Premier League Women
Women’s Premier Division leaders Surbiton welcome the University of Birmingham to Sugen Road as they look to extend their unbeaten run this campaign. Birmingham were well in the top six five games ago, but with a run of one win in five they are in a group of three teams with 12 points who are likely to challenge for the final spot in the top six.
The other two teams are Loughborough Students and Durham University, who meet on Saturday. Two consecutive wins have boosted Durham’s chances of a top-six finish in their first top-flight season.
Elsewhere, Hampstead and Westminster make the short trip to Wimbledon. Last season the teams met three times and the honor even came in three close encounters, each with a win and a draw. Hampstead will be looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season against Surbiton last weekend.
East Grinstead travel to Reading after a defeat at home to Wimbledon last Saturday ended a four-match winning streak.
Bowdon, who has an outside chance of a top-six finish, travels to Barnes in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Clifton Robinsons, who have drawn their last two matches, host the University of Nottingham and could clear the foot of the table with a win, going above Nottingham in the process.
Open/First Division Men
Following their 3-0 win over Wimbledon on Thursday evening, Surbiton travel to Southgate on Saturday looking to make it 10 wins out of 10 to extend their lead at the top of the Open/Men’s Premier Division, while the hosts hope to build on a good win in Reading last weekend.
Wimbledon, who are now five points behind Surbiton in second place, host Hampstead & Westminster, who are two points further in third. Hampstead are unbeaten in seven matches and will be hoping to break their Wimbledon winning streak against them after the home side emerged victorious in their three meetings last season.
The fourth-placed Old Georgians will face fifth-placed Holcombe, who will be looking to be mathematically confirmed with a top-six finish after the first phase of the competition.
Brooklands MU host Cardiff & Met. It is the first meeting between the teams since the 2014 play-offs, after Aidean Khares scored the winner in a 2-1 win for Brooklands that day and is also in their line-up this season. Neither team has managed to score a point in the last three games.
Beeston, who are bottom of the league without a point, welcome Oxted to the Nottingham Hockey Centre. Oxted are looking for points in their quest to get into the top six.
They trail sixth-placed East Grinstead, who travel to Reading, with the Berkshire club also a point behind them.
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