Holcombe made it back-to-back victories as a fast start at Bowdon was enough for the three points in a 4-1 win courtesy of goals from Matt Ramshaw (2), Tom Russell and captain Rob Field. 

Both of those consecutive wins have come on the road but Kwan Browne’s side return to Holcombe Park this weekend to face strugglers Richmond.

The visitors led 3-0 after just 10 minutes through Russell, Ramshaw and Field. Russell converted with a good finish on the reverse before Rohan Bhuhi and Ramshaw combined for the second. 

Bhuhi jinked his way into the circle before lifting a ball across goal for Ramshaw to stretch and deflect in above his head. 

Tom O’Keeffe came close to adding a third before Holcombe’s first penalty corner of the evening, from which Field drag-flicked home. 

A low-key second quarter followed with Teague Marcano – after scoring four goals in two matches in the previous weekend’s action – was denied from a penalty corner. 

Ramshaw and Marcano were both denied after half-time, too, as Holcs looked to up the ante before Bowdon won a penalty corner of their own – Ollie Payne saved the initial effort before Bowdon scrambled the ball home but it was ruled out. 

Ramshaw fired wide from a fast counter early in the final quarter before Bowdon did reduce the deficit as Ollie Rogerson spun well to then fire past Payne low into the bottom corner. 

Bhuhi and Ramshaw combined again for the latter’s second goal – the Great Britain midfielder drove into the circle and saw his shot saved with Ramshaw on hand to smash the rebound past William Grant. 

Felix Tully almost grabbed his first Holcombe league goal soon after as he pushed past the post from O’Keeffe’s cross before Marcano saw another penalty corner attempt saved – these two chances falling either side of a Bowdon penalty corner which saw a second shot fired high and wide. 

The win keeps Holcombe in third behind champions Old Georgians and Surbiton, who both earned dominant wins over the weekend. 

Ashley Jackson’s side won 7-2 at Cardiff & Met to keep up their 100% record. Chris Griffiths (2), Tom Carson, Phil Roper and Sam Ward put the visitors into a 5-0 lead before the Welsh side responded via Rhys Gowman. Alan Forsyth and Ward then scored again before a last-minute consolation for Jonny Fleck.

East Grinstead were beaten 9-2 by Surbiton at Saint Hill in perhaps the most eye-catching of this weekend’s results. Jacob Smith gave the Londoners the lead with Stephen Perry levelling things up after 27 minutes but it was dominance from Surbiton from then on. 

Jacob Payton, Stu Rushmere, Rob Farrington and William Haspel made it 5-1 with new East Grinstead signing Ronan Taggart reducing the deficit with fifteen minutes to go. 

A late flurry of goals came for the away side, though, through Payton (2) to complete his-hat-trick and Struan Walker, as the Scotland and Great Britain international netted a brace.

Hampstead & Westminster kept the gap to second and third to three points with their 7-1 win at fellow Londoners Richmond. Josh Kelly (2), Tim Guise-Brown, Kiran Arunasalam (2), Nicholas Steffens and Rupert Shipperley put Rhett Halkett’s men seven to the good before Max Evans added a late consolation for the hosts. 

Wimbledon remain level on points with Hampstead and still have a game-in-hand (against Surbiton) despite drawing 3-3 with Oxted. The hosts looked to be in control, leading 3-1 with less than five minutes to play but two late goals earned Oxted a point after a spirited comeback. 

Chris Porter had given Oxted the lead inside 10 minutes but Wimbledon responded via Sam Hooper, Joe McConnell and Liam Ansell to lead 3-1 after half-an-hour but goals from Peter Jarvis and Guy Morgan inside the last three minutes meant the points were shared. 

Finally, Beeston and Southgate played out a 2-2 draw in Nottingham – the hosts led twice through George Fletcher and Henry Croft but Huw Edwards’ side levelled on both occasions – first courtesy of Karan Sofat before Archie Foster kept up his good form to equalise inside the final 10 minutes.

The result puts Beeston sixth on goal difference while Southgate sit 10th.

Image: Eva Gilbert