Hockey players had a welcome treat this weekend when all games were played at the new National Sports Centre rather than at the bumpy Montessori pitch.

The matches were played on the North Field of the Government's new facility and were much faster and more accurate on the smoother grass.

The pitch was considerably bigger than that at Montessori however, and as a result teams had their fitness level tested.

In the only Women's A League match, Bluebirds fought the good fight against Swallows but unfortunately suffered a 2-1 loss.

Swallows were first on the board when a cross from Kirstie Kelly on the right found Sam de Putron at the top of the circle, who fired the ball past the Blues' keeper.

Bluebirds managed to even the score before the half, however, by energising their attacking game.

Both teams picked up the pace after the break and Swallows were unable to convert numerous penalty corners they were awarded due to some good defending by their opponents.

Jenny Burrell intercepted a free hit and popped the ball in the back of the net to put the game away for Swallows.

In B League action, Cardinals secured a 4-0 victory over Swifts.

Cardinals had many chances on goal in the first half but failed to capitalise until Erica Frith smacked one in from the top of the D.

Frith came back in the second half with a breakaway followed by an easy shot on goal to take it to 2-0.

A wild short-corner culminated in a goal for Nicola Feldman - her first for Cardinals - before Frith completed a hat-trick with six minutes left.

Canaries held out over Ravens for a 1-0 win on Saturday. Great defending by Ravens prevented any scoring in the first half but Canaries came back from the break dominant and they managed to score on a penalty corner for a hard earned 1-0 victory.

Swallows moved closer to the B league title with a 6-0 win over Bluebirds.

Jenny Burrell and Krista Donnelly started the scoring to take Swallows up 2-0 at the end of the first half. Anissa Paci in defence and Louisa Bussey in midfield put in strong performance as Swallows' continued to dominate.

The second half saw another four goals from Burrell, Jenny MacIntosh, Karen Campbell and Karen Turner respectively.

Buoyed by their wins last week, Swifts beat Ravens 1-0 on Sunday.

Swifts were held at bay for much of the first half but scored late in the second half when Jennifer Beech got the ball past the keeper after a goalmouth scramble.

In Men's play, Rebels faced BCS Panthers in their final meeting of the season.

Rebels stormed into a 3-0 lead before half-time with goals from Simon Farrington and Kirk Edmunds. They hit two more in the second half from Edmunds and Mark Ray.