Hampstead & Westminster fired the perfect riposte to their 5-0 home defeat to Old Georgians by recording their first ever England Hockey Premier Division victory at Sugden Road as Surbiton’s seven-game winning run came to an end.
Surbiton were protecting a 100 per cent record going into Saturday evening’s visit of Hampstead & Westminster and took the lead through Ben Boon on 46 minutes.
The advantage was short-lived as Matt Guise-Brown equalised four minutes later before Rupert Shipperley struck just before the hour mark. Hampstead then beat Durham University 4-0.
Wimbledon were also convincing winners as they seized on Surbiton’s slip up to move three points clear at the top of the table, putting seven past Brooklands MU without reply.
Peter Scott opened the scoring in the 27th minute but the game remained in the balance at the break, with the hosts holding a slender lead.
Scott’s second opened the floodgates after the break, however, and was added to by doubles from Eddie Way and Evan Kimber before David Condon put the icing on the cake late on.
Old Georgians stay third but are now level on points with Surbiton following a 5-1 win over Oxted.
The two sides served up a 16-goal thriller last season, Old Georgians eventually coming out on top 10-6, and both sides were quickly off the mark this time around as Oxted’s Lewis Fraser cancelled out James Carson’s opener.
The hosts pulled clear thereafter as James Albery, Ed Carson, Tom Carson and Dan Shingles all found the net to seal a convincing victory.
The battle of the bottom two was won by East Grinstead, who picked up their first win of the season as goals from Daniel Faulkner, Louis Gittens and Ben Mackey were enough to beat Exeter University 3-2.
Holcombe consolidated their place in the top six with a comfortable 5-2 win over Beeston. Strikes from Nick Bandurak, Tim Guise-Brown and Tom O’Keefe saw the hosts race into a 3-0 lead and though Henry Croft and Gareth Griffiths reduced the arrears, Rob Friend’s second-half brace made the points safe.
