Surbiton Ladies 2 Southampton Ladies 0

After their victory over Southampton on Saturday, Surbiton Ladies are now on the brink of clinching the South Clubs’ Women’s Hockey League Division One title.

However, in contrast to the first meeting at Southampton when Surbiton came out on top 8-0, the league leaders had to battle on home turf, needing two goals in the last 20 minutes to grab all three league points.

Surbiton started brightly, with Maddie Tait having an early shot, and Southampton having to defend a fourth minute penalty corner.

The hosts tried to develop the passing moves, which have contributed to their success this season, but found Southampton defenders ideally positioned to thwart them; and, with the visitors also successfully coping with all four first-half penalty awards, Surbiton started to feel frustrated.

Southampton could have taken the lead within two minutes of the second half starting from a penalty corner, but for defender Bethan Jenkins’s excellent interception.

The breakthrough finally came in the 50th minute, Tait and Sophie Newton forcing Linda Dunham, the Southampton goalkeeper to commit herself, and allow Sian Craze to take the ball around the keeper and send the ball into the open goal.

A minute later, Southampton’s hopes of an immediate equaliser ended up high over the bar. Surbiton were temporarily reduced to 10 players when Helen Grant was shown a yellow card but, within five minutes of returning to the pitch, Grant scored the hosts’ second goal from close range to leave them needing a minimum of one win from their last three games to win the championship.

Reading 1A remain six points behind Surbiton after a 5-0 win at bottom team Rover Oxford.

This Saturday, Surbiton face a tough test at Havant (push back 1.30 pm).

Reading host Woking, who after struggling for most of the season have found their form over their last three matches, drawing with Harrow, and beating Rover Oxford, and Epsom.

SURBITON LADIES: Heunis (GK); Philp, Heptonstall (Capt.), Jenkins, Royce, Tait, Taylor, Jones, Grant, Craze, Broad. Subs: Hanson-Akins, James, Jolly, Newton, Oakes

Surbiton Ladies 2nd Team 2 Kettering Ladies 2nd Team 1

On Sunday, the women's second team recovered from the shock of conceding a goal within 30 seconds, to beat Kettering 2-1 at Sugden Road and reach the England Hockey Women’s 2nd XI Trophy final.

Surbiton’s defence was caught cold as Annie Goodchild scored from Kettering’s first attack. Although Surbiton were the better team, and Kettering made frequent unforced errors, Surbiton had to wait until two minutes before half time to equalise, Lucy Clacher finally forcing the ball past Kate Metcalf in the visitors’ goal after two previous shots had been blocked.

With Metcalf making several second-half saves; shots agonisingly passing both posts; and Surbiton unable to convert their penalty corners, the tie seemed destined for sudden-death extra time.

Two minutes from the end, Jo Firth struck from the edge of the circle, the ball rebounding back off the backboard from Surbiton’s 12th penalty corner to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.

The drama was not over, as Surbiton had to clear Kettering’s only penalty corner of the match with one minute to play, to confirm their place in the final.

Surbiton will play Lewes, who won 3-1 at Teddington, at Chelmsford Hockey Club on 25 April.

SURBITON: Young (GK); Kumar, Newton, Craig, McKenna, Holmes, Fitch (Capt.), Hanson-Akins, Job, Curtis, Firth. Subs: Clacher, Thiessen, Bray (GK)

There was disappointment for three of Surbiton’s four Colts teams, as they were knocked out of their national competitions at the quarter-final stage on Sunday.

The U16 boys were beaten 2-0 at home by Team Bath Buccaneers in the Plate; while the U17 girls lost 4-1 at holders, Belper, and the U18 boys 1-0 at Stourport, both in the Cup.

The U16 girls had already qualified for the Plate semi-finals at Highfields Sports Club, Nottingham, on April 10, after opponents, Eastbourne, withdrew from the competition.

They will play Reading in the second semi-final, the winners meeting either Lytham St Annes or Havering in the final.