Fri 06-Nov-09
Issue 06
Match Reports | Subs | Bonfire Night
A balanced week for THD in terms of results, with some teams winning, some losing and the Diamonds producing a draw against one of the stronger teams in their division.
The Women's 4s continue their hot streak with another clean sheet and victory. It's now 4 games with 11 goals without reply. Well done! May this class will continue to shine in the coming weeks.
The Tornados won again to maintain their unbeaten start to the season. The Saracens returned to winning ways with a 3-2 victory at home against Indian Gymkhana.
It will be a big weekend coming up. The Women's 1s have a league game, followed by a HA Trophy game on Sunday. The Men's 1s will be looking to break their losing streak again Oxford students. The Tornados and Women's 4s seek to continue their unbeaten runs too. All the best everyone!
Ramana Thirumoorthy - Editor
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Subs are OVERDUE
Anyone with unpaid subs CANNOT play!
Tulse Hill & Dulwich HC charges a single combined yearly subscription payable by monthly standing order. the subscription covers annual membership, training, match fees (not mixed matches) and hot teas. Payable by standing order, bank transfer or by cheque.
Full details at http://www.thehockeyclub.co.uk/aboutus/fees.shtml
Member |
Cost |
Adult Member
(1st/2nd XI squads) |
£380
or 5 payments of £76 |
Adult Member
(all other teams) |
£325
or 5 payments of £65 |
Students / Unemployed
or Goalkeeper (with own kit) |
£170
or 5 payments of £34 |
Junior* Members
(U16 not Academy) |
£135
or 5 payments of £27 |
Academy* Members |
Single payment of £80 |
* If a player is both a Junior player for the main Club and a member of the Academy then their total fees payable will be equal to the Junior fee. The player concerned should contact the Academy to organise payment of that particular fee and then send the difference (between that and the full junior fee) to the main club Treasurer.
Anyone queries please in contact the Treasurer or your captain.
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07-Nov-09
Bonfire & Fireworks Night
On Bonfire Night, all over the country people celebrate the dispatching of a seditious character known as Guy Fawkes who, back in 1605, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London. But who really cares about history? Why not come along to the clubhouse and watch the fireworks while sampling the delights of the bar???
Everyone is welcome... entrance £5. |
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This weeks match reports from the THD Teams in action.
Reports by: Chris Smith, Guy Huckvale, James Casey, Billy Dowie, Mark Annear, Oliver Clark, Ellie Coen, Emily Cadman, Abigail James & Clare Montagu.
Mens Section
Mens 1s vs. Spencer: Lost 0-3
The Men's 1s display certainly was strong and massively impressive with expansive and dominating movement, late unpredictable surges throughout, whilst sticking to a game plan that has been fine tuned by great effect for years. Of course we are talking about their presence at the annual presentation dinner on Saturday evening with which pre-drinks, late arrivals, disgraceful manners, general drunken aloofness and bare-chested Chippendale dancing helped maintain the high regard in which the 1s are held with the club committee.
Apologies to those that were offended, but punishment was swift and just to those involved, banished to various parts of known and unknown South London with unbearable hangovers.
In terms of hockey, well Spencer were due a good beating on their own turf, and THD were convinced before the game that their barren goal spell would come to an end in emphatic style. We competed well in a game that could've seen the lead to and fro all game. However when it came down to it THD lacked that final 5% in the key moments of the game; and our South London rivals showed why they are consistently at the top end of the league with good decision making and clinical execution when presented with a few opportunities.
The confidence is quite high despite the current run of form; and the belief is within the squad to do the right things and to produce a surge of results in the weeks to come. (CS)
Squad: Pigden, Smith, Heath, Brown, Hopkins, Banwell, Hann, Mowat, Huntley, Butt, Broadway, Goldsmith, Ferron, Nurse W.
MOTM: Chris Smith
TFC: Chris Smith
Next match: Home vs. Oxford University
Mens 2s vs. Southgate 3s: Won 4-3
The 2s recorded their second win of the campaign on Saturday against a struggling Southgate side without a win to their name this season. Selflessly we gave them a boost of confidence from the start by conceding a goal from the counter in the first 10. We pulled one back as Tim Sylvester made best use of the smooth water-based yet very filthy surface to put away a dragflick in to the left post. Once the umpires had got their heads around dragflicks being allowed above the backboard we started again.
