M1 Beat Brooklands MU 9-1
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Men beat Brooklands Manchester University 9-1 on Saturday evening to go top of the Men's Hockey League Premier Division.
And although Old Georgians beat Holcombe 2-1 on Sunday, Surbiton stayed top having scored five more goals than their Surrey rivals (23 to 18) with both teams having a goal difference of plus 16.
Wimbledon, having played a game more than the top two, are third after an 8-0 home win over the University of Durham saw them join Surbiton and Old Georgians on twelve points but with a goal difference of plus 15.
Hampstead & Westminster dropped two points as they were held to a 2-2 draw at Beeston.
Surbiton beat the North-West club 8-1 on the opening day of last season, but went one better in the 2021-22 campaign after Brooklands took the lead.
Nick Hale put Brooklands ahead in the 15th minute, but five goals in the last ten minutes of the first half put Surbiton firmly in control.
Rob Farrington equalised from open play in the 25th minute before Ben Boon put Surbiton ahead for the first time from a 30th minute penalty corner.
Two minutes later, it was Luke Taylor's turn to convert a penalty corner, with Farrington scoring his second goal in the 33rd minute.
A penalty stroke just before half time gave Taylor his second goal of the game and left Brooklands stunned as they faced the second half with a 5-1 deficit.
After the late first half goal blitz, Surbiton had to wait until the 54th minute to extend their lead and then scored three goals in as many minutes as Brooklands battled to stem the tide for a second time.
Taylor's 54th minute penalty stroke to complete his hat-trick, was followed two minutes later by David Goodfield scoring from open play, with Taylor again on target in the 57th minute, claiming his fourth goal of the night from yet another penalty corner.
Just when Brooklands thought that it couldn't get any worse, Boon completed the scoring from open play in the last minute to make the final score 9-1.
Records indicate that Surbiton Men last scored nine goals in the Men's Hockey League Premier Division on 7 May 2006, when Old Loughtonians were beaten 9-4 at Sugden Road. Matt Daly scored four goals for Surbiton, James Tindall netted a hat-trick with Tim Pinnock also scoring twice.
Alex Jennings scored a brace for Old Loughtonians with the other goals coming from Oiiver Didham and Mike Hughes.
In the other match in the 2021-22 Premier Division, Oxted beat the University of Exeter 2-1.