Chairman’s Chat

Farewell to 2007/8!

The 2007/8 season with its inevitable ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ is finally over with last Saturday’s End of Season Bash at the club. We had an excellent turnout of members and friends of all ages and I thank them for their support and for helping to make the event so enjoyable and successful. I also thank the main organisers, namely David Blackmore, Graham Clark, John Moore, Robert Stimpson, Philippa Taylor, Jose Tibbenham and Mary Wright and, of course, Tracy Baker and the other members of the ginger tom & the GO cats, i.e. Roy, Neville, Don, Simon and Chris for the important musical part they played in helping to round off the season in fine style. And I thank David and Susie for the excellent Hog Roast.

Looking ahead I draw your attention to the following:

The Summer Mixed Hockey which will once again be played on Monday nights (7.30pm) commencing on 2 June and continuing on 16 & 30 June and concluding on 14 July. Please bring a white and coloured shirt and £3 match fee!

The Annual General Meeting to be held in the clubhouse at 8.00pm on Thursday 19 June – the agenda will be posted to members in the next couple of weeks.

Next season sees the introduction of North, East and West Conferences in the Slazenger EHL structure below the Premier Division and our Ladies’ 1sts will be (not surprisingly!) in the East where their opponents will be Barnes HE, Horsham, Maidstone, Old Loughtonians, Reading, Sevenoaks, Southgate, St Albans and Staines. The winners of the three Conferences will play off at the end of the season with the ninth placed team in the Premier Division for the two promotion spots; the bottom team in the Premier being relegated. The bottom side in each Conference will be relegated with a play-off between the three second bottom sides to decide which two are also relegated.

I quote as follows England Hockey’s justification for this restructure which, following the decision to include only 40 teams instead of the present 44, cost our Men’s 1sts automatic promotion and leaves me feeling a little like John Terry did last night in Moscow! I’ll say no more!

“The new structure supports the Performance Plan objectives for competition with less travel, more local competition, more appropriate and effective training and a less recruitment driven league whilst maintaining a fully national top Division which was clearly supported in the first stage of the consultation process in 2006.”

Dates for your diary please!

With kind regards and best wishes to all members, supporters and friends of the Club.