Hockey: Captaincy proves too much for Halls: Champions face cracking encounter with unbeaten rivals

JULIAN HALLS, Old Loughtonians' England defender, has relinquished the club captaincy in favour of Scottish international goalkeeper, Alasdair Seaton, who takes over for tomorrow's game against the champions, Hounslow, writes Bill Colwill.

Halls, likely to be a key player in England's World Cup assault next year in Australia, feels that the captaincy has been affecting his performance. Hounslow have doubts about the fitness of winger Nick Gordon. With both teams still unbeaten it should be a cracking game.

Southgate, the current PizzaExpress First Division leaders, make the short trip to Clarence Park where they face St Albans, struggling near the bottom, in a homecoming for Duncan Woods.

The Hertfordshire side include the South African Craig Bassingthwaight and two German schoolboys from Bedford School, Renaldo Poeppel, who scored on his first outing last Saturday, and Philipp Crone in their line-up.

With Stuart Ives remaining in a critical but stable condition in a Sheffield hospital, Gore Court have postponed their first team fixtures this weekend.