Stratford Hockey Club News Articles

New Website

Will Shakespeare — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 22:12:47 +0100

Stratford Hockey Club launches new website for the 2010/11 Season. Following the success of the Mens 1st XI promotion in the 2009/10 season; Stratford are keen to continue to increase the brand and have now launched their new site.

The Club Chairman, Nigel Wood said, "I am delighted that Stratford Hockey Club is going from strength to strength; the new website ensures our place on the web and our place in English Hockey!"

Mens 1st Team Success

Will Shakespeare — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 22:16:40 +0100

Congratulations to Stratford Men's First Team who took the 2010 West Midlands Premier League Champions Title.

FOLLOWING last week’s vital win against Kings Heath Pickwick, Stratford played host to promotion-chasing rivals Finchfield on Saturday in the last game of the season. The build-up to one of the most important fixtures in the club’s history was made even more interesting during the course of the week when the league leaders, Wolverhampton, were docked points for fielding ineligible players.

All this meant that victory for Stratford would see them crowned BodyKraft MRHA West Midlands Premier League champions and ensure promotion to Midlands Division 1. However, defeat could also have meant finishing in third spot and missing out on going up.

On a perfect spring afternoon in front of around 80 enthusiastic supporters, the match got off to a disappointing start for the home side, conceding in the first two minutes. Following some scrambled defending in the circle, Finchfield’s centre forward Matthew Stocken was able to drive the ball home through a tangle of feet and sticks past the unsighted Martyn Helliker in goal.

However, this seemed to settle the home side’s nerves, who conjured an equaliser after 14 minutes

Mark Leary was the man who registered on the scoreboard, with a simple tap-in at the far post following an excellent reverse pass by Greg Ricketts.

With Stratford now back in the game, the home support grew more and more vocal and spurred on a number of raids into the Finchfield circle with Russell, Jones and Brookes all making good inroads up front.

After 27 minutes, Stratford took the lead when Nick Russell opened his bag of tricks at the 23-metre line, rounding both centre-back and sweeper before lofting a fantastic reverse stick strike over the onrushing keeper.

Two minutes later it was 3-1. Following a driving run from Ed Grigg down the right flank, a penalty corner was awarded and was duly dispatched by Ricketts with a thunderous straight strike.

The remainder of the first half was mostly a midfield battle, with both sides trying to gain dominance. The effort and workrate of skipper Stuart Guise and the rest of the midfield proved themselves up to the challenge when tested. Running on adrenalin, bodies were even put on the line where necessary, with central midfielder Matt Hyatt having to leave the field of play to have a blood injury attended to after some full-length tackling which left his white shorts streaked with blood.

A solitary lapse in concentration saw the first half end on a sour note for the Black-and-Whites when Finchfield’s Luke Piper found himself unmarked with plenty of time in the circle to get a shot away. Although Helliker made a fine stop, the ball fell kindly for an easy tap-in to make the score 3-2.

Coach Andy Hodges delivered a concise half-time team talk to quash any signs of unease. This was displayed in Stratford’s precise passing after the restart and resolute defending from markers Chorley and Gray, expertly marshalled by sweeper Edward Simpson.

The longer the game went on, the more men Finchfield threw forward in search of an equaliser, which would effectively see them promoted. This resulted in a string of penalty corners for the away side which were admirably defended by the Stratford quartet of runners, getting whatever was necessary in the way of any goalbound strikes. In the case of the unfortunate “man of the match” Hyatt, this was especially true.

Having returned to the field of play only moments earlier after being patched up for a second blood injury, a thumping shot struck him squarely in the sternum, sending him to the ground.

With 10 minutes remaining, victory was sealed when, following a quick break, Brookes threaded a delightful pass through to the unmarked McKee, who expertly drew the keeper before slipping the ball to Leary. His goalbound shot struck a defender on the line and a penalty stroke was awarded to Stratford and Leary sent the keeper the wrong way for his second.

When the final whistle blew, a small pitch invasion triggered celebrations which will be long remembered.

A jubilant skipper Stu Guise said afterwards: “We thoroughly deserve to be league champions. It is something that everyone in the team and club have worked hard for. The input from our coach Andy Hodges has helped focus everyone’s ideas and drive which have culminated in this fantastic day.”

