EHL Premier Division Preview | Week 17

Women's Premier Division

In Women's Pool A Surbiton welcome Wimbledon with the visitors needing a win – either in normal time or after a shoot-out to take top spot from the hosts going into the Finals Weekend semi-finals. Surbiton are on a 10 game winning run since their goalless draw with Wimbledon on 1 November, one of the nine clean sheets Jess Buchanan has kept this season for the visitors. Reading’s title defence was ended last weekend with losses at Surbiton and Wimbledon and they bring their season to a close with a visit from Loughborough Students who also cannot qualify.

Pool B sees a crucial game at Maiden Castle where Durham University host the University of Birmingham and the winner will book a place at finals weekend. Both teams beat East Grinstead – meaning the Sussex side are out of the race -  but lost to Hampstead & Westminster last weekend to set up this winner-takes-all meeting. Durham won their previous meeting 3-1 at Birmingham back in November. The winners will join Hampstead & Westminster at Surbiton next weekend. Hampstead go into a home  game with East Grinstead on the back of five straight wins and need a point to go through top of the pool.      

in the Relegation Pool, Clifton Robinsons welcome Bowdon needing a win to keep their hopes of avoiding the drop alive. If they lose and the University of Nottingham beat already doomed Barnes, Clifton will be relegated. They have only spent one season, 2006-07, outside of the top flight since the league’s inception in 1990. A point for Bowdon would ensure their safety and confirm their 2s would be promoted from Conference North. Nottingham are unbeaten in four going into their game with Barnes.

Open/Men's Premier Division

In Open/Men's Pool A Surbiton and Hampstead & Westminster both won their first two games so Saturday’s meeting will determine who finishes top of the pool. Their previous two games to date have both gone Surbiton’s way with 4-1 wins, two of the eighteen straight games they have won this season. Surbiton's Nick Bandurak (28) and Hampstead & Westminster's Damon Steffens (22) are the top two scorers in the Premier Division this season. Holcombe and Cardiff & Met play for pride in their last games of the season.    

The top two are also decided in Pool B. Wimbledon take on Old Georgians, their encounters earlier in the season both ended 1-1 so it may take a shoot-out to separate them. Wimbledon are on a four game winning streak since the second draw, whilst OGs amassed fifteen goals in their games last weekend. Oxted are looking to end an eight-match losing streak when they welcome East Grinstead. Although they pipped EG to a Top 6 finish, the visitors won 3-1 in Phase 1.

Things are tight in the Relegation Pool. Both last weekend's games ended 1-1 and earlier in Phase 2 only 4 of the 15 matches saw victory by more than one goal. Beeston travel to Southgate. Southgate will be safe if they win which would relegate Beeston, but a draw would take the relegation battle to the final weekend. Brooklands MU are relegated but have proved tough opposition throughout. They are at Reading for whom a win would mean safety.