Surbiton have announced that goal machine Nick Bandurak will join their men’s squad in the 2025/26 season.

The striker moves following a short spell with East Grinstead having been a pivotal figure for Holcombe over the past number of years.

On the international stage, he has scored 45 goals in 61 appearances for England and GB, winning European silver and Commonwealth bronze medals in recent international summers.

Surbiton head coach Barry Middleton said of his arrival: “I know Nick very well having played with and coached him at club level for many years. I am very confident that he will add another dimension to our attack and his experience will be great for the young players in our group as we strive to build on this season’s success.”

Bandurak added: “I’m really excited to become part of an awesome group at Surbiton, and to work under Barry once again. Following the squad’s success across the recent Finals Weekend and EHL, I can’t wait to get started.”

The last week of the regular season in the Hoofdklasse brought a huge number of confirmed moves on the players front with the switch of Trijntje Beljaars from SCHC to AH&BC Amsterdam chief among them.

The striker enjoyed an impressive Junior World Cup in Chile during her time in Bilthoven where she established herself in the Hoofdklasse and she will bring that talent to the Wagener Stadium next term.

“My time at SCHC was very educational, and I am grateful for everything that I experienced there. Still it feels like it’s time for something else; the opportunity to build something new in which I can develop myself more as a hockey player. I’m also incredibly excited to get such an opportunity at AH&BC, a club with a rich history and ambitious goals,” she said of the move.

Also on the move are Düsseldorfer HC’s Lilly Stoffelsma and Mannheimer HC’s Julie Pieper who will both move from Germany to HGC for the upcoming campaign.

Royal Léopold’s Gauthier Boccard has announced his retirement from the Belgian international team following an incredible career, encompassing Olympic, World Cup and European gold.

Posting about his decision to step back from the Red Lions, he said: “After so many years filled with emotion, it’s time for me to say goodbye to the national team. This hasn’t been an easy decision, but it came naturally, from the heart.“I’ve experienced incredible moments — unforgettable victories, defeats that help you grow, laughter, tears… and above all, strong bonds that will stay with me for life.“Today, I feel that I can no longer give 100%, as I always wanted to. And I had always promised myself I would step away the moment I felt that.“A huge thank you to everyone who supported me through this crazy and beautiful journey: my family, my friends, the staff, the federation, my teammates… You played a bigger role than you may realize.“I wish you all the very best moving forward. As for me, with my family, we’ll remain your biggest supporters!”

Gantoise’s men confirmed they will return to the EHL next season as they got the result they needed to top the Belgian league table.

Going into the final series, there was a mathematical chance they could be overhauled by Royal Léopold but they stormed to a 5-2 win over Herakles to seal the deal.

They did trail to an early Amaury Keusters goal butdouble from Romain Duvekot and Alexander Hendrickx saw them turn things around to lead 4-1 with five minutes to go.

A late exchange of goals – with Duvekot completing his hat trick – put them out of sight.

Léo, meanwhile, were not able to fulfil their half of the bargain as they fell to a 4-3 home loss to Orée, a result which saw them end six points back in the final standings.

Gantoise will next face Waterloo Ducks in the playoff semi-finals after they eased to a 10-1 win against Namur.

Braxgata, meanwhile, will play Léo in the playoff semi-finals after the former beat Racing Club de Bruxelles 3-2 to end in third place.

Den Bosch convincingly won the Brabant derby against Tilburg 5-1 to top the women’s Hoofdklasse table, ensuring they will return to the EHL next season into the bargain.

Needing a win to confirm the title, it was 2-0 by the third minute thanks to goals from Sanne Koolen from a penalty corner and Charlotte Englebert.

They extended their lead through Joosje Burg and a penalty stroke by Danique van der Veerdonk, after which Englebert scored her second goal before half-time for 5-0.

Tilburg rallied in the second half to slow down the goal-rush but Den Bosch were not to be stopped en route to their 19th time topping the regular season table.

Despite her absence due to injury, Frédéqiue Matla crowned herself top scorer of the Tulp Hoofdklasse for the fifth time with 22 goals, one goal more than Yibbi Jansen of SCHC.

SCHC ended in second spot with a 2-1 win over HDM and will play Pinoké in the playoff semi-finals which start next weekend.

Den Bosch face AH&BC Amsterdam who had to fight back from 2-1 down in the last 10 minutes to defeat relegated side Huizen 3-2.

Hans-Erik Tuijt was presented with a EuroHockey President’s Award during the EHL FINALS in recognition of his time as chairman of the Euro Hockey League board.

Tuijt held the role from 2015 up until Peter Elders took on the role last year, playing his part in the growth of the EHL, introducing EHL Women in 2021 along with the addition of the ABN AMRO EHL U14 and Hockey ID competitions.

Speaking at the event, EuroHockey President Marcos Hofmann praised Tuijt’s influence on the world’s best club competition, saying: “On behalf of EuroHockey, I thank Hans-Erik for the huge value he has given to the EHL over a long number of years, keeping the competition as one of the must-see events for hockey fans around the world.”

** Hans Erik is pictured, left, with EuroHockey President Marcos Hofmann and EuroHockey Honourary Life President Marijke Fleuren; picture by Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics