BUSY AND IMPORTANT WEEKEND AHEAD
After just three of our teams were in action last weekend due to the half term break we have a full programme of matches this coming Saturday together with four important youth matches on Sunday plus the Norwich Dragons’ Minis.
From the three matches involving our teams last weekend we gained two wins and suffered one defeat – the latter unfortunately involving the Ladies’ 1sts who went down 2-1 (Emma Lee-Smith) on Saturday away to Chelmsford. While this was a big disappointment it was not totally unexpected bearing in mind how well lowly Chelmsford played in securing a 2-2 draw at Weybread back in the middle of October. Luckily for Magpies Ipswich could only draw with Wimbledon which leaves us five points above Ipswich who still occupy the relegation play-off spot with four games to play. Chelmsford are now just two points behind Ipswich and they will be eyeing the play-off spot or even automatic survival if they are able to beat Ipswich this coming weekend. All this makes Magpies’ match with Sevenoaks this Saturday (at the revised time of 2.15) all the more important and it is to be hoped that they can make their good home form pay off once more.
CHAMPAGNE COCKTAILS AND CANAPES PARTY
Saturday 15 March – 7.30pm – Tibbenham’s Barn, Weybread
Tickets £10 are available from the clubhouse bar. Please come!
There was better fortune for the club on Sunday with wins for the Men’s O50s and Mixed. The O50s did extremely well to beat visitors Chester 2-1 despite being without three of their regular stars. But fortunately the remaining stars, including hard working player-manager Peter Dolton, shone brightly enough to ensure an EHB Cup semi-final place and a home draw against either Indian Gymkhana or Jersey on Sunday 16 March. Jim Stather put Magpies ahead in the first half before Chester equalised from a penalty stroke after the break. With the game heading for the dreaded strokes hero Jim popped up with the vital winner to the delight of his colleagues and the home crowd
Meanwhile at Long Sutton the Mixed were progressing to the 3rd round of the EHB Trophy with an excellent 8-1 win. The first call I received indicated a 7-1 win before it was realised that Richard Larkin’s goal had been mislaid! Long Sutton is a happy hunting ground for our Mixed team which were able to pull off this win without skipper Leigh Sitch troubling the scorers and with Ewie Cumming sportingly covering for the injured Megan Adams in goal. While Leigh couldn’t find the back of the net it was fortunate for the team that ‘Princess’ Lucy Whiting (2), in-form and top man Martin Fields (4), Lizzie ‘Amazing Lady’ Clymer and, it seems, Larky were able to do so! In the 3rd round to be played on Sunday 9 March Magpies have a home draw against Wisbech in the knowledge that olds rivals Dereham, Phoenix and St Albans were all knocked out in the 2nd round. But West Herts weren’t!
STRATEGY COMMITTEE’S QUESTIONNAIRE
‘Thank you’ if you have already completed the questionnaire. If you have not done so please have a go! It is available on the Home Page of the club’s website but will be taken down on Friday morning.
I have already looked ahead to Saturday in respect of the Ladies 1sts and before they take the stage the Men’s 1sts will be looking to complete the double over mercurial and hard running Dereham (NB. 12.15) having beaten them 2-0 away in November. Magpies’ slim chance of winning the league took another blow last Saturday when West Herts, as expected, won their catch-up game against Blueharts 5-1 but where there’s life there’s said to be hope. What is certain there are bragging rights to play for! Also at home on Saturday will be the Ladies’ 2nds who take on Cambridge University (1.45) and they too will be seeking the double and to maintain their fine run of form which has seen them take thirteen points from their last six matches.
The ever-improving Ladies’ 7ths get the home programme off to a start on Saturday when they play Dereham 5ths (10.30) and they will hope to improve on the 3-0 defeat they suffered in the away game while the Men’s 7ths will be determined to make it three wins in a row when they entertain Bury St Edmunds 5ths (10.45). Similarly the Men’s 4ths will be extremely disappointed not to keep their good run going with a fourth successive win when they welcome lowly Sudbury 2nds (12.15) although they only edged the away game by three goals to two. In the last home game of the day the Ladies’ 6ths will be hoping for their first win of the season when they play Sprowston 2nds (4.00) with whom they drew 3-3 back in November helped by a Laura Schultheiss hat-trick.
