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5 Star Taylor Helps M1 Win 7-1 At Beeston

 

8th March 2020

By Colin Pike

Luke Taylor converted five out of five penalty corners to help Surbiton to a convincing 7-1 win against Beeston at Nottingham Hockey Centre on Sunday afternoon.

Taylor took his total for the season to 28 goals with 27 coming from penalty corners as Beeston were completely overwhelmed.

Surbiton came close to keeping their third consecutive clean sheet but Adam Dixon rifled Beeston's fourth penalty corner into the top corner beyond Harry Gibson in the last minute.

Beeston attacked at the start and put Surbiton under pressure with two penalty corners in the first six minutes. 

However it was Taylor who opened the scoring in the tenth minute with a precision drag-flick past Beeston goalkeeper, Simon Hujwan.

Chris Proctor had a shot for Beeston in the 13th minute and then nearly set up an equalising goal six minutes later when Dixon failed to convert a cross from the right.

Instead, in the 21st minute it was deja-vu time as Taylor doubled Surbiton's lead with a carbon copy trademark penalty corner.

With five minutes to play in the first half the action was end to end as Beeston and Surbiton took it in turns to attack but Surbiton gradually took control of possession just before half time, Beeston able to defend comfortably.

Surbiton's third goal came in the 48th minute, Taylor completing his hat-trick with a drag-flick somehow eluding Beeston's penalty corner defence and Hujwan.

Three minutes later, Surbiton finally scored from open play, Alan Forsyth scoring his twentieth goal of the season as Beeston failed to cope with the visitors' attacking move.

Taylor struck again in the 55th minute as Surbiton led 5-0 and scored his fifth goal, and Surbiton's sixth with ten minutes to play, maintaining a one hundred per cent conversion record.

In the 62nd minute, Arjan Drayton Chana's cross from the right was turned in from the left of the circle by David Goodfield to give Surbiton an amazing 7-0 lead.

Surbiton did well to defend Beeston's third penalty corner a minute later, but could do nothing about Dixon's effort in the last minute which gave Beeston's supporters something to cheer on what otherwise was an immensely disappointing afternoon in the East Midlands.

Former Surbiton player, Morgan Males was in the Beeston squad but sadly had to limp off the pitch due to injury.

Surbiton go into the last match of the regular season against Wimbledon with a nine point lead over Hampstead & Westminster. Hampstead won 6-1 at East Grinstead to stay two points ahead of third-placed Wimbledon, also 6-1 winners, at home to Holcombe.

Old Georgians won 5-2 at the University of Exeter and the race to avoid automatic relegation will not be decided until next weekend after Reading came from 1-0 down to beat Brooklands Manchester University 3-1 and close to within one point of Brooklands and two points of the University of Exeter. Two of the three teams will finish ninth and tenth and the third will avoid the prospect of relegation completely.

As next Sunday sees the last round of matches, all games will start at 2 pm. Surbiton host Wimbledon on Old Members Day.