The second-half of the English domestic season in the Premier Division kicks off this weekend with an eagerly-anticipated clash between the top sides in the men’s league.
There has been a men’s World Cup and indoor campaign since the last round of matches but there will no better match than hosts Old Georgians taking on Surbiton (6pm) as a second curtain raiser.
Champions Old Georgians, unbeaten so far, haven’t lost in five against Surbiton, who last won against their Surrey rivals almost three years to the day.
The encounter will be one of six weekends in this next phase of the league before the race for Finals Day hots up, with the top two teams in the lower six division also in the mix.
Meanwhile, Wimbledon play hosts to Holcombe while Hampstead & Westminster play Reading.
In the lower six table, Beeston and Oxted start top. East Grinstead and Uni of Nottingham lurk behind, meaning four clubs are within one point of each other.
In the race for promotion, Cardiff & Met and Loughborough Students are the top two sides in Division 1 North, while Southgate lead by eight points in Div 1 South.
As with the men’s top flight, the top two in the Vitality Women’s Premier Division also face off when leaders Surbiton play at home to Wimbledon, who inflicted the only defeated suffered by England’s perennial domestic champions this season in a 2-1 outcome.
Surbiton lead by five points after a run of 10 wins from 11 in the first half of the season.
Reading and Loughborough Students hold a small points gap in the lower six as they renew battles to reach the Premier Division finals.
In Division 1 North and South respectively, Stourport lead the way while Isca & Universaity of Exeter and Sevenoaks are top.
