2023–24 Women's England Hockey League season explained

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The 2023–24 Women's England Hockey League season (sponsored by Vitality) is the 2023–24 season of England's field hockey league structure and England Hockey Women's Championship Cup for women.^[1]

The season started on 16 September 2023.^[2] East Grinstead were the defending league champions^[3] and Beeston were the defending cup holders, having won the last two season's cup competitions.^[4]

Surbiton won the league championship, defeating Hampstead & Westminster 3-1 in the play off final.^[5] Beeston won the England Hockey Men's Championship Cup for the third consecutive season.^[6]

Format

The Premier Division changed the system of phases and matches, whereby it was possible for a team finishing eighth after phase 2 to still win the title.

• Phase 1 - 11 matches per club determining the top six and bottom six clubs for phase 2.
• Phase 2 - 5 additional matches per club determining the top eight and bottom four clubs for phase 3.
• Phase 3 - 3 additional matches per club determining the top four to progress to league finals weekend and the bottom two to be relegated.

2023–2024 teams

Premier Division

width=200	Team	width=200	City/town	width=320	Home pitch
Beeston		Nottingham HC
Bowdon Hightown		The Bowdon Club
Clifton Robinsons		Coombe Dingle Sports Centre
East Grinstead		East Grinstead Sports Club
	Paddington	Paddington Recreation Ground
		University of Exeter Sports Park
		Loughborough University
	Reading	Sonning Lane
		Sugden Road
	Birmingham	Bournbrook
	Nottingham	David Ross Sports Village, Nottingham HC
Wimbledon 1st XI	Wimbledon	Raynes Park High School, King's College School

Division One South

width=200	Team	width=200	City/town	width=320	Home pitch
Barnes		Duke's Meadow, Dan Mason Drive
Canterbury	Canterbury	Polo Farm
Harleston Magpies	Harleston	Shotford Heath
Holcombe	Rochester	Holcombe Park
Sevenoaks		Vine Cricket Ground
Slough		Upton Park, Upton Road
Southgate		Southgate Hockey Centre
		Sugden Road
	Bath	University of Bath
	Wimbledon	Raynes Park HS, King's College School

Division One North

width=200	Team	width=200	City/town	width=320	Home pitch
Ben Rhydding	Ben Rhydding	Coutances Way
Buckingham	Buckingham	Stowe School
	Durham	The Graham Sports Centre
Gloucester City		Plock Court and St Peter's High School
	Leicester	Leicester Grammar School
	Solihull	West Warwickshire Sports Complex
Stourport	Stourport-on-Severn	Stourport Sports Club
	Sutton Coldfield	Rectory Park
Swansea	Swansea	Swansea University's International Sports Village
	Wakefield	College Grove Sports Ground

Final tables

Premier Division

width=20	Pos	width=250	Team	width=20	P	width=20	W	width=20	D	width=20	L	width=20	Pts	width=140	Section
1		16	13	0	3	39	top 6-top 8
2		16	11	1	4	34	top 6-top 8
3		16	11	1	4	34	top 6-top 8
4		16	8	3	5	27	top 6-top 8
5		16	5	4	7	19	top 6-top 8
6		16	3	6	7	15	top 6-top 8
7	Wimbledon	16	7	6	3	27	bottom 6-top 8
8		16	6	4	6	22	bottom 6-top 8
9		18	6	4	8	22	bottom 6 - bottom 4
10	University of Birmingham	18	4	8	6	20	bottom 6 - bottom 4
11		18	5	2	11	17	bottom 6 - bottom 4
12		18	1	1	16	4	bottom 6 - bottom 4

Top 8 - Phase 3

Pool A
width=20	Pos	width=180	Team	width=40	Pts
1	Surbiton	9
2	Hampstead & W	6
3	Univ of Nott	3
4	Clifton Robinsons	0

Pool B
width=20	Pos	width=180	Team	width=40	Pts
1	East Grinstead	8
2	Wimbledon	6
3	Reading	3
4	Bowdon	1

Finals weekend

Surbiton
Amber Walton (gk) Giselle Ansley, Sarah Eavns, Meg Dowthwaite, Holly Payne, Sophie Hamilton (fg 58th minute), Eloise Stenner, Steph Elliott (c), Martha Taylor, Leah Wilkinson (pc 39th minute), Izzy Petter, Katie Curtis, Amy Costello, Alice Sharp (pc 49th minute), Elani Sherwood, Josefina Hippe

Hampstead & W
Miriam Pritchard (gk), Olivia Hamilton, Phoebe Willars, Katherine Baker (c), Sarah Robertson, Lily Owlsey, Sofia Martin, Philippa Lewis, Madi Ratcliffe (fg 20th minute), Melanie Wilkinson, Rachel Greenwood, Joie Leigh, Holly Hunt, Esme Burge, Lauren Hunt, Iona Campbell

Division One South

width=20	Pos	width=300	Team	width=20	P	width=20	W	width=20	L	width=20	D	width=20	Pts
1		18	14	1	3	43
2		18	12	3	3	39
3		18	12	1	5	37
4		18	9	2	7	29
5		18	7	3	8	24
6		18	5	6	7	21
7		18	6	2	10	20
8	Wimbledon 2nd XI	18	5	1	12	16
9		18	4	4	10	16
10		18	3	3	12	12

Division One North

width=20	Pos	width=300	Team	width=20	P	width=20	W	width=20	L	width=20	D	width=20	Pts
1		18	14	2	2	44
2		18	11	5	2	38
3		18	10	5	3	35
4		18	9	4	5	31
5		18	8	3	7	27
6		18	7	4	7	25
7		18	3	6	9	15
8		18	4	2	12	14
9		18	3	3	12	12
10		18	1	6	11	9

Semi-finals

width=100	Date	width=200	Team 1	width=200	Team 2	width=100	Score
7 Apr	Doncaster	Holcombe	0–4
7 Apr	Surbiton 2nd XI	Beeston	2–7

Final

• Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre

width=100	Date	width=200	Team 1	width=200	Team 2	width=100	Score
6 May	Beeston	Holcombe	2–1

Beeston
Steph Tirrell (gk), Nicola Moss, Ella Cusack, Cerys Miller, Jane Kilpatrick, Lauren Burrell (c), Hannah Grieve, Beatrice Bell, Lottie Summers (fg 59th minute), Lucy Millington (pc 39th minute), Lauren Dunn, Rosy Stephens, Katie Mason, Julia Spence, Amelie Clarkson, Jessica Mauro

Holcombe
Tilly Woodhead (gk), Robyn Hodges, Lottie Bingham, Tilly Tillings, Emma Bandurak, Deanna Ritchie, Lucy Whalley, Leisa Randall, Harriet Pittard (c), Bethan Hodges, Hattie Jones (pc 66th minute), Catherine Ledesma, Charlotte Daly, Hannah Bond, Hannah Carney, Marian Ledesma

See also

2023–24 Men's England Hockey League season

Notes and References

1. Web site: Vitality Womens Hockey League . England Hockey . 3 November 2023.
2. Web site: Women's Hockey League results and fixtures . England Hockey . 3 November 2023.
3. Web site: England Hockey League Premier Division Finals 2023 . England Hockey . 4 April 2023.
4. Web site: Match report . England Hockey . 6 August 2023.
5. Web site: W1 Win Ninth League Title With Victory over Hampstead . Surbiton HC. 16 April 2024.
6. Web site: England Hockey Cup: Beeston claim title double . The Hockey Paper . 11 May 2024.