Hockey: Universities meet at full strength

The good news from both camps for today's 97th Varsity match being played at the National Stadium, Milton Keynes, for the first time is that both sides came through their weekend league programmes without injury.

Cambridge won 4-2 at home to Dereham and Oxford were defeated 1-0 in their First Division game of the men's National League at Bristol against Firebrands.

Oxford have announced that their fresher Tim Johnson will replace Henning Tewes, the German Under-21 international who is ineligible, in their starting line-up.

With the winners of the five Regional Leagues and South runners-up known, the Hockey Association yesterday announced the draw for the year's Inter- League play-offs to be held at Milton Keynes over the weekend of 25 to 27 April.

In Pool A Chelmsford, who beat Cambridge City 2-1 on Saturday with goals from Mark Norton and Adrian Smith, face Robinsons, the West qualifiers, and from the Midlands, Loughborough Students, together with one of the National League First Division sides finishing 20th or 21st.

Hampstead and Westminster, who finished off their Nastro Azzurro South programme with a 4-1 win against Gore Court, thanks to two goals from Rob Thompson and one each from Mark Crowley and Lindsay Troy, are grouped with Anchorians, the South runners-up, Norton from the North and the second league side.