CANTERBURY skipper Matt Harper is refusing to concede the club are down despite the 5-3 home defeat fellow-strugglers Hampstead & Westminster in their "must-win" Slazenger English League Men's Premier Division game at Polo Farm on Sunday.

The result leaves them five points adrift of the London club with two games left, and facing relegation from the top flight for the first-time in their history, having just stayed up last season with a last day win at home to Beeston 12 months ago.

Harper said: "Everyone was very disappointed at the end, but there is a still a belief that we can still do something special in our final two games (away at East Grinstead and Bowdon) and give ourselves every opportunity to stay up. We know though that it is a very tough proposition."

Australian Craig Boyne put them in front, but the advantage didn't last long, with the London club 5-1 ahead at one stage, before Ed Welch scored twice in the second half to give the scoreline some respectability.

Holcombe recorded a 3-2 win at Bromley and Beckenham in the National League South Division.

Top scorer Dave Mathews excelled again, scoring a hat-trick to take his season tally to 55, but BromBeck made the high-flyers work hard for their win.

“The game was a bit nip and tuck, especially towards the end,” said Holcombe team manager Mike Haines. “But we played well and did just enough to boss the game when we needed to.”

Goals from Adam Kitching and Nick Bluett for BromBeck had the scores level at 2-2 midway through the second half before Matthews scored a penalty stroke winner on 69 minutes.

One place above Holcombe in second are Sevenoaks and they recorded a narrow win over Ipswich.

The only goal of the game was scored by Oaks’ Craig Ross on 57 minutes to give them a 1-0 win.