It is a long time since Surbiton last played in a European competition, but their debut in the EuroHockey League places them in a position where qualification for Round 2 is almost a certainty.
Playing SV Arminen of Austria in the opening match of 1.1. in Barcelona, Surbiton had a single goal to show for their efforts in the first half, scored by Matt Daly from a penalty corner. With ten minutes left to play before the final whistle, Surbiton were 2-0 up after Alan Forsythe scored 13 minutes into the second half. But in a flurry of last chance activity, Michael Watt and then James Tindall scored in quick succession. Just as the seconds were ticking away, Forsythe scored his second, giving Surbiton a 5-0 win.
Surbiton will have a tougher match when they play Real Club de Polo de Barcelona on Sunday, but they only have to come second in their pool of three to qualify for the next round. Past experience has shown that the winning one match in Round 1 is usually sufficient to qualify.
Surbiton's match was followed by two sides from the England Hockey League, the comparatively experienced Beeston playing Cardiff & Met representing Wales. Although Beeston went into the second half at 2-0, thanks to goals from Sam Ward and James Blackwell, Cardiff gave the English team a shock when they pulled one back with four minutes left to play. However, Ward scored a second to make the match safe for Beeston.
Beeston meet German side Harvestehuder on Sunday in their second match. Cardiff and Met meet the German side tomorrow in a match which will undoubtedly decide whether they proceed through to the next round.
Other result:
Oranje Zwart (Netherlands) 6 Kelburne (Scotland) 0
Dinamo Kazan (Russia) 0 Club de Campo Madrid (Spain) 1
