Welcome back to another Matchside weekly roundup!
I hope as many of you as possible got out to support the marathon runners over the weekend! If you felt inspired, the ballot for next year is open until Friday — there are talks of a 2-day event next year so you’ll have double the chances of getting a spot this time.
🔥 This week’s top picks:
England Hockey League playoff finals on Saturday at Surbiton.
London Lions in the Super League Basketball playoff quarter-final on Sunday.
Final game of the regular football season in the Championship, League One and League Two.
There are also only limited tickets left for the England men’s international cricket games this summer - you need to move fast on those if you want them. Read on for details and links to tickets.
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👀 What’s on this week 👀
Coming up: elite field hockey, men’s and women’s football, Champ rugby and basketball
Before jumping into this weekend’s action, a quick reminder that the World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals continue until Sunday 10th May and the World Snooker Championship up in Sheffield is on until this coming Monday. I covered both in last week’s newsletter.
Friday 1st May
1. 🏏 County Championship Cricket (Friday 1st to Monday 4th)
Saturday 2nd May
1. 🏉 Men’s Champ Rugby: London Scottish vs Richmond (3pm)
📍 Richmond Athletic Ground | Tickets from £20
Both of these teams call Richmond Athletic Ground their home so a London derby can’t get more local than this!
2. 🏑 Elite Club Hockey: Premier Division Finals 2026 (2-day event Saturday & Sunday 10am-6pm)
📍 Surbiton Hockey Club | Tickets £22
The top four teams from both the men’s and women’s Premier Division take part in these playoff finals to be crowned league champions and earn a place in the European competition next season. London is well represented with Hampstead & Westminster, Wimbledon and Surbiton in both the women’s and men’s draws.
3. ⚽️ Men’s Football
It’s the final game of the regular season this weekend in the Championship, League One and League Two so most are sold out. I’ve picked out the games below with only a handful of tickets left - move fast if you want them!
4. 🏒 Women’s Ice Hockey: Haringey Greyhounds vs Solent Amazons (6.30pm)
📍 Alexandra Palace | Tickets £5
Sunday 3rd May
1. ⚽️ Women’s Football: Tottenham vs London City Lionesses, WSL (12pm)
📍 Brisbane Road, Leyton | Tickets £10
2. 🏀 Men’s Basketball: London Lions vs Newcastle Eagles, SLB Playoff Quarter-Final (7pm)
📍 Crystal Palace National Sports Centre | Tickets from £11
3. 🏐 Netball: London Pulse vs Loughborough Lightning (6pm)
📍 Copper Box | Tickets £29
London Lions
🔔 Ticket alerts you need to know about 🔔
On sale: England Men’s Cricket
1. 🏏 England Men’s international cricket this summer - only a few tickets left!
England vs New Zealand Test Match at Lord’s, 4-8 June (tickets from £60).
England vs New Zealand Test Match at Kia Oval, 17-21 June (tickets from £125).
England vs India ODI at Lord’s, Sunday 19th July (sold out but join waiting list here).
England vs Pakistan Test Match at Lord’s, 27-31 August (tickets from £40).
England vs Sri Lanka ODI at Kia Oval, Sunday 27th September (tickets from £70).
Test Match at Kia Oval
Notes from Netherlands 🇳🇱
This weekend I was in the Netherlands for the King’s Day celebrations so I took the chance to see a game at the iconic De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam. Feyenoord comfortably beat Groningen 3-1 — with a couple of very nice goals from Jordan Bos and Ayase Ueda — to strengthen their grip on second spot in the league which would earn them Champions League football next year. Would massively recommend a visit if you get the chance, I even saw Raheem Sterling get a 20 minute run out!
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That’s your week of sport sorted.
Thanks for reading! If you go to something, let me know — I read every reply.
Louis