M1 Beat Beeston 3-0
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Men are top of Premier Division League Finals Pool B after an opening 3-0 home win against Beeston at Sugden Road on Saturday night.
The game versus Beeston can be watched back via the Surbiton Hockey Club channel on You Tube here.
Oxted are second after beating Holcombe 3-2 in a shootout after a 2-2 draw at Holcombe Park, to collect two points compared with Holcombe's one.
After a warm and sunny day in Elmbridge, the floodlights were switched on in anticipation of the light starting to fade, together with the temperature cooling as the sun started to go down.
Surbiton welcomed back Struan Walker, who had missed the previous three league matches.
When the teams first met in October, both teams had scored early before Surbiton ran out 5-2 winners. Beeston again looked for an early goal rather than trying to set up defensively, but neither side succeeded in breaking the deadlock early.
Walker proved to be an attacking threat once more whilst Beeston's Joseph Paul stopped a Stuart Rushmere attack.
For the sixth time this season, Surbiton scored in the 13th minute, Walker passing the ball back from Beeston's back-line to Max Anderson to open the scoring.
Surbiton's second goal came from their first penalty corner, Rushmere scoring his sixth goal of the season in emphatic fashion to give Simon Hujwan in the Beeston goal no chance.
Six minutes later, Beeston had their first penalty corner opportunity, only for Gareth Griffiths to fire past the left post.
Two minutes before half time, Surbiton scored what turned out to be their last goal of the game, James Gall passing to Anderson, whose shot was deflected past Hujwan by a diving Jake Smith to put Surbiton firmly in control.
Early in the third quarter, Beeston had concern for Toby Stanley, who went down in a challenge before being able to walk off the pitch.
Beeston's Henry Croft was level on 20 goals with Walker before the start of the match and had only failed to score in one match this season, a 3-2 home defeat to Wimbledon. In the first meeting, Croft had scored from a penalty stroke, but this time had two chances to score from penalty corners, but was first denied by Surbiton goalkeeper, James Mazarelo and the second time sent a rocket shot past the right post.
Croft was then struck whilst defending Surbiton's third penalty corner with just five minutes remaining.
After a first half goal fest, the second half was goalless and enabled Mazarelo to keep his fourth clean sheet of the season.
In the other match in Pool B, Oxted led twice at Holcombe before having to settle for a 2-2 draw in normal time and coming out on top 3-2 in the shootout.
Oliver Bennett put Oxted ahead for the first time, only for Teague Marcano to level. Chris Porter immediately restored Oxted's lead, but Alex Pendle scored Holcombe's second equaliser in the 40th minute.
Oxted led 2-0 in the shootout before Holcombe equalised at 2-2, but Oxted won in sudden death.
In Pool A, there were big wins for Old Georgians and Wimbledon. Sam Ward and Tom Carson both scored twice, with James Carson and Alan Forsyth also contributing to their 6-1 win over East Grinstead, Simon Faulkner converting a 70th minute penalty corner to deny George Pinner a clean sheet.
Wimbledon's Ore Ogunlana did keep a clean sheet as Hampstead & Westminster lost 5-0 at Raynes Park High School. Ben Francis and Duncan Scott scored braces with Euan Gilmour scoring their fifth goal.
In the relegation playoffs, Richmond's relegation was confirmed after they lost 4-3 at Southgate. Archie Foster scored twice for Southgate with Hugh Page and Alastair Douglas also scoring for the hosts whilst Jack Clee, Mat Ming and Hamish Imrie replied for Richmond.
Bowdon will have to overturn a nineteen inferior goal difference, whilst winning both remaining games and hope Southgate lose both their remaining games to avoid a return to Division One, in spite of beating Cardiff & Met 3-2.
Tom Ainsworth, Noah Lakin-Hall and Carlos Dolado-Hollyman scored for Bowdon after Jonny Fleck and Jack Pritchard gave Cardiff a 2-0 lead after just 19 minutes.
Surbiton are at home to Oxted next Saturday (12 April) push back 1800. When the teams met on the opening day of the season in September, Surbiton won 4-2.