Fri 04-Dec-09
Issue 10
Match Reports | Subs | Dragons Drinks
It was not the best of weekends for THD. Only the Royals earned 3 points with their win over Indian Gymkhana 4s. The Women's 3s and 6s ground out draws. Unfortunately, all the other teams recorded losses.
The Women's 6s did well to break a losing streak. The Women's 3s are doing well to maintain their unbeaten streak to 4 games. The Royals break a two-game losing streak to beat cellar-dwellers Indian Gymkhana at Osterley, which always a tough away fixture.
The Women's 1s lost 3-0 to Guildford, and from the looks of it, it could have been worse. Well done to them for keeping the scoreline respectable! Also, they progress to the next round of the HA knockouts after a walkover from their opponents.
I hope that next week brings more success and improved results to all teams! Come on you THD Reds!
Ramana Thirumoorthy - Editor
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12-Dec-09
Dragons Xmas Drinks
Time to celebrate as the year is almost at a close and the hockey has ceased for the winter break. Why not come along a make a different kind of pass!?! All welcome... you don't have to play mixed to join in the fun!
Drinks: The Florence, Herne Hill
Dodgy dancing: The Swan, Stockwell
From 7.30pm in the Florence... or earlier!!!!
For further information contact dragons@thehockeyclub.co.uk |
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FINAL NOTICE
Subs are OVERDUE
Anyone with unpaid subs CANNOT play!
The deadline for subs has now passed. Anyone who has still not paid their subs needs to contact their respective club captain.
Full details at http://www.thehockeyclub.co.uk/aboutus/fees.shtml
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This weeks match reports from the THD Teams in action.
Reports by: Robbie Layton, MJ, Billy Dowie, Mark Annear, Oli Clark, Elizabeth Barry, Sabrina Tunnicliffe, Lucy Hiley, Emily Cadman, Heidi, Claire Dees & MJ (again).
Mens Section
Mens 1s vs. Teddington: Lost 0-3
The portents were not good before the game: 1) we were away – we have secured only 2 points out of a maximum of 51 away from home since October 2008; 2) we had won the previous week – we have not strung two results together since we beat Spencer at home and got a point away at Ashford in the closing weeks of last season; and 3) it was cold – very, very cold.
I would love to be able to tell you at this stage that THD tore up the form book and romped to victory against a lacklustre Teddington side but alas I cannot. No, instead it was Teddington who read the form book, digested it, concluded that they liked what they saw and strolled to the most comfortable of victories.
The less said about the details of the match itself, the better, and, indeed, I have spent much of the past week trying to blank them from my memory. Three events do, however, stand out: 1) Andy “I’m not malicious, I’m just very clumsy” Jarratt’s green card for one of the worst stick tackles I’ve seen in a while; 2) Joe Hanson* picking up a yellow card for the most blatant back-stick you’re ever likely to see; and 3) the best and worst call of “gone” from Piggy – I maintain that I was correct – the ball hit the bar. We lost 3-0, by the way.
Anyway, that’s quite enough about that. In the evening, there was the Club Christmas Party. I went as a snowman. It was excellent, if a little sinister.
And finally, something that I’ve learnt today: “There is a website on the internet…”. Thank you, Guy Huckvale for that veritable pearl of wisdom.
Next week: Maidstone, at home and a chance to redeem ourselves. (MWP)
* No, it’s not his real name but if you see him you’ll see what I’m getting at – he looks like the pianist in case you were wondering (yes, there was a pianist. Tim says so. And he should know: rumour has it that Tim and Bino formed two thirds of a rather successful Hanson tribute act whilst at university. They were going to go full time after graduating but whilst travelling in Brazil, Bino was set upon by a gang of scissor-wielding mercenaries and his hair was irreparably damaged. The dream was over. A sad day for both hair and music, I’m sure you’ll agree.).
Team: Piggy, Smudge, Andy J, Browny, Goldy, Matt H, James B, Joe Hanson, Joe W, Gavin, Simon, Fred, Tom, Goughy, Mowser (lame).
MoM: Fred
TFC: Joe Hanson – for his card.
