England will have two representatives in the men’s Euro Hockey League finals at Easter for the first time since 2013 after Surbiton confirmed their place on Sunday.
Surbiton have hosted several domestic play-off and EuroHockey events in recent seasons across men and women, without success, but on a soggy Sunday spirits were finally lifted with a 3-2 win over Wimbledon.
It means that Barry Middleton’s side will join English club champions Old Georgians, alongside Royal Leopold, Bloemendaal, HC Rotterdam, Gantoise, Club de Campo and Kampong in another heavyweight Final 8 showdown in 2025.
Surbiton were indebted to the power of Luke Taylor and the impressive Struan Walker, who both opened the scoring in the first quarter.
Taylor fires the ball into the back of the net putting Surbiton ahead in Q1.
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The highlight of the game was Surbiton’s second. Dave Goodfield looked up and sent a superb backhand pass up field into the path of Walker who went left and dispatched low for Surbiton’s second.
James Mazarelo produced a wonder save with his left glove from a Wimbledon deflection as the first-half closed in.
At the time, Wimbledon were enjoying plenty of circle penetration. They were rewarded with the next move, a penalty corner, as Sam Hooper slammed a low slinger home.
At the end of the third quarter, Walker notched a second with a clinical PC goal.
Wimbledon again rallied as captain Ed Horler took down a pinpoint aerial and fed across goal where Fred Newbold bundled home on the line.
But Surbiton held out, as Wimbledon’s Eddie Way was awarded a late yellow card.
“It was brutal towards the end and nice to get over the line,” said Goodfield.
“It was about being gritty. All the guys put their bodies on the line and how we ground that out, as it wasn’t perfect.”
Earlier, EHL great Jeroen Hertzberger scored with under three seconds left to send Rotterdam into a shoot-out with Hamburger Polo Club.
Tied at 3-3 at the end of normal time, Hertzberger then took Rotterdam’s decisive last shoot-out as Hamburger, who were ahead, missed to lose 4-3.
