Canterbury Ladies continued their 100% start to the National Premier Division season with a narrow home win over University of Birmingham on Saturday evening.

After a superb opening-day win at champions Reading, the city club followed it up with a 1-0 win, secured by Lucy Barnes strike from a ninth-minute penalty corner.

Jen Wilson’s side sit second in the table behind Bowdon Hightown, the only other side to have won both their opening games.

Canterbury’s men suffered a second-straight defeat, going down 9-1 at home to National Premier Division big-guns East Grinstead.

GB international and Kent-born star Ashley Jackson opened the scoring from a third-minute penalty stroke and Mark Pearn doubled the advantage from a penalty corner on 24 minutes.

The game was up when the visitors scored four goals in six minutes either side of the break.

Niall Stott made it 3-0 on the half-hour and a Jackson penalty-corner conversion made it four a minute before the turnaround, however there was still time for David Condon to give EGs a 5-0 half-time advantage.

Tony Wilson added a sixth within seconds of the restart and although Wei Adams pulled one back for the hosts from a penalty corner on 44 minutes, Pearn made it 7-1 with 15 minutes remaining and Condon and Piper completed the rout late-on.