Men's League Preview: What's On The Line This Weekend?

To see full fixtures, results and tables from across the country, click here.

Some statistics in the below previews were compiled using the help of Colin Pike/Hockey World News' media guide.

One week after securing European hockey for the first time, Old Georgians can now claim an historic first Premier Division title with victory this weekend.

Old Georgians play Surbiton on Saturday, with their opponents themselves also needing a win to cement European hockey next season.

Three points will be enough for Old Georgians to capture an inaugural top tier Championship after becoming a National League club in 2003. They are 10 points ahead of Wimbledon, with four games remaining in the Top 6.

“It’s in our position to lose that’s for sure,” said Old Georgians’ James Tindall, who started as a junior with the club in the 1990s.

“The only outdoor league I haven’t won with Old Georgians is the Premier Division outdoors. It is crazy to think, when I was coming up through the ranks, that in 20 years' time we would be sitting almost on the pinnacle of the top domestic hockey title.”

Third-placed Surbiton, the defending champions from the 2019/20 season, have twice lost to Old Georgians this season, including a 2-0 defeat the last time the two sides met at Weybridge in November. 

Old Georgians have won their last 10 matches in succession, while Surbiton did return to form last weekend, courtesy of a 9-1 win over East Grinstead - their seventh victory in a row against them at Sugden Road.

Mark Pearn's side head to Surrey on the back of eight different scorers finding the net against East Grinstead. Luke Taylor remains the league's top scorer, with 18 goals.

All three Top 6 matches push back at 6pm on Saturday, with Wimbledon also heading to East Grinstead.

Wimbledon will be vying for their third win of the campaign over East Grinstead, following a 2-1 home win last month and a 4-2 away victory in November.

Holcombe meet Hampstead & Westminster for the first time in Kent this season. H&W were awarded a 5-0 walkover over Holcombe last month, while the two played out a 2-2 draw in October.

The Londoners have won two of their last three matches at Holcombe, scoring 15 goals. After losing three of their last four matches in the top 6, Kwan Browne's side need maximum points to keep their Euro Hockey League hopes alive.

Sat 26 Mar
6pm – East Grinstead v Wimbledon
6pm – Holcombe v Hampstead & Westminster
6pm – Old Georgians v Surbiton

With only one team now set to be relegated from the Premier Division following the announcement of the 2022/23 structure, it is very much all to play for between University of Exeter and Durham University. Brooklands MU are also in the mix but the change in structure does make their position less perilous.

University of Exeter's two wins from their last three fixtures have boosted the west country side's hopes of staving off relegation.

They now head to Oxted, who lead the Phase 2 Bottom 5, having lost twice already to them this season.

Meanwhile, Durham University host Beeston. The students beat the Bees 3-2 in their last encounter at Durham in October.

Sat 26 Mar
2pm Durham University v Beeston
2pm Oxted v University of Exeter

University of Nottingham hold a two-point advantage at the top of Division 1 North. And two wins from their remaining fixtures will ensure Premier Division hockey next season for the first time for the university side.

Nottingham do have a tricky run-in, however, and will have to bounce back after losing to promotion rivals Loughborough Students in an energy-sapping 3-2 defeat at BUCS Big Wednesday in midweek. Nottingham face fourth-placed Bowdon on Sunday followed by Cardiff & Met - who will finish third in the league - on the final day. 

A buoyant Loughborough Students travel to Cardiff for a Saturday afternoon push back and can briefly go top before Nottingham’s match on Sunday.

Meanwhile, an intriguing weekend is also in store at the other end, with the bottom four sides all meeting. The games are especially important given the change in structure for 2022/23, meaning that only the bottom-placed team is certain to go down.

City of Peterborough and Sheffield Hallam face off in a bottom-of-the-table clash, while Cambridge City (safe from relegation) and Deeside Ramblers meet, the former having lost their last four matches.

At least one of Peterborough, Sheffield and Deeside will go down, and it will be two if they do not outperform whoever finishes 9th in Division 1 South.

Sat 26 Mar
4:30pm Cardiff & Met v Loughborough Students

Sun 27 Mar
1:30pm Cambridge City v Deeside Ramblers
1:30pm Olton & West Warwickshire v University of Birmingham
2pm City of Peterborough v Sheffield Hallam
2:30pm Bowdon v University of Nottingham

The three-way tussle for Premier Division status continues apace on Sunday. Top of the bill is Reading's crunch home clash against old rivals Canterbury in a first v second battle.

Reading lead courtesy of a better goal difference and will look to get the better of Canterbury after their last-gasp defeat at Polo Farm before the winter break.