Ladies Players Awards 2009/10

Will Shakespeare — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 15:12:31 +0100

Congratulations to all the teams this year; the first and second teams retained mid-table positions in the Warwickshire League Division 1 and 2 respectively. Sadly the third team were relegated from Division 3 but certainly put in some excellent performances to maintain their place.

Of particular merit are the following individuals who were awarded:

1st Team Player of the Year - Rachel Kent

1st Team Most Improved Player - Jet Heyworth

2nd Team Player of the Year - Laura Townsend

2nd Team Most Improved Player - Lucy Beard

3rd Team Player of the Year - Lauren Murphy 3rd Team

3rd Team Most Improved Players - Lucy Sanders-Crook & Fleur Martin

Trophies were presented at the club's AGM. Well done to you all!

[Awaiting photos from Michelle Dalley - hopefully!]

Activities Over the Summer

Will Shakespeare — Thu, 27 May 2010 10:54:26 +0100

The LADIES SECTION are busy over the summer with 5 aside, summer league and goalkeeping coaching.

5 aside hockey has been booked at the FISSC astro turf in Tiddington for the following nights:

Thursday 27.05.10 7 - 8pm
Thursday 03.06.10 7 - 8pm
Thursday 10.06.10 7 - 8pm
Thursday 17.06.10 7 - 8pm
Thursday 24.06.10 * NO 5-a-side this week *
Thursday 01.07.10 7 - 8pm
Thursday 08.07.10 7 - 8pm
Thursday 15.07.10 7 - 8pm
Thursday 22.07.10 7 - 8pm
Thursday 29.07.10 7 - 8pm

Contact Ladies Rep: Vicki Guise for more information: vickiguise@hotmail.co.uk

Goalie Coaching Sessions:

This is for any specialist Goalie, for those who want to have a go and those who has shown an interest to help out in matches next season if required and is being run by Michelle Dalley.

Long sessions have been booked to allow time to get more people into the limited number of sets of kit. Whilst we may not need all these sessions, anyone interested in Goalkeeping should let Michelle (michelledalley@sky.com) know which sessions you would like to attend. The coaching will be targeted at individuals and their ability but give a clear idea of how you cope with game situations.

Outfield players are very welcome to come along to fuel the practices, the more the merrier. Can you also let Michelle know if you are interested so that she can plan accordingly.

(Please state if outfield or goakeeper when contacting Michelle.)

The folllowing pitch times have been booked at Stratford High School:

Wed June 9 6.30-8.00

Thurs June 24 6.30-8.00

Wed June 30 6.30-8.00

Wed July 7 6.30-8.00

Wed July 14 6.30-8.00

In addition, coach Andy Hodges is offering coaching to ALL ladies alongside these goalie training sessions, where he hopes to coach some basic skills (in preparation for the two summer leagues), some drills, some game play and some opportunitis for some to help Michelle and the keepers by doing some shooting.

Please note this is open to ALL ladies.

Ladies Summer League:

Teams are being entered into our own league - Stratford Summer League (contact Emma Davis via email: emmadavis324@hotmail.co.uk) during June and July and in the Evesham League (contact: Laura via email: laura_t99@hotmail.com or complete your availability for this league by completing the following online form, click here) in July and August.

THE MENS SECTION

The mens section will be battling to regain the Mercian Summer League title that they valiantly achieved last summer.

More news on this to follow; please contact Nick Russell (07989322864) for more information.

Leamington Crowned Winners of Stratford Summer League

Will Shakespeare — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:12:27 +0100

Congratulations to the Leamington Summer League Team on winning our Ladies Summer League. A very interesting final between top of the table Bretforton against Leamington. Final score Bretforton 2 - Leamgton 3.

Play was very evenly matched throughout the first half with the score of 2-1 to Bretforton.

In the second half Bretforton started strongly to hold onto their lead until five minutes before the end when Leamington scored to level the scores.

This forced extra time of 7.5 minutes each way with a golden goal. Both teams battled hard, Bretforton had a couple of good attempts denied by Leamington's keeper.

The eventual winners, Leamington, scored from a breakaway goal with a couple of minutes to spare before going to penalty flicks.

