Bottom-of-the-table beating top-of-the-table was not quite the shock it appears on paper as an understrength and walking wounded Surbiton went down to the promoted newcomers University when England’s elite National Hockey League resumed on Sunday after its winter break.

Surbiton may have been unbeaten in 10 fixtures and already defeated University 5-2 in a pre-season friendly in September (with only one of their England internationals playing) and then 6-2 in the reverse league fixture in October (with all five England internationals playing).

But, for this return league fixture in the West Country, the Long Ditton club played without all five of their England internationals.

In fact, the squad was the same bar four of the 14 who played in the friendly – missing only Steve Davis (who had left before the start of the season to play for Wimbledon) as well as England’s Matt Daly from the starters and Hugh Wilson (injured) and Tom Griffiths (unavailable) from the subs that day.

Those two subs were replaced by youngsters David Bartram and Nick Cooper; with experienced former GB/England international James Wallis and England U21 international Ben Tibble in place of Daly and Davis, plus coach Karl Stagno playing his first league game of the season.

So Surbiton took only four outfield subs, using three of them, compared to Exeter, who used all their five.

From Surbiton’s home league line-up against Exeter, as well as the missing five internationals (James Tindall being permitted to play but advisedly not doing so because of the long journey on top of his previous week’s international exertions), former Spanish international Alberto Esteban Velazquez was back home for a family wedding, while his countryman Alejandro Iglesias Bilbao and the US international Andrew Sheridan were playing in heavy strapping (to left hamstring and right foot respectively).

In the face of these depletions – though to be fair the University were themselves missing three starters - Surbiton only just failed to snatch a point with a gutsy late comeback after falling 3-0 down five minutes into the second half.

Despite only three of the squad having to make the long journey that morning and a positive team meeting for all at the overnight hotel, Surbiton were off to a slack start at 12.30pm.

In the fourth minute, Exeter won a free hit on the left edge of the circle and the ball found its way through a forest of legs for Ian Haley to turn into goal.

Then, after Surbiton had the only penalty corner of the half run down on 22 minutes, a 23rd-minute turnover in defence let in (as so often happens) a former Surbiton player, James Royce, to double the lead.

A home victory seemed sealed when Nick Page smashed a dummied penalty corner low and far left into the backboard five minutes after the interval.

But, with 13 minutes remaining, Surbiton won their first corner of the half and, although Tim Pinnock’s dragflick was well gloved out, it fell on to a defender’s foot and the Surbiton captain calmly converted the resulting penalty stroke.

Four minutes later and Surbiton were back in the game as Pinnock this time despatched Surbiton’s second penalty corner of the half high into the net.

Two minutes further on and any result seemed possible as Pinnock’s third penalty corner attempt was parried out only for Mike Houlihan to volley it back into goal.

With 22 seconds left, the game seemed destined for a draw when a harmless looking free hit from the left found a Surbiton foot in the circle.

The final whistle was duly blown and the entire Exeter outfield moved up for the penalty corner, but only one of them was needed as Rufus McNaught-Barrington smashed the ball straight into goal to give the University their first victory and only fourth point of the season.

Surbiton scored from two of their four penalty corners and a penalty stroke resulted from one of the others, which was converted.

Exeter scored from both theirs. Surbiton were shown only one green card and Exeter two. There were no yellows.

SURBITON: Chris Bristow (GK); Ben Tibble, Alejandro Iglesias Bilbao, Brett Garrard, Will Fulker; James Wallis, Karl Stagno (coach), Mike Houlihan; James Ashcroft, Tim Pinnock (C), Sam Middleton. Subs: Andrew Sheridan (11), David Bartram (12), Nick Cooper (13). Sub not used: Ali Hitch. Manager: Wayne Bentley.

With Reading winning 2-1 at East Grinstead later in the afternoon, Surbiton dropped one point behind the Berkshire side to second in the table, but still 12 points ahead of sixth-placed Bowdon in the race to complete the seven remaining fixtures in one of the top-five end-of-season play-off places for the National Championship and the three EuroLeague 2010/11 qualifying spots.

This Sunday (February 14, 2pm) Surbiton have a home fixture (Sugden Road) against fourth-placed East Grinstead, who will be missing their one England international compared to Surbiton’s five.

Table: 1 Reading played 11, points 27; 2 Surbiton 11 26; 3 Beeston 11, 19; 4 East Grinstead 11, 16; 5 Cannock 11, 15; 6 Bowdon 11, 14; 7 Loughborough Students 11, 12; 8 Hampstead and Westminster 11, 10; 9 Brooklands MU 11, 8; 10 University of Exeter 11, 4.

All five of Surbiton’s England internationals – Richard Alexander, Matt Daly, Ben Hawes, Rob Moore and James Tindall – spent six days from last Monday training in Seville, Spain, with the 19-strong national squad culminating on Thursday.

Daly scoring his country’s second goal, from open play in the 48th minute, as they lost 4-3 to the Netherlands in the first of two official capped internationals.

The next day, Daly was rested and Tindall scored the third goal in the 44th minute from open play as England came back to win the second meeting 3-1.

They travelled home on Saturday and leave for the World Cup holding camp in Doha, Qatar, next Thursday (February 18), where either Tindall or Reading’s Simon Mantell (both recovering from foot injuries) will be chosen for the final 18th spot to move on February 24 to Delhi for the World Cup, between Sunday, February 28, and Saturday, March 13, returning home the next day.

It is not yet known whether Surbiton's four, hopefully five, will be permitted to play in the club’s remaining last two fixtures of the season on Saturday, March 20 (away to Reading), and Sunday, March 28 (home to Bowdon).