Beckie Herbert, in particular, were strong inclusions having made a major contribution to England's European Challenge triumph a week ago in Rouen, France.

 Leicester began against Olton on Saturday. Olton took the lead but Leicester hit back through Kerry Williams, another from England's squad from Rouen. A double from Rogers, two from Lauren Turner and goals from Lucy Brown and GB player Katie Long saw Leicester to a 7-4 win. Next up was Bowdon Hightown, last year's champion side. It took until the 17th minute before Brown broke the deadlock and then goals from Rogers, Herbert and Long and a second from Brown gave Leicester a 5-3 win.
 

  Leicester's last match on Saturday was against League leaders Slough. In a very closely fought game Slough took a 2-0 lead in controversial fashion, both goals being contested by Leicester. Leicester could not recover from the deficit, losing 3-1 with Herbert notching the goal.
  At 9 am on Sunday morning, with qualification a certainty barring a double figures loss to Chelmsford, Leicester lost 3-1 to Chelmsford. Coach Andy Fairbrother said: "We played badly against Chelmsford but the key thing is that we have qualified for the finals weekend. The loss to Slough was disappointing because the umpires got things wrong which they apologised for after the game."

  Next Saturday in Nottingham Leicester will face Canterbury who won all 7 of their matches after an opening heavy defeat to Leicester before Christmas. Should they win they will face the winner of Slough v Bowdon on Sunday in a match that will be amongst a package televised by Sky.

  Outdoors last weekend the 3rds maintained their promotion push in Leicestershire Premier with a 4-0 win against Loughborough Students 5ths that should have seen more Leicester goals. Sandy Yeates set the ball rolling with other first half goals coming from Laura Yell and Abi Lester. Becky Hutchinson's goal was all Leicester had to show for a dominant second half showing.
 Leicester 4ths faced the Students' 4ths and lost 3-0. The game's turning point came when a perfectly good Leicester equaliser by Jo Wyeth was ruled out.
 Leicester 5ths produced the result of the weekend beating Charnwood-Sileby 8-2. Missing most of the side's experienced players the youngsters went 2-0 up through Phil Bliss and Ruth Williams before Rosie Hampton made it 3. A second half brace from Freya Tailor, a second for Williams and goals for Ashleigh Goodenough and player coach Gaynor Nash made it 8

  Leicester made it ten out of ten in the England Hockey League to go into the mid-season break clear of the rest of the field. Opponents Brooklands Poynton must be sick of seeing Leicester's heels having been beaten twice already this season but they certainly provided dogged resistance for much of the game. Beckie Herbert, Hannah MacLeod and Katie Long, all celebrating call ups for Great Britain, ran defenders ragged in the first five minutes resulting in a block on the line by a body. Crista Cullen, another on GB's list this week, stepped up to send a missile beyond the Poynton keeper. Three minutes later it was Cullen again, putting everything behond a drag flick penalty corner to put Leicester two up. Herbert's speed was a constant thorn in Poynton's side but somehow the score stayed at 2-0 at half time.
  Leicester continued to batter Poynton in the second half. Another of Leicester's magnificent GB seven, Chloe Rogers, probed and prompted but Poynton held firm. It took two well worked field goals to undo Poynton with MacLeod notching her fifth of the season and 46th all-time League goal and Lauren Turner scoring in the 63rd minute. Leicester's other two GB selections, Gemma Darrington and Laura Unsworth, both put in fine defensive stints, mostly in providing support for Leicester attacks.
  With Reading only managing a draw at Birmingham University the gap at the top is now five points and Leicester's next outdoor action is in Barcelona early in the New Year in the RC Polo Los Reyes international tournament. But first, attention switches to the indoor game with Leicester playing four matches over the weekend of 12th and 13th December.

