W1 At Home To Wimbledon On Sunday Afternoon
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Women host Wimbledon on Sunday afternoon at Sugden Road in their second Vitality Women's Hockey League Premier Division match of the weekend (push back 2 pm).
Surbiton are playing the only two teams to beat them in the 2022-23 season this weekend and started in fine form with a 4-1 away win at reigning champions, East Grinstead on Saturday afternoon.
Wimbledon were the only team to defeat Surbiton in the 2022-23 regular season in October 2022, Megan Crowson's penalty stroke and Fiona Burnet giving Wimbledon a 2-1 home win, Darcy Bourne replying for Surbiton at Raynes Park High School.
In February 2023, Surbiton returned the favour with a 2-1 victory at Sugden Road, Hannah French and Sophie Hamilton scoring for Surbiton, Flora Peel briefly equalising for Wimbledon.
It was only the second time that Wimbledon had played a Premier Division league game at Sugden Road after a 1-1 draw in October 2021 when Bourne was once more Surbiton's scorer, Fiona Crackles scoring for Wimbledon.
The teams had avoided each other in the South Clubs' Women's Hockey League with Wimbledon being relegated from Division One and swapping places with Surbiton in 2008-09.
Wimbledon were promoted back to the Premier Division in 2019-20, but the teams' first historic meeting was delayed due to Covid-19 preventing their scheduled meetings from going ahead in the 2020-21 season. The first-ever meeting was at Sugden Road in October 2021, but Steph Elliott's winning goal in February gave Surbiton their first-ever victory over Wimbledon.
Wimbledon started the 2023-24 season with a 2-1 home defeat to Beeston before drawing their next two games, 2-2 at Clifton Robinsons and 0-0 at home to Loughborough Students. A 3-2 home win over East Grinstead was followed by a 1-1 draw at Bowdon before their 2-1 home victory over Hampstead & Westminster.
Becky Manton is Wimbledon's leading goalscorer this season with four goals with Beth Bingham, Fiona Burnet, Olivia Chilton, Lucy Holder and Harriet Naismith each having scored once.
After Saturday's matches, Wimbledon are fourth, six points behind Surbiton.
The match versus Wimbledon will be viewable via the Surbiton Hockey Club livestream on You Tube here.
Elsewhere on Sunday, second-placed Reading travel to bottom club Isca & University of Exeter and third-placed Bowdon, who are still unbeaten in the Premier Division this season, having won three and drawn three of their six matches, visit Beeston.
Hampstead & Westminster host East Grinstead; Clifton Robinsons are at home to Loughborough Students and there is a Midlands University battle as the University of Nottingham make the trip from East to West to take on the University of Birmingham.