M1 Host Reading On Saturday Night
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Men go into the second half of the season by welcoming Reading to Sugden Road on Saturday Night (push back 6 pm).
Last weekend, Surbiton beat Hampstead & Westminster 8-4 on Saturday night and then made the short trip to Raynes Park High School and won 2-1 at Wimbledon.
With a six point lead over second placed Wimbledon with a game in hand and a seven point advantage over third placed Old Georgians, Surbiton cannot afford to relax as they aim to keep up the pressure on their rivals.
Reading come to Elmbridge still looking for their first win in the league this season and will want to improve on their opening night performance when they lost 10-1 to Surbiton under the Sonning Lane floodlights.
Ben Boon and Luke Taylor both scored hat-tricks with Rob Farrington scoring twice and Alan Forsyth and Arjan Drayton-Chana helping Surbiton start the season in emphatic fashion.
Reading went to Wimbledon and drew 2-2 and their other point also came in a 2-2 draw at Beeston but otherwise, Reading have lost seven of their nine games.
Most disappointing was a 3-0 reverse at home to the University of Exeter, currently ninth and likely to battle with Reading for the automatic relegation place or the promotion playoffs.
There has been some optimism as they suffered narrow defeats to Holcombe 2-3; East Grinstead 1-2 and Hampstead 3-4 but their last two matches have seen them lose 3-1 in the return match at East Grinstead and 4-1 at Brooklands Manchester University last Sunday.
Andrew Oxburgh, the scorer of their consolation goal against Surbiton is their leading goalscorer with four goals whilst Peter Scott and Charlie Ellison have both found the net twice.
Jatinder Bachu, Louis Gittens, Terry Kynaston and Stuart Loughrey have all scored once with Ciaran O'Connell becoming the latest player to score for Reading at Brooklands.
The Surbiton fixture is the only game on Saturday. On Sunday, Old Georgians host Brooklands; Wimbledon make the long trip to the University of Exeter; reigning champions, Hampstead & Westminster are at home to Holcombe as part of a men's and women's doubleheader and East Grinstead take on Beeston in West Sussex.