England Hockey League 2023/24 Premier Division Weekend 13 Preview

Men’s Premier Division leaders Old Georgians, who have won their last 11 games, head to Hamsptead & Westminster with an unbeaten record at Paddington Rec.

Hampstead have never beaten Old Georgians at home in the top flight, while their last win came away four years ago.

The Londoners will also be looking to arrest home form which has seen them ship five goals apiece in their last two matches. The match starts at 5:45pm.

Old Georgians ended Surbiton’s nine-game winning streak last weekend since losing to this weekend’s opponents Holcombe (6pm) in September.

Luke Taylor has scored in seven of second-placed Surbiton’s last eight league games as Mark Pearn’s side aim to keep up the pressure at the top.

Wimbledon travel to Southgate (5pm) on the back of a 5-2 victory earlier this season.

The only other Premier Division meeting at Southgate between these two sides came in 2014 when Wimbledon won 3-2.

Returning to the outdoor game from their Euro indoor exertions, Ben Francis, Sam Hooper and Duncan Scott have all scored in Wimbledon’s last two Premier Division matches.

Both Reading and Oxted are yet to keep a clean sheet this season ahead of their Lower Six meeting at Sonning Lane (6pm).

In their first Premier Division meeting between the teams at Reading, Lower Six leaders Oxted ran out 5-1 winners last October. 

With three match days left before Premier Division Finals, second-placed Beeston sit one point behind Oxted ahead of their hosting of Cardiff & Met (6pm).

Beeston have lost their three home games, while Walid Abdo’s side will travel for a first league meeting in Nottingham.

University of Nottingham, who won their first match of the season last weekend, host East Grinstead (6:30pm). 

Having lost their first 11 matches, UoN could lift themselves off the bottom with a win and a Reading defeat to Oxted.

However, third-placed East Grinstead are gunning for a top two finish in the Lower Six. UoN won two of three matches played last season, while East Grinstead won 2-1 at home this season.

*All stats courtesy of Colin Pike

Clifton Robinsons head to University of Birmingham(2:30pm) in a key tussle for a top two berth in the Lower Six.

Robbies lie second, one point behind leaders Wimbledon, with UoB four points adrift of their Bristol rivals.

Clifton last won at Birmingham in November 2019 and travel on the back of back-to-back home victories.

Last weekend, Wimbledon won two games in succession for the first time this season and head to Beeston on Saturday (4pm). 

Wimbledon last won at Beeston on in October 2020, while the Londoners will aiming to reverse a 2-1 home defeat to the Bees earlier this season.

Meanwhile, Isca & University of Exeter host Loughborough Students (2pm) in a battle of the bottom two. Loughborough are looking for their first win in five.

In the Top Six, East Grinstead head to Bowdon (1:30pm) for a first visit since October 2019 when the West Sussex side won 3-0.

Bowdon beat EG on the road in September but form has dipped, winning one home game this season and aiming for a first win in 10 this weekend.

Surbiton host University of Nottingham (5:30pm) in a third Premier Division meeting and Leah Wilkinson having scored in both previous games and UoN yet to score against the league leaders.

Surbiton failed to score last week at East Grinstead for the first time this season. But they have won their last 14 games at home.

Reading, five points behind Surbiton, travel to Hampstead & Westminster (3:45pm) on Saturday for a first ever national league visit.

The corresponding fixture in September finished 1-1.

Reading, along with East Grinstead, are the only Premier Division teams to have scored in every league game this season.