Men's Championship 1 pacesetters Sheffield were given a fright by Portobello, who put up a tremendous fight at Watford before losing 13-11.

Sheffield, with Joel Abbott contributing another seven goals, looked on course for victory after building an 11-8 lead. But Portobello then struck back, levelling with two goals from Ben Scott and a fifth of the match from Ed Grundy. Only near the end did Sheffield retain a 100 per cent record from five matches thanks to two goals from Connor Carpenter (Picture: Trevor Hyde).

Polytechnic maintained their pursuit of Sheffield with a 15-11 victory over Welsh Wanderers. A six-goal Poly flourish in the second period made all the difference. 

Caledonia led Sutton & Cheam 4-1 and then 7-4 before losing their way. Sutton hit back to lead 9-7, including five goals from Ryan Symington, and won 9-8. Durham Palatinates are in third place behind Sheffield and Poly after beating Exeter 11-7.

City of Coventry claimed the men’s Championship 4 title at Marlborough College when the winner-takes-all final match of the campaign against Hucknall ended in a 9-9 draw. Both clubs go up to Division 4 next season along with the British Army, who finished third.

Those are the basic facts. What this doesn't explain is the extraordinary drama of the Marlborough weekend and of a division that has been so tightly fought that nine of the 28 matches ended in draws (including five of the eight Marlborough games).

As Coventry and Hucknall prepared for their crunch meeting, they shared the lead with nine points, but with Watford Saxons and the Army, who had completed their matches, also on nine. We knew that:

If Hucknall won (and they almost did right at the end) they would have been champions, with Watford Saxons second, the Army third – but Coventry missing out on promotion altogether.

If Coventry won, they would take the trophy, with Hucknall and the Army also going up but leaving Watford out of the picture.

In the end, the draw that took place was good enough for Coventry, but only by virtue of a small superior overall goal difference. The Army only made third because their goal difference throughout the Championship season was just one better than Watford’s! 

Coventry will think they should have won the final game. They were 8-4 up and looking comfortable but then perhaps made the mistake of trying to slow the game and run down the clock. Hucknall took full advantage, eventually levelling at 9-9 through a man-up strike from Iain Greig less than two minutes from the end. What a finish! 

Earlier, Watford blew their chances of a guaranteed top three spot when opponents Caledonia Storm (to a roar of approval from the watching Army squad!) scored with 45 seconds remaining to force another 9-9 draw. 

Photos (Trevor Hyde): Above - Coventry, with coach Ian Elliott floored, celebrate their win. Players (L-R): David Lambie, Sarunas Beleckas, Mike Aish, James Bushell, Remmy Gorton, Luke Rostron, Mike Linney, Sam Goodwin, Matt Elliott, Dan Hannah, Jayson Bent, Ashley Keen, Rob Williams. Below: Coventry score past Hucknall goalkeeper Tom Wall.

Sheffield extended their winning run to four matches in men's Championship 1 at Watford as Joel Abbott scored five in a 13-8 victory over Durham Palatinates. 

It was also a good day for Polytechnic, the team Sheffield will face next month in the final match of the season. Goals by Michele Aureli, Chris Brown and Chris Icely enabled the London side to hit back from 5-3 down to beat Sutton & Cheam 6-5; they followed up with a more comfortable 16-7 victory over Exeter. 

Poly's win against Sutton - Icely's winner came just a minute and a half from the end - was not the only close finish. 

Portobello drew 7-7 with Exeter, pulling level thanks to a man-up goal from Ben Scott with 1.45 to go and an equaliser from James Scobie with 18 seconds remaining. 

Welsh Wanderers were involved in a terrific battle with Caledonia, fighting back from 9-5 down to level at 9-9 and then from 12-9 in arrears to 12-12 only for Chris Campbell to hit a winner for the Scots at 13-12 less than two minutes from the end. Joe Jenkins-Delf (Photo: Trevor Hyde) was an unlucky loser for Wanderers - he scored seven. 

The men's Championship 4 season reaches an appropriate conclusion at Marlborough College tomorrow when Coventry and Hucknall meet in the very last match, potentially to decide the title.

The two clubs are level at the top on nine points. The only way both might be deprived of honours is if they draw - and Watford Saxons, currently in third place, manage to beat Caledonia Storm in their final game. That would leave all three teams equal on 10 points.

Hucknall dropped a crucial point when they allowed the British Army to stage a dramatic finish in the fourth period. The Army had trailed 7-3 when Sam Joyce scored his fourth and fifth goals for Hucknall. But Hucknall fell apart after that, the Army scoring four times in the last four and half minutes through Chris Bermingham (2), Mike Chadwick and Nick Covington to force a 7-7 draw. Both teams missed a hatful of chances, at least ten shots hitting the frame of the goal at one point. 

It's a measure of the closeness of the division that the Army and Hucknall have drawn three of their six matches so far. Watford Saxons also drew - 6-6 with Sheffield Dolphins - while four-goal Jamie Bailey was a key player in Invicta Marlins' 14-10 victory over Caledonia. Matt Hannah scored six in Coventry's 17-5 hammering of bottom club Leeds.

Photo (Trevor Hyde): They shall not pass . . . Army players (L-R) Aril Pandya, Duncan Lowe and Chris Bermingham defend against Hucknall.

