W1 Visit Loughborough On Saturday
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Women visit Loughborough Students on Saturday as the Women's Hockey League Top Six reaches the mid-point of Phase Two.
Push back at Loughborough University is at 1400.
With three games left until the end of Phase Two and the first European place awarded to the team finishing top, Surbiton trail leaders Hampstead & Westminster by five points and second-placed Reading by one point, but with Hampstead scheduled to meet Surbiton on the penultimate weekend, and Reading in the final round of matches, the race to finish first is far from over.
Surbiton had to battle before earning the three points on offer when Loughborough visited Sugden Road in October, Rowena Hearn and Kirsten Oudshoorn putting the Students ahead twice before Surbiton fought back to win 3-2, Lottie Ross having equalised the first time, Ellie Mackenzie scoring the second leveller and Darcy Bourne proving to be the match winner.
The match report for the first meeting with Loughborough, including a link to the match video via Surbiton HC on You Tube can be found here.
Oudshoorn is Loughborough's top goalscorer with five goals, closely followed by Liv Breed and Madeleine Goodman on four. Sam McCrory has netted three times, former Surbiton player Jess Dyson is joined by Hollie Dring-Richardson and Beth Alexander on two and Becca Malyon, Ellen Reid, Hearn. Amy Cradden and another former Surbiton player, Pippi Spawforth have all scored once this season.
Loughborough made a late run to qualify for the Top Six for the first time, having previously qualified for the eight team playoffs by finishing in the top two places of the Lower Six.
Loughborough won their last three games in 2024 to qualify and although they have struggled in 2025 by losing their first two games of 2025 to Hampstead and Reading, both defeats were by single goal margins, showing that the University side are competitive.
Surbiton last visited Loughborough in October 2023 when they came away from Leicestershire with a 4-1 victory, Martha Taylor, Josie Hippe, Meg Dowthwaite and Steph Elliott scoring, McCrory initially equalising for Loughborough as the score was 1-1 after just seven minutes.
After a brief blip against Reading with a 2-2 draw, Surbiton got back to winning ways last week at Wimbledon, Bourne's two penalty strokes helping Surbiton to a 4-1 win at Raynes Park High School. Izzy Petter scored for the second successive match and Sophie Hamilton's individual goal giving them their biggest win over Wimbledon in the Premier Division and avenging October's 2-1 home defeat.
Former Surbiton player, Olivia Chilton scored Wimbledon's consolation goal. Bourne is now Surbiton's top scorer on nine goals, two ahead of Ellie Mackenzie with Erica Sanders on four.
The top three teams are all away from home on Saturday as Hampstead travel to Wimbledon and Reading visit East Grinstead.
In the Lower Six, just two points separate first to fourth (seventh to tenth overall). Bowdon and the University of Nottingham are currently on course to qualify for the playoffs. Bowdon visit Sutton Coldfield, who will need a miracle to avoid an immediate return to Division One and the University of Nottingham go to Bristol to take on Clifton Robinsons as the table order could change yet again.
Holcombe are three points adrift of the second qualifying place and they go to the University of Birmingham, who will aim to keep up the pressure on the Top Two places.