Following the end of the club league season, men's county teams are now involved in regional and national championships.

The Essex men's team carried off the East Senior County Championship last Sunday in convincing style.

At the splendidly appointed University of East Anglia facilities at Norwich, Essex won their Pool by beating Hertfordshire 4-3, Bedfordshire 7-1 and Norfolk 3-1.

In the final they came up against holders Cambridgeshire, represented by Peterborough Town, winners of the East League Premier Division who will shortly be challenging for a National League place in the play-off competition.

Essex dominated the game from the start, despite tired limbs, and the final score of 3-1 in their favour scarcely reflected their superiority.

Essex were excellently led by skipper Simon Blockley, (Crostyx), while player-coach Paul Dover (Old Loughtonians) and Chad Miah (Chelmsford) commanded the midfield.

Chelmsford supplied four of the Essex team from their National League squad (Andrew Kennedy, Chad Miah, Shual Malik and Ben Farmer), while two other members of the Essex team, Matt Brown (now Colchester) and Ian Bellchamber (now Loughborough Students) are former Chelmsford players.

Essex now move on to the national county championship over the weekend of April 17/18 in good heart. Chelmsford's winning way continues

CHELMSFORD HIGHWAY 2

BRADFORD1

(All England Cup Quarter Final)

The sun wasn't the only thing to shine at Hannakins Farm, Billericay on Sunday.

Chelmsford Highway continued their successful cup run with a 2-1 victory over Bradford.

In front of their largest crowd this season the Essex girls took the lead after 10 minutes through skipper Jo Green, who punished the Bradford defence with a fine individual effort.

Bradford began to display some of the dangerous attacking play they have shown frequently throughout the season.

Fortunately for Chelmsford their goalkeeper Katie Roberts was on excellent form making several crucial one on one saves.

This, teamed with solid performances by Tracy Goodchild and her trusty backline, ensured that the incessant Bradford attack was thwarted until half-time.

The second half saw Chelmsford resting on their laurels and Bradford equalised when a deflected penalty corner soared into the net.

With only one team to go through to the national semi-finals the remainder of the tie was dour battle.

Both sides continued to push forward but the Chelmsford midfield of Comber, Alltree and Bollington displayed the attacking flair needed to create goalscoring opportunities.

Tracy Willmore finally threaded her way through the Bradford defence with some deft stickwork, to hammer home the winner.

Chelmsford march on to the semi-finals which are to be held at the National Hockey Stadium in Milton Keynes on April 25.

The Chelmsford squad was: Roberts, Goodchild, Sargent, Arber, Parrot, Wooding, Alltree, Straw, Bollington, Green, Willmore, Comber, Unwin, Wilcox, Hutley and Barratt.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.