W1 Win Ninth League Title With Victory over Hampstead
By Colin Pike
Surbiton Women regained the Women's Hockey League Premier Division Finals title they lost in 2023 to East Grinstead by beating Hampstead & Westminster 3-1 at Sugden Road on Sunday afternoon.
Surbiton won their ninth league title in eleven seasons, including the 2020-21 season which was declared null and void due to Covid.
Surbiton won their first title 3-0 against Canterbury at Sonning Lane, Reading in 2014 and ten years later won the league title on their own pitch to seal their place in the 2025 Euro Hockey League.
Hampstead & Westminster, in reaching their first domestic league final will compete in the EuroHockey Club Trophy I in 2025, Surbiton having won the trophy in Hamburg at Easter.
Hampstead came close to joining Surbiton in the Euro Hockey League, but Belgian clubs just did enough to ensure England will be the fifth ranked country in 2023-24.
Hampstead were playing their third match at Sugden Road in nine days, having lost 4-1 to Surbiton on 6 April and beaten East Grinstead in a dramatic shootout to win the semi-final the day before.
And just as in the match on 6 April, Surbiton had to come from behind to win after Madi Ratcliffe, the Premier Division's leading goalscorer, gave Hampstead the lead in the 20th minute. Ratcliffe's superb finish from just wide of the left post rebounded off the inside right sideboard to give the Hampstead supporters a moment to savour.
Hampstead still led 1-0 at half time, but Surbiton's comeback started in the 39th minute, Leah Wilkinson smashing the ball against the backboard from Surbiton's sixth penalty corner with Miriam Pritchard, Hampstead's heroine in the shootout a day earlier, unable to react.
Surbiton's go-ahead goal in the 49th minute was from a similar routine. Wilkinson's shot towards goal from their eighth penalty corner was deflected by Sophie Hamilton while standing immediately in front of goal to wrongfoot Pritchard who had the original shot covered, although the goal was officially credited to the injector, Alice Sharp.
Still trailing 2-1 with four and a half minutes remaining, Hampstead elected to play with eleven outfield players, replacing Pritchard in goal. The move backfired as in the 58th minute Hamilton scored from the edge of the circle with Meg Dowthwaite in front of goal to clinch the 3-1 win and regain their league champions status after a gap year.
Credit should be given to Surbiton goalkeeper Amber Walton, who not only replaced Sabbie Heesh after Heesh's injury in the home match versus the University of Nottingham left Surbiton without a goalkeeper for 61 minutes, but was voted Goalkeeper of the tournament at the EuroHockey Trophy I tournament in Hamburg and now has a league winners medal after unexpectedly being called up as first choice goalkeeper for the remaining matches of the season.
Surbiton were also without leading goalscorer Hannah French, but their strength in depth was enough to see them through.
The Final can be watched back via the England Hockey TV channel on You Tube here
East Grinstead faced their second shootout in as many days after a 1-1 draw with Wimbledon, but this time won 4-3 to finish third on the day that both Sophie Bray and Laura Roper played their last game for the West Sussex club.
Obviously disappointed by their shootout defeat in the semi-final, East Grinstead's supporters saw Lily Walker give them the lead in the 36th minute with a brilliant run into the 23 metre area before an excellent shot gave Wimbledon goalkeeper Nicki Cochrane no chance.
Wimbledon were level in the 51st minute through another quality goal, Megan Crowson's reverse shot from the edge of the circle deceiving East Grinstead goalkeeper Issy Field to ultimately lead to a shootout.
Wimbledon went first with Crowson scoring with her first effort, only to have to retake after the hooter sounded. This time, Crowson saw her shot saved before Walker found the backboard to put East Grinstead 1-0 ahead.
Fiona Crackles equalised again via the backboard before Alex Malzer's effort was saved by Cochrane to keep the score at 1-1 after two attempts apiece. Anna Toman scored for Wimbledon and Liv Breed levelled for East Grinstead to make the score 2-2 after three attempts. Jen Eadie's attempt for Wimbledon was saved before Sophie Bray put East Grinstead 3-2 ahead with one attempt each to come.
Becky Manton kept Wimbledon's hopes alive but Ellie Rayer scored to give East Grinstead the 4-3 shootout win and the third place finish.
The third place playoff can be watched back via the England Hockey TV channel on You Tube here
The official record of the Premier Division Finals can be found at the England Hockey Altius website here