We were dominating possession and territory, with regular forays into the opposition D though with nothing to show for our work. Gavin Berwick wobbled through two players and buried the ball in the top left corner, and post match quote "the best goal I have ever scored in my life", only to realise the Umpire had whistled for a slightly interesting interpretation on the top of the D against him. Southgate drew strength from this and nicked another before Timmy put another flick away on the stroke of half time.
The second half was ours as we continued the trend of the first but shored up the defence and cut off their outlets as we took control of the game. Two well worked goals and finishes from Darren Murphy and Andrew Potapa meant we were 4-2 up going into the final 5. A last minute Southgate goal took the gloss off a strong performance by a team beginning to gel. (GH)
Scorers: Tim Sylvester (2), Darren Murphy, Andrew Potapa
MOTM: Gavin Berwick
TFC: Tim Sylvester
Next match: Home vs. Chelmsford 2s, 1100hrs, JAGS
Mens 3s vs. Southgate 4s: Lost 1-3
This week saw us playing our first game at DC. A tough match was ahead of us against league leaders Southgate. This week saw the return of Seamus after his injury absence. If we were to win this we needed to be playing at 110% with no room for error. Unfortunately this was not to be our day. We allowed them to dominate in the first 15 minutes and they penetrated our defence with their opening goal. I can't actually remember the goal but it wasn't anything to write home about.
THD had a few glimmering hopes in the opposition D from some lovely flicks by Seamus but nothing seemed to materialise. A simple short corner routine saw Southgate earn a penalty flick which they converted. Another goal saw us trailing 3-0 at half time.
Some serious discussions were had at half time about our formation and how we should be playing. This seemed to work. A some what transformed THD side stepped up to the pitch with us playing at least 60% of the half in opposition territory. Some slick passing saw us grab a goal to finish the match 3-1. It is plain to see from our previous matches that we need to be more mentally prepared for each match. We take far too long to get ourselves involved and need to try and win the game from the beginning and not spend our time chasing score lines!
Scorer(s): Sparky
Umpire(s): MJ & Bill Dowie
Next match: Away vs. Hampstead and Westminster 5s
Tornados vs. Wimbledon 6s: Won 4-1
The sleeping giants needed half-time wake up call. It is a shame that the Tornados did not travel to Wimbledon together on a coach; it would have made the old adage about not getting off it very apt.
The first half was weak both in terms of umpiring and the Tornados performance; within minutes the THD fourth team was 1-0 down. As Jones gradually lost his composure on the side line, injuries began to blight the dazed away side. Come half time and the Tornados were still shambolic. Alexander summed it up bluntly: we looked like a side playing the afternoon before a dinner. This was not the level of play that we are hoping to expect from ourselves as the season progresses.
However the grit and determination that was so noticeably absent against the Diamonds raised its head a few minutes into the 2nd half. We began to play and goals began to come. Patience is, very definitely, a virtue. As the light closed in the Tornados held the ball better, worked harder and supported each other. Zesh slotted two and Pully scored a screaming short; there was no stopping an Exocet missile of that calibre. Fents nabbed one as well and we relaxed into a 4-1 win.
Closing thoughts? How many would we have put past the relegation-escaping Wimbledon had we: a) played properly first half; b) had lights; c) had some better umpiring? Of course none of this matters. The Tornados face a test of memory more than anything else: we must rapidly forget the first half from Saturday and take from it the determination of the second. A fines session didn't materialise and so it impossible to democratically pick a man of the match but Zesh and 'Bristles' have got to be up there; both contributed a great deal and Alex's good work was in the face of hamstring adversity. (JC)
Scorers: Zesh Sadique (2), Mark Pulford & Richard Fenton
Next match: Home vs. Richmond Stags, 1230hrs, JAGS
Diamonds vs. Richmond Lions: Drew 1-1
A bright, determined solid performance on Saturday saw us emerge with a draw against one of the stronger sides in the Division, Richmond Lions. We didn't waste any time in showing them our intentions - we'd had four or five shots on goal inside the first two minutes! But they were a determined lot themselves, and fought their way back into it, rattling the post and coming close more than once in a goalless first half.
