The top four teams in the England Hockey League Conference East are fighting it out for the championship after this weekend’s results saw a change in the order at the top of the table.

Surbiton started the weekend one point clear at the top, but after a professional performance earned them a win at second placed Chelmsford, they surprisingly went down at home to seventh placed Harleston Magpies, not only losing the match, but also their unbeaten record, and the Conference lead.

Sevenoaks, Surbiton’s next opponents at Sugden Road on Saturday evening, are the new leaders on goal difference from the Elmbridge based side, after two successive 4-0 wins over Ipswich, and St. Albans.

Surbiton made a terrible start at Chelmsford, falling behind for the first time in a competitive match this season after just ninety seconds as Beth Wild opened the scoring.

But two sparkling individual goals from Helen Grant in the fourth and ninth minutes turned the match on its head, and the victory was sealed in the 52nd minute when Maddie Tait was in perfect position at the right post to finish off a fluent attacking move.

Surbiton’s victory gave them a three point lead on Saturday night, but the following day, a revitalised Harleston Magpies team defended resolutely to frustrate Surbiton’s forwards.

Three minutes before half time, the visitors’ tactics paid off, Emma Lee-Smith giving them the lead from open play.

Any hopes that Surbiton had of grabbing an equaliser early in the second half were thwarted in the 37th minute, when Emily Wilford doubled the Norfolk based team’s lead. Grant pulled a goal back eight minutes later to become Surbiton’s leading league scorer with seven goals, but Surbiton couldn’t come back for a second successive day, thereby suffering their first ever defeat in the EHL.

With seven matches remaining, Sevenoaks and Surbiton both have 24 points, Sevenoaks with a goal difference of plus 21 to Surbiton’s plus 16.

Ipswich won 2-1 at Cambridge City to return to just one point behind the leaders, knowing that if Surbiton draw with Sevenoaks on Saturday, Ipswich will go top with a win over St. Albans. Chelmsford are three points off the lead after a 2-2 draw at Old Loughtonians.

SURBITON LADIES v Chelmsford: Tranquille-Day (GK); Heptonstall (Capt.), Jenkins, James, Garne, Goodwin, V Bryant, Grant, Robinson, Addison, A Bryant. Subs: Ford, Morgan, Tait, Teasdale. Davies (GK) didn’t play.

v Harleston Magpies Davies (GK); Heptonstall (Capt.), Jenkins, James, Garne, Goodwin, V Bryant, Grant, Robinson, Addison, Brooker. Subs: A Bryant, Craze, Ford, Tait, Teasdale.