M1 Win Both Games On Opening Day of Super 6s Div. 1
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Men were the only team to win both games on the opening day of the Super Sixes Men's Division One tournament at Nottingham Trent University.
Surbiton had to battle before overcoming Oxted 6-5 in their opening match, before finding their form to beat Repton 9-0 in their second game of the day.
The Surrey derby against Oxted was a see-saw match, although when Rob Farrington gave Surbiton a first minute lead from open play, there was little indication of the drama to come.
The match then became a penalty corner duel with Oliver Bennett scoring twice in the third and fourth minutes to give Oxted a 2-1 lead before Farrington equalised for Surbiton at the end of the first ten minute quarter.
Nick Page restored Oxted's lead in the 13th minute with Surbiton having to wait until the third quarter to restore parity at 3-3 thanks to Jake Payton's equaliser.
The run of penalty corner goals was broken by Tim Nurse's 25th minute penalty stroke, which also gave Surbiton a 4-3 lead, but Oxted's leveller to make the score 4-4 in the 29th minute again came from a penalty corner, this time from Charlie Axford.
Oxted then 5-4 courtesy of Nick Giles scoring from open play at the start of the fourth quarter but further penalty corner goals from Payton (33 minutes) and Jonny Gall (39 minutes) ensured that Surbiton's quest to return to the top flight began with a victory.
Surbiton ultimately found it easier against Repton, but the goals only really started flowing in the last eleven minutes.
Jonny Gall scored twice from penalty corners in the second and tenth minutes to give Surbiton a 2-0 advantage at the end of the first quarter, the scoreline staying at 2-0 at half time after a goalless second quarter.
Tim Nurse added a third from open play in the 25th minute before Repton were caught out twice in the 30th minute, also from open play as Payton and Ollie Stone extended Surbiton's lead to 5-0.
Conor Williamson converted a penalty corner in the 33rd minute before Surbiton ran riot with three goals in three minutes: Tim Nurse completing his hat-trick in the 38th minute from the penalty spot after scoring his second a minute earlier from open play and Williamson proving lethal from the penalty corner routine to complete the scoring in the penultimate minute.
On Sunday, Surbiton face two matches against opposition from the South West, with an early start against Exeter University at 0900 and Ashmoor, who were relegated from the Premier Division with them last season at 1400.
Ashmoor are the only team without a point after two matches as the seven teams between Surbiton and Ashmoor all contrived to win one and lose one of their first two matches.
Sunday's games can be followed in real time via the England Hockey Altius website, where results, scorers and lineups, plus other information about the Men's Division One can be found here.