The M1s began their league campaign on Sunday, welcoming Oxford Hawks to Trent Park, and it ended with the honours shared in a 2-2 draw.

Southgate started slowly, with Hawks on top in the first quarter, opening the scoring in the sixth minute via a Jack Biggs penalty corner. The second quarter belonged to Southgate as they came out fired up, which was rewarded in the nineteenth minute when Tom Barratt got the equaliser at a penalty corner, his toma finding the back of the net after the initial shot was saved by Chris Price in the Hawks goal.

The third quarter was more of the same with Southgate dominating possession, going 2-1 up after a Charles Hamilton shot from an acute angle was saved by Price, the deflection going high above the crossbar where Giulio Ferrini was on had to smash the ball home.

Into the last quarter, and a nervous affair as Southgate sought to close out the match, with Callum Swinnerton-Ions and Sim Bird both missing opportunities to extend the lead. Hawks won a penalty corner in the fifty third minute thanks to good team work between the umpires, and Biggs stepped up to claim his second and the equaliser.

Southgate now face a difficult trip to TBB on Sunday with a depleted squad thanks to injury and some postponed weddings.