Canterbury and Holcombe Ladies lost ground in the race for the Investec National Premier Division title after suffering home defeats on Saturday.

The city club were entertaining top of the table Surbiton in the first game of a Polo Farm double-header on Saturday evening, seeking to go level on points with the Surrey side.

However Natalie Maclean converted a penalty corner six minutes into the second-half which proved to be the only goal of the game, with the visitors now having conceded just four times in their opening 10 games.

Canterbury slipped to third, six points behind Surbiton with eight games in remaining, and three adrift of second-placed Clifton, 1-0 winners against Bowdon Hightown.

Holcombe are fourth, four points behind the city club, after a surprise 4-1 defeat to second-bottom Buckingham, their first home defeat of the campaign.

Alexandra Naughalty opened the scoring inside a minute from a penalty corner and doubled the lead from another set-piece five minutes into the second-half.

Chloe Hobson added a third from a penalty corner on 45 minutes and Jessica Bloom made it four just before the hour, with Nicola White snatching a last-minute consolation for Holcs, who remain just a point clear of fifth-placed University of Birmingham.

Canterbury’s men suffered a new blow at the foot of NOW: Pensions National Premier Division table, going down 6-2 at home to Surbiton in the second game of the city club double-header.

The hosts had been in dreamland after seven minutes as goals from player-coach Kwan Browne and Ben Hare handed them a 2-0 lead, however the title-chasing Surrey side battled back to run-out comfortable winners, with Alan Forsyth and Matt Daly scoring two apiece.

A third-straight win for second-bottom Brooklands Manchester University deepened Canterbury’s gloom as they are now five points adrift of second-bottom Southgate and goal-difference means effectively eight behind automatic safety, with eight games remaining.