W1 Start League Defence With 2-0 Win At Clifton Robinsons
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Women started the defence of their Women's Hockey League Premier Division title with a 2-0 win at Clifton Robinsons on Saturday lunchtime.
Surbiton took on Clifton Robinsons for the first time at Clifton College, having played all their previous meetings in Bristol at Coombe Dingle, but maintained their excellent historical league record over their hosts, who have only beaten Surbiton once in the Premier Division since 2012-13, a 1-0 win at Sugden Road in March 2020.
This was the third time that Surbiton had played Clifton in the first match of the season, with both previous matches ending as draws: 1-1 in 2013-14 and 2-2 in 2021-22.
Liz Thompson, Jordan Homann and Ellie Mackenzie all made their Surbiton debuts after signing during the summer with Giselle Ansley and Hannah French set to spend the first half of the season in Australia playing in the Hockey One competition.
The floodlights were needed but the predicted rain never arrived with the skies even brightening at one point of the match. Both teams struggled to settle down in the first five minutes before Surbiton started to threaten with Sophie Hamilton running towards goal and Mackenzie forcing a save from Aline De Visser.
Surbiton started to find their passing rhythm with Alice Wills, Issy Yonge, Holly Payne and Mackenzie putting together a nice move and Eloise Stenner thwarted by Clifton's Sarah-Jayne Thorburn.
Phoebe Richards ended another Yonge attack before the end of a scoreless first quarter.
Surbiton's attacking intent continued in the second quarter as Katie Curtis forced a glove save from De Visser and Darcy Bourne was unlucky not to put the ball away after a lobbed ball caught the Clifton Robinsons defence out.
Ten minutes before half time, Yonge found the backboard to put Surbiton ahead before wheeling away in celebration of the champions' first goal of the season. Clifton could have gone two goals down just before the interval after a Hamilton celebration set up a Meg Dowthwaite attack, only for Lauren Dunn to rescue the situation for the home team.
Clifton had been encouraged by their supporters just before half time as Surbiton goalkeeper Amber Walton saved from the hosts' first penalty corner and when Clifton did get into the Surbiton circle, they couldn't quite take advantage with the Surbiton defenders calmly clearing the ball.
In the third quarter, a passing move down the left wing involving Thompson and Martha Taylor didn't quite work out and Bourne's hard hit angled shot from the right whistled past the left post.
With fifteen minutes to play, Mackenzie looked to have doubled Surbiton's lead with Bourne in the circle, but the goal was disallowed with the shot judged to have been made from outside the circle. But two minutes later, Homann made no mistake from Surbiton's fifth penalty corner to ensure that Surbiton returned to Surrey with all three points.
Elsewhere in the Premier Division, Sutton Coldfield's return to the top flight for the first time since 2013-14 was spoilt as the University of Birmingham won 8-0 at home. Hannah Pearce netted a hat-trick including two penalty strokes after Hannah Atkinson opened the scoring. Lily Sokhi, Carter Ayars, Coca Hall and Sarah Parkinson-Mills added to Sutton's agony, Sutton having lost 7-0 at Beeston on the opening day of that 2013-14 season before being relegated via the Promotion Tournament.
The other promoted club, Holcombe celebrated a 2-1 home win over Wimbledon. Olivia Shannon put Holcombe ahead in the 54th minute only for Beth Bingham to level with four minutes to play. But the Kent club were not to be denied with Emma Bandurak securing the win in the penultimate minute.
Reading won 2-1 at Loughborough Students. Reading led twice through Emma McKenzie Findlay and Mia Moore either side of Sam McCrory's equaliser for the Leicestershire side.
The remaining two matches were each settled by a single goal. Summer Knight Thompson's 58th minute strike was enough for East Grinstead to beat Hampstead & Westminster and Maddie Axford's penalty corner conversion with just ten minutes remaining earned three points for the University of Nottingham v Bowdon.
The University of Nottingham are Surbiton's opponents at Sugden Road on 28 September, push back 3 pm. Surbiton won 6-2 in the League Finals Pool stage and 6-1 in the Premier Division at home and also won 5-0 in the Premier Division at Nottingham Hockey Centre.