EuroCanterbury Ladies suffered a surprise 3-2 home defeat to Sutton Coldfield in the Investec English Women's League Premier Division.

The home side twice led against the strugglers before being sunk by a late goal from 44-year-old former England and Great Britain forward Jane Sixsmith.

Susannah Townsend fired Canterbury into a seventh minute lead, but Sutton Coldfield - beaten 9-2 by Reading the previous week - drew level eight minutes later as Charlotte Cross struck from a penalty corner.

The score remained that way until two minutes into the second half when Canterbury top scorer Charlotte Craddock restored Canterbury's lead, only for Sarah Mills to again level for the visitors within four minutes.

Sutton Coldfield had gone into the game with just one win from their previous six matches, and having conceded 27 goals, but they snatched the points when Sixsmith - a veteran of four Olympics - pounced with seven minutes remaining.

The result left Canterbury in fifth place, but just a point behind Olton and West Warwicks, Clifton and Leicester who occupy the three places immediately above them. Reading head the table on 21 points.

David Mathews fired a a hat-trick as Canterbury's men won 7-0 at Bromley and Beckenham to return to the top of the East Conference.

Liam Foster's seventh-minute effort opened the scoring, and Ross Gilham-Jones doubled Canterbury's lead before Mathews struck twice within six minutes to make it 4-0 at half-time.

Stuart Goodman grabbed the fifth goal 20 minutes into the second half, with Mathews completing his hat-trick before Martin Sutherland wrapped up the scoring five minutes from time.

Canterbury now head the table by a point from Wimbledon and Old Loughtonians, with Holcombe - 3-2 winners over City of Peterborough on Saturday - just one point further back, in fourth.

Caption: Canterbury, white, were surprisingly beaten at home by Sutton Coldfield.