First Teams Maintain Winning Starts
The SHC first teams took their second victories of the season on Saturday, with the W1 beating Loughborough 4-1 and the Men’s 1s coming out on top of a tight 2-1 scoreline away at Holcombe.
Women’s 1s 4 - 1 Loughborough Students 1s (H)
Surbiton W1 made their first competitive home appearance of the 2026/27 campaign on Saturday afternoon against a Loughborough Student side flying high after their huge 7-0 win on the opening day of the season.
For the second week running, Surbiton went a goal down with Beth Gardens putting a field goal away for the student side in the sixth minute.
Maddie Axford cancelled the lead early in the second quarter with a strike from a narrow angle and Darcy Bourne nabbed a half time lead for the home side having stolen the ball midway into the Loughborough half and smashing home a forehand shot into the net.
Georgie Gardens slapped home from a penalty corner just after the break and Izzy Petter completed the scoring with a field goal in the 49th minute. Ella Burnley was voted Player of the Match.
Next week, the W1 travel to Stowe School to take on bottom of the table Buckingham in an early pushback as they look to consolidate a strong start to their title defence.
Men’s 1s 2 - 1 Holcombe 1s (A)
The M1 made hard work of a tight game at Holcombe Park under the lights on Saturday, with Nick Bandurak’s double securing the points for Surbiton.
Surbiton started quickly, Bandurak converting a penalty stroke high into the Holcombe net in the third minute, but the Seals weren’t quite clicking into their usual flowing attacking patterns and were unable to extend their lead in a physical and feisty contest.
A flurry of cards in the final quarter opened the game up a little and with both sides down to ten, Holcombe equalised through Teague Marcano’s field goal in the 62nd minute.
Bandurak showed his poacher’s quality just a minute later, retaking the lead from a short range finish and wheeling away in delight. Surbiton maintained the 2-1 scoreline, with MVP Calum Douglas making some key saves, and were pleased to take three points from a tricky away encounter.
League Review
Women's Premier Division
After two rounds of matches, four teams have maximum points, and three of the four teams are yet to concede their first goal of the season.
Wimbledon replaced Loughborough Students at the top of the table after a 6-0 thrashing of the University of Nottingham. Oivia Chilton scored twice with Maddie Long, Charlotte Watson, Anna Toman and Becky Manton also contributing as Jessica Buchanan kept her second consecutive clean sheet.
Reigning champions, Surbiton are second on goal difference after coming from a goal down for the second week running before emerging victorious. Bethany Gardens put Loughborough Students ahead in the sixth minute, but by half time, as at Teddington on the opening day, Surbiton led 2-1, Maddie Axford equalising in the 20th minute and Darcy Bourne snatching the lead a minute before the interval. Georgie Gardens extended the hosts’ lead in the 37th minute with Izzy Petter completing the scoring and a 4-1 win in the 49th minute.
Caitlin Witham’s 59th minute penalty corner conversion proved decisive at Paddington Recreation Ground as the University of Birmingham won 1-0, also helped by Tilly Woodhead’s second clean sheet. Hampstead lost 1-0 for the second time this season after their narrow loss at Wimbledon on the opening day.
Durham University are also yet to see their defence breached this season, Nicole Poulakis scoring in the 14th minute to give the North East students their second 1-0 victory of the season, this time at East Grinstead, who failed to build on their 3-0 win at Bowdon, as they were thwarted by Durham goalkeeper, Mali Wichmann.
Teddington secured their first ever win in the Premier Division by beating Reading 2-1. Katie Curtis gave Teddington a sixth minute lead, which Millie Attwell doubled from the penalty spot in the 50th minute. Isabelle Howell pulled a goal back for the Berkshire side with eleven minutes remaining but couldn’t find an equaliser.
Buckingham and Bowdon were the bottom two sides in the Premier Division at the start of the day, and Bowdon earned their first points of the season in a 2-1 win in Buckinghamshire. Margot Willis opened the scoring in the third minute before Alice Midgley doubled the visitors’ advantage fifteen minutes later, whilst Buckingham could only reply through Kirsty Freshwater’s 48th minute penalty corner conversion as they look for their first point on their return to the top-flight after three seasons away.
