Old Georgians Miss Chance To Seal Title While Durham University Claim Vital Win

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Old Georgians missed the chance to seal their first ever Premier Division title on Saturday evening as they let a two-goal lead slip against Surbiton.

The hosts knew victory would secure the silverware with three games to spare and flew out the traps, James Tindall and Sam Ward putting them two goals to the good inside the first 13 minutes.

But Surbiton are still in the European hunt themselves and were in no mood to lie down, roaring back before the break as Gareth Furlong struck twice in the space of four minutes towards the end of the first half.

Neither side could find a winner after the break to leave Old Georgians eight points clear at the summit – victory at East Grinstead next Saturday will make them champions.

Wimbledon cemented their place in second with a convincing 6-1 win at East Grinstead, who have now lost four on the spin.

Ed Horler and Liam Ansell each struck braces for the visitors, with captain Ben Arnold and Evan Kimber also on target as Wimbledon moved five points clear of Surbiton in the race for the final Euro Hockey League spot.

Jamie Wallace netted for East Grinstead, who can finish no higher than sixth.

The third game in the Top 6 was a thriller as Holcombe defeated Hampstead & Westminster 4-3, leapfrogging their visitors into fourth in the process.

Nick Bandurak cancelled out Josh Kelly’s opener as the sides went in level at half-time before a rollercoaster second period with both Guise-Brown brothers to the fore on their respective sides.

Matthew Guise-Brown put the visitors back in front only for Jake Owen to respond in kind before two goals in two minutes, from Stephen Kelly for Hampstead & Westminster and Bandurak for Holcombe, made it 3-3 with eight minutes remaining.

The final twist was applied by Tim Guise-Brown, who slotted home from a penalty corner in the 69^th-minute to secure all three points for the hosts – and the family bragging rights.

Elsewhere in the Premier Division, the relegation battle took another twist as both the bottom two picked up impressive results.

Jakob Schmidt’s 54^th-minute strike proved decisive as Durham University earned a precious 1-0 win at home to Beeston, whose skipper Gareth Griffiths struck the post with a penalty stroke just past the hour mark.

That result saw Durham climb off the bottom and leapfrog University of Exeter, who picked up a battling point from their 2-2 draw at Oxted.

Mark Galloway opened the scoring for the hosts but the visitors turned the game on its head before half-time through Charles Taylor and skipper Max Lowrey.

Nick Giles’ penalty stroke levelled matters in the second half to leave Exeter at the foot of the table, just two points behind Durham, with only the bottom team now going down.

Division 1 North

University of Nottingham will play Premier Division hockey for the first time in their history next season after their promotion was confirmed on Sunday. Loughborough Students were held 1-1 by Cardiff & Met in Saturday’s sole fixture, leaving Nottingham knowing the title would be sealed if they could overcome Bowdon. Archie Foster’s brace helped them do just that as they ran out 3-0 winners to open up an unassailable four-point advantage. At the other end, the relegation battle will go down to the final weekend with the three teams still in danger. The bottom two, City of Peterborough and Sheffield Hallam, drew 1-1, with Nathan Foad’s last-gasp leveller dramatically keeping the hosts’ survival hopes alive. A point separates those two teams, with Deeside Ramblers a point better off following their 2-2 draw at Cambridge City – whoever finishes in the bottom two will be relegated. In the division’s other game, Olton & West Warwickshire thumped University of Birmingham 6-2.

Division 1 South

Reading put one hand on the Division 1 South trophy by beating Canterbury 3-1 in the battle of the top two. The Berkshire outfit now sit three points clear with just one game left and have a goal difference which is nine superior to their nearest challengers, who will need an unlikely set of results next weekend to earn promotion. Team Bath Buccaneers are out of the running following their 4-4 draw at home to Teddington which leaves them four points behind the leaders. Havant’s relegation was confirmed despite a 3-0 win over Oxford Hawks, as Brighton & Hove earned a 1-0 win at Southgate which ensured their survival as the best ninth-placed team with a game to spare. Sevenoaks climbed to fourth with a 4-2 win at Old Cranleighan.

Conference East

Old Loughtonians sealed promotion after picking up the point they needed from the 3-3 draw at home to Spencer. Richmond climbed to second, above Spencer, after overcoming Indian Gymkhana 4-3 in an entertaining clash in the capital. Gymkhana are not totally out the relegation woods but have three teams beneath them in a congested foot of the table, with West Herts still bottom after being beaten 4-1 at home by Wapping. They are joined on 14 points by Bromley & Beckenham, who went down 3-2 at home to London Wayfarers, while London Edwardians are just a point better off after being beaten 5-2 at Hampstead & Westminster 2s.

Conference Midlands

Barford Tigers sealed their spot in Division 1 next season with a 2-1 win at Cambridge University, Juan Martin Gudino Elizalde scoring twice in the space of three minutes as the champions came from behind. Second-placed Harborne eased past relegated Khalsa Leamington 6-1 while University of Birmingham 2s picked up a valuable 3-1 win at Loughborough Town which saw them leapfrog Cambridge University, who are now second bottom. Shares were spoiled between Harleston Magpies and Bedford (1-1) and Lichfield and St Albans (0-0).

Conference North

Belper put themselves in control of the promotion race as they capitalised on Timperley’s slip up to move two points clear at the summit. Timperley started the weekend top but went down 3-1 at home to Leeds on Saturday, allowing Belper to claim top spot after Sam Dixon’s four-goal haul fired them to a 4-2 win at Doncaster. Belper also have a game in hand and, should they win it next Saturday, will wrap up the title. Alderley Edge’s relegation was confirmed following their 3-1 defeat at home to fellow strugglers Durham University 2s, who took a step closer to securing their own survival as a result. Wakefield and Beeston 2s also picked up priceless victories, overcoming Preston (4-1) and Didsbury Northern (2-1) respectively.

Conference West

University of Bristol sealed the title in style, strolling to a 7-1 win over University of Exeter 2s with Kincaid Ingram netting a brace. Fareham moved second as their 2-1 win over Ashmoor was combined with Isca’s 2-0 defeat at home to Chichester. Cheltenham’s relegation was confirmed by their 1-0 home defeat against Clifton Robinsons and they could yet be joined by one of three teams. Plymouth Marjon and Cardiff University, the two sides in the most danger, are both on 16 points after sharing six goals in an entertaining draw while University of Exeter 2s are just two points better off.