EHL Premier Division Review | Week Eleven

Open/Men's Premier Division

Surbiton made it 11 wins out of 11 to conclude the first stage of the Open/Mens Premier Division with a 100% record. On Saturday they firmly extinguished any hopes Reading had of a top-six finish with a 10-1 win. Surbiton had eight different scorers including Gareth Furlong netting a hat-trick of corners . Nick Bandurak scored the last of their goals to maintain his record of scoring in every game to date and consolidate his position as leading scorer.

Second-placed Wimbledon trail Surbiton by seven points and signed off as they started the season, scoring eight. Their 1-8 win at Oxted, including a hat-trick for Louis Tipper, was the home side's biggest defeat of the campaign. However with their rivals for sixth place all losing, Oxted retained that place. As well as Reading, East Grinstead, who went down 7-1 at Holcombe and Cardiff & Met, who were beaten 7-0 at home by Old Georgians missed out. Holcombe are fifth and OGs third, after a five match winning streak.

Southgate stay tenth after their 5-2 defeat at Hampstead & Westminster. The bottom two teams, Brooklands MU and Beeston, drew 1-1. Joe Paul gave Beeston a 50th minute lead which was cancelled out by Josh Baxendell four minutes later. The game draw meant Beeston's first point of the campaign and Brooklands arrested a seven match losing streak.

Open/Men's Top Scorers

Nick Bandurak (Surbiton) 18

Damon Steffens (Hampstead & Westminster) 15

Teague Marcano (Holcombe) 13

Henry Croft (Old Georgians) 12

Jonty Elmes (East Grinstead) 11

Gareth Furlong (Surbiton) 9

Peter Jarvis (Oxted) 9

Open/Men's Clean Sheets

James Mazarelo (Old Georgians) 5

Dom Dixon (Holcombe) 3

Calum Douglas (Surbiton) 3

Lekan Ogunlana (Hampstead & Westminster) 2

Women's Premier Division

Surbiton stay unbeaten and top of the Women's Premier Division at the end of stage one but were made to work hard for a win at Durham University. Durham took a two goal lead, both goals from Lizzy Pocknell, the only first-half goals Surbiton have conceded this season. Amy Costello pulled one back before the break, ahead of two Erica Sanders goals, the second just two minutes from time gave Surbiton a 3-2 win.  Consolation for Durham was securing a top-six finish, a great achievement in their first season the top flight. 

Second-placed Hampstead & Westminster went down to a 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Reading. Their second successive home loss and the first time they have failed to score this season. Reading’s goals came from Lorna Mackenzie, Caroline Spence and Anna-Rose Gabbitass. Reading move above Wimbledon into fourth after Wimbledon were held 3-3 at the University of Nottingham, who sit in eleventh. Nottingham came close to a crucial win, leading three times, an achievement in itself as Wimbledon had only conceded 8 goals in the 10 games prior to Saturday. 

Third-placed East Grinstead won 2-1 at the University of Birmingham, a third successive loss for the students which means they will play in the lower-six in the next season stage.

Cliffton Robinsons’ recent good run continued with a 5-3 win at Barnes and they have ended the first stage on a four-match unbeaten run to move five points clear of their opponents who remain bottom and three points above Notitngham.

Loughborough Students won 3-1 at Bowdon but miss out on a top-six place on goal difference, their 5-0 home loss to Durham last weekend proving decisive. Margot Willis scored for Bowdon in her second successive game after scoring five goals in Conference North for their 2s, Hannah Boss netted two of Loughborough’s goals. 

The Premier Division goes into its winter break now. It's return will be after the World Cup Qualifiers, the dates of which are as yet still unknown.

Women's Top Scorers

Darcy Bourne (Surbiton) 12

Lizzy Pocknell (Durham University) 11

Biba Mills (East Grinstead) 10

Erica Sanders (Surbiton) 10

Coca Hall (University of Birmingham) 8

Amy Costello (Surbiton) 7

Women's Clean Sheets

Jessica Buchanan (Wimbledon) 6

Miriam Pritchard (Hampstead & Westminster) 5

Nicki Cochrane (Reading) 3

Ayeisha McFerran (Surbiton) 3

Mila Welch (East Grinstead) 3