W1 Host Wimbledon On Saturday Night
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Women welcome Wimbledon to Sugden Road on Saturday night for a local derby in the Women's Hockey League Premier Division, push back 1800.
Supporters unable to attend can watch the match via the Surbiton Hockey Club channel on You Tube here
After a six-point weekend which saw Surbiton beat Loughborough Students 9-1 at home on Saturday and then win 3-2 at Clifton Robinsons on Sunday, Surbiton still find themselves locked together with Hampstead & Westminster on 19 points at the top of the table, with an eleven better goal difference than their Paddington Recreation Ground rivals.
And with a tantalising top of the table clash in prospect at the Maida Vale venue next weekend, Surbiton will want to go into the key match with the advantage, knowing that Hampstead will be heavy favourites going into their away trip to the University of Nottingham on Saturday afternoon.
Wimbledon shocked Surbiton in the corresponding fixture last season as they came from behind to win 2-1, Megan Crowson and Phoebe Barnett giving the visitors the points after Martha Taylor put Surbiton 1-0 ahead on the weekend of the Men's Euro Hockey League KO16 tournament.
Surbiton gained their revenge in the reverse fixture in March, winning 4-1 at Raynes Park High School, Darcy Bourne scoring twice alongside Izzy Petter and Sophie Hamilton, whilst Wimbledon's consolation goal came from former Surbiton player, Olivia Chilton.
Chilton is in line to return to her former club alongside Hannah French, who has joined Wimbledon for a new challenge.
French and Chilton have both scored one goal apiece this season with Flo Fletcher leading the way with three goals supported by Millie Holme and Anna Toman on two goals, Holme having scored in both matches last week.
Becky Manton, Hannah Bond, Charlotte Watson and Sarah Jones have also found the net once this season.
Wimbledon are unbeaten in their last six games after an opening day 2-1 home defeat to Reading, but have lost ground with two draws. Wimbledon won 4-0 at Barnes before drawing 4-4 at the University of Birmingham. A home draw with Loughborough Students saw the first goalless result in the Premier Division since the previous occurrence in September 2023 when the same two teams drew at the same venue, Raynes Park High School.
Wimbledon have won their last three games: 1-0 at Durham University; and two home wins last weekend: 2-1 v Clifton Robinsons on Saturday and 1-0 over Bowdon on Sunday.
Meanwhile Surbiton were in unstoppable form last Saturday as Bourne scored four goals in a second successive home game, having achieved the feat in the 8-0 victory over the University of Nottingham as well as the 9-1 win over Loughborough.
They were always ahead on Sunday at Clifton Robinsons but had to battle for the 3-2 win after Clifton threatened after scoring a second goal in the penultimate minute.
Surbiton conceded their first open play of the campaign on Sunday when Jennifer Hughes scored Clifton's first goal, but they are yet to conceded a goal before half time after seven games, a feat which East Grinstead matched in 2018-19 before conceding in their eighth match.
And in addition to not conceding in the first 35 minutes, Surbiton have contrived to lead 2-0 at half time in their last six league games.
Elsewhere on Saturday, it's East Grinstead's turn to make the long trip to Bowdon, although Barnes have a longer trip to Durham University for a key game, Barnes having beaten the University of Nottingham 2-0 at home on Sunday for their first points of the season.
Having lost by single goal margins on both games last weekend, Clifton Robinsons travel to the University of Birmingham with the intention of gaining some momentum to help lift them of the bottom of the table.
Reading head to Loughborough Students to face an unpredictable University team which crashed to Surbiton last Saturday, but led East Grinstead 2-0 in West Sussex on Saturday before going down 3-2 courtesy of another Biba Mills inspired comeback.