  Leicester 2nds go into their mid season break in fourth place in Midlands Premier but they allowed a gap of five points to open between themselves and the top three falling to a 2-1 defeat at eighth placed Towcester. Leicester had much more of the play and should have won by some margin but chances went begging and when Towcester had opportunities they did not miss them.
  Leicester 3rds were firing on all cylinders against one of the teams a point above them in Leicestershire Premier, Loughborough Students 4ths, and raced into a two goal interval lead playing fast and committed hockey. The Students had much the better of the second half and pulled a goal back but there were some great saves from Caitlin Jeffries to ensure Leicester took all three points. The win leaves Leicester second in the League just a point off top spot.
  Leicester 4ths are struggling at the moment and suffered a third consecutive defeat to slip down the Premier League. Hinckley 2nds played well to take advantage of Leicester being depleted by illness and unavailability to win 2-0. Leicester will hope to bounce back midweek with a game against Lutterworth 2nds.
  On Sunday, Leicester had sides in three age group competitions. Leicester's U14s missed absent captain Hope Senior but a 2-0 win over Towcester u14s was enough to see them progress to the Midlands finals in April. Freya Taylor and Holly Mould supplied the goals. They then lost 6-1 to Buckingham who won all five of their League matches by high scores, the only goal they conceded was to Leicester with Lauren Potter grabbing it.
  Leicester U16s won through to the last 16 of the England Hockey U16 Cup in the most dramatic fashion via penalty strokes. Opponents Cannock made it 3-3 in the last minute of normal time and the game went straight to penalties. Leicester scored their first three and Cannock missed one to give Leicester the advantage. The Cannock keeper saved Leicester's fourth but had advanced  off her line to do so and so a goal was given. When Cannock missed their fourth attempt Leicester had made it through.
  This game was immediately followed by the U18s match in the U18 Cup against reigning U18 National Champions, Belper. The Belper side is predominantly their Saturday National League side and contains several current internationals. Leicester only had 11 players available due to illness and school activities but shocked the champions by taking a first minute lead when captain Tori Moore finished off a lighting attack.
  Belper came back forcing some quality saves from Caitlin Jeffries but eventually pressure told and in a fifteen minute spell they took a 3-1 lead. Leicester never gave up and their spirit was typified by right back Becky Hutchinson who made several surging runs despite having had a mad dash from a family gathering in Devon to arrive ten minutes before start time.
  Belper must have felt comfortable when they went 4-1 ahead early in the second half but most of the rest of the game was Leicester's; great play down the right resulted in Annie Wiffen putting Laura Yell through to send an unstoppable shot past the keeper. Yell almost returned the favour a few minutes later but Wiffen's shot missed by inches. With Leicester stretched, chasing a third, Belper went 5-2 ahead but after 70 minutes they knew they had been in a game.
 

Nov 16th - Leicester HC

  Leicester celebrated after a weekend of wins left club sides in strong positions in League and Cup competitions. Pride of place must go to the first team which continues to march magestically on in League and Cup with Reading posing the only serious threat to title ambitions.
   On Saturday the side took on Midlands rivals Olton and won 2-0 with goals from the fit again Kerry Williams and Beckie Herbert. Both were in open play, one in the first half and one in the second. Herbert's goal was her fifth in the League making her Leicester's top League goalscorer so far this season.
Herbert was back in goal action on Sunday at Clifton in the last 16 of the England Hockey Cup. Her 10th minute open play goal set Leicester scoring and Katie Long added a second five minutes later, also from open play. Just before half time it was Crista Cullen getting in on the act, unusually for her this goal was also open play rather than her trademark set piece. Leicester's fourth and final goal came from Lucy Brown in the 54th minute.
   After 8 games, all won, Leicester sits three points ahead of Reading at the top of the table. Reading has won all of its games, apart from the 3-0 loss to Leicester. The Slough side in third is already 8 points adrift of Leicester. Next weekend both Leicester and Reading ought to win according to the form book. Leicester travels to Trojans, bottom of the League, whilst Reading hosts Clifton, one place above in 9th.
   The Cup win sees Leicester drawn at home against non-EHL Surbiton in the quarter finals in late February. Having been the only side playing Premier opponents away in the last two rounds a home draw against a lower League side is a bonus but Surbiton will not be taken lightly having beaten an EHL Conference side in the last round.
   Leicester 2nds are the real Jekyll and Hyde side in the club. Last weekend the team beat Midland Premier table toppers Worcester on Saturday and lost heavily in the 2nd team Cup on Sunday. This weekend the team might have been expected to see off bottom side, Hampton but only scraped a 1-1 draw to remain in 5th place. Next Saturday, the team travels to take on new League leaders Kettering. What price a surprise win?
   Leicester 3rds put the previous week's heavy loss to Ashby to one side to beat Half Century 3-2 in a tough battle. The three points puts the 3rds back into contention in Leicestershire Premier, just a point behind joint leaders Loughborough Students 4th and Ashby.
   Leicester 4ths travelled to Melton for a game that had to be postponed as the pitch was double booked and the 5ths had a blank weekend. Many of the 4ths and 5ths were involved on Sunday in a long trek to Worcester, battling the M42 jams to play Worcester in the U16 Cup. A good 2-1 win sees the girls in action again on 29th November at home to Cannock U16s.
  The club U18s travelled to Matlock for their U18 game and came away with a sound 4-0 win. All the goals came from penalty corners with Tori Moore scoring a first half double and Lizzie Honarmand chipping in with a well struck shot from the slipped ball. In the second half, Matlock defended gamely but Jess Anand scored a fourth firing a rebound from a penalty corner high into the net. The draw for the 29th November has yet to be made.