Premier League Round 20 Review
Published Mon 31 Aug 2026
DiamondBacks Lock Away Women’s Double Chance
DiamondBacks entered Round 20 knowing victory over University would guarantee second place and the valuable finals double chance, and they delivered with a commanding 5–1 win.
Sophie Kruimink opened the scoring before Madison Clark doubled the advantage midway through the second quarter. Nicole Geeves and Ella Berresford then struck in quick succession after half-time, with Berresford adding her second shortly afterwards to make it 5–0.
Harriet Sproule pulled one back for University late in the third quarter, but the damage had already been done as DiamondBacks secured a top-two finish.
Minor premiers North West Graduates completed their regular season with a 4–1 victory over Canterbury, although they were forced to recover from an early deficit.
Prue Dougan gave the Lions the lead in the opening quarter, but Josie Crowden equalised just over a minute later. Beth Dobbie then scored twice in quick succession during the third quarter to put the Bulldogs in control before Crowden completed her brace in the final term.
OHA closed their regular season in emphatic fashion with a 6–0 victory over Derwent, but DiamondBacks’ earlier win meant the Ships had to settle for third place.
Zayna Jackson opened the scoring before Julia Gunn struck twice to give OHA a 3–0 half-time lead. Gunn completed her hat-trick in the third quarter, while Sofie McLeod and Taylor Brooks added further goals to round out the scoring. They will now face University in an elimination final next weekend.
DiamondBacks Hold Off Bulldogs as Derwent Book Finals Berth
The Men’s competition produced plenty of final-day drama, with DiamondBacks securing second place after fighting back to secure a crucial 2–2 draw with minor premiers University.
University appeared on course to deny the Snakes the point they needed after early goals from Oscar Sproule and Ben Read established a 2–0 advantage.
However, Luke Palmer pulled one back before Patrick Donegan squared it up just before halftime. The second half was a scoreless affair, which was enough for DiamonBacks to snare a point to move them level with North West Graduates on 39 points and their superior goal difference secured second place.
NWG, had earlier applied maximum pressure with a 3–0 victory over Canterbury. Ollie Stebbings opened the scoring late in the first quarter before James Bourke doubled the advantage in the third. Stebbings added his second goal shortly afterwards to seal the victory, but DiamondBacks’ draw later in the day left the Bulldogs in third place.
Canterbury’s defeat ensured Derwent would finish fourth regardless of their result against OHA, but they ensured they would head into finals in fiine form, by scoring a 7-3 win.
Alex Shaw struck twice in the opening quarter to give Derwent a strong start before Oliver Smith pulled one back for the Ships. Kurt Budgeon then took over the contest, scoring four goals, while Liam Grundy also found the net as the Strikers built an unassailable lead.
Lucas Sward and Joseph Murphy added second-half goals for OHA, but Derwent’s attacking display ensured they head into next week’s clash with NWG in good form.
Round 20 Results
Women
DiamondBacks 5–1 University Goal Highlights
Canterbury 1–4 NWG Goal Highlights
OHA 6–0 Derwent Goal Highlights
Canterbury 1–4 NWG Goal Highlights
OHA 6–0 Derwent Goal Highlights
Men
Canterbury 0–3 NWG Goal Highlights
OHA 3–7 Derwent Goal Highlights
DiamondBacks 2–2 University Goal Highlights
OHA 3–7 Derwent Goal Highlights
DiamondBacks 2–2 University Goal Highlights