Well done to all the teams who took part this summer and a huge thank you to those involved in organising it and supporting the final at the end.

Womens World Cup

Will Shakespeare — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:53:28 +0100

If you are interested, especially ladies out there, here's how to follow England Hockey at the BDO FIH Women's World Cup in Rosario, Argentina....

TELEVISION

Live television coverage of England's World Cup games will be provided by Zee Cafe, Sky channel 846. From here on in, it will be free to watch England's games on Zee Cafe. Please note, this service may not be available to from some providers.

England v Korea - Thursday Night 21:00

ONLINE

Just as during the Men’s Champions Trophy earlier this month, Laola1.tv will be streaming the tournament for free live online at www.laola1.tv so you can watch England wherever you have an internet connection.

As ever, the England Hockey Board website is one of the best places to follow England’s progress. There will be match reports, previews and photographs throughout the tournament on the homepage and in the international results section at www.englandhockey.co.uk/womensworldcup.

The official FIH tournament microsite carries live text commentary, official match sheets and further information.

You can also engage with us through our Twitter account - @EnglandHockey – through which we’ll be chatting during England matches with occasional special guest Tweets.

The BBC Sport website will have highlights and reports from England’s matches. If England make it to the final four then look out for further announcements about possible red button coverage.

Weekend Results Roundup

Will Shakespeare — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:37:07 +0100

Great start for the Mens 1s this weekend. They played at in a tri-tournament at Redditch and came out top overall. Playing four games, Stratford only lost one and totalled 9 points out of a maximum 12, finishing as the overall tournament winners, compared to Basingstoke with 7 points and Redditch with 1 point.

The scores for Stratford were as follows: v Redditch won 2-0; v Basingstoke won 1-0; v Basingstoke lost 1-0; and v Redditch won 2-1.

The rest of the mens section played inter-club fixtures at the High School.

The ladies section played friendly fixtures against 3 of the Banbury Ladies teams. Despite very hot temperatures and small squad sizes including much doubling up, the ladies received a mixed bag of results but showed some promising and encouraging performances by all.

The Ladies 1s lost their match against Banbury 1s (0-6), despite the score a well fought match - with Banbury putting out 2 England Caps and most of their top players; the Ladies 2s dropped one goal in a closely fought game (0-1) and the Ladies 3s won their game (2-1) with Jenna Mac scoring in her debut match for Stratford.

Well done to all those who played on Saturday...many thanks to Hayley Nicholls who played all three ladies fixtures (2 as keeper!), thanks also to Andy Hodges and Michelle Dalley for coaching and also to Jane Gardner and Amanda Chambers for umpiring and all those on the sidelines offering their support...and to anyone else I have accidentally missed!!!

It looks like a great season ahead!

Push Magazine Press Release

Will Shakespeare — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:56:34 +0100

Following the launch of our new website; an article has been published featuring our website in the recent edition of PUSH Magazine.

For more information please refer to your copy of PUSH or review the transcript below:

Transcript: "Feel the Buzz, not the pain"

TBC....

England Hockey Board Announce 2010 HiPac and Futures Cup Squads

Will Shakespeare — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:56:55 +0100

Many congratulations to two Stratford youngsters who competed over the weekend for places in the HiPac and Futures Cup Squads for 2010...

Imogen Green and E-J MacLeod competed over the weekend in their respective age groups (U18 and U15) for the much coveted places in the 2010 HiPac (High Performance Assessment Camps) and Futures Cup Squad Lists.

17 yr old Imogen, a recent addition to the ladies section, gained her place in the U18 Girls Mercia Lynx shortlist (good luck Immy with final round!) and 14 yr old E-J MacLeod, gained her place in the U15 Girls Mercia Lynx and will go to the HiPAC in October.

The High Performance Assessment Camp (HiPAC) takes place annually during the first weekend of October and is all about training. Young people in the U15 and U17 age groups are selected from their JRPC cluster competitions to come together and train with some of the country’s finest coaches. As an integral step on the Single System ladder, the HiPACs aim to show players in the U15 and U17 age groups that training is as important as competition and it should never be regarded as anything less.

The Girls go to the University of Leeds and the Boys to Lilleshall NSC for three days of training.

