W1 Host University of Nottingham On Saturday
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Women play their first home Women's Hockey League Premier Division match of the season when the University of Nottingham visit Sugden Road on Saturday (push back 3 pm).
Any supporters who can't get to Sugden Road can watch the match via the Surbiton Hockey Club channel on You Tube here
Surbiton began the defence of their WHL championship with a 2-0 win at Clifton Robinsons last Saturday, Issy Yonge and Jordan Homann getting Surbiton off to the perfect start.
Homann is set to face her former club on her home debut and if she scores, will have scored for both teams in the fixture, having scored the first goal in the League Finals Pool A match at Sugden Road in March when Surbiton won 6-2.
Nottingham were playing in the Midlands League as recently as 2018-19, but have made an impact in national league hockey, winning the Conference North (Tier 3) in their first season in 2019-20. Progress was delayed by the truncated 2020-21 season, but in 2021-22, they duly lifted the Division One North title to win promotion to the Premier Division.
Surbiton have won all four meetings, of which three have been at Sugden Road. In 2022-23 Surbiton won 4-0, and won 5-0 on their only visit to Nottingham Hockey Centre's fourth pitch last November.
Nottingham then visited Elmbridge twice in the space of a month, losing 6-1 in the Premier Division in February and 6-2 in the League Finals in March. Leah Wilkinson, now at Old Georgians, scored in each of the three Premier Division meetings before the run ended in the League Finals match-up.
Having just missed out on Top Six qualification in 2022-23, Nottingham finished fifth in 2023-24 before a third place finish in League Finals Pool A behind the two finalists, Surbiton and Hampstead & Westminster.
Nottingham also made a winning start last Saturday, Maddie Axford scoring the only goal in a 1-0 home win over Bowdon.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Sutton Coldfield meet East Grinstead for the first time as Sutton host a Premier Division match for the first time since 2014.
The other promoted side, Holcombe make the long trip to Bowdon as the teams meet in the top-flight for the first time since 2019-20. Reading are at home to Clifton Robinsons for the first time since October 2022.
The University of Birmingham have never beaten Hampstead & Westminster in the Premier Division, but will aiming to make history at Paddington Recreation Ground, whilst Wimbledon are at home to Loughborough Students, the last meeting in South West London ending goalless in September 2023.