Surbiton Women travel to Buckingham next Saturday for their first meeting since 2022-23, when they won 6-1 at Stowe School. The teams first met in the South Clubs’ Women’s Hockey League in 2006-07 before both clubs made their ascent up the leagues to the Premier Division.
Open-Men's Premier Division
There are also four teams with maximum points in the Open-Men’s Premier Division. Wimbledon, who compete in the Euro Hockey League Round 1 in Eindhoven next weekend, will take on hosts Oranje-Rood and Spain’s Real Club de Polo on the back of two massive domestic victories, 7-3 over Hampstead & Westminster last week and 6-1 against Oxted this week. Wimbledon led 4-1 after just 22 minutes as Fred Newbold and Ali Empey scored in the third and fourth minutes respectively before Duncan Scott added a third goal in the tenth minute. Four minutes later, Charlie Axford netted what proved to be Oxted’s consolation goal, Jules Bournac restoring Wimbledon’s three goal lead at half time. Newbold completed his hat-trick with goals in the 56th and 68th minutes. Wimbledon’s scheduled match at Reading has been rearranged for 15 November.
East Grinstead won by a two goal margin for the second successive week, beating Reading 4-2 at Saint Hill. The West Sussex club were also fast starters with Simon Faulkner slotting home a penalty stroke in the fourth minute and Malachi Hayes doubling the hosts’ lead seven minutes later. William Holderness pulled a goal back for Reading in the 18th minute, but Max Lowrey ensured that East Grinstead led 3-1 at half time with a 31st minute goal. Reading threatened when Daman Bansal reduced the visitors’ deficit to 3-2 but Ben Galloway’s 49th goal ended Reading’s hopes.
Exeter University are enjoying life in the top-flight having won 2-1 at Cardiff & Met to follow up their opening 4-2 win over Holcombe. The Devon students had to come from behind as Jack Pritchard gave Cardiff a 1-0 half time lead, but Harry Davies equalised in the 53rd minute an Ben Hagan snatched the winner with just two minutes remaining.
Holcombe suffered a second defeat, going down 2-1 at home to fourth-placed Surbiton. Former Holcombe player, Nick Bandurak scored both goals: from a third minute penalty stroke and a 63rd minute open play goal, a minute after Teague Marcano had levelled for the Kent team.
Beeston are fifth after coming away from Bowdon with a 3-2 win. On a night of lightning starts, Rana Ashraf scored a brace in the second and third minutes to give Beeston a boost before newly promoted Bowdon kept their composure to reply in the tenth minute through Ross Montgomery. William Prentice earned Beeston a 3-1 lead at the interval, and the only goal of the second half came from the hosts’ Carlos Dolado-Hollyman in the 43rd minute.
Old Georgians are sixth after rebounding from their opening 3-2 defeat at Surbiton to stun Hampstead & Westminster 6-1 at Paddington Rec. Yet again, there were two early goals as Andrew McConnell and Sam Ward struck in the fourth and fifth minutes, but Hampstead only trailed 3-0 at the break after Alan Forsyth scored from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute. Another quick burst saw David Condon and Ward score in successive minutes to extend the reigning champions advantage to 5-0. Sam French finally breached the Old Georgians defence in the 48th minute, but Phil Roper had the final word with twelve minutes to play.
Hampstead’s two heavy defeats sees them at the bottom of the table on goal difference from Oxted, Holcombe and Bowdon.
Surbiton Men welcome Cardiff & Met to Sugden Road at 1800 on Saturday. Surbiton have dominated their encounters with the Welsh side, scoring 25 goals compared with Cardiff’s one goal in the last four meetings. Cardiff were last at Sugden Road in April when Nick Bandurak’s hat-trick, supported by Conor Williamson, David Goodfield and Will Calnan, earned Surbiton a 6-0 win in League Finals Pool A, Surbiton having won the Phase 1 encounter 5-0 at home, Bandurak adding another two goals alongside strikes from Gareth Furlong, Barry Middleton and Jake Payton.