Surbiton go from squad to match practice for the upcoming National Championship semi-finals with two friendly games over this weekend.

On Saturday, the third-placed National Premier Division side host promotion play-off hopefuls National Conference East champions Canterbury at Sugden Road (1.30pm).

A day later (4.30pm), with Sugden Road the venue for the annual Tony Smith Memorial Junior Tournament, they move to Richmond Hockey Club’s ground at Chiswick to take on the elite 10-team Premier Division’s fifth-placed Loughborough Students, who are due to play fourth-placed Beeston the following Saturday in the National Championship preliminary play-off.

The winners of that game travel to first-placed Reading for one semi-final the next day, with Surbiton away to third-placed East Grinstead in the other.

The winners of these two semis are guaranteed one of the three EuroLeague spots for next season and a place in the Championship final the following Bank Holiday Monday (May 2).

If Reading (already guaranteed a Euro spot) win their semi, then the two semi-final losers play for the remaining Euro spot on Bank Holiday Sunday, both games taking place at Cannock Hockey Club.

Meanwhile, the Long Ditton-based club’s second XI - who finished runners-up in the regional Higgins Group London League Premier Division by winning 7-1 at bottom-placed (11th) Indian Gymkhana last Saturday – have gone straight through to their league’s Cup Final since third-placed East Grinstead have pulled out of the two teams’ semi-final which was scheduled to take place at Sugden Road tomorrow at the early hour of 10am.

So Surbiton’s second team will now play the victor of tomorrow’s other semi-final, between champions Hampstead & Westminster second XI at home to fourth-placed Southgate second XI, on that league’s finals day at Southgate HC the following Sunday (April 25).

It is an untimely clash, with the national semi-finals from the point of the view of the club’s playing resources, with its third XI (second in Division One) also in line for a place in their final if they beat fifth-placed Hampstead & Westminster at Sugden Road on Friday (11.30am).