W1 End First Super 6s Weekend In Third Place
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Women will go into the second weekend of the Super 6s Premier Division qualification tournament in third place after a 3-3 draw ended both Surbiton and East Grinstead's one hundred per cent records and Sutton Coldfield prevailed 6-4 to ensure that the West Midlands club topped the table at the halfway mark.
Results, scorers and line-ups can be found at the England Hockey Altius website here
Surbiton had lost the last two Super 6s finals to East Grinstead, in spite of winning 5-2 in the Premier Division last season and after 13 minutes were on course for another win over the reigning champions as fourth minute goal from Josie Hippe and a 13th minute strike from Erica Sanders gave Surbiton a 2-0 lead. But East Grinstead's resilience saw them level the score at 2-2 by half time, Annelyse Tevant starting the comeback a minute after Sanders' goal and Biba Mills equalising just before half time to ensure that Sanders and Mills were locked on ten goals at the top of the divisional goalscoring chart.
Katie Southorn restored Surbiton's lead at the end of the third quarter with a penalty corner but Chloe Brown ensured that the points would be shared with her own penalty corner conversion two minutes into the fourth quarter. East Grinstead later beat Harleston Magpies 7-2 to end the first weekend in second place on ten points.
Sutton Coldfield retained their one hundred per cent record with a 5-3 win over Clifton Robinsons and then ended Surbiton's unbeaten record with a 6-4 win, Sally Walton, who has represented Bowdon Hightown and Buckingham in past seasons, helping Sutton Coldfield to be considered title contenders with a four goal haul.
Walton opened the scoring with a fifth minute penalty corner, but Surbiton fought back a minute later, Claudia Swain levelling from open play. Sutton then pulled away with Sarah Parkinson-Mills, a second penalty corner conversion from Walton and a goal from Susan Wood leaving Surbiton trailing 4-1 at half time.
In the third quarter, Surbiton's resilience was on display, Sanders and Izzy Petter reducing the deficit to 4-3 with goals in the 22nd and 23rd minutes and then Petter equalised two minutes into the fourth quarter to give the Elmbridge club hopes of a comeback victory.
But Walton failed to read the script, scoring in the 37th minute and sealing the win with a 40th minute penalty corner conversion to ensure that Sutton Coldfield have maximum points after four matches.
Surbiton are on seven points, a point ahead of four teams with six points: Holcombe, Clifton Robinsons, Harleston Magpies and Slough. Buckingham and Beeston have lost their first four matches and are six points adrift of safety with twelve points available over the second weekend.
Surbiton face three of the teams on six points and eighth placed Buckingham next weekend. On Saturday they face Clifton Robinsons and Harleston Magpies and on Sunday take on Buckingham and Slough.
In Division One, Bowdon are on course for a return to the Premier Division after being relegated in 2024 as they have ten points, with second placed Lansdown on nine. Reading are third with seven points, whilst three teams are on six. Lansdown are aiming for a second successive promotion having been Division Two champions in 2025.
The two teams to be promoted from Division Two to Division One will be decided on 24-25 January when Leeds, Cambridge University and Wakefield, who were the top three teams in Division Two North will join Hampstead & Westminster, Southgate and Old Georgians, the top three teams in Division Two South. The six teams will play the other five teams once over the weekend with the top two teams winning promotion.