Hampstead & Westminster 2 Surbiton 5

Surbiton Hockey Club men’s first XI still have not conceded an open-play goal after retaining their 100 per cent record in their second EHL Premier Division fixture of the season, away again, this time at Paddington Rec on Saturday.

His team having won 4-3 in Cheshire against Bowdon the previous Sunday as their hosts were going down 2-0 at Reading, Surbiton’s James Tindall crashed back a blocked Matt Daly penalty corner to open the scoring in the seventh minute, before Daly scored directly from another penalty corner seven minutes later.

Three goals in three second-half minutes (a Mike Houlihan tap-in on 54 minutes, another Daly penalty corner on 56 minutes – making it six goals, all from penalty corners, in two games - and a stunning Tindall cross-cum-shot on 57 minutes) threatened a rout, only for Surbiton to concede a penalty corner goal to former player Andy Cornick with nine minutes remaining and then another to David Eakins three minutes later.

Surbiton always find their long-standing opponents from north of the Thames difficult to beat away from home, having drawn 4-4 in last season’s equivalent fixture, but this time were completely on top from the start, emphasised by forcing six penalty corners to none in reply in the first half.

Keeper Ian Scanlon beat out Daly’s first attempt, only for Tindall to smash it back past him with a superbly controlled low shot on the full volley.

Daly then finally drag-flicked home from the third of three penalty corners in quick succession after the front-running defender had to be helped off after taking his first attempt on the shin and the keeper illegally blocked his improvised reverse-stick effort after the set-up broke down from the resulting award.

Daly was resting on the bench in the 20th minute when Surbiton forced their fifth penalty corner, only for second striker Tim Pinnock to see his high drag-flick courageously hooked off the line by the masked left-post defender.

Finally, Tindall reverse-sticked into goal four minutes before the interval after the sixth injection went awry, but the whistle had already gone for a prior foot at the top of the circle.

However, the second half was a completely different storyline, with Hampstead forcing six penalty corners to Surbiton’s one.

Indeed, the final result could have been even closer had Hampstead not shot wide of an open goal prior to forcing and failing from their first three penalty corners, before Surbiton hit them with their three goals in three minutes burst.

But even that didn’t deter the home team who, given impetus by some very casual play from Surbiton, scored from two of their final three penalty corners and were only thwarted from breakaway open-play chances either side by determined diving blocks at the top of the circle from visiting keeper Chris Bristow, as well as missing another open goal in the closing minutes.

The result leaves Surbiton third in England’s elite 10-team league on goal difference behind Reading and East Grinstead.