St Albans Hockey Club ladies have qualified for the National Division Two indoor finals at Nottingham at the end of this month.

The team defeated Chelmsford, Trojans and Old Loughtonians at the divisional indoor competition in Haslemere to qualify for the next stage of the competition.

The Boadiceas made a promising start to the year after a 1-0 victory over Leighton Buzzard Thirds. Helen Anton fired the winner for the side in a tight win.

Liz Cleverly scored twice and Annie Barrett once as the ladies Thirds beat Basildon 3-0 at Clarence Park. The Fifths came away from Bishops Stortford Fourths with a 3-1 win through goals by Gemma Little, Nikki Davies and Leila Bakhti.

The men’s indoor competition at Eastleigh proved a bridge too far for St Albans but included a good win against Trojans and invaluable indoor experience for young players in the squad.

At Oaklands, Peter Hazell coached the men’s Seconds to an impressive 3-1 win against Surbiton Thirds and Alastair Turner scored on his Eighth XI debut in their 2-0 defeat of Hertford Fifths.