SURBITON AND READING BATTLE IT OUT FOR TOP SPOT IN ELITE MEN’S LEAGUE

by Seán Cotter 13 November 2009

By a quirk of the fixture list, this Sunday (15 November) both Surbiton and fellow EHL National Premier Division table toppers Reading will be playing within five miles of each other in leafy Cheshire suburbs of Manchester.

First the Berkshire club take on fifth-placed (of 10) Bowdon in Altrincham starting at 12.15 pm and then Surbiton, second-placed on goals difference, play ninth-placed Brooklands Manchester University quarter of an hour away in Sale, starting at 2pm.

So spies from either camp should be able to watch both games ahead of the two teams’ clashing at Thames Ditton on Saturday week (21 November, 4pm) as an appetising hors d’oeuvre to Surbiton’s Sugden Road ground Centenary Dinner being held there that evening.

Whatever happens this Sunday it will still be a meeting of the top two since third-placed East Grinstead now trail by five points after last Sunday’s 1-1 draw at home to Bowdon.

Bur who will be leading at the start of Saturday week’s big showdown will be decided this Sunday with both Surbiton and their Berkshire rivals on 19 points from seven fixtures, but Reading with a five better goals difference (27-8 to 34-20).

However, the game itself is likely to be determined by the two club’s relative strength in depth with Surbiton definitely missing one US international in Argentina for the third World Cup Qualifier and three England internationals away for the Champions Trophy in Melbourne, while Reading have four away in Australia.

Again thanks to the coincidence of a fixture list, the missing eight’s likely replacements will already have been tested against each other this Saturday (14 November) with Surbiton’s 2nd XI travelling for a fixture at Sonning Lane (1.30pm) currently topping the Higgins Group London Premier League with seven wins from seven fixtures to play Reading 2nd XI who lie sixth (of 12) after three wins and a draw.

As well as their men’s 2nd XI 7-1 defeat of Canterbury on Saturday (7 November), last weekend provided plenty of fireworks for Surbiton’s showcase ladies’ and men’s teams.

Also on Saturday their Ladies’ first of seven sides kept up their bid to win the South Clubs’ Women’s Hockey League Division One at the first attempt with a surprisingly easy 8-0 win away to second-placed Southampton.

Player/coach Helen Grant brought her season’s league tally up to eight in six fixtures, with Georgie Parker also notching two from open-play and Emma Jones two penalty corners and Hannah Oakes and Sian Craze one apiece from open play.

Surbiton are now four points clear of Reading 1A (who as a club second team are ineligible for the one promotion spot to the National Conference leagues) and local rivals Epsom.

This weekend the Surbiton Ladies are in both league and cup action. On Saturday, fourth-placed Havant are the visitors to Sugden Road (push back 10 am). The following day, Buckingham, last season’s SCWHL Division One Champions and currently fourth in the England Hockey League Conference West, are the visitors with Surbiton one of only two non-National League clubs left in the England Hockey Women’s Cup Third Round (push back 2 pm).

Surbiton Ladies’ second team have already reached the quarter-finals of the Second Eleven Trophy after beating Hampstead & Westminster 3-1 at Sugden Road on Sunday thanks to two goals from Kate Holmes and Emma Elsom’s penalty stroke.

Immediately after that game the crowd swelled to over 200 to see Surbiton’s first (of 11) men’s sides have to hang on for an eventual 4-2 National Premier Division victory over Cannock.

Tim Pinnock from a second-minute penalty corner and Richard Alexander with open-play “sniffers” in the seventh and 24th minutes put the icing on a rampant first-half pass-and-run display.


But only a gift-wrapped fourth laid on for James Tindall by a Cannock defender six minutes from time put a halt to Cannock’s second-half revivalist change of tactics rewarded by penalty corner conversions in the 53rd and 62nd minutes.

Preview from www.surbitonhc.com club website and reports from “Surrey Comet” and “Surrey Advertiser Elmbridge Edition” local newspapers 13 October 2009