Next match: Home vs. Maidstone
Mens 2s vs. East Grinstead 2s: Lost 2-5
Some things in life just make you sick don't they?
Like having to get up at an ungodly hour to go and play a hockey match in the countryside on a Saturday morning.
Like having your shoes soaked through by a sopping pitch within seconds of walking out the dugout.
Like having an umpire that seems like a twat from the word go, but who doesn't turn out to be that bad except for his choice of man of the match (he picked Nurse, I'm told).
Like having to play a team who aren't great save for the bunch of ringers they've stuck in who can roof goals at a moments notice.
We started positively, going one nil up courtesy of Nursey via a short corner, but didn't hold out long before a sloppy bit of marking at the back let them sneak level. After defending some iffy and some deserved shorties we returned fire as Snowy slapped one past them after what looked, from my end, like a bit of a goal mouth scramble. A few cracking saves later, Sheldon failed to see, let alone stop, a 'roof of the net' type effort but we didn't hold it against him.
Half time arrived; all the bad feeling took its toll. and made me sick.
We seemed to struggle to keep things simple at times during the second half and lost another three goals during the course of it. That's not to say the half was without good moments but there weren't as many as we'd have liked. Fez and Mike made great efforts throughout the game as the team proved again that the simple hockey (when we play it) does the business (mind you a few more midfielders wouldn't go amiss).
Anyway, the lads thanked me for coming, which was nice, and made me feel much better. Apologies for the lack of discipline with my stomach contents, next week I'm on the Weetabix (it works for Sheldon). We'll see if that helps. (RL)
Squad: Sheldon, J Nurse, Robby, Coleman. Guy, Matt, Mike, Snowy, Potty, Fez, Darren, Timmy, Butty, Nick
Scorers: John Nurse, Lee Snowden
MOTM: Seldon B
TFC: Robby
Umpires: Theirs
Next match: Home vs. Old Loughtonians 2s, 1100hrs, JAGS
Mens 3s: No match
Next match: Away vs. Old Loughtonians 3s (Foresters)
Tornados vs. Richmond Lions: Lost 1-3
So two weeks ago we were top of the table and now, after this week, we are fourth and six points adrift. Where did it go wrong? Well, to be honest it hasn't really gone wrong. Ok, last week (vs. OL Gunners) we let ourselves down a bit and shouldn't have walked away pointless. However, this week we came up against a better team. Oh, and a singularly better player who had - by his own admission - "never met any of these guys before"!
So, the Tornados faced a free scoring team with a ringer on their home turf with their own umpires... and deservedly took the lead with a great poachers goal. So what happened? A combination of a very even contest, some real rabbit-in-headlights moments up front, giving away possession & few short corners. These factors saw a 3-1 loss which should have been only 2-1 and could easily have been 2-2.
Importantly, there was great improvement on the previous week and a real willingness to step on and try things that a 4th XI wouldn't normally even think of. On top of this there is over half a season to go, with re-matches against all of the top 3 to come as well as matches they have to play each other. Has the promotion push gone? Hardly! Is it more difficult than it was two weeks ago? Surely! Is it possible? Certainly!
Squad: Bailey (GK), Pully, Tom, Toby, Fish, Wilsh, Rob, MJ (c), Zesh, Ben, Little Fish, Charlie, Bristles & JC
Scorers: Ben
MOTM: Tom via the massively unrepresentative and largely unused Teamer.net MOTM poll.
TFC: Potty (See W1s report TFC).
Supporter: The Judge
Umpires: Theirs
Next match: Home vs. Old Loughtonians 4s, 1230hrs, JAGS
Diamonds vs. Richmond Stags: Lost 1-2
OK, it's official. If we're better than our oppo, we can't beat them. There's something about going into a match against a team above us in the division that gets us fired up, committed, disciplined and composed. But up against a team below us, we play like wet farts. And so it was against the Stags, who had carved out their first win of the season the previous week and came into this game on a high.
Having let them put us on the back foot early on, we gradually wrested control and went ahead with Trem's trademark bullet from our first short after 15 minutes. We narrowly failed to go further ahead when Irfan cracked one against the post; but we looked in control and odds-on to build on our lead.
