EGHC Women’s 1xi National Champions

 East Grinstead Women's 1xi were crowned Vitality Women's Hockey Premier League Champions on Sunday 2nd April 2023 at the playoff finals, hosted by Surbiton Hockey Club.

This is the club's first ever women's outdoor national premier league title and now signifies that East Grinstead HC Women have won every domestic competition (outdoor league, outdoor cup, indoor league).

The team played vs Clifton Robinsons in the semi-final, knowing that a victory would not only progress the team to the final, but also qualify them for European Hockey next season. EG went ahead early through Tess Howard (FG) in the first quarter, before finding themselves 2-1 down after 50mins. Two goals in one minute from Tess Howard (PS) & Sophie Bray (PC) put EG back in front, however unable to retain the lead with the match ending 3-3 in regulation time. This led to a penalty shootout, which after a full round of sudden death, EG won 9-8 with Isabel Field making the decisive save to win the tie.

Into Sunday's final vs Surbiton, EG "found our 6^th gear" with total mental clarity, calmness and a sense of belief. EG raced into a 2-0 lead in the first quarter, goals from Laura Roper (PC) & Anna Faulstich (FG). This lead was relinquished by the end of the third quarter and the game was in the balance. Spurred on by the EG faithful, with 4mins remaining Sally Sime (FG) contributed her first goal of the season to seal the title. This result ended Surbiton's nine consecutive titles in a 10-year period of dominance of English domestic hockey.

Victory not only crowns East Grinstead as champions of England, however also qualification for the Euro Hockey League KO8 next season (formerly known as the EuroHockey club champions cup). The competition formed of the Top 8 teams in Europe (Top two from Holland, two from Spain and one from Belgium, England, Ireland & Germany). This prestigious event is hosted in Holland and since its formation in 2018, Surbiton are the only English club side to be represented in the competition. The Euro Hockey League is truly a "best of the best" tournament and marks a wonderful time to be affiliated to EG. We look forward to seeing the EG faithful gracing European Hockey once more and bringing their support to the continent.

Head Coach Theo Dowse quotes, "The team harnessed such belief that anything was possible and the group created an overriding feeling of togetherness. This achievement is credit to every member of our group with significant contributions coming from every position on the pitch. The squad knew we had to give our best performance in a one-off fixture weekend and we had been preparing to peak at the right time since the end of November. I'm extremely proud of the way the squad prepared to "peak", engagement varying from remote video tasks, additional running sessions and total commitment to the training programme. The players can now enjoy the satisfaction of that hard work, accrediting themselves as champions of England."

Captain Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort quotes, "I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have been part of such an amazing group. It was the perfect mix of personalities that created an incredible atmosphere both on and off the pitch. The chemistry we had as a team was truly exceptional, and it showed in our performance over the weekend. We knew that we needed to bring our A game, and we delivered. We had a clear and well-thought-out game plan, and everyone gave their all to make it a success. To say that I'm proud of this team would be an understatement."