Braxgata’s women earned an EHL-return trip next season as they won against KHC Dragons in the Belgian semi-finals, setting up a showdown with Gantoise.

It was a tough battle as the first leg ended 1-1 with Stephanie Vanden Borre’s 46th minute stroke earning parity on Saturday. A day later, they played out an epic 4-3 result with Lyne van Dieren’s 63rd minute strike the ultimate factor between the teams.

They had trailed 3-1 after 20 minutes but Sanne Caarls and Louise Dewaet set up the stunning turnaround to get their final spot.

For Gantoise, Alix Gerniers’ single goal gave them the edge against KHC Leuven on Saturday and they pulled away on Sunday with a 5-0 victory, taking the tie 6-0 on aggregate.

Royal Léopold will join Gantoise in the Belgian men’s final and next season’s EHL into the bargain after they won a thrilling tussle with Braxgata over the weekend.

The key win for Léo came on Saturday when they recovered from a 1-0 deficit at half-time to win 3-1 with Arthur Verdussen scoring twice either side of a Tom Boon goal.

On Sunday, they moved further clear as they edged 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 in front with Jose Basterra scoring twice before Brax produced a rousing finale. Loick Luypaert’s drag-flick put them ahead in the tie 4-3 with three minutes to go but they could not find another and so Léo won 6-5 on aggregate.

In the other semi-final, Gantoise kept alive their chances of an EHL/Belgian title double when they had just enough to beat Waterloo Ducks.

Game one ended level at 2-2 while the second contest finished 2-1 with Alexander Hendrickx scoring two corners.

Waterloo will play Brax for the third EHL Men’s ticket on offer in Belgium next weekend.

SCHC will play in their fourth successive EHL after they defeated Pinoké 6-1 on aggregate to advance to the Dutch women’s championship final against Den Bosch.

The damage was done on Saturday with the Bilthoven club picking up a 5-0 away win with Pien Dicke’s double setting them on their way against Pinoké.

Lisa Post, Lotte Ruts and Yibbi Jansen helped pull them further away, giving the Amstelveen club which they were not able to climb on Sunday, ending with a 1-1 draw.

For Den Bosch, they kept alive their chances of yet another title as they defeated AH&BC Amsterdam 6-2 on aggregate.

The first leg was a close-run battle with Amsterdam snagging a first half lead 2-1 via Alessia Norbiato and Maria Verschoor but Sanne Koolen and Frédérique Matla replied to make it 3-2 at the end of the first leg.

And they made the final spot safe with a 3-0 with Pien Sanders, Teuntje de Wit and Joosje Burg putting them out of the sight.

The first leg of the women’s final will be played next Saturday in Bilthoven with the second leg taking place on Thursday, May 29.

AH&BC Amsterdam and SV Kampong have qualified for next season’s EHL Men after they made it through to the Dutch championship final.

For Amsterdam, they went through a weekend rollercoaster to defeat Den Bosch 6-5 on aggregate following their double-header.

On Saturday, they built a 2-0 lead only to be pegged back to 2-2 before Brent van Bijnen won the tie 3-2 with two minutes to go.

It proved a vital moment in the final reckoning. Den Bosch – on home turf – built a 3-1 lead in the first half of the second leg with a double from Timo Boers but Boris Burkhardt completed a hat trick to level the tie at 3-3.

It means Amsterdam are back in the EHL for the first time since October 2022’s KO16 in Hamburg.

For Kampong, their passage to the final was surprisingly simpler as they ran up a 5-2 home win on Saturday afternoon against HC Bloemendaal – the regular season winners – thanks to four goals from Jip Janssen.

A day later, they stayed out of range with a 3-1 win for an 8-3 aggregate victory. The sides will play the first leg of the final on Saturday with the second leg being played the following Thursday.

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.