Premier League Women
There is a battle at the top of the table in the Women’s Premier Division as first-placed Hampstead welcomes second-placed Surbiton to Paddington Rec. They are the only two teams that are undefeated in the Division. Last season Hampstead had a draw and a win on their way to the top of the Division at the end of the regular season.
Third-placed East Grinstead will take on Wimbledon, who are one place below them in the rankings. Both teams are in good form, although Wimbledon have been lost in two of their last five matches. East Grinstead’s Biba Mills is joint top scorer in the division with Surbiton’s Darcy Bourne and faces Jess Buchanan, the Wimbledon goalkeeper who has the most clean sheets.
In fifth place, Reading welcome Barnes who makes the short trip to Sonning Lane. Reading lost at Loughborough Students last week, ending a five-match unbeaten run. Barnes is tenth.
It’s a battle for all universities as sixth-placed Birmingham hosts Durham two places lower. It is their first league match since the 2009 play-offs, when Birmingham won on their way to promotion to the top tier.
Nottingham University welcome Bowdon hoping to close the four-point gap between the teams. Last season’s meetings ended with one win each.
At the bottom of the table, Clifton Robinsons will be hoping to build on last week’s first point when they played Loughborough Students. Loughborough will look to use last week’s fine win against Reading as a springboard to move into the top half of the table.
Open/First Division Men
Surbiton will look to extend their 100% record in the Open/Men’s Premier Division when they take on Brooklands MU. It has been three years since the teams met in a Premier Division match, with Surbiton winning 4-3 in Cheshire on that occasion. Surbiton’s Nick Bandurak will look to continue his scoring form as he is currently joint top scorer in the division with twelve goals.
Second-seeded Wimbledon travel to sixth-seeded East Grinstead for the first time in three seasons. This is the only meeting of two top six teams this Saturday, with both teams coming away with wins last weekend.
Hampstead & Westminster, who enjoyed an excellent comeback win at Holcombe last Saturday, host Cardiff & Met. Damon Steffens has been retired since 1st team hockey by Matt Guise-Brown and is the division’s joint top scorer with 12 goals along with Bandurak.
Holcombe will look to get back on track when they host Beeston at the bottom of the table, who remain without a point but have come close with a series of narrow defeats.
Oxted dropped to seventh after last Saturday’s defeat to East Grinstead, which also ended a six-match unbeaten run. They travel to fourth-placed Old Georgians who have scored 17 goals in their last two games.
Reading will be looking for their fourth win in five at home to Southgate, which could propel them into the top six.
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