Seán Cotter reports on a busy weekend for Surbiton’s top two men’s sides over the weekend Saturday 21 March/Sunday 22 March:

SURBITON’S hopes of a return to Europe are over for another year after a 2-1 loss in their penultimate Slazenger EHL National Premier Division fixture of the season at Nottingham on Saturday (21 March).

When the game started Surbiton stood fifth in England’s elite 10-team elite league, three places but only three points behind their second-placed hosts, who in turn were only one point behind leaders East Grinstead.

In the event the result hinged on two crucial changes of fortune quarter of an hour into the second half, with the score standing at one apiece.
Surbiton’s Tim Pinnock was hauled down bursting into the circle by Beeston goalkeeper George Pinner and the umpire immediately pointed to the spot.

No you don't: Beeston's keeper George Pinner covers Surbiton's Rob Moore at a slipped penalty corner with captain Ben Hawes (14) looking on. Photo:Simon Hart

But the normally sure-fire Surbiton captain Ben Hawes put his stroke not just wide of the giant home keeper’s left glove, but outside the right-hand post in the 58th minute.

Then within sixty seconds of the restart the normally equally reliable Surbiton keeper Allan Dick gloved at a ball flying high in the Surbiton circle only to present it to Wayne Rowland to hit back into goal for the winner.

Try as they could, including forcing and failing from their second and third penalty corners of the half (Dick having earlier pulled off a great save to Beeston’s only penalty corner of the half and indeed game) Surbiton just could not find the equaliser despite the home side being reduced to ten men for five of the last eight minutes (Surbiton having also failed to take advantage of a five-minute power play at the start of the second half).

In the first half Surbiton had fought back well to nullify conceding an open-play goal in the 17th minute while they themselves were reduced to ten men by a five-minute yellow card. Here again there was an element of misfortune as Rowland’s speculative hit across goal from the left deflected off a Surbiton defender’s stick for a grateful Chris Seedon to pop over the line.

But in the last minute of the half a sweeping passing move down the right from Ben Marsden to Pinnock set free Andy Cornick who was fouled in the circle to give Surbiton the first penalty corner of the game, which Matt Daly despatched with the fierce accuracy he had shown in converting four out of five attempts in Surbiton’s previous game at Bowdon.

The loss and wins for the other top two means that Surbiton’s final fixture against leaders East Grinstead at Sugden Road this Sunday (29 March, 2pm) can at best haul them one place up the table, one shy of a top-three Euro-qualifying spot.

There was some consolation, however, when the club’s 2nd XI won the prestigious Higgins Group London Premier League with two five-goal victories over the weekend while the only club who could overtake them, East Grinstead, were losing both theirs, home and then away to Reading.

However, neither of Surbiton’s wins was quite as convincing as the final scorelines might indicate.

On Saturday (21 March), playing third-placed Hampstead & Westminster at Sugden Road with the advantage of two rolling subs to their visitor’s none, Surbiton scored four of their goals in the last 15 minutes, three of them in the last three, as H&W's 11 men visibly tired.
Player/coach Karl Stagno converted penalty corners in the 8th and 55th minutes, with Tim Cooper, Steve Richardson and Ben Littlejohns scoring from open play in the 67th, 68th and then final 70th minutes.

East Grinstead’s surprising 4-1 home loss at then fifth-placed Reading meant that Surbiton could ensure the championship by beating Old Georgians, rock-bottom with a goal difference of minus 88, at St George’s College, Weybridge, on Sunday afternoon (22 March).
The task seemed even easier with their opponents only raising ten players - three of them from their 4th XI and one from the 3rd XI - for the entire first half, while Surbiton had the luxury of one rolling sub.

But with 18 minutes remaining – OGs by then having had another three lower-XI players arrived at the interval and one from their 1st XI ten minutes after it - Surbiton only led 1-0 from a David Bartram 8th-minute open-play shot after an earlier penalty stroke had been saved by OG’s 1st XI keeper David Howell, who was in inspired form throughout the game to make one of the most unlikely results in hockey a distinct possibility.

But in that 53rd minute Stagno calmly converted another penalty stroke and Surbiton finally cruised away as their opponents again visibly tired with three open-play goals in the last ten minutes from Tom Griffiths (60th minute) and James Royce (64th and 65th) for a championship which in the event they would have won whatever the result despite East Grinstead still having a game to play.

Surbiton are now in line for a treble when they play Old Walcountians 1st XI in the Surrey Cup Final at Spencer HC ground this Sunday (29 March) at 2pm. They then play either Reading or Southgate in the semi-final of the Higgins Group London Premier League Cup at Surbiton on Saturday 4 April, with all the London League Finals also being held at Sugden Road on Saturday 18 April.

www.surbitonhockeyclub.com