In the other Division I game Jersey Ladies and Quackers drew 3-3 while the Development Division matches featured a win for Eagles and an honourable draw for Nomads and Mallards.
RWB 4, Nomads 1sts 0: Nomads came close on several occasions but the first half was goalless.
On the restart RWB came blitzing into the fray and Sally MacDowall scored their first from a penalty corner.
Minutes later, after a flurry of short corners, they struck again, Becky Darts’setting up Chrissie Hefford.
Nomads’ Janet Masterman-Hall thwarted Darts’s next attempts, but the champions weren’t denied as Carla Critchlow scored her debut goal for RWB.
Despite the deficit Nomads kept coming back, Lisa Phillips putting RWB under pressure, but keeper Sylvia Spinola kept them out and Kirstin Buttle-Ulvin made several excellent clearances on the line – one of which was booted up the park allowing MacDowall to pounce and score the champions’ fourth.
Jersey Ladies HC 1sts 3, E&Y Quackers 3: Sisters Fiona and Emma Anderson combined for Quackers’ first after 14 minutes, but Jersey’s Sarah Kerley capitalised on a loose ball to produce the equaliser.
Quackers’ Claire Germain scored their second from a good cross, but Ladies came back again through Claudia O’Donoghue.
Quackers went ahead for the third time through a converted short-corner, Sarah Trachy on target, but again the Ladies hit back, with Jenna Mitchell taking the ball around the back line and into goal.
Crusaders Junior 3, Eagles 4: Crusaders took an early lead when Freddie Phipps scored from a goalmouth mêlée and had the upper hand for a time, until Robert Cuming came on for Eagles.
He promptly took hold of the midfield and fired home the equaliser.
Richard Streets then scored a second and the Eagles were flying.
They went 3-1 up after the break, through Rufus Scholefield, and the same player added a fourth a few minutes later, after a good run into the D and a reverse-stick shot.
Crusaders then hit back to put Eagles on the back talon with some good attacks, hitting the post a couple of times before Stephen Le Cornu nicked a goal.
With just minutes remaining Le Cornu scored his second, then Hugo Powell came agonisingly close to an equaliser – but Eagles survived.
Nomads II 1, Quackers Mallards 1: Nomads debutant Katie Greene broke for goal seconds after Mallards’ push back, but she was stopped and it was Mallards who took a tenth-minute lead.
Nomads responded in style, a superb strike from Sarah Michaels off a short-corner hitting the back of the net for the equaliser.
Play from both teams was fast, furious and end-to-end, but neither side could break the deadlock.
Other result: E&Y Dabblers 1, JLHC II 3.