That feeling didn't, however, factor in James's rush of blood when faced with the Stags' oncoming forward - the poor guy had to give up all thoughts of reaching the ball to concentrate on pure survival, and only just managed to keep his legs joined to his body (although many of us suspect that it's only premature rigor mortis keeping them attached and they may still fall off sometime soon). Nobody sends off goalies nowadays, thank goodness, but James couldn't keep out the flick. 1-1, which became 1-2 two minutes later when their next attack caught us defending like wusses.
Half-time came & went, and most of the second half saw us trying to break them down, but not very imaginatively. Here's not the place to publicise what went wrong, but there was plenty of discussion afterwards as to what we need to do to fix it, and things will change for the next game. (BD)
Squad: James Fuller, Tom Illingworth, Trem Parvin, Graeme Evans, Adam Smith, Marc Antoine, Stephen Ireton, Sam Younger, Simon Canter, Irfan Begg, Joe Del Greco, Seamus Betts
Scorers: Tremayne Parvin
Umpires: Billy Dowie
Next match: Away vs. Old Loughtonians Gunners
Royals vs. Indian Gymkhana: Won 4-2
Always a pleasure going away to Indian Gym - not just for the post-match entertainment in their banqueting suite, but also because you know you are always going to be treated to a spectacle.
The first came minutes before the scheduled start, as the earlier match finished. Floored (and bloodied) by a rogue stick, a man reacted unwittingly in a fairly unsightly action which later earned him a red card. Our entire opposition immediately ran onto the field to defend their clubman. Brilliant teamwork.
Perhaps this excitement took away the edge from our opponents as they allowed us some early forays in a typically cagey opening. Then, following an impressive Nick Harris swat to ease the early nerves, came a second magic moment as our frontline combined perfectly to execute moves that may or may not have been practised on the training field. Nozza won the ball expertly on the 23, played it Slater in the top left who swerved and beat his marker and sent a great ball across the face of the goalmouth and into the expectant stick of Oli Carruthers - 2-0.
But never underestimate Indian Gym. Moments later they were back on the attack and had narrowed the gap. Magic moment number three saw a superbly fashioned short corner converted by one of their ex-international stars to take it to 2-2. It was impressive to watch, but mingled with the realisation that this game was entirely up for grabs.
Ah, but the second half then was a story of irrepressible fight back - and indubitably excellent teamwork as we contended for all that was before us. Defence, of course, began at the top, with the midfield mopping up the scraps and the defence left to assist in creating attacks. Total hockey, one might say.
The result was a virtual siege and a plethora of well-earned short corners mixed with yellow cards that statistically should have seen us through. Statistically of course we messed up more than a few, and could have made life far more comfortable for ourselves - but two Slater strikes later (one of which yours truly just failed to steal on the line) and we had breathing distance in the final minutes.
Cue our final spectacle, as the whistle sounded and victory was complete, when our excellent keeper, who had had little to do in the second half as all attacks before him broke on the shores of the midfield, called out:
Brilliant umpiring!
Brilliant indeed.(MA)
Squad: Jon Bayliss (c), Ed Taylor Jones, Ben Slater, Oli Carruthers, Ollie Norris, Keith Howick, Paul Reid, Adrian Leung, Tim Smith, Nick Harris, Mark Annear (11)
Scorers: Ben Slater 2, Nick Harris, Oli Carruthers
MOTM: Won by an impressive all round display by Ollie Norris, both in attack, tracking back and surviving an attempted mauling in the opposition D. Ben "two goals" Slater and the irrepressible Nick Harris also gained multiple plaudits, as did Charles Norris (and his opposite number) in charge of the whistle. Jon Bayliss (debuting in midfield and an excellent captain's performance), Oli Carruthers (scorer of an excellently worked second goal) and Mark Annear also gained recognition, although the contributions of Keith Howick, Paul Reid, Ed Taylor Jones, Adrian Leung and Tim Smith (i.e. the entire defence) should of course not be dismissed.
Special Moment of the Day: Steve "no show" Walsh was overwhelmingly considered "special" for avoiding being Thanked For Coming. Although some consideration was also given to the thought, had he turned up, whether the result would have been different and therefore he ought to get a nomination for being special enough to create the right conditions for victory. These thoughts were all dismissed.
