Holcombe Ladies suffered their first defeat of the Investec National Premier Division season on Sunday.

Holcs suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Clifton in Bristol, with Harriet Pearce putting the hosts ahead from a penalty corner on 23 minutes and Els Mansell and Jo Leigh on target for the hosts in a 60-second burst in the second half.

The defeat saw the Medway side lose ground in the race for the title, with leaders Surbiton now seven points ahead of fourth-placed Holcs, and Canterbury and Clifton second and third, three points behind the Surrey side.

Canterbury left it late to record a dramatic 2-1 win at Leicester thanks to a double from Sarah Kerly.

Kerly put the visitors ahead within a minute of the match starting, and though Katie Long levelled for Leicester nine minutes before the break, Kerly struck the winner seconds before full-time.

Canterbury’s men remain bottom of NOW: Pensions National Premier Division after a 4-0 defeat at East Grinstead on Saturday evening.

The city club held out for more than half-an-hour but two goals within five minutes of the interval from Andy Piper and Mark Gleghorne gave Canterbury a mountain to climb and Gleghorne’s second penalty corner strike just before the hour and Glenn Kirkham’s last-minute fourth sealed the win.

To make matters worse second-bottom Brooklands Manchester University won for the second straight game, 1-0 at Hampstead & Westminster, and are now four points ahead of the city club, who also exited the England Hockey National Cup 3-2 at the hands of Reading at Polo Farm on Sunday afternoon while Holcombe's men went out 2-1 at home to Beeston.