Big League Wins for Surbiton First Teams

Surbiton's first teams notched up 17 goals between them on Saturday, maintaining their 100% win records after three gamedays in the 2026/27 season.

Women's 1s 11 - 0 Buckingham 1s (A)

The W1 came close to their record Premier Division victory on Saturday against Buckingham, who endured a tough afternoon at Stowe School. Five Surbiton players scored doubles and with an attacking masterclass from the defending champions there was never any doubt about who would take the three points. Field goals from Lizzy Pocknell, Ellie Mackenzie and Izzy Petter were followed by two penalty corner strikes from Darcy Bourne. Player of the Match Mackenzie and Giselle Ames added further goals to make it 7-0 at half time.

Pocknell and Petter added further field goals with Maddie Axford also scoring twice either side of a green card for a minor infringement in the final quarter.

While it was a difficult afternoon for newly promoted Buckingham, the scoreline and performance was a statement of intent from the W1 who will face a tougher test against East Grinstead at Sugden Road at 5pm next Saturday.

Men's 1s 6 - 1 Cardiff (H)

The M1 hosted Cardiff & Met under the lights on Saturday evening and had another fast start with a Jake Payton strike securing the lead in the first five minutes. Gareth Furlong rifled home a penalty corner in the 31st minute but Cardiff gave themselves a glimmer of hope with Rhys Gowman converting a penalty stroke into the top corner on the stroke of half time.

Surbiton's dominance and intensity paid dividends in the second half, with Stu Rushmere, Rob Farrington, Payton and Nick Bandurak getting themselves on the scoresheet in what ended up being a comfortable 6-1 victory. Payton was voted Player of the Match following his double.

Next Saturday the M1 face a short trip to Caterham School for an earlier than usual pushback against Oxted, who took their first three points of the season at home to Bowdon on Saturday.

League Review

Women's Premier Division

Wimbledon lost their one hundred per cent record and top spot in the Women’s Premier Division when they were held to a 2-2 draw at Reading. Anna Toman and Maddie Long put Wimbledon ahead twice, both from penalty corners, but Jamie Bulbring, who scored twelve goals for Conference West side, Cardiff & Met last season, scored her first top-flight goal before the end of the first quarter and Lizzie Neal’s penalty corner leveller shortly after half time, earned the Berkshire club’s first point of the season.

Surbiton stormed to the top of the Premier Division with a clinical 11-0 win at newly promoted Buckingham. Lizzy Pocknell, Durham University’s top scorer with 14 goals last season, scored twice for her first goals for Surbiton, with Elie Mackenzie, Izzy Petter, Darcy Bourne and Maddie Axford also scoring braces. Surbiton came close to their record 12-1 win against Olton & West Warwicks in 2013-14, and Giselle Ames scored once in both games.

The University of Birmingham are hot on Surbiton’s heels after a 3-1 home win against Teddington. A double from Elizabeth Anderson and a goal from Isabelle Smith was enough to help the West Midlands students earn their third victory of the season, with Katie Curtis replying for Teddington in the fourth quarter as the Birmingham defence was breached for the first time this season.

Durham University also won 3-1 at the University of Nottingham to become the third team with maximum points and joined the University of Birmingham as the last two teams to concede a goal this season, Georgia Carroll ending the visitors’ defensive duck. Elena Baggett had given Durham the lead and two goals from Rebecca Birch kept Durham’s winning streak intact.

Hampstead & Westminster are surprisingly without a point after three games this season, but Claudia Swain boosted their hopes for a first win before hosts, East Grinstead bounced back in the second half to win 2-1, Mille Giglio equalising and Alice Atkinson snatching the winner with just three minutes left.

Two goals from Amy Cradden was enough to give Loughborough Students a 2-0 win at Bowdon.

