Surbiton’s men and women – who will play in the EHL FINAL8 – both hold healthy leads at the top of the English national league going into the winter break with.
The men secured an emphatic 7-0 win over the University of Exeter on Saturday evening, with Alan Forsyth also scoring a hat-trick while other goals came from Luke Taylor, Ben Boon, Tom Sorsby and David Goodfield.
The win was their 12th in succession and puts them nine points clear of Wimbledon – 4-2 winners over Old Georgians – with just six matches left to be played in the new year. Wimbledon have played a game extra at this stage while Hampstead & Westminster are in third, 11 points off top after their 4-3 win over Brooklands MU.
Old Georgians are in fourth place and in the playoffs but in a reasonably comfortable position with 10 points between them and fifth placed Beeston.
In the women’s competition, Surbiton returned to winning ways after their draw the week before. The top of the table side recorded their 11th win of the campaign as they won 3-1 at Beeston on Saturday.
Erica Sanders gave the away side the lead in the 19th minute from open play before Augustina Fernandez Merlo levelled for Beeston one minute in to the second half.
Darcy Bourne and Hannah Martin went on to score two more for Surbiton as they head into the winter break with a six-point advantage at the top of the table.
Hampstead & Westminster remain in second place after picking up three points for the ninth time this season, this time winning 3-1 at the University of Birmingham.
Lauren Turner, Fran Tew and Joanna Leigh all netted for the away side while Caroline Spence was the only scorer for the University of Birmingham. Both leagues fully resume in mid-February.