W1 Head To East Grinstead On Saturday
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Women head to East Grinstead for their third Women's Hockey League Premier Division match on Saturday (push back at Saint Hill is at 1600).
Supporters unable to get to West Sussex can watch the game via the stream on the East Grinstead Hockey TV channel on You Tube here.
Surbiton are top of the Premier Division table on goal difference from Durham University who have made an immediate impact in their first season in the top-flight after a stunning 7-1 home win over the University of Nottingham last weekend following a 2-1 home win over Clifton Robinsons on day one.
Surbiton were very impressive as they beat reigning champions, Reading 4-1 at Sonning Lane last Saturday with Erica Sanders' open play brace complemented by penalty corner strikes by Amy Costello and Giselle Ansley.
East Grinstead are in mid-table after mixed fortunes in their first two matches, losing 3-0 at Hampstead & Westminster on the opening day and rebounding back to a 2-0 win at Clifton Robinsons, Carlota Gomez and Julia Balcerzak scoring for the visitors.
Surbiton last met East Grinstead at Nottingham Hockey Centre in the semi-final of the Premier Division finals in May, Surbiton winning 3-2 to book their place in the final against eventual champions Reading.
The two league meetings were won by the away team, Surbiton winning 2-0 at Saint Hill in October before East Grinstead gained their revenge in March, prevailing 5-3 at Sugden Road.
Historically, Surbiton have been dominant winning 16 of 24 meetings, but East Grinstead thrashed Surbiton 6-1 in West Sussex in the last Premier Division match in 2019-20 before Covid-19 struck, and ended Surbiton's runs of league titles in 2022-23 with a stunning 3-2 win in the final at Sugden Road.
Incredibly, less than a month before East Grinstead's triumph, Surbiton had beaten them 8-2 on their own pitch, giving little indication that Surbiton's run of championships was going to be interrupted.
Along with Balcerzak, East Grinstead recruited Beth Alexander and Rowena Hearn from Loughborough Students.
Elsewhere, Durham University play their first away game of the season as they make the relatively short trip to Bowdon, who are looking for their first point. Durham have the top scorer in the Premier Division, Lizzy Pocknell, whose three goals all came against Nottingham.
Hampstead & Westminster and the University of Birmingham are also on maximum points at the top of the table and are both at home on Saturday having kept clean sheets in both of their opening matches. Hampstead are at home to Clifton Robinsons and Birmingham welcome Wimbledon to the West Midlands as the visitors aim to become the first teams to breach each of the home defences.
Barnes, who have struggled in their maiden Premier Division season travel to Loughborough Students and the University of Nottingham are at home to Reading.