W1 At Home To Loughborough Students On Saturday
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Women host Loughborough Students for the second time this season in the Women's Hockey League Premier Division on Saturday (push back 1530).
Supporters unable to attend Sugden Road can watch the game via the Surbiton Hockey Club channel on You Tube here.
If the game ends in a draw, both teams will get a point with a post-match shootout held with the winners receiving a bonus point.
If Surbiton and Reading both win after 70 minutes on Saturday, then both teams will qualify from Pool B for the Finals Weekend at Nottingham Hockey Centre on 3/ 4 May, with their meeting at Sugden Road on 26 April to decide which team finishes top of the pool.
But both Loughborough and Reading's opponents, Clifton Robinsons will be determined to remain in contention for qualification when the final round of fixtures are played.
Surbiton beat Clifton Robinsons 6-1 last weekend, with Reading beating Loughborough Students 4-2.
Loughborough lost narrowly 3-2 on their last visit to Sugden Road in October, leading twice through Rowena Hearn and Kirsten Oudshoorn, Darcy Bourne's 58th minute penalty corner proving decisive after first Lottie Ross and then Ellie Mackenzie levelled for Surbiton.
Surbiton were more clinical when they visited Leicestershire on 15 March, winning 5-0 after the first quarter ended goalless. Bourne and Mackenzie were on the scoresheet again, Mackenzie scoring twice and Bourne scoring early in the third quarter. Erica Sanders opened the scoring in the 24th minute and Giselle Ansley sealed the victory in the 56th minute.
Loughborough are currently trying to end a six game losing run, having won their last three games in Phase One to qualify for the Top Six.
Oudshoorn remains Loughborough's top scorer with five goals, closely supported by Beth Alexander, Liv Breed and Madeleine Goodman, all on four goals. Sam McCrory and former Surbiton player, Jess Dyson have scored three goals, whilst Hollie Dring-Richardson is on two goals.
Another former Surbiton player, Pippi Spawforth, is one of six Loughborough players who have found the net once this season, Becca Malyon, Ellen Reid, Hearn, Amy Cradden and Mhairi Low, the others.
Meanwhile, Surbiton bounced back from their 5-3 home defeat to East Grinstead against Clifton Robinsons, Bourne scoring her 13th goal of the campaign from the penalty spot against the Bristol club.
Mackenzie is on 9, with Sanders on 6. Sophie Hamilton has scored 4 goals, with Alice Wills netting a brace last week to join Hamilton on 4. Issy Yonge and Jordan Homann have scored 3 goals, Martha Taylor, Meg Dowthwaite, Alice Sharp, Izzy Petter and Ansley are on 2.
Ross and Liz Thompson have scored once this season along with Eloise Stenner who scored for the first time this season with Surbiton's sixth goal against Clifton Robinsons.
Clifton's match at Reading starts at 1700.
In Pool A, Hampstead & Westminster beat Bowdon 2-0 and East Grinstead defeated Wimbledon by the same score. On Saturday, Wimbledon travel to Hampstead and Bowdon make the long trip to West Sussex. Hampstead and East Grinstead can book their Finals Weekend places if they both win.
The relegation places from the Premier Division were confirmed last weekend when Holcombe joined Sutton Coldfield in next season's Division One line-up after a chastening 6-0 loss at the University of Birmingham.
The two relegated teams meet in Kent, with a Midlands university battle in the Second City as the University of Birmingham take on the University of Nottingham. Birmingham can confirm an overall ninth-placed finish with a victory.