Ashford (Middlesex) Hockey Club

The annual start of the season Club Day will be held on Saturday 4th September at Short Lane, starting at midday and all current, past and would be players of all ages and abilities are welcome. Your Team Captains’ will be sending out further details soon, but please make a note in your diary.

In addition, if you fancy giving hockey a go and haven’t played before, please come on down..

The Ladies section are looking for a Level 1 qualified coach with experience of coaching Ladies sides in fitness and skills to Middlesx and South League standard. The apppointed person will be required to take all three/four ladies senior sides for an hour of fitness training on Wedneday evenings (7.30-8.30pm), followed by an hour of skills coaching for the 1st and 2nd team squads. The coach will also be required to coach the first team (Middlesex Premier League) during their Saturday League games. Terms to be agreed and kit, equipment and insurance will be provided. Please contact Lynne Morgan on president@ashfordhockeyclub.co.uk for further details.

Tickets are now available at £1 each or £5 per book for the Grand Draw to be held at our 90th Anniversary Ball on Saturday 24th April. The prizes are many and various:

Cinema in your living room – LCD TV, Blu Ray Player

Hockey Heaven? A selection of Ashford Hockey Club sporting goodies including personalised shirt by WeAdmire.net and hockey kit from TK

ZZZZ…..not now! £100 voucher from Zoppo Hockey

Turning pro? A hockey stick from The ProShop

Ladies Pamper Hamper! Mini spa day at Virgin Staines & other goodies

Picture perfect – A 20” by 30” canvas of your choice from canvasRus.co.uk

Thirst quenching – A selection of South African wines from Cape Wine and Food, Staines.

Restore and revive – a Kinesiology session with Devin Dyason

Time for tea with Teapigs.co.uk – teatime treatsDriving forward? A round of golf for 4 at Stockley Park

Smile  A digital photo frame

Howzat? A pair of tickets for Surrey county cricket at the BritOval

Bubblicious – A bottle of champagne

Bowled over? Glass bowl from Classic Miniatures

Plus others – Buy your tickets from Tracy/Lynne at Short Lane or Wendy/Hayley on ahcsocial@hotmail.co.uk, or buy on the night!

Unfortunately at present we are still unable to resolve the on-going problems we have with installing the AHC Fixture List for the coming season on this website. Copies of the start times for most matches are available via the AHC and related Clubs sites on Fixtures Live (www.fixtureslive.com) and there is a link available to this website on the ‘Links’ tab above. They are also displayed on the Club Notice Board. We will endeavour to get things sorted out ASAP.

We had only two League games today and they were in Division Four, both at home and both were played in almost sweltering conditions. The 4th XI played first against Old Uxonians 1st XI. Unfortunately they only had nine players for the first half and were 4-0 down at the break, despite some fine saves from stand in goalkeeper Kim Downs. Ashford regrouped in the second half though and gained another player, and kept the visitors at bay in the second half and to make the final score at 4-0. Georgina Sutch was voted player of the match.

The 3rd XI played next against Winchmore Hill & Enfield 3rd team and were able to call from a squad of twelve players. They started their first game in Division 4 in splendid fashion by scoring very quickly from a short corner when Laura Quinn pounced on a rebound. Ashford went further ahead when Kim Downs slipped home another goal from a short corner to put the Red & Blacks 2-0 up. The visitors then opened their account via an Ashford defensive error and the score remained at 2-1 until half time . Ashford really showed their strength in the second half with further goals, the first two coming from Wendy Baker with a straight strike following yet another short corner and one from open play. Near the end of the game, Freddie Newman scored the fifth and final goal from close in to make it a resounding 5-1 win for Ashford. Laura Quinn was voted player of the match for her creative play, whilst newcomer Holly Busby and the ever running Polly Shoebridge both also polled several votes. The win puts the 3rd team at the top of the League after one round of games.

Ashford qualified for the final of the B team Summer League by securing several good wins over the last few weeks competition. In the Final Old Uxonians A were their opponents and in an even game, the Red & Blacks eventually broke the deadlock when Lucy Uttley set up Kim Downs with an easy chance which Kim tapped home to put Ashford 1-0 up. The second half followed a similar pattern and an unfortunate Ashford own goal saw made the scores even. Ashford rallied though and the on form Lucy Uttley went on one of her mazy runs and once again set up Kim Downs, who kept her cool to net her second goal of the game and the winner for Ashford. Thus Hannah Stokes and her squad became the first Ashford Ladies summer team to win in a final. Congratulations to all.

Summer training for members of the Ladies senior sides starts on Tuesday 14th July at 8pm and will last one hour. Sessions will be run by Mandy and take place on the hard play area as last year and will continue on every Tuesday evening until the end of August. All current and new palyers very welcome.

The Ladies Summer Hockey League has now been finalised, and will commence on Tuesday 10th June and matches will all be played at Short Lane on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, finishing on Thursday 14^th August. We have eight teams participating, including Ashford A and B teams. As previously it will be run on a two league format with two finals. The format will be:

League A

(Prem/Div 1 standard) will consist of:

• AHC A (1/2s players)
• Eastcote A
• Staines
• Teddington

League B

(Div 3/4/5 standard) will consist of:

• AHC B (3/4 players)
• Eastcote B
• Hayes
• Walton & Weybridge

Tracey Holland will be running the A side and Hannah Stokes the B side. The AHC fixtures are shown on the side bar of the website. All current players should already have been contacted about their availabilty and if you haven’t, please contact Luvvy.

The Ladies 4th XI have a rearranged Middlesex League match v Staines Ladies 5th XI (away) at Feltham Community School this coming Saturday 29/3/08 at 11.30am.

