By Lucas Ball
Holcombe are looking to reach the last-four of the England Hockey Tier One Cup when they face Wimbledon 2s on Sunday afternoon (1:30pm).
Nick Bandurak’s side progressed to the quarter-finals with a 5-2 win at Conference West side Trojans at the end of October, while Wimbledon 2s beat Conference East outfit Spencer 5-0 at Raynes Park High School.
The two Vitality Division One South sides met last weekend in the league at Raynes Park, with Holcombe winning 5-1 thanks to goals from Phoebe Steele (2), Leisa Randall, Jade van der Zwan and Hattie Jones.
That lifted Bandurak’s team – coached last week by assistant Hayden Phillips with Bandurak away on international duty – back to second at the time of writing as they bounced back from a 5-2 defeat at promotion rivals Barnes.
Wimbledon, meanwhile, sit eighth, just a point above the relegation zone at the time of writing.. They possess the worst defensive record in the league ahead of Saturday’s fixtures – Wimbledon face Barnes at Dukes Meadow while Holcombe, who have scored the most goals in the league, take on Southgate, one of the two sides in the relegation zone.
Holcombe are without top-scorer Deanna Ritchie once more as well as creative force Lottie Bingham, who is away at the Junior World Cup with England under-21s in Chile.
Charlotte Daly does, however, return to the side for both of this weekend’s matches after missing last weekend’s victory.
Entry at Holcombe Park is free on Sunday. The match will be streamed on Veo Live and updates posted on our social media channels.
Image: Becci Woodhead