Away from home the Men’s 2nds will be out to maintain their improved form when they play Ipswich (4.00) whom they beat 3-1 at home although since then the two teams have gone in opposite directions with Ipswich now standing in third place. Meanwhile the Men’s 3rds also travel to the capital of Suffolk to take on Ipswich Cranes (1.00) whom they despatched 6-1 in November and the Ladies’ 3rds will be seeking their fifth successive win when they take on Watton 2nds (1.00). In their last game the Ladies’ 4ths beat Watton 2nds 9-1 so it is to hoped they will take at least some of that form into their game against Evergreens (10.15). The high flying Ladies’ 5ths return to action for the first time since February 1st when they travel to play North Walsham 2nds (11.30); the Men’s 5ths, still seeking that elusive first win of the season, take on Thetford Town (1.30) and the Men’s 6ths play Norwich City 6ths (10.00) in their penultimate match of the season when a point would ensure they clinch their league title. The two Development teams are also away with the Girls playing Norwich City (at 5.30!) and the Boys taking on Pelicans (12.00).
Turning to Sunday and the EHB Youth events the U14 Girls, who have won all their four East League 2 games to date, are away to Bury St Edmunds (2.30) knowing they are already assured of progress to the regional finals on 6 April while the U18 Girls are at home to Leicester (1.00) looking for a repeat of their triumph over the Midlands team last season. A national semi-final place awaits the winners. Meanwhile the U14 Boys will need to beat Bury St Edmunds (1.00) away and hope that at least another result goes their way to reach their regional finals. Last but certainly not least the U18 Boys are away to Bromley and Beckenham (12.00) in the EHB Cup Plate with a good chance of reaching the semis. Finally on a busy Sunday our U10 & U12 Boys’ and Girls’ teams are competing in the Norwich Dragons Minis. Good luck as always to all our teams this weekend. A full list of the fixtures can be found on the club’s website.
HMHC’s Satellite Hockey Club
With Nick McAllen taking the lead for the club, Magpies have established a Satellite Hockey Club at Hartismere High School in Eye. This exciting project is funded for three years with Olympic legacy money although the coaching will be expected to be self-funding after one year. The partners involved in the project, which has been advertised in local High Schools, are Hartismere HS, who will run other sessions for the Primary School cluster, Suffolk Sport and England Hockey. The initial coaching session will take place on Thursday 27 February from 4.30 to 6.00pm and the lead coach will be Jerry Herod. Best wishes to Jerry and to everyone else involved.
Other news and comment in brief
a) Kathryn Macdonald, one of the club’s very welcome advertisers, is holding a special information evening (7.00 – 8.30pm) on Thursday 27 February at her Manor House Practice in Beccles to help marathon and other runners. You are invited to attend to meet her therapists who specialise in the treatment and preparation for marathons. Please see the Home Page of the club’s website for more details.
b) Calling all ladies! Why don’t you and your lady friends/husbands/partners/team-mates have a good day out at the Ladies Day at Fakenham Races on Sunday 1 June? You are invited to dress up for the fashion awards and there will be prizes for the Best Dressed Lady, Best Hat & Best Dressed Couple. Please see notices in the clubhouse or go to www.fakenhamracecourse.co.uk for more details.
c) It is a big ‘thank you’ to Andrew Longe for once again repairing the lights on the water-based. We must not take Andrew for granted over his repair of the lights at the club but I fear we have been doing so since 1991! Fortunately Andrew doesn’t have to shin up the columns as he brings them down with a motor driven counter-balance.
IceniPost.com – sponsors of www.magpies-hockey.co.uk
With kind regards
Mike Denham
[email protected]
25/2/14
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