W1 In Third After First Day of Super Sixes Premier Division
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Women finished the first day of the Super Sixes Premier Division tournament in third place after beating Harleston Magpies 10-3 and drawing 1-1 with Holcombe at Repton.
Holders, East Grinstead and Sutton Coldfield were the only teams to achieve maximum points from their first two matches, with Surbiton and Holcombe on four points, Surbiton ahead of the Kent club on goal difference.
Surbiton's clash with Harleston Magpies was the opening match of the tournament and Erica Sanders was in blistering form, netting an open play hat-trick with a goal in the third minute and two in the fourth to leave Harleston trailing 3-0 early.
Josie Hippe scored Surbiton's fourth goal of the game in the fifth minute before Hollie Dring-Richardson pulled a goal back for Harleston at the end of the first quarter.
Harleston threatened a comeback when Lauren Barber reduced their deficit to 4-2 in the 13th minute but Hippe struck again three minutes later to give Surbiton a 5-2 lead.
Sanders made the half time score 6-2 with her fourth goal of the game in the 19th minute from a penalty corner to break the run of open play goals.
The scoring calmed down in the third quarter with Maelona Rees scoring the lone goal of the period in the 28th minute to make the score 7-2.
Sanders netted again in the 33rd minute from open play and completed the scoring in the last minute from another penalty corner after Amie Hunt had given Surbiton a 9-2 lead in the 36th minute and Beth Gardens had scored Harleston's third consolation goal with two minutes to play.
In the afternoon, defences were on top as Lottie Bingham gave Holcombe a second minute lead and Surbiton had to wait until the 32nd minute to find a reply, Hippe levelling from a penalty corner to earn a point in a 1-1 draw.
Sanders' six goal haul against Harleston sees her head the Top Scorers list after the first day, two goals ahead of East Grinstead's Biba Mils and Guildford's Kerryn Swanepoel who both scored four goals on Saturday.
On Sunday, Surbiton take on Sutton Coldfield at 1300 and having played in the first match of the weekend, will face Repton in the last game of the weekend at 1700.
Sunday's games can be followed in real time via the England Hockey Altius website, where results, scorers and other information relating to the Women's Premier Division can be found here.