In addition, on Saturday April 12th Bruce Cotton’s testamonial game AHC Legends (Men’s and a smattering of Ladies) v AHC Colts of 1994 will be played at Short Lane at 1.30pm and will be followed by an Ashford Antiques (AA’s) game v Windsor Royalists at 3.0pm.

Both matches will be very much social events, especially Bruce’s game; so if you aren’t playing please come along and give Pauline, Bruce and the girls a good send off before they emmigrate down under this summer, and also give the AA’s a cheer as well.

Ashford Scorers:
Kim Downs, Kirsty Boxell, Lisa Napper, Eline Sibia

It was a grey and windy morning on Saturday 13th January when Ashford Ladies 4th XI played Chiswick Ladies 4th XI at home. Ashford had the first push-back and drove forward from the off culminating in a penalty corner for the home team. Kim Downs drove the ball in hard and Gillian Clegg smashed the ball towards goal. The keeper managed to get a foot to it but Kim was there for the rebound and Ashford were 1-0 up.

Ashford continued to press forward in the first half, moving and passing the ball towards the goal where Kim Downs had 3 consecutive shots on goal saved by Chiswick’s keeper. Chiswick rallied well and had some good runs towards the goal but Ashford’s sweeper Doreen Brown wasn’t letting any of them through!

Chiswick started the 2nd half with a run towards the Ashford defence who held their ground and swiftly moved the ball back up the field to their forwards. Kirsty Boxell made a brilliant run into the D and picked up a cross from Ashley Brewster, driving it home past the keeper making it 2-0 to Ashford. Ashford continued with their confident attacking playing which culminated in yet another goal. This time Lisa Napper struck the ball 2 yards inside the top of the D finding the goal easily and leaving the Chiswick players for dust with her celebratory run!

Chiswick refused to give up hope and a stray ball making its way past the forward pushing Ashford centre back Lianne Patterson was quickly pounced upon by a Chiswick player who pushed it through the defence towards the Ashford goal. Fortunately goalkeeper Ali Boxell had enough time to clear the ball from the D with a scuffed shot that went the opposite way to its intended direction but was picked up by the defence and cleared back up the field!

Ashford continued to press hard until the end and were rewarded with their fourth and final goal a few minutes before half-time. Kim Downs pushed in the ball at yet another penalty corner and Lisa Napper struck hard at the goal. Chiswick’s goalkeeper saved the shot but Eline Sibia was on the post and neatly tapped the ball in. A fantastic game of hockey enjoyed by everyone. Well done Ladies!

Team:
Ali Boxell, Linda Burne, Doreen Brown, Jane English, Karen Fowler, Lianne Patterson (C), Ashley Brewster, Hayley Eames, Lisa Napper, Eline Sibia, Sue Westlake, Gillian Clegg, Kim Downs, Kirsty Boxell

Ashford Scorers:
Lisa Napper

The Ladies 4th XI had a wet league match to start the year, at home to Eastcote 4th XI. The final score doesn’t really reflect the game as it was a lot closer, with the Red and Blacks still in the christmas spirit - giving as well as receiving! It was only 1-0 to Eastcote at half time and after going 2-0 down, Ashford battled back to 2-1, when Lisa Napper scored from close in. But the home side then conceded two more goals near the end of the game to finish 4-1 down, and very disappointed.

Ladies 4s only had the bare 11 players on Saturday against West Hampstead but they fought hard and gave 100% committment to the game. Unfortunately Kirsty B was injured during the warm up and so in the second half she moved from defence to attack. Becky Hewes therefore dropped into defence and had a great game. Everyone played really well, tireless work from the midfield of Sue, Bryony and Hannah created a couple of chances. New colt Nicola Croxon battled well up front but unfortunately the strong WH defence stopped any attacks from Nicola, Emma and Kirsty. Brownie and company battled in defence and gave the WH forwards trouble from getting a shot on goal at first. However West Hampstead openned the scoring from a slight defensive error to make it 1-0 at half time.

The second half saw West Hampstead step the game up and gain several short corners. Their straight strike routine had obviously been well practised and with the ball being quickly pushed straight back in the D, the WH striker belted the ball home. Their next short corner was disallowed due to ball not being stopped outside the D, but the WH Striker amended that error when she buried another straight strike from a short corner to make it 3-0 to the visitors.

Team:
Charlie Kerridge-Smith, Doreen Brown, Linda Burne, Jane English, Kirsty Boxell, Sue Westlake, Bryony Smith, Hannah Richards, Emma Billens, Becky Hewes, Nicola Croxon.

The Ladies 4th XI resumed their league fixtures this week, after a break in the schedule last weekend and no opposition teams available for a friendy. First up at a rather cold and frosty Short Lane, the Red and Blacks played host to a Winchmore Hill & Enfield team that were only 1 point below them in the league making this a bit of a division 3 crunch match.

The game started off fairly even although Winchmore Hill & Enfield were looking the stronger side. Good defensive work by Ginge, Linda, Kirsty and Hannah kept the score 0-0 at half time with some fine saves by Charlie.

There were some great runs up the pitch from Ashley and Gillian but unfortunately the Winchmore Hill & Enfield defenders kept our young attackers - Bryony, Nicole and Kirsty S - from scoring.

The team battled well with everyone giving 100%. Hopefully next week the team will be back at full strength to face Teddington.

Team:
Charlie, Ginge, Linda, Kirsty B, Hannah, Ashley, Gillian, Sue, Lisa, Bryony, Becky, Nicola, Kirsty S

In their second league game of the season the Ladies 4th XI travelled to PHC Chiswick, who had finished 3rd in Division 3 last season. The home side fielded a strong team but the Red and Blacks played poorly, especially in comparison to their excellent performance the weekend before. Failing to find the backboards once, the home side kept Ashford on the back foot for most of the game.