Premier League Round 3 Review

Published Mon 13 Apr 2026

Round 3 in the Premier League was the Livinia Sproule Memorial Round, and it proved an action-packed day of hockey, played in some diabolical conditions, with driving rain and high winds impacting the majority of matches.

In the Men's Premier League, previously winless Canterbury provided the shock of the day, holding the defending premiers University to a 3-3 draw. The ladder-leading University appeared to be cruising towards a third win in 3 games to start the year when they took an early 3-0 lead, but a stunning fourth-quarter fightback from the Lions saw them score twice in the final four minutes to secure the draw. University were in control until a late yellow card for keeper Seth Davies for a tackle outside the circle opened the door for the Lions, who took full advantage with Innes and Rainback squaring things up.

That allowed DiamondBacks to make up some ground on them on the ladder, as they produced a blistering performance to down OHA 7-0, with Oscar Pritchard scoring a hat-trick in a sparkling offensive display, whilst Tyler McDonald lasered home a pair of drag flicks. The Snakes scored three goals in the space of 2 and a half minutes late in the third quarter to storm away with the win.

North West Graduates were unable to take advantage of the slip-up, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a gritty performance from Derwent. Angus McMullen had the Bulldogs ahead when he converted a penalty stroke, but a Liam Grundy drag flick squared things up shortly before half-time. The second half was devoid of goals, as Derwent frustrated their opponents and claimed a point.

In the Women's Premier League, the match of the round between OHA and defending premiers DiamondBacks was every bit as close as anticipated, the pair playing out a 2-2 draw in a match that both sides led at one stage. Julia Gunn handed the ships an early lead before it was pulled back by Madison Clark before halftime. Emily Donovan then put DiamondBacks ahead in the third term, with a clever diving effort, but the lead lasted just 2 minutes before April Sargent equalised. Neither side could conjure a winner in the final quarter as the spoils were shared. Ruby Bayley of OHA was named the winner of the Livinia Sproule Perpetual Award for her performance in the match.

That saw North West Graduates ascend to the top of the ladder, producing a dominant display against Derwent, storming to a 9-0 win thanks to four goals from Grace Calvert and three more from Ashleigh Arthur. The Bulldogs were in control of the game from the outset and had too much firepower for the young Derwent defence to handle.

In the final game of the round, University broke through for their first win of the season, as they downed Canterbury 3-0 to move above them and into the competition's top four. Adele Close opened the scoring with her close range finish, before Harriet Sproule punished a bad turnover deep in defence shortly before half time. Frances Boyle then rounded out the scoring with her penalty corner conversion in the