When we did finally concede midway through the second half, we came straight back at them and equalised through Viren. Trem did an impressive job shackling their classy CF, and Adam & Stephen (with help from Nick & at times Irfan) showed fine poise in central midfield. Either side could have won it in the end, but the draw was a fair result. The Division is splitting into pronounced top and bottom halves - we're at the wrong end, but performances like this against the teams at the top are very satisfying. With a bit more consistency, we could be up there ourselves.
Sadly, Viren has decided that the commute from Hounslow for home games is a bit much, so we're going to have to figure out how to stop him scoring against us next time we're on a pitch together. (BD)
Squad: Steve Butcher, Tom Illingworth, Trem Parvin, Simon Canter, Adam Smith, Marc Antoine, Stephen Ireton, Olly Walton, Nick Allen, Irfan Begg, Viren Walia, Tim Harris
Scorers: Viren Walia
Umpires: Wes Cole & Peter Berman
Next match: Away vs. Surbiton 5s
Royals vs. H&W Thirsts: Lost 1-3
We dominated in periods, but could not score. We applied pressure by the bucket-loads on goal for twenty long minutes at the start, drawing consistent fouls inches from the D, but could not take advantage of the ridiculously disadvantageous free hit taken five metres outside. Never has the ultimate penalty for a deliberate foul in the 23 been more outrageously ignored.
They scored twice on the break, your correspondent's lack of match fitness failing to keep the opposition attack in check. They also scored from a dubious short corner. Then one of theirs exceeded his fourth final warning and left the field of play - and we got one back, Ollie Norris delivering a superb cross for Steve Walsh to convert.
Our full backs were incisive, and always gave opportunity, our wings creative. Where we lacked bite was in the final crucial third of the pitch. There is plenty to work on.
It's hard to say for certain that had other things gone our way - bringing our own, for instance - whether the result would have been different. Would we have missed the goal as many times, would we have been run through as regularly, would we have missed those crucial passes, made those crucial interceptions. The day after, if crucial decisions had gone the other way and final warnings had meant exactly that, the overwhelming feeling is yes. (MA)
Squad: Jon Bayliss (c), Ben Slater, Adam Bond, Steve Walsh, Oli Carruthers, Ed Taylor Jones, Tim Smith, Oli Clark, Ali Bulloch, Adrian Leung, Ollie Norris, Joe Boylan, Rob Thomas, Mark Annear (14)
Scorers: Steve Walsh
MOTM: Some excellent saves by Joe Boylan kept Hampstead at bay for much of the first half. Honourable mentions also go to Ed Taylor Jones (keeping his cool when having a large Dutchman trying to mount him), and Steve Walsh and Ollie Norris for combining excellently to set up and score our goal.
Sacrificial Moment of the match: Other than the large Dutch idiot and the woefully biased umpire, Ben Slater conspired to send a suicidal pass in front of goal with Hampstead forwards in slapping distance. Luckily they did not score.
Next match: Home vs. Richmond Redoutables, 1330hrs, CPB
Saracens vs. Indian Gymkhana 4s: Won 3-2
After a couple of wayward weeks we have returned to our winning ways!
Laurie had spent the last 3 weeks putting the fear of God into us with tales of Indian Gym breaking players' faces and of all the underhand tactics they would use to rile us up. Forewarned is forearmed as they say, and so with the exception of Ian receiving an outrageous whack on the kneecap we largely managed to avoid any nasty surprises and concentrate on playing our hockey. And play hockey we did!! This was a textbook display of the hockey we have been aiming for over the last couple of weeks and we showed what we can do when we concentrate on the basics and do them well. We were knocking the ball around, using Billy and Ali as pivot players and building sustained periods of pressure which resulted in Indian Gym losing their cool and screaming at each other. Nice.
However Gym are always dangerous on the break, and Tim our stand-in keeper had a fantastic game (duly awarded Man of the Match) and prevented the oppo centre forward (the oldest man to ever play league hockey) from putting Gym level on a number of occasions. A couple of times Gym looked certain to score as, having beaten Tim they were through on goal. However Rob 'The Enforcer' Hughes wasn't going to let it happen on his watch, and made several clearances off the line to keep us in front including an amazing reverse stick effort of a ball flying in at waist height. Rob also did his best to maintain his lead in the 'number of players hospitalised' stakes with one of his clearances going straight into a Saracens player, but luckily your correspondent is made of hardy stuff so no ambulances were required this week.