Surbiton host East Grinstead at 1700 next Saturday (17 Oct) with both teams having come up from the South Clubs’ Women’s Hockey League and enjoyed league title success. Surbiton were East Grinstead’s first ever Premier Division opponents in 2015-16 when the teams drew 1-1 and the West Sussex club won their only outdoor league title in 2022-23 at Sugden Road with a 3-2 win over Surbiton. At Saint Hill, East Grinstead won 6-1 in 2019-20, but Surbiton won 8-2 in 2022-23, only for East Grinstead to end the season as league champions. East Grinstead are adapting to life without prolific goalscorer, Biba Mills and after winning 3-0 at Bowdon, lost 1-0 at home to Durham University, with Beth Alexander their early top goalscorer with two goals.

Open-Men's Premier Division

There were only five fixtures in the Open/ Men’s Premier Division as the Reading v Wimbledon fixture was switched to 14 November due to Wimbledon’s participation in the Euro Hockey League Round 1 in Eindhoven. Wimbledon had a frustrating weekend as they missed out on a place in the FINAL12 at Easter after drawing 3-3 with Real Club de Polo after leading 2-0 after seven minutes on Saturday and then on Sunday, found themselves trailing 2-0 to hosts Oranje-Rood, eventually losing 5-3 as former Surbiton player, Struan Walker scored twice to cinch qualification. SV Arminen of Austria; Royal Orée of Belgium and Irish club Lisnagarvey also qualified to join Surbiton and Old Georgians.

In Wimbledon’s absence, Surbiton are top after a 6-1 home win over Cardiff & Met. Surbiton led 2-1 at the interval, Jake Payton and Gareth Furlong having given the hosts a 2-0 lead before Rhys Gowman pulled a goal back from the penalty spot just before half time. Surbiton stepped up a gear in the second half with Payton scoring his second goal of the game after Stuart Rushmere and Rob Farrington extended Surbiton’s lead, with Nick Bandurak completing the scoring two minutes from time.

East Grinstead joined Surbiton on nine points after a 3-2 home win over Hampstead & Westminster. The teams were level at 1-1 at half time, Sam Lints having put East Grinstead ahead only for Hudson Loh to equalise on the stroke of half time. Max Lowrey and Sam Knight gave East Grinstead a 3-1 lead, but Alex Wilson’s effort for Hampstead came too late for the London team to find a third goal and earn their first point of the season.

Newly promoted the University of Exeter dropped their first points of the season in a 4-4 thriller with Beeston. Exeter actually led 1-0 at the break on a day when there was a flurry of 35th minute goals, Kaden Draysey breaking the deadlock at Nottingham Hockey Centre. After a quiet first half, the goals came thick and fast after half time with Jack Moffat doubling the students’ lead before Luis Cuttle converted two penalty corners in a three minute spell. Exeter still led 3-2 as Harry Davies scored between Cuttle’s double and when Draysey scored his second goal of the game with thirteen minutes left, it seemed that all three points were heading to Devon. But Oliver Manson reduced Beeston’s deficit to 4-3 and Jamie Rawlings slotted home a penalty stroke to ensure that Beeston also received a point reward.

Holcombe are also without a point after a 5-2 defeat at Old Georgians. Alexander Chihota gave Holcombe the lead, but Sam Ward’s hat-trick and two goals from Andrew McConnell set the hosts back on course for the win. Oliver King scored for Holcombe early in the third quarter.

Oxted and Bowdon were looking for their first points of the season, and it was Oxted who prevailed 5-2 at Caterham School. Tim Guise-Brown, a brace from Peter Jarvis and goals from Lucas Ward and Nicholas Page were enough to see off their newly promoted visitors, who to their credit scored twice through Daniel Stewart-Campblell and Ross Montgomery.

Their victory will set Oxted up for the visit of Surbiton next Saturday (17 Oct) at 1630. Oxted have been in the Premier Division since 2020-21 and famously beat Surbiton 1-0 at Oxted School in the last Premier Division match played before the season was suspended due to Covid-19. Last season, Surbiton won 7-3 at Caterham School on the opening day of the season with seven different scorers. The teams met again as Oxted qualified for the Top Six, Surbiton winning 5-2, with Nick Bandurak scoring a hat-trick as Surbiton headed towards a one hundred per cent record before slipping up against Wimbledon in the playoff semi-final. Oxted lost 2-1 at home to Reading before going down 6-1 at Wimbledon in their first two matches this season.