EHL Premier Division Review | Week Six

Women's Premier Division

Saturday 25 October

Womens Premier Division leaders Surbiton enjoyed a second successive big home win. Darcy Bourne scoring four in a 9-1 victory over Loughborough Students with, making it 17 goals in 140 minutes of hockey at Sugden Road. Second placed Hampstead & Westminster maintained their unbeaten start beating Durham University. A 4-1 win keeps them level on points with the leaders although they did concede their first goal at home.

East Grinstead beat Nottingham University 6-2, including a hat-trick for Biba Mills. Freya Robinson netted two corners for Nottingham. Birmingham University were also big winners, 5-2 against Barnes with Coca Hall scoring twice, the sixth successive game she has found the target.

Bowdon picked up a point at Reading, the game ending all square at 2-2, the home team’s second successive draw at Sonning Lane whilst Clifton Robinsons came close to their first points after a narrow 2-1 loss at Wimbledon.

Sunday 26 October

Leaders Surbiton travelled to Clifton Robinsons, who had yet to pick up a point in Sunday’s Womens Premier Division fixtures and the form book was only just followed as they came away with a 3-2 win. Goals from Alice Wills and Ellie Mackenzie gave Surbiton a 2-0 lead at the break, remarkably the sixth successive game they have been in this position at half time. Jennifer Hughes pulled a goal back for Clifton before Amy Costello restored the two-goal advantage; Emilia Puddicombe’s 69^th minute strike too late to affect the result.

The other three teams in the top four in the Division all also enjoyed six-point weekends. Hampstead in second beat Birmingham University 2-1 including a goal for former Birmingham player Holly Hunt. The students’ latest hotshot, Coca Hall, failed to get on target for the first game this season. East Grinstead in third found Loughborough Students a very different proposition to their performance the day before. Loughborough led 2-0 early in the second half before an EG recovery, topped by Biba Mills second goal, three minutes from time to secure a 3-2 win. Wimbledon in fourth beat Bowdon 1-0 with Millie Holme scoring for the second time in the weekend. Fifth placed Reading beat Durham University 2-0, their first clean sheet of the season.

Barnes picked up their first points and a first shut-out in a 2-0 win over Nottingham University.  Their goals came from Delia Baudena and Sarah-Jane McCann, who had also scored the day before, to move Barnes up to tenth on the back of the win.  

Open/Men's Premier Division

Saturday 25 October

Only one game saw teams separated by more than one goal in Saturday’s Open/Mens Premier Division games.

Leaders Surbiton enjoyed a narrow 2-1 win at Old Georgians. Nick Bandurak gave Surbiton a 7th minute lead which was cancelled out late in the second quarter by Alan Forsyth. A draw looked most likely as the final whistle approached but Bandurak struck with a second field goal to secure the win, a repeat of last season’s league final scoreline. 

Wimbledon moved up the table after their 2-1 win over Holcombe. Eddie Way and Duncan Scott put them two up and they held on despite a Rohan Bhuhi reply with eleven minutes left.

Hampstead & Westminster were the day’s big winners overcoming Brooklands MU 7-2 including a hat-trick of corners for Damon Steffens. The Oxted - Cardiff & Met game also saw goals, eight shared between the teams, with eight different scorers as Cardiff came from 4-2 down to draw 4-4, Oxted’s second 4-4 draw in as many weeks. East Grinstead and Southgate also drew, 1-1. Caspar Beyer scored the only goal of the game as Reading beat Beeston 1-0, their second successive win.

Sunday 26 October

Surbiton remain two points clear at the top of the Open/Men’s Premier Division after a 5-0 defeat of Cardiff & Met on Sunday. As he had done the day before Nick Bandurak netted a brace in their win. Second placed Wimbledon found visiting Brooklands MU in determined mood after a big loss 24 hours earlier. James Lavers put Brooklands one up after nine minutes and they held the lead until Sam Hooper equalised on 46 minutes. Jules Bournac made it 2-1 to Wimbledon soon after but a Dan Vincent stroke with 10 minutes left levelled things up again. Hooper’s second, this time from a corner, with seven minutes left secured a 3-2 win for the home team. Wimbledon trail Surbiton by two points and both teams have a game in hand on the rest of the Division   

Hampstead & Westminster stay third but dropped points in a 1-1 draw with Oxted. Damon Steffens netted a corner for Hampstead for the fifth successive game and became the Division’s leading scorer  but Charlie Axford cancelled this out to give Oxted their fourth draw in five games. Old Georgians ended their first ever Premier Division two game losing streak with a 9-1 win at East Grinstead. Holcombe won 4-0 at Reading with doubles for Alex Pendle and Matt Ramshaw.

Bottom of the table Beeston went down to their fourth single goal defeat of the season, 2-1 at Southgate, the home team’s first win of the season and one which moves them up to tenth.

Women's Premier Division Top Scorers (26 Oct 2025)

Darcy Bourne (Surbiton) 10

Biba Mills (East Grinstead) 10

Coca Hall (University of Birmingham) 7

Erica Sanders (Surbiton) 7

Amy Costello (Surbiton) 5

Holly Hunt (Hampstead & Westminster) 4

Lizzy Pocknell (Durham University) 4

Freya Robinson (University of Nottingham) 4

Women's Premier Division Clean Sheets:

Jessica Buchanan (Wimbledon) 4

Miriam Pritchard (Hampstead & Westminster) 3

Ayeisha McFerran (Surbiton) 2

Molly Smith (Loughborough Students) 2

Mila Welch (East Grinstead) 2

Tilly Woodhead (University of Birmingham) 2

Men's Premier Division Top Scorers (26 Oct 2025)

Damon Steffens (Hampstead & Westminster) 10

Nick Bandurak (Surbiton) 9

Teague Marcano (Holcombe) 9

Sam Ward (Old Georgians) 8

Jonty Elmes (East Grinstead) 7

Sam Hooper (Wimbledon) 7

Peter Jarvis (Oxted) 6

Men's Premier Division Clean Sheets:

James Mazarelo (Old Georgians) 3

Dom Dixon (Holcombe) 2