WOMEN'S HOCKEY: All the latest action from the local women's hockey leagues.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Ipswich East Suffolk Ladies 1 Maidstone 0

MAIDSTONE'S run of five straight wins in Division Two South of the Printwize East League was brought to an abrupt halt by Ipswich East Suffolk.

From the start, IES were determined not to let the Kent side complete the double over them with all players adhering to the game plan.

Clare Pearsons had an excellent game, staying focused and determined right through, as too did Annie Taylor who commanded the middle of the field with confidence with confidence and created good chances for the forwards.

Jan Taylor made her presence felt at the back in defence, while Abigail Adams gave her player no room to manoeuvre and blocked and advances towards goal. IES took the lead from a clean strike by Claire Lait and with Jackie Gooderham, Fran Poppleton and Louise Cater all playing key roles, the home side held on for an impressive victory.

Ipswich East Suffolk Ladies 2 Colchester 2

THE chance of a second league success within 24 hours eluded IES after they threw away a two-goal lead.

Gill Mayhew opened the scoring in the early stages and when Louise Cater added a second from a Fran Poppleton cross, the home side looked all set to claim another three points.

Danni Atkin worked well with Abigail Adams to feed the ball to waiting team-mates, but Colchester closed ranks to keep them from adding to their tally.

Colchester weathered the storm before piling on the pressure which was absorbed for long spells by Maria Whelan, Katie Digby and Heather Ryland, but the defence finally cracked as the visitors earned themselves a point.

Christchurch II 1 Lowestoft II 6

THIS game disproved the adage that experience will overcome youthful exuberance, as the livewire Lowestoft side ran the game from the start.

Head opened the scoring for the away side after just eight minutes, following some speedy interplay between the forward line.

Despite having most of the pressure, and Christchurch's striker Natasha Last having to work back to defend deep in her own half, Lowestoft didn't score again until four minutes from the interval when Bond converted.

After the break, Christchurch tried to adjust to the speed of the Lowestoft play and reinforced their central midfield.

The change provided Christchurch with their first shot on goal, but after 52 minutes Head scored her second and her side's third.

A rare bright moment for Christchurch saw Last blast in a short-range goal to reduce the deficit.

The revival was short lived however, as Davies scored two quick goals before Seath completed the scoring.

Ipswich Ladies II 3 Chelmsford II 2

ALTHOUGH Ipswich had enough chances to claim victory, neither team could feel too hard done by with a point apiece.

Ipswich started this Printwize East Premier Division game hit by injuries and unavailability and had to draft in several new faces to the squad, some of whom had already played earlier in the day.

Chelmsford took the lead after five minutes with a neat breakaway move ending with a well-placed shot that left keeper Mary Ost wrong footed.

Ipswich stepped up their workrate and forced Chelmsford on the defensive.

Sarah Juggins equalised following a good run and cross from Lucy Philp and with Ipswich now in control, Emma Millar put them ahead deflecting in a short corner strike from Debbie Rawlinson.

It was all Ipswich pressure but due to a lack of clinical finishing and some good goalkeeping, the home side could not find that killer third goal.

Chelmsford worked hard and levelled with a short corner strike that Ost should have done better with and they went ahead from a similar routine.

Ipswich dug in again and Juggins again put Ipswich level, sweeping in a cross from Annie Gallagher after some excellent build-up play by ex-GB player, Vickey Dixon.

Dixon was now causing havoc in the Chelmsford circle and even though her stick skills earned Ipswich several short corners, the Suffolk team could not finish them off.