Super 6s Final Heartbreak For W1 Again

Surbiton Women suffered Super 6 Final heartbreak for the second season running as reigning champions East Grinstead's experience proved decisive at Derby Arena on Sunday.

East Grinstead won 6-3 to retain their Super 6s title and will go to Porto in Portugal from 14-16 February as champions to compete in the EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy after Buckingham were relegated from the Cup in 2024.

Surbiton will be immensely disappointed to have lost out after going into Finals Day unbeaten whilst finishing second in the Premier Division qualifiers, having handed East Grinstead their only defeat, 5-2 on the second weekend.

Surbiton came close to missing out on their place in the final after a scintillating second semi-final ended in a 5-5 draw following Jordan Homann's last gasp equaliser, Surbiton winning the subsequent shootout 2-1, Homann scoring from Surbiton's second attempt.

East Grinstead were waiting in the final after a comprehensive 8-1 defeat of Sutton Coldfield, who had finished fourth in the qualifiers. Biba Mills scored a hat-trick, with Summer Knight-Thompson, Lily Walker, Chloe Brown, Mollie Mason and Rosie Hope all adding to the West Midlands' club's misery, Beth Peers scoring Sutton's consolation goal as, to their credit, they refused to give up until the final hooter.

Buckingham and Surbiton had drawn 3-3 earlier at Repton in the Premier Division, but Erica Sanders put Surbiton ahead in the third minute from a penalty corner. Surbiton were unlucky not to double their lead at the end of the first quarter, but the hooter sounded before the ball entered the goal.

Buckingham fought back in the second quarter to lead 2-1, Charlene Mason and Jo Ellis scoring in the 13th and 14th minutes respectively. Josie Hippe levelled for Surbiton in the 17th minute, but Buckingham led 3-2 at half time after Sally Walton restored Buckingham's lead from the penalty spot a minute later.

Sanders made the score 3-3 in the 22nd minute from open play before Walton struck again in the 24th minute, this time from a penalty corner. An insurance goal from Natasha James in the 28th minute gave Buckingham a 5-3 advantage and seemingly one foot in the final.

Homann immediately replied in the same minute to reduce Surbiton's deficit to 5-4 and having taken goalkeeper Jemma Woods off for a extra outfield player, Surbiton threw everything at the Buckingham goal in the dying seconds before Homann kept Surbiton in the competition with a goal just three seconds from time. Ella Burnley had had a goal disallowed in the 33rd minute.

Woods was Surbiton's heroine as Buckingham went first in the shootout, Maddy Newlyn failing to score. Sanders finished confidently with Walton levelling for Buckingham. Homann beat Buckingham goalkeeper Amelia Jones to give Surbiton a 2-1 lead in the shootout before Woods saved from Ellis to confirm Surbiton's place in the final.

East Grinstead had led 2-0 before Surbiton came back to win the Premier Division encounter 5-2, but in the rematch, East Grinstead came from 2-1 down to win 6-3.

Chloe Brown gave East Grinstead a fourth minute lead from a penalty corner, but Sanders once again quickly equalised in the same manner a minute later before Homann gave Surbiton a 2-1 lead in the ninth minute.

Biba Mills quickly took advantage of Surbiton's lack of concentration to level in the same minute before for the second time on the day, Surbiton conceded two quick goals in adjacent minutes. Buckingham scored in the 13th and 14th; East Grinstead struck in the 14th and 15th, Brown once again deadly from a penalty corner and Knight-Thompson giving East Grinstead a 4-2 lead.

Hippe gave Surbiton hope at the end of the third quarter to reduce East Grinstead's lead to 4-3 but Brown completed her hat-trick and Carlota Gomez also scored, both goals coming from penalty corners to enable East Grinstead to retain their title for the first time. Reading were the last women's champions to win the title in successive years in 2013 and 2014.

Surbiton can be optimistic that their time will come with a mixture of youth and experience in the squad, they have just been unfortunate to come up against a very experienced East Grinstead squad in successive finals at Derby Arena.

In the men's competition, Old Georgians also retained their title, again reversing a defeat to Wimbledon in the Premier Division. Wimbledon had won 4-2 in the Premier Division qualifiers at Whitgift, but Old Georgians won the final 7-4. Wimbledon had beaten Southgate 11-1 and Old Georgians defeated East Grinstead 8-4 in the semi-finals.

More information about the Women's Finals Day can be found at the England Hockey Altius website here.

And more information about the Men's Finals Day can be found at the EH Altius website here.

And all six matches can be watched in chronological order via the England Hockey channel on You Tube here.

There was also disappointment for Surbiton's Sophie Hamilton as JSW Soorma lost 2-1 to Odisha Warriors in the inaugural Women's Hero Hockey India League final. 

Sophie played in all seven of Soorma's games as they qualified for the final by finishing top of the four team league on 13 points from six matches, two points ahead of Odisha Warriors.

But Rutuja Dadaso Pisal scored in the 20th and 56th minutes to help Odisha make history, Penny Squibb having scored from a penalty corner for Soorma, two minutes before half time.