Umpires: The excellent Charles Norris and a very good one of theirs - great teamwork
Next match: Home vs. THD Saracens, 1100hrs, DC
Saracens vs. Richmond Redoubtables: Lost 0-4
What to say? They scored 4 goals in the first 20 minutes from 2 fast breaks and 2 short corners. Then we remembered which end of the stick was which and started playing hockey.
The halftime talk consisted of reminding everyone to do the basics and build a foundation on which we could attack. We did this in the second half and came agonisingly close to scoring on several occasions, but failed to convert our pressure into goals. Plenty to work on, but equally a lot of positives to take away in that once we started playing hockey we were good at containing them and passing the ball around our midfield. If we can do this from the off next week, rather than only in the second half, then we should return to our winning ways.
Obviously the key element of Saturday was not the hockey in the day but the Christmas party in the evening! The Saracens’ pirate effort was robbed of victory in the 3-way dance off against the elves and snowmen by some suspiciously good break-dancing from the snowmen. We did however have the moral victory because a) our fancy dress didn’t require a dressed up young boy to complete it and b) we didn’t attempt (and fail) a leapfrog manoeuvre on the dancfloor. (OC)
Team: James (GK), Mark, Ali, Niteen, Tim, Oli, Ben, Laurie, Nick W, Nick S, Ladi, James, Mark
MoM: Ali for all round excellence
DoD: Ian, for not coming to support us despite being captain, and then not coming to the Christmas party and not having a decent reason for non-attendance. The pink headband of shame awaits.
Umpires: Trem and Seamus (the lucky recipient of the affections of the Snowmen!)
Next match: Home vs. THD Royals, 1100hrs, DC
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Womens Section
Womens 1s vs. Guildford 1s: Lost 0-3
Guildford Ladies 1st XI this season have some very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very good hockey players. Tulse Hill and Dulwich Ladies 1st XI put in a performance to be proud of (especially the left hand side of the pitch!) working incredibly hard right until the bitter end. Dulcie showed us way she is the England U18 goalkeeper and prevented Guildford from notching up a cricket score (which they did the previous week). However, Jen and Annabel were also magnificent marking 2 players who could play in National League very easily. Everyone else worked their socks off; but I have to admit everytime their left back showed me a clean pair of heels, I felt my height and age....! (EJB)
Squad: Dulcie, Alex, Kath, Clare, Angela, Jen, Bee, Sophie, Annabel, EJ, Sharon, Faye
Scorers: Nada...
MOTM: Dulcie (without her it would have been 10-nil)
TFC: Initially awarded to half the team for being to fat to fit into their new skorts, but Faye was the resounding winner after a strong theatrical performance during teas. However, EJ put in a good shout for a re-vote when she left all her kit in Guildford rather than taking it home with her (it is still there). But really it has to go to Potty, who just won't take no for an answer. You got to love that man's persistence!
Next match: Home, Friendly match vs. Spencer
Womens 2s vs. Richmond 2s: Lost 0-3
After an encouraging game against Merton when we managed to claim the first three points in six games, we were up for another battle on the pitch. Unfortunately though, the game will be memorable for an event that happened as the closing whistle went, not for the slick play of the Ladies 2s. In fact, there really wasn't much slick play at all. Richmond went out fighting and put us to shame with their eagerness and aggression. 50:50 balls were being lost left, right and centre and while the backs worked hard, play was broken down particularly as they pressed our 16 yard hit outs. An unfortunate ball went straight to their centre forward at the top of the D and before we knew it, it was 1-0. Within 10 minutes they had made it 2-0.
Our fortunes could have turned when a fantastic shot on goal from Tash was saved by their keeper, but only at the expense of being able to stand upright. what an opportunity you might think. The poor girl was clearly in agony and could barely move, but for the rest of the first half and all of the second, we only got perhaps 2 shots on goal. Despite this obvious advantage, our heads were down and we struggled to get the ball out of their half. They put another goal past us which sounded the death knell of the game. Demoralised and frustrated the final whistle blew.
