W1 Drop To Fourth After Hampstead Home Defeat
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Women dropped to fourth in the Women's Hockey League Premier Division after losing for only the second time to Hampstead & Westminster in the top-flight as a goal in each half gave the visitors a 2-0 win.
Surbiton had also lost 2-0 at Sugden Road on the other occasion Hampstead won in March 2022.
After morning rain, the game was played in pleasant sunny conditions with Hampstead dominating the early possession before Surbiton forced three successive penalty corners from the fifth minute, Hampstead goalkeeper Miriam Pritchard saving from Ellie Mackenzie from the first award on the way to what would prove to be a well earned clean sheet.
Surbiton seemed to have built momentum, especially when Erica Sanders was unlucky not to finish off an excellent passing move with her shot just going wide of the right post, but it was Hampstead who opened the scoring, Rose Tynan connecting on an angled pass from the left in the 21st minute.
Hampstead defended eleven penalty corners in the course of the match, helped by Pritchard's heroics and but for an Amber Walton glove save in the second quarter and a shot over the Surbiton crossbar in the third, could have extended their lead before Sofia Martin doubled the visitors lead in the 50th minute, perfectly positioned to tap the ball into the goal to clinch their fourth successive win since an opening day 1-0 defeat at East Grinstead and move up to second behind Reading.
Surbiton travel to Reading to face the league leaders at 3.30 on Sunday afternoon, the Berkshire club having done the league double last season with a 3-2 home win on opening day and a 6-3 victory at Sugden Road in the final regular season match. Inexplicably, Reading failed to progress from the League Finals pools to make the final four matchups back at Surbiton, but have made an excellent start this season by winning all five games this season.
The match will be played at Sonning Lane, Reading RG4 6ST.
Reading won 2-1 at Loughborough Students; 3-0 at home to Clifton Robinsons; 6-0 at the University of Birmingham and 7-2 at home to Sutton Coldfield before coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Holcombe on Saturday afternoon.
Olivia Shannon put Holcombe 2-0 up after just nine minutes but Georgia Jones, Anna-Ross Gabbitass and Anna Crowley with a winner in the penultimate minute, preserved Reading's one hundred per cent record.
Mia Moore leads the Reading goalscoring charts with four goals, Abbie Dixon, Jones and Caroline Spence each have three, Emma McKenzie Findlay and Lorna Mackenzie have each scored twice with Jemima Copeman, Jo Pinner (a former Surbiton player), Gabbitass and Crowley each scoring once.
East Grinstead are third after a 1-1 draw at Wimbledon, Lily Walker putting the West Sussex club ahead before Sarah Jones equalised with eight minutes left.
The University of Birmingham joined Surbiton on nine points after a thrilling 4-3 win at Bowdon. Lily Sokhi scored twice with Sarah Parkinson-Mills and Lottie Bingham also scoring for the West Midlands students whilst Freya Bellamy, Alia Jacques and Georgia Carroll replied for Bowdon.
Having lost 6-1 at Surbiton, the University of Nottingham won 6-1 at Sutton Coldfield thanks to a hat-trick from Maddie Axford and a brace from Holly Nixon. Monica Watkins scored their other goal with Emma McCabe notching Sutton Coldfield's consolation.
Clifton Robinsons earned their first win of the season beating Loughborough Students 3-2 at Clifton College. Loughborough led 2-0 courtesy of Madeleine Goodman and Kirsten Oudshoorn, but a second half comeback with goals from Caitlin Witham, Sarah-Jayne Thorburn and Zoe Cullum's 69th minute decider saw the Bristol club lift themselves to parity with their visitors on four points.
On Sunday, in addition to Reading hosting Surbiton, Hampstead are at home to Wimbledon; East Grinstead welcome Holcombe to Saint Hill; Clifton Robinsons visit the University of Birmingham; Sutton Coldfield look for their first points of the season at Bowdon and Loughborough Students take on the University of Nottingham in an East Midlands university derby.