Canterbury’s NOW: Pensions Premier Division survival chances remain in their own hands with one game remaining, despite a frustrating defeat to leaders East Grinstead on Sunday.

The city club led 2-0 at Polo Farm thanks to red-hot Craig Boyne and Matt Burton-Bowen netting inside seven minutes, however with keeper Chris Wyver struggling with illness, EGs came back to lead at the break with Kent’s-own GB star Ashley Jackson completing a 16-minute hat-trick to turn the tide and Sam Driver scoring two in a minute to make it 5-2.

Wyver was forced-off, with the hosts employing a kicking-back after the interval and Joe Naughalty, Mark Gleghorne and Niall Stott adding three more in three minutes to make it 8-2, and though Boyne grabbed his second, Gleghorne made it 9-3 from a penalty stroke, rendering Boyne’s late third a mere consolation.

The city club are back on the bottom, behind Southgate on goal-difference, and three points adrift of Hampstead & Westminster, with those two teams having to play each other on Saturday, while Southgate visit Polo Farm on Sunday (2pm) in the season finale.

If Hampstead beat Southgate by three goals or more then a draw would be enough for Canterbury to avoid automatic relegation on the final day.

If the two teams draw on Saturday, Canterbury must beat Southgate to ensure second-bottom and a relegation play-off place, while if Southgate beat Hampstead then Canterbury could yet ensure complete safety by finishing third-bottom, so long as they beat Southgate well and Hampstead lose heavily at Wimbledon on the final day.

Canterbury Ladies climbed to second in Investec Premier Division after a 5-1 drubbing of Leicester at Polo Farm on Saturday evening.

Lizzie Neal opened the scoring from a penalty corner on eight minutes while Dirkie Chamberlain made it 2-0 and Eliza Brett added a third shortly before half-time.

Grace Balsdon made it four from a penalty corner and Brett slotted her second before Holly Payne’s late consolation for seventh-placed Leicester.

Clifton are third, behind Canterbury on goal-difference, after a 2-0 defeat at leaders Surbiton, who need just a point from their final two games to claim the title.

Holcombe are in pole position for the fourth and final play-off place despite a goalless draw at home to Reading.

With two games to play, Holcs are fourth, three points clear of the University of Birmingham with Reading a further point behind.