Canterbury Ladies made a losing start to the new Investec Women’s Hockey League Premier Division season with a 2-0 home defeat to defending champions Reading at Polo Farm on Saturday.

Goals by Rebecca Halle and Meredith Bone in the first 21 minutes settled the contest.

The winners and runners-up in the Premier Division and three Conference Leagues this season will win a share of £10,000 prize money put up by the new sponsors.

It’s the first time that teams below the Premier Division have been offered prize-money, and there are also additional bonuses on offer to the most valuable player, top goalscorer and most hospitable club in each of the four divisions.

Canterbury Men’s new captain Michael Farrer made a superb start in the job by scoring a hat-trick in the 6-2 opening day win at newly-promoted City of Peterborough in the Men’s Conference East Premier Division on Sunday.

Farrer struck first after nine minutes, player-coach Kwan Browne added the second seven minutes later. New boy Nathaniel Joy made it 3-0 after 20 minutes, but the home side pulled one back soon afterwards.

The skipper made it 4-1 a minute before the break and two in three minutes immediately afterwards by Liam Foster and Farrer stretched the lead to 6-1.

Joe Finding added Peterborough’s second.