England: Review of the Premier Division Week Three

Mens Premier Division leaders Old Georgians made short work of promoted Richmond recording a 12-1 win on Saturday evening. This included a second hat-trick in as many weeks for Sam Ward and braces for Tom and James Carson along with Alan Forsyth. Richmond are finding the step up challenging having lost all three games to date whilst OGs have now won 20 successive Premier Division matches.

Holcombe are the only other team with three wins out of three after a hard fought 3-2 victory at Hampstead & Westminster with Tim Neild hitting the winner and Holcombe holding out for the last 12 minutes. Unbeaten Beeston go third thanks to a 2-1 win over Cardiff & Met with Henry Croft’s 53^rd minute goal decisive. Croft has scored in all three of Beeston’s games so far this season.

Oxted secured a second win of the campaign, running out 4-1 winners at Southgate. Lucas Ward scored twice for the visitors in their first top- flight win against Southgate. Southgate are another team without a point this season and the third of this group are Bowdon who went down 3-1 at home to East Grinstead. Robert Creffier gave Bowdon the lead but EG came back with goals from Holland, Pembroke and Knight.

Surbiton and Wimbledon met of course in Euro Hockey League action and our congratulations go to Surbiton and commiserations to Wimbledon after the host team’s 3-2 win see them join Old Georgians in the EHL KO8 at Easter. Their league meeting is on Thursday 7 November.

We will have a round-up of the other EHL Divisions on Tuesday, the Goals of the Week clips will be out on Wednesday and the EHL Premier Preview podcast, looking ahead to next Saturday’s games lands on Thursday evening.

Top Scorers:

Sam Ward (Old Georgians) 8

Alan Forsyth (Old Georgians) 5

Tom Carson (Old Georgians) 5

Henry Croft (Beeston) 4

Struan Walker (Surbiton) 4

Clean Sheets:

James Mazarelo (Surbiton) 1

Ore Ogunlana (Wimbledon) 1

This week’s games
Saturday 12 October

Beeston v Oxted, 18:00

Bowdon v Hampstead & Westminster, 18:30

Cardiff & Met v Surbiton, 18:00

East Grinstead v Richmond, 18:00

Holcombe v Old Georgians, 18:30

Wimbledon v Southgate, 17:15

Reading top the Women’s Premier Division with three wins out of three. Their latest success was a 6-0 win at Birmingham University where Abbie Dixon scored a hat-trick from open play.

East Grinstead are the only other team with a 100% record. They raced into a five goal lead early in the second half at Nottingham University with Biba Mills netting her second double in as many games. Nottingham did mount a late comeback with three goals in the last quarter including two from captain Maddie Axford.

Champions Surbiton fell to a 2-1 defeat at home to Wimbledon under the Euro Hockey League lights. Martha Taylor gave Surbiton the lead but two goals in three minutes late in Q3 from Megan Crowson and Phoebe Barnett turned things round. This was Surbiton’s first defeat of the season after two wins and Holcombe suffered a similar fate going down 4-1 at Hampstead & Westminster, the only team to win at home on Saturday, although Olivia Shannon kept up her record of scoring in every game. Hampstead join Surbiton and Holcombe on six points.

Bowdon earned their first three points with a 3-1 win at Clifton Robinsons; goals in the last ten minutes from Aine Curran and Annabel Mills proved decisive. This was Bowdon’s first win at Clifton since 2011.

Loughborough Students were also winners on the road, 5-3 at Sutton Coldfield. Having failed to score in their opening two games Sutton pushed the Students hard and it took Samantha McCrory’s 69^th minute goal to make things safe.

Top Scorers:

Biba Mills (East Grinstead) 4

Abbie Dixon (Reading) 3

Caroline Spence (Reading) 3

Hannah Pearce (University of Birmingham) 3

Issy Yonge (Surbiton) 3

Maddie Axford (University of Nottingham) 3

Olivia Shannon (Holcombe) 3

Clean Sheets:

Mila Welch (East Grinstead) 2

Nicola Cochrane (Reading) 2

This week’s games
Saturday 12 October