Now, during the course of the game, we managed to tally 2 green cards and 1 red card. The two green cards were unfortunate and both for not backing off from a free hit, which were fairly tough decisions, but we took them on the chin. Unfortunately the umpire didn't realise we are just quite a slow team. However, as the final whistle went, Muldoon* decided enough was enough and she went and informed the umpire what she thought of his umpiring..far, far from ideal. Next time Lucy doesn't want to play a couple of matches as she has other plans in Leeds, I wish she would go about extracting herself from her Saturday commitments in a less dramatic manner.
We fully intend to win next week. (ST)
*I still love you Lucy, despite your crazy impulsiveness.
Squad Olivia, Kato, Ellie, Lucy, Watson, Biba, Traffs, Beddoes, Alice, Sarah, Tash
MOTM: To be decided
Umpires: Lou Campbell
Next match: Away vs. Cheam 2s
Womens 3s vs Epsom 3s: Drew 1-1
So - there we were, the 6-strong Dream Team, 20 minutes before the whistle was due to go. No oppo, captain, vice captain, umpires - just an astro of screaming footballing tots, who looked way more committed than we were feeling. speculation grew whether we could go straight to Jackie's teas and cut out the middleman completely. But then in a sudden rush the tots flooded off the astro and we. er. wandered on. One failed to see the entertainment value in a game of hockey and refused to leave yelling loudly, face to the fence, until the battle of wills with parent was won and said parent had to drag him forcibly away. For sheer dedication to a proper tantrum it was impressive. We took inspiration from such a demonstration of willpower.
Epsom won the toss and unsportingly elected to make us play into the wind and sun (and what appeared from the writer's perspective to be up a hill). A fast paced game saw us initially pressing hard down our left with some good passing between Sunny, Helen and Georgie. Defensively they were well organised and so the last pass was closed out several times. Epsom then took back possession and THD conceded the first goal - defensive-marking confusion left Parker and Hiley scrambling in the D. But thanks to the excellent work rate of the midfield and some great support play back to Anna and Emma we gradually asserted ourselves in the middle of the field, and were rewarded when Anna convincingly banged the equalizer home from a straight strike from the top of the D. Buoyed by the quality of the run of play we then pressed hard and although we hit the backboard we was robbed by some sadly rather good umpiring - Jones Esq seeing an obstruction in the D where both teams and other umpire were clearly still blinking in the sun.
Following the stirring halftime talk, we didn't quite come out all guns blazing but gradually stepped things up and found more space down the right hand side - we peppered the goal mouth but just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. Epsom broke several times and then started to put a bit more pressure on the defence - several powerful strikes on goal from shorts and open play going wide. The second battle of wills of the day between one of the more "senior" members of the Epsom team and our redoubtable umpire was clearly a home win. Towards the end of the half they were starting to increase the pressure (THD defence was getting a bit tired) - but although a few more corners were awarded against we successfully defended them all. A point each was probably a fair result. (LH).
Squad Ellie, Anna, Kirsten, Emma P, Lucy, Helen M, Georgie (c), Helen S, Jena, Julia, Sunny
Scorer: Anna
MOTM: Emma P
Umpires: Jonesy, way way way better umpiring than was entirely necessary
Next match: Home vs. Purley Walcountians 1s, 1400hrs, DC
Womens 4s vs. Kenley SP 1s: Lost 1-6
Before I get onto the positives (there were actually some) I think we'd all hold our hands up to admit we got a bit of a kicking. It was always going to be a tough match away to runaway league leaders Kenley who are yet to drop a point, and have a massive +47 goal difference, and so it proved.
But it was THD who struck first with a great goal from Suzanna, and for most of the first half it was an even match, with us conceding the equaliser 10 minutes or so before half time. At that point we were all feeling tired - but pretty good about ourselves - as we were well in the match, first to the ball and the forwards - particularly Suzi - were looking dangerous.
Could it have had something to the motivational Gu pots that Hattie was promising to every goal scorer? Alas, it all started to go wrong sooner after half time. A run of short corners against us, and Kenley began to score, almost at will.
It's been frustrating that for a few matches in a row now, we've had these bad periods where we wake up and suddenly find we're out of contention. It is certainly not due to a lack of effort, so maybe we need to persuade Will to do some more defensive drills at training!
