Surbiton’s new-look men’s first XI, with seven newcomers in its squad, got its England Hockey Premier Division campaign back on track with a 2-1 win at Bowdon on Saturday morning.

After the previous Sunday’s 6-2 hammering at Beeston on the first day of fixtures, it was a close-run and welcome victory. Their keeper Chris Bristow kept the Long Ditton-based visitors in the game with a series of superb first-half saves, but Bowdon deservedly took the lead from a penalty corner nine minutes after the interval.

However, it was to prove unlucky in the end for the Cheshire hosts as Surbiton captain Tim Pinnock sparked a late rally when he in turn converted a penalty corner 13 minutes later with 13 minutes remaining and then, with just two minutes on the clock, seized upon a loose ball on the left and centred for Nick Cooper to deflect in the winner from close range.

This meant Surbiton, who were third last season, climbed from bottom to sixth in the fledgling 10-team elite league, one place and two points above their opponents this Saturday evening (6pm), Reading.

The Berkshire club, last season’s league winners who beat Surbiton 2-0 at Sonning Lane in a friendly on the last Sunday pre-season, lost 2-3 at home to Loughborough Students on Saturday, dropping themselves from joint fifth to seventh.

But both sides are badly depleted with Reading having five players and Surbiton two away with Team England at the Commonwealth Games.

However, Surbiton can take this Sunday off, their club having for a second successive season chosen not to enter the England Hockey Men’s Cup and are therefore one of four out of the ten Premier Division sides (the others being Brooklands MU, Loughborough Students and East Grinstead) who are not entering at the national cup’s 64-club round two stage.