EHL Premier Division Preview | Week Fourteen

Open/Men's Premier Division

Open/Men’s Top Six leaders, Surbiton, have secured top spot and a European place but will want to continue their 100% season against visiting Old Georgians. Holcombe and Wimbledon meet, with both teams having had a mixed restart to the campaign. Oxted will be looking to halt a four match losing streak when they welcome Hampstead & Westminster who they drew 1-1 with on their previous meeting. 

East Grinstead are all but qualified for a finals place from the Lower Six, they travel to Cardiff & Met. Cardiff are trying to hold off Southgate and Reading to also qualify. All three teams will also be looking over their shoulder as Beeston have moved off the foot of the table with two wins and a draw since the restart. Reading travel to Beeston on Sunday. Southgate welcome Brooklands MU after two trips to Manchester in the first stage. Brooklands will be hoping for a repeat of the 3-1 win in the postponed game, their only win to date.

Women's Premier Division

Top Six leaders, Surbiton, host Durham University on Saturday and travel to East Grinstead on Sunday looking to secure top spot. Durham have a weekend in London with a game at Wimbledon on Sunday too. East Grinstead are second in the table and face a tough weekend as Saturday sees them travel to Hampstead & Westminster who beat them 3-0 earlier in the season. Reigning champions Reading won’t finish higher than fifth if they lose to Wimbledon on Saturday, Hampstead & Westminster and Reading who play in European competition at Easter brought their game forward and played out a 2-2 draw a fortnight ago. 

The University of Birmingham and Loughborough Students are four points clear at the top of the Lower Six and one win this weekend will see them confirm finals place. Loughborough play the bottom two sides, travelling to Barnes on Saturday before returning home to play University of Nottingham on Sunday, in a rematch of this weeks BUCS finals which saw Loughborough win 2-0 against Nottingham. Barnes are bottom and are on a five match losing streak, Nottingham boosted a chance of avoiding the drop with a 1-0 win over Clifton Robinsons last weekend. Birmingham face Clifton, who had won three before their loss to Nottingham and then host Bowdon.   Bowdon face Nottingham on Saturday and will be still hoping to finish in the top two if they can win twice.