SWINDON blew their chance of promotion as they fought out a 1-1 draw with third-placed Newent.
A win would have secured them the West Premier 2A title after Team Bath Buccaneers were held to a draw in their match but Newent proved to be strong opposition and the hosts struggled to break them down.
Following a midweek 7-0 victory against Bretforton, a tired Swindon failed to get out of first gear.
Without Wednesday’s four-goal hero, teenager Chloe Lewis, their usually balanced forward line rarely fired and the opening exchanges were equal, with both teams creating chances but failing to find a scoring touch.
Swindon took the lead after 15 minutes when player of the match Linda Brouwers followed up on her own penalty corner and powerfully drilled a reverse stick shot into the net.
However, the lead was short-lived as a quick break from Newent was skilfully flicked over home keeper Sarah Newman, making the half-time score 1-1.
Although the second half was equally balanced, Swindon squandered five penalty corners and multiple chances.
Sarah Newman saved VIcky Stokes' side with a string of dynamic saves and a close umpiring call disallowed a potential winning goal from Lynsey Wall in the last minute.
After the game, coach Craig Sage was rueful for the opportunity lost.
“Overall this has been a successful season and I am proud of the squad,” he said.
“They scored 69 goals and showed some real quality. It’s a shame that we couldn’t convert this last game to win the league.”
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