Vitality Women’s Hockey League Premier Division Review – 30 October 2021
Hampstead & Westminster now hold a nine point lead in the Vitality Women’s Hockey League Premier Division after a 3-2 win at Loughborough Students and Wimbledon’s 1-1 home draw with the University of Birmingham.
Hampstead led 3-0 after just 27 minutes, Melanie Wilkinson opening the scoring in the 11th minute, Meg Byas doubling the visitors’ lead in the 25th minute and Fran Tew scoring two minutes later, all three goals coming from open play.
For the second week running, Loughborough’s comeback fell just short, initiated by Beth Alexander’s 31st minute open play effort and followed by Catherine Ledesma’s 45th minute penalty corner conversion.
Wimbledon drew 1-1 for the second successive week and just as at Surbiton, scored first, this time through Hollie Pearne-Webb’s 31st minute penalty corner before Millie Giglio, the visitors’ leading scorer, netted her fourth goal of the campaign in the 42nd minute for the University of Birmingham, also from a penalty corner.
East Grinstead, with two games in hand of Hampstead, won 2-0 at Holcombe to severely dent the Kent club’s hopes of finishing in the top six. Holcombe kept East Grinstead scoreless until the 55th minute but then conceded two quick goals, Sophie Bray breaking the deadlock from open play with her fifth goal of the season before Chloe Palmer sealed the win from a penalty corner two minutes later.
Surbiton have the same points and goals record as East Grinstead after their 3-0 win at Swansea, but have played a game more than their West Sussex rivals. Sophie Hamilton gave Surbiton a 2-0 half time lead with open play goals in the 16th and 32nd minutes to join Bray on five goals, and Holly Payne scored her first of the season, also from open play, two minutes after the break.
Buckingham suffered a Halloween weekend performance as they crashed 4-0 at Beeston, a result which lifts the Nottingham club into the top six at Buckingham’s expense. Beeston led 2-0 at the interval, Sophie Robinson scoring from open play in the 23rd minute and Mads Newitt converting a penalty corner ten minutes later. Robinson scored her second goal of the game from open play in the 56th minute, with Lucy Millington completing the rout from the penalty spot two minutes from the end.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Hampstead & Westminster | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 21 |
| 2 | East Grinstead | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
| 3 | Surbiton | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
| 4 | Wimbledon | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 11 |
| 5 | Clifton Robinsons | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 9 |
| 6 | Beeston | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 13 | -4 | 7 |
| 7 | University of Birmingham | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 12 | -2 | 6 |
| 8 | Buckingham | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 6 |
| 9 | Loughborough Students | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 13 | -5 | 3 |
| 10 | Holcombe | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 13 | -9 | 2 |
| 11 | Swansea | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 18 | -12 | 1 |
Images: Andy Smith