T&T international Teague Marcano and former captain Kwandwane Browne both featured as Hampstead & Westminster (H&W) whipped Oxted 4-1 for a fourth straight win in the England Hockey League Men’s Premier Division on Sunday.
The 21-year-old Marcano, voted as the Junior Pan American Men’s Hockey Tournament “Most Valuable Player” a few months ago in Chile during which he scored six goals in four matches for the fifth-placed T&T, did not repeat his season debut heroics from the last weekend against Brooklands Manchester University in which he had an assist and also scored.
However, his presence along with that of former T&T international Browne was key to their team’s display as Hampstead, who were already assured of their place in the top six ensured they went into the mid-season break on a high, thanks to a brace from Rupert Shipperley.
Matthew Guise-Brown opened the scoring for the visitors at Oxted School from a penalty corner in the 16th minute before Josh Kelly doubled their advantage on the half-hour mark.
Shipperley put the result beyond doubt before the half-time interval with his first goal on 34 minutes, although Nick Giles gave Oxted hope with a penalty stroke on 54 minutes.
Any thoughts of a comeback were put to bed on 67 minutes, though, as Shipperley struck again to seal a comfortable win and dash Oxted’s hopes of a place in the top six.
The victory was the seventh for H&W in ten league matches to move into the third spot with 23 points, four behind new leaders Old Georgians who blanked champion Surbiton 2-0 at St George’s College while Wimbledon slipped to second with 25 points and Surbiton (22), fourth.
Holcombe with 16 points from nine matches and Browne’s former club, East Grinstead with ten points, the same as Oxted but with a superior goal difference complete the top six ahead of the winter break.
The quartet of Beeston with eight points from ten matches, Durham University, and Brooklands Manchester University, both with six, and the pointless University of Exeter complete the table.
Jamie Wallace was the hero for East Grinstead as his hat-trick sealed a 3-2 victory over Beeston to help the West Sussex side qualify for the top six in the Men’s Premier Division.
East Grinstead went into the final weekend before the winter break in eighth place in the standings, knowing only a win would do to claim the last top-six place.
They also needed fellow top-six rivals Oxted to lose to H&W if they were to usurp them in the league as a nerve-jangling final day played out dramatically.
Beeston, who was two points behind Oxted in seventh but with a better goal difference, landed the first blow in the sixth minute as Kai Aichinger scored from a penalty corner.
East Grinstead responded ten minutes later as Wallace levelled the scores from another penalty corner before he put the home side in front on 18 minutes.
The two sides went into the break level again after Beeston responded with an equaliser on 31 minutes, with Sam Apoola converting to set up a blockbuster second half.
But it was Wallace who rose to the occasion to secure the victory, striking home the winner on 61 minutes to ensure East Grinstead kept their top-six qualification hopes alive.
Two seasons ago, Teague and his older brother Tariq, 25, represented St Albans coached by former T&T international Dillett Gilkes in the Conference East League.
The T&T trio helped the team to a fifth-place in the ten-team table with 23 points, level with sixth-placed Spencer, and three behind Old Loughtonians to miss out on a semifinal spot.
Despite his club failing to reach the final-four playoffs, the younger of the Marcano brothers ended the season as joint top scorer with Cambridge City’s Gareth Andrew with 18 goals each, ten more than Tariq who featured in all 17 matches as well.
