England Men’s Premier Division: Away Teams Ran Riot in Round 4
Six games in Round 4 of the men’s Premier Division. Six away wins. If you bought a home ticket in England on Saturday, you went home miserable.
The big three did what the big three do
Old Georgians won 4-1 at Beeston, the kind of result that looks routine until you remember Beeston at home is nobody’s idea of a routine afternoon. Wimbledon went to Bowdon, the newly promoted side still finding their feet at this level, and scored seven in a 7-2 win. Surbiton put six past Oxted, 6-1, away from home.
That’s the top of this league flexing. When the three strongest squads all travel and all win by three goals or more, the rest of the division isn’t playing for the title anymore, it’s playing for the play-off places and pride.
The tighter games told their own story
Holcombe won the best of the rest, 3-2 at Reading, a proper game between two sides who’ll both fancy the top six. East Grinstead edged Exeter University 2-1 in Devon, the students making them work for it, and Hampstead & Westminster won 3-0 at Cardiff & Met, the only clean sheet of the day.
No draws, no home comforts, 29 goals across six games. English club hockey doesn’t always sell itself well, but a round like this is a decent advert: fast, open, and the away ends going home singing.
Round 4 results (Sat 17 Oct): Beeston 1-4 Old Georgians, Bowdon 2-7 Wimbledon, Cardiff & Met 0-3 Hampstead & Westminster, Exeter University 1-2 East Grinstead, Oxted 1-6 Surbiton, Reading 2-3 Holcombe.
Round 5 is next Saturday, 24 October, with Round 6 following on Sunday 25 October — a double-header weekend that will sort the table out properly.
