Skipper Tom Richford says Canterbury Hockey Club were not relieved after topping the NOW: Pensions promotion play-off table, as preserving their top-flight status was ‘never in doubt’.

Despite having lost 12 of their first 13 matches, wins in four of their last five games ensured the city club avoided automatic relegation and faced a four-team tournament with two places in the national Premier Division up for grabs.

The city club won two and drew their other round-robin game to ensure they will remain in the elite, where they will be joined by Rochester side Holcombe next season.

Richford admitted there would be a ‘small celebration’ and claimed: “I am really happy, though I wouldn’t say relieved as we have been expecting this to happen the whole time.”

Going into the final round of fixtures in the four-team tournament at Lee Valley on Sunday, both Canterbury and Holcombe needed simply to avoid defeat to ensure a place in next season’s top-flight, having claimed four points from their opening two games – including Saturday’s draw between the sides.

Canterbury beat Bowdon 4-2 to ensure they finished top on goal difference and Richford admitted he actually had mixed emotions about the weekend, adding: “Half of me is resentful that we haven’t played this well the whole season.

“All we needed to do was to play like this in the other half of the season and we might well have been playing here in the play-offs at the other end of the table.”

Richford has however set his sights on a top-four berth in 12 months time, adding: “As long as we hold on to the same team and maybe add one or two, which is in the pipeline, there’s every chance we could do it."