Mike Haymonds reports on Slough Ladies March 7 & 8:

Slazenger EHL Premier
Slough (1) 2 Canterbury (0) 3
Ipswich 1 (0) Slough 4 (3)

SLOUGH Ladies recorded their 200th National League win on Sunday and, with three points from two games at the weekend, their hopes of a runners-up slot and a place in Europe next season were not totally extinguished.

Slough slipped to fifth after Saturday’s defeat by Canterbury but only three points separate them from second-placed Olton with Canterbury and Leicester also in contention.

However, Slough now face a tough finish to the season as their remaining three matches are against three of the top four teams.

Slough skipper Fiona Greenham said: “We’re starting to recover some form and I regarded last weekend as the start of our preparations for the European Cup in May.

“Our performances were a step up from the previous week’s.”

Against Canterbury a closely contested first half saw chances falling to both sides.

For Slough Lauren Penny just failed to connect with a free hit while Canterbury made nothing from two early penalty corners.

Slough keeper Sarah Ellis made a diving stick save from the visitors’ third corner, followed by a shot by Ashleigh Ball being deflected wide by Jane Smith.

Smith was unlucky not to earn a penalty stroke when she was flattened by the keeper and, from the corner awarded instead, a Canterbury counter-attack was thwarted by another Ellis stick save.

Slough’s first corner saw Smith fire the rebound from her own shot well wide but she made amends in the 34th minute when a pass from Hannah Bowe released her to fire home.

Two minutes after the break the visitors’ skipper Mel Clewlow drilled home a corner and eight minutes later a cross by Cathy Gilliat-Smith was deflected past Ellis by Susannah Townsend.

Within three minutes Slough equalised when a centre by Mandy Nicholson was steered home by Smith.

Canterbury regained the lead in the 54th minute when Jen Wilson’s strike at their eighth corner was deflected into the roof of the net by Jenny Hall.

That proved to be the winner as Slough messed up their second and last corner, Steffi Cordier was off-target from an Alex Scott cross and Smith narrowly missed connecting with a Louise Bevan shot.

Ellis continued her heroics for Slough to the end with saves from Gilliat-Smith and Townsend.

At Ipswich Slough’s good form of the previous day continued, giving them a three-goal lead by half time before adding a fourth before the weather conditions worsened.

Driving rain and hail, coupled with a sand storm blown up from the pitch, made quality hockey impossible.

Slough opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Jane Smith’s run and cross to the goalmouth was deflected in by Alex Scott and Smith’s direct corner strike six minutes later doubled the lead.
After 23 minutes Lauren Penny’s deflection at a corner struck a defender on the line and Smith converted the penalty stroke.
Four minutes into the second half an impressive multi-player build-up set up Scott to score her second before Ipswich’s 57th-minute consolation goal from Emma Lee-Smith.
SLOUGH (v Canterbury): Ellis, Harte, Cox, Greenham, Bell, Scott, Nicholson, Ball, Bevan, J Smith, Penny. Subs: Cordier, Bowe, Coulson. Not used: Wimshurst, Filochowski.

(v Ipswich): Filochowski (for Ellis), Bowe (for Bevan). Sub: Coulson. Not used: Ellis