W1 Lose Out To Reading After Findlay's Stunning Goal
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Women's hopes of retaining their Women's Hockey League Premier Division title were ended by Reading at Nottingham Hockey Centre on Sunday, Emma Findlay scoring a spectacular goal to give the Berkshire club a 1-0 win and their first Premier Division trophy since 2012-13.
Just as in 2023, when Surbiton lost 3-2 to East Grinstead at Sugden Road in the final, Surbiton had beaten their opposition in the final a week before in their last Pool game, East Grinstead having lost 2-1, also at Sugden Road.
Fast forward two years and Reading had lost 3-0 in their final Pool game, also at Sugden Road, but obviously reviewed their performance over the next week and had a game plan to frustrate their opponents and dominate possession.
Whenever Surbiton tried to attack using an aerial pass, Reading managed to anticipate and place an intercepting defender in perfect position to regain possession and mount a counter attack.
After a spell of warm weather, the temperature cooled over the weekend and on Sunday, although there were occasional sunny intervals, the game was played under dark overcast skies and in what frequently proved to be a bitterly cold wind. Over two hours before sunset, the floodlights were switched on.
Both teams played in the same colours as the week before, Surbiton in all black and Reading in all sky blue. a possible advantage on a darker blue hockey pitch.
Surbiton faced their first shot on goal after just 28 seconds as Reading took the attack to the reigning champions, Caroline Spence failing to take advantage of a turnover by blasting the ball over the crossbar.
When Surbiton did have the ball, Katie Curtis was thwarted by Reading's Lizzie Neal; Meg Dowthwaite and Issy Yonge combined before Jemima Copeman intervened and Holly Wilkinson's attack was intercepted by Lorna Mackenzie.
Mackenzie also showed her attacking skills, twice trying to score from Reading's penalty corners in the second quarter.
Surbiton were even more frustrated when Martha Taylor failed to make contact with the ball when in good position to have a shot on goal and former Surbiton player Jo Pinner was one of the Reading players to perfectly judge where to intercept an Surbiton aerial pass.
The goal, when it came in the 25th minute, was more than worthy of deciding a national championship, Findlay having possession of the ball just wide of the right post and dispatching the ball into the top left corner.
In the third quarter, Neal maintained Reading's aerial interception tactic and Copeman thwarted Darcy Bourne, who also had a penalty corner shot saved by Reading goalkeeeper Nicki Cochrane.
Surbiton's day was summed up when Ellie Mackenzie completely sliced a shot high and wide in the fourth quarter.
Surbiton coach Dave Beckett decided to play with eleven outfield players for the last 174 seconds, leaving their goal unguarded by taking off goalkeeper, Amber Walton.
Their last chance of forcing a shootout came when they forced their third and last penalty corner with 23 seconds remaining, but Cochrane was equal to it and the Reading supporters and players began to realise that in just their third season since they returned to the top flight by winning Division One South in 2021-22, that qualification for the 2025-26 Women's Euro Hockey League was seconds away.
Surbiton will be disappointed to have fallen at the last hurdle, but their consistency in the Premier Division since their first season in 2012-13 has been nothing short of incredible. Surbiton have qualified for the playoffs in every season they have been held and after finishing fourth in 2012-13, have reached the final every time they have competed.
Considering that the team were on the verge of elimination going into the final Pool game with Reading, Surbiton still managed to maintain their impressive qualification record and although there will be no European hockey to participate in 2025-26, their disappointment shows how high the expected standards are at Sugden Road.
The second European place was taken by Hampstead & Westminster finishing top of the Top Six after 16 fixtures and they will have the opportunity to retain the EuroHockey Club Trophy I that they brought back from Czechia after winning at Easter.
After Hampstead's disappointment of seeing their Premier Division defence ended by Reading in a shootout the day before, the London club had to settle for a fourth place finish after being edged out 3-2 by East Grinstead in the third-place playoff.
Olivia Shannon gave East Grinstead a seventh minute lead, with Lucy Hyams equalising four minutes later.
East Grinstead restored their lead in the 32nd minute through Millie Giglio, but the final two goals both came from penalty corners, Rose Tynan levelling for Hampstead in the 52nd minute before Biba Mills, the division's top scorer, fittingly scored the winning goal with just five minutes remaining.
All of Sunday's action, including the Men's matches can be watched back via the England Hockey channel on You Tube here.
More information about the Women's Athleteq.App Premier Division Finals can be found at the England Hockey Altius website here.