L1 Visit Holcombe On Saturday
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Ladies travel to Holcombe on Saturday as the first part of a weekend double header which will help determine where they finish after the first half of the Vitality Women's Hockey League Premier Division season.
The game at Holcombe Park (2 pm) comes against a Holcombe team which have disappointed this season with only one win and two draws in their first eight games.
The win came in their last match at Buckingham, a team which has dropped from fourth to eighth over the last few weeks, before a brief respite on goal difference to seventh following the University of Birmingham's 7-0 home defeat to East Grinstead.
Holcombe started with a 2-1 defeat at Beeston before drawing 2-2 at home to the University of Birmingham. A 2-0 loss at Wimbledon was followed by a second draw at home to Clifton Robinsons before a run of three games without scoring saw them lose 1-0 at Loughborough Students, 3-0 at Hampstead & Westminster and 2-0 at home to East Grinstead.
Half of Holcombe's six goals have been scored by Candice Manuel with Izzy Shelley scoring twice and the sixth goal scored by Becky Law.
Manuel was Holcombe's scorer on the only occasion that they have beaten Surbiton at Holcombe Park, 1-0 in November 2018 and on Surbiton's last visit to Holcombe in October 2019, they won 4-3, Robyn Collins, Erica Sanders, Georgie Twigg and Eloise Stenner scoring for Surbiton with current Surbiton player, Steph Elliott amongst Holcombe's scorers.
Surbiton last played Holcombe at Sugden Road in February 2020, Jenna Woolven and Alice Sharp helping Surbiton to a 2-1 win, Lorna-Jane Cruickshank replying for Holcombe.
Surbiton then go to East Grinstead on Sunday in the match postponed in October due to both teams' participation in Europe.
Elsewhere on Saturday, it's Hampstead & Westminster's turn to have a bye week before they play Surbiton on the last day of the season before the winter break.
East Grinstead visit Buckingham; third placed Wimbledon travel to Clifton Robinsons who will be belatedly celebrating their 500th regular season Premier Division match on home turf; Beeston, aiming to clinch their top six place, go to Swansea and Loughborough Students and the University of Birmingham meet at Loughborough knowing that defeat will end their chances of making a late run for a top six spot and that even a victory may mean nothing if Beeston win and Clifton Robinsons get a point.