As for our goals - James scored the first with a decent strike, Ian got the second off a nice pass/shot across goal from Laurie (goal-snatching?!?) and Nick scored the third with what can only be described as a 'push-chip' - it went past the keeper at knee height but then bounced 3 times before sneaking into the corner. He maintains it was a sweet reverse stick shot, but either way it got the job done. (OC)
Squad: Tim Harris (GK), Rob H, Mark H, Charlie D, Billy, Niteen, Ali B, Laurie, Ben L, Oli C, Marc, Ian T, Nick W, James T, Trem
Scorers: James Tabor, Ian Townsend, Nick Weller
MOTM: Joint - Tim Harris for fantastic keeping efforts, with an honourable mention to Rob H for lots of goalmouth clearances
TFC: Ian for wasting a 1 on 1 with the keeper by just passing the ball off the back, wide of goal and the opposition as a whole
Next match: Away vs. PHC Chiswick 5s
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Womens Section
Womens 1s : No match
Next matches:
7 November, Home vs. Wimbledon 1s, 1230hrs, DC
8 November, HA Trophy, Away vs. Henley 1s,
Womens 2s vs. Wimbledon 2s: Lost 1-0
THD Ladies' 2nd were disappointed again this week, losing 1-0 away to Wimbledon 2nds. THD started brightly, determined to put into practice the defensive manoeuvres they had worked on in training the previous Wednesday.
Initial nerves were soon overcome, and confident moves into the D were initiated by centre-half and Captain Biba and Annabel at left-half. Dynamic play up the right wing by Kate and Beddoes longed for the icing on the cake but failure to convert in the D and several fruitless short corners saw the first half end at 0-0.
At the beginning of the second half spirits were high; a goal was needed but there was belief in the prospect of 35 more minutes of solid defending. Wimbledon attacked with gusto, but failed to threaten in the D. Lucy Muldoon, Rachel Trafford and Ellie Coen all managed to intercept the ball at crucial moments but ultimately it was not enough; 11 minutes from time Wimbledon scored with a raised shot from a narrow angle. With time to get back in the game THD pressed forward, but to no avail. This was not a defeat the Ladies' 2nds will care to repeat.* (EC)
* Please note that all disappointment was overcome in time for the appearance of Team Fun at the dinner!
Squad Olivia, Kato, Lucy, Ellie, Traffs, Biba, Beddoes, Annabel, Harriet, Tash, Jo
TFC: To Annabel for kindly filling our space in midfield
Umpires: Lou Campbell
Next match: Home vs. Woking 2s, 1100hrs, DC
Womens 3s vs. Reigate Priory 2s: Lost 4-1
No match report.
Next match: Home vs. Spencer 3s, 1530hrs, DC
Match report version 1.0
Womens 4s vs. Horley: Won 2-0
Having woken up at the ungodly-for-a-Saturday hour of 7am, naturally the first thing Car 1 (Helen F, Michelle, Suzanna and Abbie) did upon arrival was search for a coffee machine. The newish-looking "community college" seemed spangly enough to have such facilities, but actually they had gone above and beyond the call of duty and had installed a NASA-quality coffee station, much to our delight. Enthusiasm abounded as we opened drawers here, there and everywhere, gathering all the tools we would need to generate our bargainous (50p!) beverages. Cup? Check. Stirrer? Check. Milk? Check. Sugar? Check. Oxygen tank? Check. Instructions? Check. After much fun with light-up buttons, extra-terrestrial noises were heard from deep within the space station and eventually and hot and tasty cup of coffee was mine. I started to wonder, though, whether I'd made a rookie error as Helen's Mochaccino Fantastico (which required TWO sachets) was served up frothy and delicious looking. Michelle opted for a fragrant tea and Suzanna decided to explore new frontiers with a "Mars Swirl". Her adventurous choice did not turn out to be so wise, however, when she, upon removing her cup from the docking bay and peering into the frothy mix, realised she also should have used two sachets and as a result she now had a mere cup of hot milk.
All this excitement so early in the morning put us four into a very jolly mood and when other cars arrived we told them of the wonders of the holy coffee machine, but sadly only got worried looks from our teammates. Who'd turn down 50p coffee on a sodden saturday morning?
