Canterbury secured an immediate return to European action but suffered disappointment in the final of the Investec Championship play-offs on Sunday.

In a repeat of last year’s final, the city club suffered a narrow defeat against national Premier Division table-toppers Surbiton, who finished the season unbeaten and will go into next season’s Euro Hockey Club Champions Cup.

After finishing seventh of eight in the compeition in Hollands over Easter, Canterbury now face a wait until the end of May to find out whether they will join Surbiton in the elite group for a second straight year or drop to the secondary EuroHockey Trophy competition.

The city club matched their opponents in the opening stages at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre, in the shadow of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with blistering attacking hockey from both sides before keeper Helen Fagg kept the deadlock intact with a good block from a Sarah Page strike.

At the other end Dirkie Chamberlain and Susannah Townsend combined well but Lizzie Neal’s mishit shot was saved by former Canterbury stopper Abi Walker and it was Walker’s new side who went ahead on 23 minutes when a penalty corner strike was blocked on the line and a penalty stroke was despatched by Julia King.

However the lead lasted just five minutes as Mel Clewlow rattled the backboard from a penalty corner to make it 1-1 at the break.

The third quarter was end-to-end as the sides battled for control, but the crucial third goal went to Surbiton on 48 minutes when a flowing move down the right was finished by Abi Robinson.

King went close to a third and Jo Hunter teed-up Jenna Woolven who was denied by a superb stick save from Fagg, who also denied Sarah Haycroft twice in the closing stages as the game opened up.

Canterbury piled on pressure late-on and won a series of penalty corners, however the best chance fell to Eliza Brett after a long ball forward from Clewlow, only for Walker to make a superb save to deny the city club player and ensure her side the title.

The previous day Canterbury had booked their place in the final with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Clifton.

Two goals in quick succession from player-coach Jen Wilson and Nikki Lloyd put the city club 2-0 ahead inside 21 minutes and though Claire Thomas pulled one back before the break, and the Bristol side mounted serious pressure, it was Canterbury who reached their second-straight final.