W1 Perfect As They Win Their Tenth Premier Division Title
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Women won their tenth Women's Hockey League Premier Division Title with a perfect performance as they defeated local rivals Wimbledon 4-2 in the final of the Premier Division Finals presented by Ranmore Fund Management at Sugden Road on Sunday afternoon.
Surbiton completed the season unbeaten, just drawing two games in a fantastic 21 game season which saw them regain the title after losing 1-0 to Reading in 2025 and become the first recipients of a brand new trophy after Vitality withdrew their sponsorship from the Women's Hockey League.
The second day's action can be watched back via the England Hockey channel on You Tube here
Surbiton v Wimbledon starts at 4:34:44 with Coach interviews followed by the match.
The final brought goalkeepers Ayeisha McFerran of Surbiton and Jess Buchanan of Wimbledon, who with help from their defenders had kept 18 clean sheets between them during the season, but for the first time this season, Wimbledon scored twice against Surbiton but it wasn't enough for Wimbledon to secure their first ever Premier Division trophy.
In sunny and pleasant conditions, both teams tested each other out in their fourth meeting of the season. Surbiton have qualified for all four finals since the current playoff format was adopted in 2022-23 and for the fourth time, conceded the first goal of the match as former Surbiton player Olivia Chilton found Sarah Robertson, whose pass was slipped into the goal by Paige Gillott for her first goal of the season for Wimbledon's first team in the 15th minute, with Chilton, Robertson and Gillott ecstatic with their celebrations as they challenged Surbiton to respond.
With the game played over 15 minute quarters, Surbiton accepted the challenge with gusto in the 18th minute, Maddie Axford running towards goal before passing to her left to Georgie Gardens, who in turn also passed to her left for Ellie Mackenzie to smash the ball into the roof of the net with a goal which was on par to Emma Findlay's winner for Reading last season.
The teams were still level at 1-1 at half time, but momentum swung towards Surbiton in the 32nd minute, Martha Taylor scoring an excellent goal from the right of the circle to give Surbiton the ascendancy and put the pressure back on Wimbledon.
There were more celebrations in the 44th minute as Amy Costello's aerial was brought down by Taylor who in attacking towards goal, forced Buchanan to commit, enabling Taylor to slip the ball to Sophie Hamilton to score at the left post, with Wimbledon's Flo Fletcher crashing into the left post in an heroic effort to prevent Hamilton from scoring.
Surbiton's fourth goal was a brilliant individual effort by Darcy Bourne, who ran down the right before bearing down on goal and somehow getting the ball past Buchanan with nine minutes remaining. Bourne finished the season as the Premier Division's top goalscorer with 20 goals, with Surbiton' Erica Sanders and East Grinstead's Biba Mills on 16.
Wimbledon's second goal came as a result of a penalty stroke awarded during their third penalty corner of the match, Beth Bingham's stroke going to McFerran's right to leave Wimbledon trailing 4-2 with four minutes to play.
Wimbledon sacrificed goalkeeper Buchanan for an extra attacking player in an effort to at least force a shootout, but Surbiton successfully allowed the clock to run out to ensure a season of immense hard work was justifiably rewarded with the league trophy.
Captains Erica Sanders and Eloise Stenner performed the customary trophy lift to post another entry in an amazing history which started with their first triumph in 2014 and has seen the team win both by playoff and by topping the Premier Division table.
Surbiton can look forward to playing in the Women's Euro Hockey League in 2027 and Wimbledon inherit the second European place as the runners-up in the final as Surbiton finished top of the Top Six and also became Premier Division champions.
In the first match of the day, Hampstead & Westminster faced Durham University in the third place playoff, Hampstead winning 1-0 thanks to Lucy Hyams' 52nd minute winner. Hampstead will miss out on a European place after being successful in Europe over the last two seasons and Durham University can be proud of their achievements in their first ever season in the top flight and plan for 2026-27.