Hockey: Late penalty ends Surbiton resistance as Reading shine

Reading, who won the Premier League by an 11-point margin ahead of Surbiton, confirmed their No 1 status with a grafting 3-2 win over the Surrey club in yesterday's Premiership Finals play-off at the Highfields Centre.

In a high-class first half Surbiton twice took the lead through Steve Richardson and James Wallis to be pegged back by goals from Jonty Clarke and Howard Hoskin, the second coming at least two minutes beyond normal time.

Reading raised their game in the second half but found it difficult to break down a stubborn Surbiton defence in which the former England goalkeeper David Luckes was outstanding. But then, with four minutes remaining, Reading scored the winner through Rob Todd with a penalty stroke after Mark Pearn, exchanging passes with Hoskin, had been bundled off the ball.

It was a different story in the women's final where Olton and West Warwick turned the tables on Slough with a fine 3-1 victory. The result was all the more remarkable as in last week's first play-off Slough had trounced Olton 6-1.

Slough never recovered from conceding a third-minute goal when Helen Grant was allowed to drift through their static defence to give Olton the lead. Rachel Walsh put them further ahead, scoring off the goalkeeper's pads at a penalty corner in the 16th minute. Within a minute Slough had pulled a goal back through Alex Scott after good work down the right by Jane Smith. Olton put the game beyond doubt with a Rachel Walker penalty corner conversion in the 54th minute.

Olton owed their success to a hard-working midfield in which their captain, Kerry Moore, was outstanding.

In the Inter League play-offs at Milton Keynes Bowdon and Bath Buccaneers from the men's competition and Birmingham University and Rover Oxford from the women's event qualified for next season's Second Division of the National League.