England Hockey League Premier Division Semi Finals 2023

England Hockey Premier Division Finals Day 1 Results 

Day 1 of the England Hockey Premier Division Finals Weekend saw some enthralling action of hockey in Surbiton on Saturday. While Surbiton and East Grinstead advanced to the final of the Vitality Women's Hockey League Premier Division, Old Georgians and Holcombe emerged victorious in their respective semi-final matches held at Surbiton Hockey Club ground. 

Vitality Women’s Hockey League  

Surbiton and East Grinstead book place in the final of the Vitality Women’s Hockey League – Premier division finals weekend 

Surbiton beat Hampstead & Westminster 5-3 in Semi-final 1  

In the first Semi-Final of the day, the home side Surbiton got the better of Hampstead & Westminster with a remarkable 5-3 win. The two teams started brilliantly in the attack, but it was Giselle Ansley who opened the scoring for Surbiton in the 5th minute from a penalty corner. Hannah Martin added to Surbiton’s lead with another penalty corner goal and then scored again from open play to extend Surbiton's lead to 3-0 in the second quarter. 

Hampstead & Westminster fought back with a goal from Philippa Lewis to make it 3-1. Then Surbiton’s top goal scorer Sophie Hamilton added to her tally, 2 minutes later Anna O'Flanagan got Hampstead’s 2^nd to make it 4-2.   In the third quarter both teams scored again first Surbiton’s Martha le Huray in the 43rd minute and then O’Flanagan got her second.  It wasn't enough as Surbiton remained resolute in defence in the 4^th quarter to clinch a 5-3 win and seal a spot in the final of the Vitality Women’s Hockey League – Premier division finals weekend.  

East Grinstead pip Clifton Robinsons 9-8 in sudden-death 

In the second semi-final match, East Grinstead edged past Clifton Robinsons 3-3 (9-8 SO) in a thriller to advance to the final.   

The first half of the game saw lots of end-to-end action, with both teams trying to make inroads in each other's circle, showcasing some great attacking and defensive play. East Grinstead broke the deadlock at the start of the second quarter through Tess Howard's field goal in the 18th minute, but Clifton Robinsons went on to score the equaliser through Izzy Webb’s field goal in the 30th minute. 1-1 at half-time. 

Clifton Robinsons rode on the momentum to take a 2-1 lead in the match through Phoebe Richards' field goal in the 46th minute. However, East Grinstead responded with two back-to-back goals in the dying seconds of the third quarter. Howard scored her second goal of the match from a penalty stroke in 52nd minute, and Sophie Bray found the back of the net from a penalty corner to give East Grinstead a 3-2 lead at the end of the third quarter. Clifton Robinsons persistence to find an equaliser was rewarded with a remarkable field goal from Sarah-Jayne Thorburn on 65 minutes to make the score a 3-3 draw at the end of the regulation time.  

The penalty shootout too ended in a stalemate at 4-4 both teams failing to score one in the first set of 5.  It took another 9 nail-biting penalties before the sides could be separated. Finally on the 20^th penalty it was Clifton Robinsons who blinked first in sudden-death as East Grinstead goalkeeper Isabel Field came up with a fine save to deny Abi Porter.  Setting up a Surbiton v East Grinstead final tomorrow. 

 Men’s Hockey League  

Old Georgians and Holcombe advance to the final of the Men’s Hockey League – Premier division finals weekend 

Old Georgians beat Wimbledon 4-3 in a penalty shootout 

In the men’s first semi-final, Old Georgians registered a hard-fought 0-0 (4-3 SO) win over Wimbledon to book a place in the final. 

A slow start to the game saw OGs and Wimbledon cancelling each other’s attacks with some good defending. Both teams' defence looked compact as they managed to clear the danger keeping the score line at 0-0 in the first half. It was a similar story in the second half of the match, both teams tried to create goalscoring chances, but failed to cash in on the opportunities, playing out a tense 0-0 draw in regulation time. 

With another semi-final heading to a shoot-out, it was Old Georgians who emerged victorious, thanks to George Pinner in goal whose heroics saw Wimbledon fail to score their first 2 penalties. By contrast OGs only failed to convert one penalty, with captain James Albery, Josh Pavis, Tom Carson and James Tindall all on target. Tindall’s finish to seal the victory was emphatic, choosing to undercut the ball past the keeper as he ran in rather than a close in finish.  Final score in the shoot-out 4-3 to Old Georgians, and they advance to tomorrow’s Premier Division final. 

Holcombe beat Surbiton 2-1 in a thrilling semi-final  

In the final match of Day one, an all-round show in attack and defence helped Holcombe beat hosts Surbiton 2-1 to advance to the final of the Premier Division.  

While both teams took a while to get off the blocks, Holcombe picked up pace in the later stage of the first quarter.  They drew the first blood through their captain Nick Bandurak's fiery tomahawk strike in the 14th minute of the match. They doubled their lead as Bandurak scored his second goal on the 25th minute.  Surbiton created some potential goalscoring opportunities, but Holcombe goalkeeper Olly Payne kept the home side at bay, maintaining the score line at 2-0 at the half-time. 

The home team started the third quarter on an attacking note, retaining most of the possession and often making forays into the circle in their attempt to get a goal back. Surbiton forced a penalty corner in the closing stage of the third quarter, but Holcombe's defence stood tall to deny them. Surbiton’s pressure continued to build in the last quarter, with lots of possession as they tried to find an opening. It finally paid off in the 63rd minute as Tom Sorsby's sticks skills in the circle created a chance which he finished on the reverse to pull a goal back for Surbiton.  Holcombe's defence continued to be tested in the final minutes of the game, but they held out to earn a place in the final tomorrow.  Final score 2-1 to Holcombe. 

 So, Surbiton and East Grinstead will square off against each other in the Final of the Vitality Women's Hockey League on Sunday at 1:00 pm. The 3^rd /4^th Play-off match will see Hampstead & Westminster against Clifton Robinsons at 11:00 am. 
 
In the Men's Hockey League Premier Division, Wimbledon and Surbiton will compete in the 3^rd /4^th  play-off at 3.00pm, while Old Georgians will take on Holcombe in the final on Sunday at 5:00 PM. 

It’s a ticket sell-out at Surbiton tomorrow for finals day, but you can join all the action on the live stream on England Hockey TV for just £3.99 or head to England Hockey Altius or social media for score updates.