Grove clinch title with two wins in a day

Grove Menzieshill were crowned Scottish women's champions for the fifth consecutive time after back-to-back 5-2 and 6-1 victories over bottom side Hillhead at Windyedge yesterday in the Subway national league catch-up matches.

In a rather bizarre arrangement brought on by a log-jam of outstanding fixtures and the need to finish the league programme by 14 April, the two sides agreed to play one game after the other in Glasgow.

With only a pool of 13 players available for the two games rather than the usual 16, the champions were anxious to conserve their energy but still emerged 5-2 winners in the opening game, both Louise Carroll and striker Ali Bell scored twice, Nikki Kidd getting the other. In the second encounter, the Taysiders strolled to a 6-1 win, again Carroll and Bell got a brace each with the other goals coming from Jen Wright and Ailsa Wyllie.

Now the attention moves to the runners-up spot and the second European place between Giffnock and VWS Dundee Wanderers. This duel could not be more finely balanced, Giffnock are four points ahead of Wanderers but with two games more played. The East Renfrewshire side could finish with maximum points from their remaining fixtures against CALA Edinburgh tomorrow and Grange next Monday. That means that Wanderers must keep on winning. They have Kelburne today and then a weekend double-header against Western Wildcats and Grange, but that would still leave them a point adrift of Giffnock.

There is a further twist - Scottish Hockey awarded Giffnock the three points and a 5-0 win when Wanderers failed to turn up to the catch-up fixture between the clubs. The Dundonians have appealed the decision which will come before an appeals panel next Wednesday.