M1 Stay Top Of MHL Premier Division Table After 4-2 Win Over Beeston
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Men stayed at the top of the Men's Hockey League Premier Division table after a 4-2 home win over Beeston on Saturday afternoon.
Along with Old Georgians and Holcombe, Surbiton have maximum points after the first two games of the season.
Nikolaus Habbel and Theun De Leeuw made their league debuts for Surbiton on a pleasantly warm day at Sugden Road.
Tom Sorsby gave Surbiton the lead in the 15th minute with a shot into the roof of the net giving Beeston goalkeeper Simon Hujwan no chance.
Alan Forsyth doubled Surbiton's advantage with another fine finish in the 38th minute, but Beeston immediately hit back a minute later, Richard Lawrence reducing the deficit to 2-1.
In the 45th minute, Ben Boon put away a rebound after Luke Taylor's drag-flick was saved from Surbiton's second penalty corner to extend the hosts' lead to 3-1.
Beeston didn't give up and with six minutes remaining, Henry Croft scored a second goal to give the Nottingham club hope of at least going back to the East Midlands with a point.
However any hopes of last season's heroics when Beeston came back from 3-2 down to win 4-3 were ended in the 69th minute when Zach Wallace finished from short range to secure all three points.
After winning 4-3 at Beeston last week, reigning champions Hampstead & Westminster were beaten 4-3 by newly promoted Old Georgians.
Holcombe are third on goal difference after a 2-0 victory at the University of Exeter.
East Grinstead had to come back from 3-1 down before beating Brooklands Manchester University 5-3 in West Sussex.
And Reading bounced back from last Saturday's 10-1 home defeat to Surbiton by drawing 2-2 at Wimbledon.