L1 Travel To Beeston On Saturday
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Ladies play their last away game in the first half of the Vitality Women's Hockey League Premier Division season when they visit Beeston on Saturday afternoon.
Push back at Nottingham Hockey Centre is 2 pm.
Surbiton will be aiming to follow up last Saturday's 2-0 win at Hampstead & Westminster by maintaining their one hundred per cent record at Nottingham Hockey Centre having won on all five previous visits.
In March, Surbiton stunned Beeston with a 7-1 win in the East Midlands, a month after being held 1-1 at Sugden Road. Darcy Bourne scored four goals with Maddie Long, Georgie Twigg and Alice Sharp also scoring, Lucy Millington scoring Beeston's consolation goal.
The teams didn't meet in 2020-21 but Surbiton won 3-1 in both 2018-19 and 2019-20 after Beeston had been promoted in 2017-18.
The previous two meetings took place in 2013-14 when Surbiton won 6-2 and 2014-15 when Beeston lost 3-2, former Surbiton player Erica Sanders scoring for Beeston. Sanders also scored for Surbiton against Beeston in the 3-1 win in December 2019 and by a quirk of fate, the other player to have scored for both teams in this fixture also has the initials "ES", Eloise Stenner scoring in Beeston's only win at Surbiton, 2-1 in November 2018 and for Surbiton in their 2-0 win, also at Sugden Road in September 2021.
Beeston's target this season has been to build on last season's fifth place finish and the Nottingham club are fourth, six points behind Surbiton going into their ninth game of the season.
Last weekend they battled to a goalless draw at home to Wimbledon, following a gritty 3-3 draw at East Grinstead. Beeston's only defeat so far this season came in a 3-0 loss at Clifton Robinsons, but a 3-1 win at Holcombe and a 2-0 home win over the University of Nottingham helped them get over that disappointment.
Beeston had started the season with a 2-2 home draw against very near neighbours, the University of Nottingham. followed by a 2-1 victory at Buckingham and a 3-1 home win over the other newly promoted team, Reading.
Lauren Burrell is Beeston's leading goalscorer with five goals with Cerys Miller, who scored in the 1-1 draw at Sugden Road last season, on three goals. Nadia Benallal, Millington and Rosy Stephens have each scored twice with Sophie Robinson having found the net once.
Beeston's draw enabled Surbiton to extend their lead in the Premier Division to five points over second placed Wimbledon, who will be hoping that fortunes are reversed this weekend and that Surbiton drop points whilst Wimbledon win at Holcombe.
Third placed East Grinstead host the University of Nottingham for the first time, whilst Hampstead & Westminster will be hoping for a Beeston slip up so they can move up the table with a win at Reading in Saturday's evening game.
Buckingham, who earned their first points of the season last weekend at home to the University of Birmingham, visit Clifton Robinsons who are hanging on to sixth place on goal difference from Loughborough Students. Loughborough visit the University of Birmingham for a Midlands derby.
Surbiton's game at Beeston can also be seen on Bee TV (@BeeTV1907) via You Tube as the game will be streamed.