East Grinstead moved within touching distance of gold and promotion back to the top tier after another thrilling day at the women’s EuroHockey Club Trophy in Porto.
They need just a draw on Sunday to take the title but there remains plenty of drama on the horizon on Sunday when all the ups and downs will be confirmed.
** Picture by Max Fulham
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EG insured their passage to the promotion pool in impressive style with three wins from three, starting the Saturday schedule with a 2-0 win over Milano Hockey Prato. The goals came in the first half from Lauren Workman and Biba Mills.
Watsonians followed them into the top four playoff group with a 6-0 win over HAHK Mladost with two goals each for Emily Dark and Ailsa Small.
Milano and Mladost will not contest the relegation pool with the former carrying five points through with them with the Croatian side taking one point.
In Pool A, KS Hokej Start Brzeziny assured they would top the pool and advance with five points but only after they were pushed all the way by Railway Union. The sides drew 3-3 with Start surviving two Railway corners in the closing minutes.
It left Rotweiss Wettingen needing to defeat host GD do Viso in the final group game and they duly got an 8-2 result, albeit after a tight first 17 minutes which saw the sides level at 2-2.
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Into the afternoon session, Railway bounced back to record a 3-2 win over Milano Hockey Prato thanks to two early goals from Ailish Long and a late Matilde Errico clincher.
Mladost, meanwhile, got their first win on the board with a 2-1 success agains Viso to ignite their chances of staying up.
Railway lead the way in Pool C at the moment and know a draw or better against Mladost will keep them in the second tier for 2026.
Before that, Milano (6 points) and Viso (1 point) will both be gunning for a win to help their cause with plenty of permutations still on the table.
In Pool D’s promotion pool, East Grinstead took a huge step forward toward potential promotion in the final game of the day when they beat Start Brzeziny 4-2.
The first half was locked at 2-2 but crucial goals from Summer Knight-Thompson and Rosemary Hope swung the tie their way, making it two wins from two in Pool D.
It gives them a four point buffer going into their final game against Rotweiss, knowing a draw is enough for gold and elevation.
The Wettingen club scored once in each half to defeat Watsonians with Elena and Tamara Trösch splitting the goals in a 2-0 outcome.
Rotweiss and Start Brzeziny are both on sic points ahead of Sunday’s final battles with EG and Watsonians, respectively.
Women’s EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy – day two results
| Teams | Title | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| EASTGRIN – MILANO | Pool B | 2 – 0 |
| MLADOST – WATSONIANS | Pool B | 0 – 6 |
| BRZEZINY – RAILWAYUNION | Pool A | 3 – 3 |
| WETTINGEN – VISO | Pool A | 8 – 2 |
| RAILWAYUNION – MILANO | Pool C | 3 – 2 |
| VISO – MLADOST | Pool C | 1 – 2 |
| WETTINGEN – WATSONIANS | Pool D | 2 – 0 |
| BRZEZINY – EASTGRIN | Pool D | 2 – 4 |
Sunday schedule
| Time | Teams | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 10:10 | MILANO – VISO | Pool C |
| 11:30 | RAILWAYUNION – MLADOST | Pool C |
| 13:00 | EASTGRIN – WETTINGEN | Pool D |
| 14:20 | BRZEZINY – WATSONIANS | Pool D |