It was indeed very foggy and yet somehow not that cold, so all-in-all rather uncomfortable playing conditions. Horley were (and still are) bottom of the league and we were (and still are) doing nicely, but we didn't want to be too complacent. Even fruit pastilles and Haribo didn't help us in the first half though, as we allowed ourselves to drift out of position to match their unregulated formation, only making things much more difficult for ourselves than they need be. By half-time we were ball-chasing, leaving unmarked players, we'd almost forgotten the right wing's existence and we were getting in each other's way more often than assistance. T'was a bit pants, in short.
The second half, however, was magic of an astro-loving king. We actually started working like a well-oiled machine, keeping possession, winning loads of short corners and free hits, letting the opposition make the mistakes and even switching the ball around the back, with the hilarious result of causing half of Horley to run in a semi-circle like greyhounds at the races. The first goal came from a fabulous strike by Michelle (playing LB) and the second was a long-overdue team effort, fighting twixt the p-spot and goal, finally tapped in by Furlong.
After a worrying sequence of defensive shorts, victory was proclaimed to be ours and we left to celebrate with a quick cuppa (this time from the Sainsbury's caff) on the way home. Unfortunately Car 1 didn't manage to locate Sainsbury's, so simply went home wondering when we'd ever again get so much joy from 50p hot beverages. But it's ok, because travelling north on the M23 we hatched an even better plan... (tbc) (AJ)
Squad Ellie, Emily, Michelle, Hattie, Abbie, Helen Fermor, Alanna, Mary, Suzi T, Suzanna, Kirsty, and Julia B
Scorers: Michelle, Helen Fermor
Next match: Home vs. Surbiton 5s. 1030hrs, CPB
Match report version 2.0
Womens 4s vs. Horley: Won 2-0
Well, we made hard work of it against a very poor team, but the fours' winning streak remains intact. A punishing early start well outside the M25 (it seemed closer to Brighton than London to me) is perhaps the only excuse for the poor first half performance, where we managed to make a team that is yet to win a point this season look like they had a chance.
A stern half time talking to, saw us back on the pitch with a spring in our steps and it was only a few minutes later that the first goal went in - a cracking shot from Michelle from the top of the D. A bit later, we got our second, with Helen F getting on the end of a saved short corner shot to put the ball in the back of the net from the right hand post. After this we managed to string some good passages of play together - and to do what we practiced in training, and switch the ball around through the midfield and defence and change the angle of attack. Sadly, there were no more goals despite a ridiculous number of short corners being awarded - something to practice. Still, with 12 points from our first five games, the 4s are sitting comfortably in third place in the table. (EC)
Squad Ellie, Emily, Michelle, Hattie, Abbie, Helen Fermor, Alanna, Mary, Suzi T, Suzanna, Kirsty, and Julia B
Scorers: Michelle, Helen Fermor
Next match: Home vs. Surbiton 5s. 1030hrs, CPB
Womens 5s vs. Surbiton 6s: Won 2-0
It was an early start in Surbiton and by the middle of the week we only had 8 players available, so the augurs weren't good. Some last minute coaching from Ferrett before the game put us in the right frame of mind and we dominated from the start. We played hockey just as you're supposed to. We passed well, around the back and to the wings; we ran and used the space around the pitch; we scored goals and won. What more can you ask for?
It wasn't entirely without incident - Khal pulled a hamstring only ten minutes into the game which was bad luck for her and gave us no subs. Special mention to Laura who was filling in a position she'd never played before in her life and did such sterling work in defence she was acclaimed MOTM. If we carry on like this, we're in severe danger of getting caught up in our own brilliance... (CM)
Squad: Ali, Rachael, Lucy, Laura, Clare, Sarah, Heidi, Khal, Mags, Andrea, Vicky and Zoe
Scorers: Vicky Stanley, Zoe
MOTM: Laura
Umpires: Julie Ferrett and one of theirs
Next match: Home vs. Woking 2As, 1200hrs, CPB
Womens 6s vs. London Edwardians 4s: Lost 3-0
No match report.
Next match: Away vs. Cranleigh 2s
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Mixed Section
Dragons: No match.
Next match: Home vs. UCL Academicals, 1230hrs, BP
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