Anyone, onwards and upwards to next week where we have another away match to the second placed Barnes Vets. Can we take revenge for their 1-0 victory in the opening match of the season? (EC)
Squad: Ellie, Emily, Hattie, Helen F, Cat B, Alanna, Ash, Mary, Lynne, Susannah, Abi, Suzi, Helen B
Scorers: Susannah
MOTM: Suzi
Next match: Away vs. Barnes Hounslow Ealing Vets
Womens 5s vs. Wanderers 6: Lost 1-2
On a sunny but chilly November morning the 5's arrived to play Wanderers within shouting distance of the Oval. If our aim was to follow England's Ashes example and notch up a win, the team needed to dig deep. Without our captain and various other sick players this was not going to be easy!
The first half began with 'birthday girl' Rachael at the helm and THD in control. Some decent passes, a small amount of attacking and some solid defending led to several forays into their 25. As we attacked into the sun, it was our inability to see, rather than hear, that made it hard for us. How one player heard 'stay high' as 'be kind', we really weren't sure! Unfortunately as we approached half time, Wanderers managed to sneak in two quick goals. The score remained this way until half way through the second half when we managed to hit the backboard. A short corner after the final whistle could have made it a draw, but unfortunately it was not to be.
The man of the match this week went to Sarah W - a fact that clearly went to her head as she later mentioned that maybe we should video her for analysis! Such banter continued well into tea and on to the party at the club.
On a more important note, it is the mid point of the season. The 5's now all know each other and can play well together. Let's hope we can keep improving and add a few more wins as we face our opponents for the second time. (HH).
Squad: Heidi, Rachael, Sarah W, Clare M, Andrea, Zoe, Erica, Laura, Flo, Lucy, Ali and Sarah N.
MOTM: Sarah W
Umpires: 2 of theirs
Next match: Away vs. Bank of England 1s
Womens 6s vs. Cheam 4s: Drew 2-2
With great anticipation we started the match with our wonderful but injured captain shouting at us from the sidelines. This was meant to be our first win. And it nearly was! However they scored in the first 2 minutes of the match. It just trickled over the goal line. None of us were even awake yet!
The rest of the half, we had some great play with some fantastic passing and the match was pretty even up to half time.
However we knew we could beat them and came back at half time extremely eager to score. Olivia had a great run and took the ball all the way up the field passing about 5 of their players before passing it to Ellie who scored.
Jenna then scored 5 minutes later and we were leading 2-1! About 10 mins to go until the end of the match they managed to score again. Cheam's leggy wing just ran with the ball and no one could keep up with her!
What a match! Excitement to the end. They had a short corner in the last minute and Jess was hiding behind me saying 'I can't watch'! Needless to say they didn't score.
All in all a fantastic effort and we are all looking forward to a big win this weekend! (CD)
Squad: Emily, Sinead, Len, Sarah, Hannah, Claire, Katie, Lizzy, Bridget, Ellie, Katie S, Mags, Olivia, Jenna.
Scorers: Jenna, Ellie
MOTM: Olivia
Next match: Home vs. Old Georgians 3s, 1500hrs, DC
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Mixed Section
Dragons vs. Spencer Mixed: Won 10-3 (in a friendly knockabout).
Now I wasn't even at the match on Sunday (first mixed I've missed for a fair while) but somehow I've ended up with match report duties! I thought I'd check some fact with Furlong who was there on the day...
"Sorry I don’t actually know what the final score was…..we didn’t have an umpire and because it was 7 vs. 8 it ended up being more of a knock around….it must have been 8 or 10 goals to us…and then to be honest no idea how many the oppo got…."
...marvellous! Apologies on Spencer's behalf as mixed is normally a competitive affair with full teams, GKs, ump etc. Obviously, they struggled to provide that this week! Probably just as well as we had injuries and drop outs too!
Squad: Ellie (GK), Julia, Furlong, Little Fish, Ollie, Ali, Susannah, Mags & Fez.
Scorers: Julia (5), Helen, Little Fish, Ollie, Mags & Fez!
Next match: 13-Dec, Home vs. London Edwardians Mixed, 1230hrs, BP
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