Club Magazine Issue 05, 2018

Hockey News
Men’s E Team –
close but no cigar!
Post the Christmas break, the team put together a strong second half
of the season, ultimately falling just short of title glory. With 7-1, 9-1
and 6-1 wins to end the year we comfortably got Jonny Brock to the
top of the goal scoring table in Division 2, only to discover there isn’t a
golden stick trophy on offer. Jonny is already in active discussion with the
association to rectify this going forward.
Throughout the season we had some highly entertaining matches,
including an Antlers side sporting a few Taiwan Internationals, a Dutch
side (who eventually finished top) that in both matches we led but
couldn’t hold on for the full 70 minutes, and finally a very satisfying
thumping of our nemesis from the prior season Punjab, with a combined
scorecard of 13-1. As we kick off another post-season recruiting drive,
we take a quick look back on this year’s additions and what they brought
to the team.
We were fortunate to have the services of two high quality German lads,
Alex Engel and Gustav Von Schiller (GVS) who brought us youth, pace,
enthusiasm and in Alex’s case some very handy overhead skills out of
the backline. This was particularly evident on the ‘non-regulation size’
KCC ground where he could comfortably lob the ball into the attacking
circle from our defensive 16-yard line.
With the loss of Jun to Mongolia and our young guns to the D team, we
recruited Sim Archer-Perkins and Rob Wilkinson from the so called
‘higher’ grades. They both agreed on the premise of getting their photos
on the Club wall and whilst that will have to wait for next year, these two
gentlemen added a touch of class on game day – made all the more
impressive given their apparent aversion to training.
Lastly we’d like to acknowledge two upstanding Clubmen who across the
season seemed attracted to umpiring our games like moths to a flame.
Lyle Williams – thank you, we promise to continue to stick up for you
when your decisions are not as appreciated by our opposition as they are
by us. Charlie Poulton – thank you, however we can’t promise the same.
Men’s F Team – The season so far
This season has, to quote the well-used cliché, been a game of two
halves. A shocking start saw the Fs struggling with only 4 points
from seven games and staring down the barrel of a relegation battle.
However, mid-November saw a remarkable resurgence, from where we
have nearly finished the league season with 9 wins, 4 draws and 8 losses
and currently only 4 teams in the league have conceded fewer goals than
us. We are also, at the time of writing, on a 6-game unbeaten run (5 wins
and a 0-0 draw), with Jeroen Touw, the team’s normal keeper currently
on a run of 4 consecutive clean sheets and looking to extend that in the
upcoming cup game vs the Gs.
From being close to the bottom of the table we have recovered to a
very creditable mid-table mediocrity in what has been a very competitive
league. As things stand, we are 7th and have a shot at ending 6th. If only
we had one or two better results early on, against the bottom teams, we
would now be competing for 3rd or 4th place.
to Jun, Martin Wong and Rob Wilkinson (slumming it with the Fs) and
those of the Gs and Hs who’ve helped us out. Unfortunately, our season
was somewhat disrupted by injuries to “key” players – John Banks,
Lyle Williams, Fergus McCoig – and the list goes on, travel/work
commitments and (a first for the Fs) schoolwork! It’s noticeable though
that the Fs’ results have improved massively since Lyle has been out and
managing the bench, although he has left a huge hole in the middle of
defence.
Highlights of the season have included Phillip Von Luettichau making
his debut over on the Valley and having to throw up at half time –
hangovers are not an excuse! Excuse of the season from Raph Wong
that his mum wouldn’t let him out to play as he had to revise (great credit
to Raph for having the confidence to put that on the team Whatsapp!).
This was closely followed by – “sorry I’m off to Argentina for the polo
season” – from our resident playboy Russ Tyre.
This season saw the introduction of four players, who have come through
the junior section, to join the otherwise “experienced” squad of the Fs, in
schoolboys Raph Wong, Taha Boty, Long Him and Kailan Sharples.
All have contributed magnificently at various times and have improved
massively throughout the season, as well as seemingly growing inches
from one week to the next. We also got back Tony Mitchell, from his
exile in Macau, after having tapped him up by the lifts at last season’s end
of season party.
Whilst it would be nice to name check everyone who’s played for the Fs
this year, its somewhat impractical given that we seem to have used forty
odd players in total, including four keepers – thanks are due in particular
Although we haven’t scored as many goals as we’d like, especially early
on, 12 of our players have contributed and Neil Galloway is clear in the
lead for the golden stick with 9, although our last game and good cup
run could change that. However, as Shep found out, it is not wise for the
forwards to criticise the midfield for not giving them sufficient service, just
before a fines session, unless you really like Cointreau (as Piers Brunner
and Erik “Fiasco” Bernasco obviously do too)!
We have been ably supported by Lucho Portocarrero, from New York
through Whatsapp, and were sorry to lose an old stager in Clive Miners,
at the halfway mark, as he decided to gracefully drop down to try and
help out the Hs.
Club Magazine May 2018 33