Canterbury's title hopes were boosted after Reading and third-placed Team Bath Buccaneers both lost last time out. The Buccaneers, two points back, face mid-table Teddington, with their title hopes on the line.

The change in League structure for 2022/23 means that Brighton & Hove or Havant could earn a reprieve from relegation, although it also depends on how teams fare in Division 1 North. For Havant to have any chance of survival they need to win both remaining games and hope Brighton get no more than a point from both of theirs.

Sat 26 Mar
5pm Old Cranleighan v Sevenoaks

Sun 27 Mar
1pm Team Bath Buccaneers v Teddington
1:30pm Reading v Canterbury
2pm Havant v Oxford Hawks
2:30pm Southgate v Brighton & Hove

With a six-point advantage and two fixtures left, Old Loughtonians will celebrate as champions with a point or more against Spencer, their nearest challengers.

The two go head-to-head in front of Old Loughts' home support on Saturday afternoon.

The situation is far from clear at the bottom, meanwhile, where five clubs are in the relegation mix.

Bottom side West Herts have shown an upturn in form of late, thanks to seven points from a possible 12 ahead of their home encounter against Wapping. 

London Edwardians, third from bottom, haven't found victory for 11 games. They face Hampstead & Westminster 2, who are currently best-placed to survive of the bottom five clubs.

With one of the teams who finish 9th in the four Conferences to be reprieved from relegation, it gives teams at the foot of the table a greater chance of staying up, so all those involved will be going all-out to firstly not finish bottom, but also to out-perform their rivals in the other divisions.

Sat 26 Mar
12:15pm Hampstead & Westminster 2 v London Edwardians
2:30pm Bromley & Beckenham v London Wayfarers
4:30pm Old Loughtonians v Spencer

Sun 27 Mar
1:30pm Richmond v Indian Gymkhana
1:30pm West Herts v Wapping

A positive result for Barford Tigers against Cambridge University will seal the Conference Midlands title this weekend.

The Tigers, who beat Cambridge 3-1 at home in November, have won their last 10 matches and face a student side who have drawn four of their last five.

Harborne need to score heavily in their last two fixtures and hope for any Barford reversal. With Santi Binaghi netting his seventh hat-trick last weekend, the odds favour the Tigers.

Khalsa Leamington were officially relegated last weekend, with Cambridge University and University of Birmingham 2 battling to avoid the drop. Bedford and Loughborough Town are not totally safe either, but their plight has been helped slightly by the announcement that one team finishing ninth in the four Conferences will be reprieved relegation. All four clubs are set to play each other on the final weekend.

Sat 26 Mar
1:30pm Lichfield v St Albans

Sun 27 Mar
12:30pm Loughborough Town v University of Birmingham 2
1:30pm Cambridge University v Barford Tigers
2:30pm Harborne v Khalsa Leamington
2:30pm Harleston Magpies v Bedford

Timperley hold a one-point lead at the top of Conference North, but Belper have one game in hand, with the season perfectly set up for a grandstand finish.

Belper, unbeaten in seven, now face a double header next weekend in their final set of fixtures. First, they must overcome third-placed Doncaster this Sunday.

At the bottom, Alderley Edge's run of four successive defeats has left them in serious danger of being relegated this weekend. 

They are five points behind Wakefield and Durham University 2. Alderley Edge face Durham at home in a battle of the bottom two, with a point for the visitors consigning the hosts to the drop. Durham’s own plight is very slightly more secure given the new 2022/23 structure, with one of the teams finishing ninth in the four Conferences to be reprieved relegation.

Sat 26 Mar
2:30pm Wakefield v Preston
4:30pm Alderley Edge v Durham University 2
6pm Timperley v Leeds

Sun 27 Mar
2pm Didsbury Northern v Beeston 2
2:30pm Doncaster v Belper

A win for University of Bristol would seal the Conference West title this weekend.

Bristol are at home to University of Exeter 2, who are also in a fight for survival at the bottom of the league.

Bristol are four points ahead of Isca, while Fareham, a point further back, are still in the promotion race with two fixtures left.

It means there is still everything to play for at both ends of the league. Cardiff University and Plymouth Marjon meet in a relegation encounter; both teams are six points clear of bottom side Cheltenham, who are set for the drop out of the League. The plight of those immediately above them has been aided slightly by the new 2022/23 format.

Sun 27 Mar
12:30pm Cheltenham v Clifton Robinsons
1pm Isca v Chichester
1pm Plymouth Marjon v Cardiff University
1:30pm Fareham v Ashmoor
1:30pm University of Bristol v University of Exeter 2