With their men’s team playing at the top level of indoor hockey this weekend, Surbiton Ladies played in their first ever indoor tournament on Saturday at Haslemere, in a South League qualifier.

The top two teams in the first of three six team competitions qualified for the Southern final at the same venue on 19 December, but Surbiton’s immediate aim was to gain experience at the different form of the game, as the first step to their target of eventually joining their male counterparts in the England Hockey League.

Surbiton named an eleven player squad for the six-a-side tournament, in which they played five games of fifteen minutes with no half time break.

In their first game they came from behind to beat Wycombe 2-1, Victoria Heptonstall scoring their first indoor hockey goal in the fifth minute.

An inspired substitution led to Surbiton’s winner, Eleanor Jolly scoring in the tenth minute, within a minute of coming off the bench.

After that, Surbiton suffered frustration, Staines winning 2-0 with goals in the first and last minutes; a goalless draw against Teddington, which they felt they should have won; a 1-0 defeat against a six player Southgate team, whose winning goal came from a tenth minute penalty corner; and a 3-0 defeat against Hampstead & Westminster, two of their goals coming in the last four minutes.

Although Surbiton only won one and drew one of the five games, there was plenty of potential for the future.

Jeanne Heunis adapted very well to the faster pace of the game, making several excellent reaction saves.

Bethan Jenkins, Minnie James and Emma Royce played well in defence; Rachael Bradshaw, Victoria Heptonstall, Eleanor Jolly and Hannah Oakes set up several promising attacks.

With penalty corner defenders running from beside the goal rather than inside it, Emma Jones had several penalty corner shots blocked or defended. Sian Craze was particularly unlucky not to score; and Helen Grant, who originally was not intending to play, came on in the last five minutes for four of the five games, to inspire the team.

Next season, Surbiton can use the experience to choose the players who are best suited to the indoor game, in an attempt to progress through the indoor leagues.

They can also take heart that both Wycombe and Teddington qualified for the Southern final, so they showed that they can compete with quality teams.

SURBITON LADIES SQUAD: Heunis (GK); Bradshaw, Craze, Grant, Heptonstall (Capt.), James, Jenkins, Jolly, Jones, Oakes, Royce.