W1 Beat University of Nottingham 8-0
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Women had another record breaking day on Saturday when they beat the University of Nottingham 8-0 under the Sugden Road floodlights in the Women's Hockey League Premier Division.
Darcy Bourne became the second Surbiton W1 player to score four goals in a Premier Division match as after a goalless first quarter, Surbiton began to find their rhythm in the second quarter and then were unstoppable in the second half.
The game can be watched back via the Surbiton Hockey Club channel on You Tube here
Surbiton welcomed back Sarah Evans and Alice Sharp for their first league appearances of the season as Nottingham kept possession from the push back to prevent Surbiton from making a second successive lightning start.
Erica Sanders and Martha Taylor both had shots saved by Lucy Brown whilst Minnie Pollock, Katie Barker and Monica Watkins all worked hard in defence for the visitors to ensure they went into the second quarter on level terms.
Nottingham fell behind in the 21st minute, Amy Costello scoring for the third time in four matches with a clinical penalty corner conversion which was deflected past Brown from the hosts' first award. Surbiton's second goal came from their fourth penalty corner, Bourne this time finding the backboard in expert style to leave Nottingham trailing 2-0 at the interval.
Having scored twice from penalty corners, Surbiton put together an excellent passing move to score from open play in the 37th minute, Giselle Ansley passing to Katie Curtis on the left, Taylor receiving the ball in the circle before Sanders received the ball from Ellie Mackenzie, to score the third goal.
Nottingham were then stunned three times towards the end of the third quarter, Bourne carrying the ball into the circle before unleashing a superb strike in the 47th minute before going round Brown and completing her hat-trick with another superb finish three minutes later.
By the end of the third quarter, Surbiton led 6-0, Ella Burnley's cross from the left of Nottingham's back-line deflected into the goal by Sanders as Surbiton led 6-0 for the second home game in succession.
With ten minutes remaining, Bourne scored her fourth goal of the game from the penalty spot after a shot from Surbiton's seventh penalty corner was stopped illegally in front of goal. In spite of Brown's best efforts, Bourne slotted the ball to her left to join Beckie Middleton as the only Surbiton Women players to score four goals in a Premier Division match, Middleton's haul ironically coming against the other Nottingham club, Beeston in a 6-0 victory in 2014-15.
Surbiton had scored six goals on each of Nottingham's last three visits to Sugden Road, but Taylor's deft deflection in the final minute earned Surbiton an 8-0 win, the third time that Surbiton had scored exactly eight goals in the Premier Division, but the first time at home.
It was also the largest margin that Nottingham have lost by in the Premier Division, although they previously lost 9-3 at Hampstead & Westminster in a League Finals Pool match in March 2024.
Ayeisha McFerran kept her second clean sheet of the season and the race to be Premier Division top scorer is well underway.
Sanders and Bourne are level with East Grinstead's Biba Mills on five goals after Mills followed up last week's hat-trick against Surbiton with a brace against Durham University. Beth Alexander scored the West Sussex club's third goal, all after Ava Findlay gave the students the lead, East Grinstead running out 3-1 winners.
Going into the fourth round of matches, Barnes had not scored a Premier Division goal and Hampstead had not conceded a goal this season, but both runs ended in the 62nd minute when Naomi Kelly made history by scoring Barnes' first ever top-flight goal. Sadly for the newly promoted club, Hampstead held a 3-0 lead at the time, Olivia Hamilton and Rose Tynan converting penalty corners and Holly Hunt scoring Hampstead's third goal for a 3-1 away win.
Bowdon also won 3-1 at Clifton Robinsons. Freya Bellamy and Alia Jaques gave Bowdon a 2-0 lead, but although Livvy Lane pulled a goal back for the Bristol club, Xenna Hughes clinched the win in the penultimate minute.
Honours were even in the two remaining matches. Reading were held to a 1-1 draw at home to the University of Birmingham, Lorna Mackenzie putting Reading ahead before Coca Hall equalised for the visitors and defences were on top at Raynes Park High School, where Wimbledon and Loughborough Students drew 0-0.
Surbiton make the long trip to Bowdon next Saturday (18 October), the push back is at 1330.