SURBITON TO MEET UP WITH EURO TROPHY AGAIN

by Seán Cotter 23 October 2009

Surbiton men’s 1st XI defend their single-point lead at the top of England’s EHL national premier division away to Loughborough Students on the University’s main pitch at Epinal Way tomorrow (Saturday 24 October) evening (6pm)

They will also meet up there with the EuroHockey Nations Championship Trophy for a second time this league season as England Hockey stages the fourth of six legs of its Trophy Tour (the second of which was at Sugden Road on 3 October).

As well as the Trophy being on display there will be opportunities for spectators to get photographs with it and the players.

The Students had one and Surbiton five members of England’s 18-man winning squad that first got their hands on the Trophy on that golden afternoon in Amsterdam after the 5-3 victory over Germany.

But five players from the two clubs have also met up on international duty as recently as this week when Surbiton’s Richard Alexander, Ben Hawes and Rob Moore (all gold medallists), together with Richard Smith (also a gold medallist) and Nick Catlin of the Students, were in the England Performance Unit Squad that took on Belgium in two non-capped games at Bisham Abbey.

Catlin, Moore and Smith played in both games; but Hawes only the first and Alexander only the second.

Moore scored the winner from open play as England won 3-2 on Tuesday (20 October) and Alexander England’s third, also from open play, as they won 4-2 on Wednesday (21 October).

Both league meetings between their two clubs last season were drawn 3-3 with the Students eventually finishing sixth to Surbiton’s fifth, but seven points in arrears after having one point deducted.

Surbiton’s joint captain Tim Pinnock was the hero of the hour (and ten minutes!) as a 6-4 home victory over Beeston last Sunday (18 October) at Sugden Road gave them 13 points from five fixtures so far this season, one more than Reading who have played a game less.

Loughborough Students lie bottom but one in the 10-club elite league with the worst goal difference of three teams on four points.

Not only did the former England U21 international step in to replace his team’s injured leading set piece scorer Matt Daly by converting two of his team’s three penalty corners, but Pinnock also was on the spot to notch two open-play goals.

In a fluctuating first half his team trailed 0-1 in the second minute and 1-2 in the 22nd before being pulled back to 3-3 in the 33rd.

In between the opposition goals, Pinnock himself deflected in the first equaliser from close range in the 12th minute and then saw James Tindall do the same to make it 2-2 on 27 minutes.

Surbiton got their noses in front for the first time four minutes later as Pinnock clanged his dragflick against the right back stanchion from the game’s first penalty corner award.

The seesaw rapidly tipped back the other way, however, as a long ball left Surbiton’s defence sprawling for Beeston to equalise two minutes later and two before half time.

The game finally turned Surbiton’s way when Beeston were reduced to ten men by a yellow card eight minutes into the second half (43 minutes) and Surbiton scored twice in the ensuing power play.

On 45 minutes Pinnock ripped home another high right dragflick from Surbiton’s second penalty corner and within a minute Tindall pulled a ball to the back of the circle for Pinnock’s co-captain Ben Hawes to power home past the keeper.

Four minutes later, even with Beeston back to full strength, Mike Houlihan set up Pinnock to score his fourth of the game, this time another from close range, to make it 6-3 in the 50th minute.

But after nine goals only one more came in the final 20 minutes when Beeston scored from their second and final penalty corner in the 66th minute.

Preview for www.surbitonhc.com plus report for “Surrey Comet” and “Surrey Advertiser Elmbridge Edition” 23 October 2009