Old Georgians Go Top At The Winter Break

Surbiton dropped down to fourth after Hampstead & Westminster won 4-1 at Oxted to move up to third. Hampstead led 3-0 at half time, Matt Guise-Brown opening the scoring from a 16^th minute penalty corner, Josh Kelly doubling the lead from open play on the half-hour mark and Shipperley adding another open play goal in the 34^th minute. Nick Giles scored what proved to be a consolation for Oxted from the penalty spot in the 54^th minute, but Shipperley struck again from open play with three minutes remaining to complete a comprehensive away win.

The defeat cost Oxted their much prized sixth place, East Grinstead timing their run to perfection to snatch Top Six qualification with three successive wins. The third and decisive win came at the expense of visitors Beeston, who were also in contention to qualify, but missed out after a 3-2 defeat in West Sussex. Kai Aichinger put Beeston ahead in the sixth minute from a penalty corner, only for Jamie Wallace to turn the match around with a 16^th minute penalty corner and an open play goal two minutes later. Sam Apoola levelled in the 31^st minute from open play to leave all to play for in the second half with the teams level at 2-2 at the interval, only for Wallace to score the winning goal from another penalty corner with just nine minutes to play.

The University of Exeter finally ended their run of 17 defeats in a row but still suffered heartbreak as they were denied a home win by the University of Durham, who salvaged a point in a 3-3 draw with a last minute penalty corner conversion.

Exeter had last avoided defeat on 22 February 2020 when they won 3-2 at Brooklands Manchester University, but in a topsy-turvy match, led 1-0 at half time courtesy of Charlie Taylor’s open play goal in the 20^th minute, only to find themselves trailing 2-1 by the 43^rd, Jakob Schmidt equalising for Durham in the 38^th minute and Max Garner giving the visitors a 2-1 lead five minutes later, both goals also coming from open play.

In another twist, Rhys Bradshaw equalised from a 50^th minute penalty corner and it seemed that Exeter were finally heading for that elusive win when Louis Ridge put the Devon students back in front with just a minute remaining. But Durham had the final say as they won a penalty corner at the end of the match and Schmidt duly converted to take a point back on their long journey home to the North-East.

The winter weather struck at Brooklands Manchester University where having had to rearrange a home game after Hampstead & Westminster had travel difficulties, they now have to rearrange their home fixture with Holcombe after Brooklands’ pitch was frozen.

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