EHL Premier Division Review | Week 15

Open/Men's Premier Division

A 5-1 win at Holcombe means Surbiton won all 16 games in the Open/Men's Top Six to become the first top-flight team to finish with a 100 per cent in the regular league season. Cannock went 17-1-0 in 2005-06 season winning 14 before a draw with Reading. Remarkably Barry Middleton, current Surbiton player coach was playing for Cannock and like Saturday scored then too. Wimbledon finish second, 12 points behind the leaders, after a 4-1 win over Hampstead & Westminster, Hampstead’s third 4-1 reverse in their last four games. The result means Old Georgians move above Hampstead into third after an 8-0 defeat of Oxted after braces from Sam Ward and Henry Croft.

In the Lower Six Cardiff & Met earned a place in the finals playoffs with a 4-0 defeat of visiting Brooklands MU. The visitors are now seven points from safety going into the relegation pool. Reading won for the first time since 1 November, 5-1 at Southgate which moves them a point above the North London side. Southgate had not suffered defeat in Phase 2 before Saturday. They remain three points clear of Beeston who lost 4-3 at East Grinstead. EG were guaranteed to finish seventh regardless of the result and go into the finals after an unbeaten Phase 2. It was Beeston’s first loss since 15 November but they end Phase 2 in a far better position than they started in.

Premier Division Top Scorers

Nick Bandurak (Surbiton) 23

Damon Steffens (Hampstead & Westminster) 19

Teague Marcano (Holcombe) 17

Jonty Elmes (East Grinstead) 15

Henry Croft (Old Georgians) 14

Sam Ward (Old Georgians) 14

Premier Division Clean Sheets

James Mazarelo (Old Georgians) 6

Calum Douglas (Surbiton) 5

Dom Dixon (Holcombe) 3

Lekan Ogunlana (Hampstead & Westminster) 2

Mark Philpot (Cardiff & Met) 2

Women's Premier Division

In the Women's Top Six, Surbiton go into the final stages of the league on an eight game winning run and unbeaten in the regular season. On Saturday they had a narrow 1-0 win at Wimbledon, Erica Sanders’ goal the only in 140 minutes of hockey between the sides this season to date. Wimbledon retain the best defensive record with just 14 goals conceded but slip down to fourth and will therefore play Surbiton again in Pool A of the finals playoffs. Hampstead & Westminster finish second, nine points behind Surbiton, after a 3-2 against Durham University on Saturday. East Grinstead’s point in a 2-2 draw with Reading was enough to secure third place after Wimbledon's loss. 

Barnes' 4-1 defeat at home to the University of Nottingham in the Lower Six means that they are relegated back to Division One after one season. The second relegation place will be decided in the relegation pool. The three points for Nottingham mean that they move out of the bottom two and Clifton Robinsons drop below them after a 2-1 defeat at Bowdon. Clifton have been tenth or higher since 8 November going into Saturday’s games but Nottingham’s three game unbeaten run sees the Bristol-based side slip to 11th. Bowdon now have a four-point buffer from Clifton, with the three relegation pool games left.     

Premier Division Top Scorers

Darcy Bourne (Surbiton) 14

Biba Mills (East Grinstead) 14

Erica Sanders (Surbiton) 13

Lizzy Pocknell (Durham University) 12

Coca Hall (University of Birmingham) 10

Premier Division Clean Sheets

Jessica Buchanan (Wimbledon) 8

Miriam Pritchard (Hampstead & Westminster) 7

Ayeisha McFerran (Surbiton) 5

Tilly Woodhead (University of Birmingham) 4