With the BUCS Hockey league season reaching its conclusion earlier in the month, the final questions surrounding relegation and promotion have been answered. From tense battles at the bottom, to teams dominating their league, this season of BUCS Hockey had it all. Following a lack of spectators last season, fans were not disappointed on their return to university pitches nationwide. Now the standings have been finalised, Freshered has reviewed the top flight of BUCS Hockey, summarising all you need to know about the Premier Division in 2021/22.
ICG Women’s Premier National
With an impressive 100% win record, one team was dominant in this season’s top tier of women’s BUCS Hockey. Birmingham picked up all 24 points on offer from their eight games, with their defence a stand-out, conceding only four goals all season. Their nearest competitors sit five points behind, with Loughborough only picking up one loss themselves. At the other end of the table, the story couldn’t be anymore different for Cardiff Met. They went through the season without picking up a point, conceding an average of more than six goals a game.
ICG Women’s Premier North and South
Cardiff Met now have to face a playoff against the winner of a playoff between the top teams from the two second tier divisions. These are split evenly in north and south.
In the North league, it was Durham 2‘s who finished on top in a tight fight for the title, after finishing the season unbeaten. However, they will be unable to contest the playoffs, as Durham 1‘s already compete in the Premier National. This means second placed Newcastle will have the chance to earn promotion. They finished only two points off top spot, only losing twice. At the bottom, it is Leeds Beckett who will have to fight for their place in the league in a playoff of their own, against Glasgow.
In the South league, an unbeaten season from Bath means they will head into the playoffs. They dropped points in only one game, a draw against Swansea, ending with a total with 22 points. Facing a relegation playoff for their place in this league will be Surrey, having unfortunately conceded two walkovers during the season. In this relegation playoff, they will face off against Reading.
Therefore, Newcastle will face off against Bath, with the winner playing Cardiff Met for a place in the women’s Premier National.
Men’s Premier National
After a close battle for the title, it was Loughborough who ended up on top, with their 21 points from a possible 24 proving enough to earn the title. An impressive record of only one defeat from eight games saw them clinch first place, three and four points ahead of Nottingham and Exeter respectively. Two teams in the league, Birmingham and Oxford Brookes, only managed one win all season, placing them in the centre of a relegation battle. However, Cardiff Met only managed one draw all season, with seven defeats.
Men’s Premier North and South
After finishing bottom, Cardiff Met will now face a relegation playoff for their place in the top tier of BUCS Hockey. Their opponent will be determined by another playoff, between the two teams who finished top in the Premier North, and Premier South respectively.
The team hoping to earn promotion from the Premier North is Edinburgh, despite their second place finish. The team who finished top, Nottingham 2’s, cannot earn promotion, and therefore contest the playoffs, as Nottingham 1’s already compete in the top tier. Edinburgh will prove to be tough opponents, given they lost only one game in the league all season. At the bottom, hoping to maintain their position in the Premier North through a playoff of their own is Leeds, after a diffcult season which saw only three draws, and no wins. They will face off against Manchester.
Playing against Edinburgh for a place in the Premier National playoff will be Oxford, after their dominant performance in the Premier National south. They finished six points clear of second place Bristol, with seven wins and one draw from eight games. At the other end of the table, only one win for Imperial all season means they now face a playoff for their place in the league. They will most likely come up against Surrey, in a winner takes all affair.
Thus, it will Edinburgh vs Oxford for the chance to face off against Cardiff Met, with the winner competing in the men’s Premier National next season.