Hockey: Slough look for double victory to retake top spot

With the England women's team entering their final preparation stage before departing to Australia for the World Cup, this weekend sees the last round of Premier League fixtures before the long break. After the weekend's fixtures the squad will undergo a two-week stint in the University of Hertfordshire's acclimatisation chamber where they will be expected to train, under the supervision of sports scientists, in temperatures between 35 and 40C to prepare themselves for the Australian summer that awaits them in Perth.

Before that, squad members of Slough and Hightown have back-to-back National League fixtures likely to be played in foul English weather. The two lost both their fixtures last weekend. This afternoon the defending League champions, Slough, entertain the leaders, Olton and West Warwick, at Bisham Abbey and then tomorrow play a rearranged fixture against Hightown. Two victories for the Berkshire women's club would see them go into the break back at the top. Hightown travel to Southampton to face the bottom club, Trojans, who have found life in the Premier Division fairly traumatic so far, having secured one point in the seven games.

The men's National League makes a rare Saturday appearance today, with the third round of the Cup, including the entry of the National League clubs for the first time, held tomorrow. The joint leaders, both on maximum points, have away games. Reading travel to Doncaster, currently pointless, while Surbiton make the shorter journey to Canterbury. Guildford expect to be at full strength when they open their new water-based pitch at noon today against Teddington. The Middlesex club will be without their international goalkeeper Jon Ebsworth, who, recovering well from a knee operation, had hoped to play but picked up an injury to his arm while running during the week.