City of Bristol head for the men's Championship 2 finale at Grantham next month with a 100 per cent record from five matches, a two-point lead over nearest rivals Worthing and Watford - and a place in Division 2 already guaranteed next season.

They outplayed Croydon Amphibians 19-7 at Gloucester (17 February), with Chris Taylor netting six and Carl Wyatt four. Ben Curtis scored another five as Worthing defeated Otter 12-7 while five goals during the second and third periods by Chris Daniel ensured an 11-6 Watford victory over Southampton.

Castleford lead men's Division 3 by a single point from City of Birmingham, but left it late to secure a 13-12 win against Bridgefield. The game was even until goals by Dan Pollock and Luke Franks took Castleford from 8-8 to 10-8 at the end of the third period. The lead improved to 12-9 when Bridgefield staged a terrific rally to level at 12-12 with goals by Jacob Graham (2) and Peter Love. In a frantic finish, a man-up chance gave Franks (Photo: Trevor Hyde) the opportunity to notch his seventh goal - with just 34 seconds remaining.

Castleford and Birmingham meet in a potential title decider when the divisional finale takes place next month. 

Otter and Southampton gave the men's Championship 2 weekend a spectacular start at Gloucester, the London side claiming the points at 13-12 in a nail-biting finish after trailing for the majority of the match.

Southampton were ahead 3-2, 5-4 and 9-7 at the end of the first three periods and they led 10-9 early in the last. Otter then pulled up to 11-11 and stole a first win thanks to their two main goal-scorers, Nicholas Cojon, who scored his sixth with 1.32 remaining, and Omiris Pantazis, whose fifth came with just three seconds left. Even then, there was still time for Charles Roberts (Photo: Trevor Hyde) to add a consolation for Southampton.

Worthing maintained a narrow lead throughout against Watford and eventually won 10-9, including four goals from Ben Curtis. Croydon Amphibians were too strong for Manchester Hawks. Tom Andrews scored five in an 18-7 win.

​City of Bristol went clear at the top of the table, completing their fourth win - 17-12 against Penguin. Chris Taylor scored four for Bristol. Charles Roberts' seven goals were the feature of Southampton first win - 21-11 against Manchester Hawks.

No shortage of goals in men's Championship 3 at Lancaster Salt Ayre! The top of the table clash saw Castleford trail early on to Cheltenham Spartans but then take charge, scoring five times without reply in the third period. Eventually, they won 15-7, including five goals each for Luke Franks and Declan Thompson.

Bridgefield beat Rotherham Metro 19-16 in a match of fluctuating fortunes. In the second period, Rotherham, with Richard Leighton leading the charge, scored seven times to recover from 5-3 down to lead 10-8. Then it was Bridgefield's turn to score seven in the third, a turn-around that eventually guaranteed them the points. Jacob Graham (5), Lee Cadwallader (4) and Paul Williams (4) led the Bridgefield scoring. Leighton finished with seven for Rotherham.

In yet another high-scoring game, Tyldesley defeated York City 17-13, featuring four goals apiece for Tyldesley's Neil Williams (Photo: Trevor Hyde) and Adam Toone. Birmingham outplayed bottom club Cambridge 15-3, scoring eight before their opponents claimed a first goal in the third period.

Later, Bridgefield won for the second time - 11-10 against Tyldesley. Bridgefield recovered from 6-3 adrift to draw level at 9-9 in the final period, at which point Jacob Graham and Lee Cadwallader took Bridgefield clear with crucial goals. Addison Brown added a very late riposte for Tyldesley. 

Liam Fletcher's hat-trick in the final period made the difference as York beat Rotherham Metro 12-10.

Great news! The Lancaster finale to this season’s Super 5s on 23/24 March is to be televised live by the BBC.

Altogether, six matches – four on Saturday, two on Sunday – will be screened on the red button, as well as online AND being viewable on the BBC App.

 “This is a fantastic coup for BWPL,” said chairman David Andrews today. “It follows two successful previous ventures with Sky Sports, none of which would have been possible without the wonderful support we continue to receive from our loyal sponsors.

“Once again, this is a great opportunity to showcase the League and, for the first time, to open up BWPL to the rest of the world – which of course is what online coverage and the BBC App will achieve.”

City of Manchester girls kept their women's Super 5s title ambitions alive at Ponds Forge today - but only after a battling 6-5 victory over Coventry.

Coventry held a narrow lead on several occasions but saw their 4-3 advantage wiped out when Honor Grimes scored ten seconds from the end of the third period and then Anya Clapperton made it 5-4 to Manchester at the start of the last. Coventry levelled again - Kimberly Watson's third goal - but the decider, scored by Stephanie Whittaker, came with three minutes still to play. 

Otter remain at the top of the table, two points clear of Manchester. Earlier, Liverpool Liver Birds defeated Caledonia 13-4.

In the most exciting game in women's Championship 1, Tydlesley fought back from 7-5 down to draw 7-7 with City of Bristol. Lucy Mills cut the Bristol lead to 7-6 at the start of the final period and less than two minutes remained when Grace Morley's third goal squared the match. Heather Tomlinson scored a hat-trick for Bristol.

Photo (Trevor Hyde): Bristol's Anashe Chisadza (white cap) holds off the challenge of Kate Rowland in today's match.