In the U16 and U18 age groups, players learn about the highs and lows of competition at the Futures Cup which is purely competition based. Players making their way up the ladder train one year, compete in the second, train in the third and compete again in the final year.

Two days of training are held in October prior to the squads coming together for the competition in Cannock.

This is a huge achievement for both our girls; many congratulations to them both, who are both playing in our Ladies 1s Squad this season. They will undoubtedly make a huge contribution to the ladies section this season. Lets get behind these and all our youngsters as they may be the ones getting future caps for our country!

More information can be found by clicking here.

The Baby boom has begun!

Will Shakespeare — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 09:31:18 +0000

Congratulations to Jane Gardner for delivering the first baby in the ladies section this year! Baby Ben arrived safely at 10.05am on Monday 14 February 2011 (a Valentines baby!), weighing in at 8lbs, 13.5oz; little baby brother to Lauren and Harry and hopefully another future member of our junior section!

We wish you a speedy recovery Jane and hope to meet Ben soon.

British Colleges National Squad Success

Will Shakespeare — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:33:00 +0000

Following Imogen Green's achievements in English Hockey earlier this year, Imogen has been successfully selected in the British Colleges National Squad. Last weekend Imogen competed with the team in the Kirkham Invitational Tournament, which the team won against tough competition.

This is a huge achievement for her and for our club - Imogen has been a great addition to our ladies section this season and we wish her every success as she continues to compete for British Colleges.

Player Awards 2010/11

Will Shakespeare — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:28:21 +0100

The Players Dinner was held at the Clubhouse on Saturday 26th March and a great evening was enjoyed by all. This seasons awards were also presented to those who were team player of the year and also most improved player...congratulations to all those listed below on their achievements:

Team Player of the Year Most Improved Player

Mens 1's Terrance Malcolm Dominic Howkins

Mens 2's Steve Gray Ralph Newbold

Mens 3's Matt Austin Phil Davey

Mens 4's Sim Ashley Jack Dudley

Mens 5's Ashley Adams Emile Sharp-Ruddock

Ladies 1's Hayley Nicholls Vicki Guise

Ladies 2's Georgie Box Laura Cox

Ladies 3's Gilly Wright Clemmie Holden

And congratulations to all those who played this season - an end of season round up will be on the website following the conclusion of the ladies fixtures mid April.

Junior Success

Will Shakespeare — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:40:28 +0100

The Junior Section has gone from strength to strength this season under the fantastic management of Sandra Leary and Anne Tubb and all those parents, players and helpers who have kindly offered the time this season.

With numbers of upto 50 juniors attending training regularly we are looking at how to give more pitch time and support to this growing section, who are our future seniors (!), and hope to offer more time for them next season.

The children have all worked hard and performed fantastically well in matches and tournaments.

The good news is that the U12 Girls have gone through to the regional finals in Cannock on 3rd April with the U10 girls; despite fighting hard with the U12 boys winning their group they sadly lost in the semi final to Sutton.

Match reports and photos follows:

Stratford Junior U10s Continue to Progress:

On Sunday, Stratford's Junior U10 girls and boys hockey teams were in action at the Warwickshire Hockey Tournament at Old Sils. The boys team played 3 games, winning the first 4-3, losing the next 1-0 and narrowly missing out on the third 4-2. All the games were fast flowing with lots of goal mouth action, but thanks to a great debut performance from Jo C we kept the goals conceeded to a minimum. Charlie L was on fire in front of the opposition goal scoring all 6 of the goals, with great supporting play from Sam G and Tom T. In defence Daniel T, Thomas W and Ben C tackled well and passed the ball through the midfield of Sam P, Joel D and Sam C. Unfortunately this was not enough to secure the second place they needed to take them onto the Midland finals in Cannock. The U10 girls were more fortunate however, the played two other teams in hard fought games. Another fantastic debut performance from our goalie Ella M, who supported our defence Ella L, who tackled brilliantly with great support from Jodie and Jesse. Our midfield fought hard and had several near misses with great runs down the middle with Lucy S, the left with Grace H and the right Lara D. Our forwards Jesse, Antonia and Jodie rotated regularly to ensure we had fresh legs in attack. They will go forward to the Midlands Final on April 3rd in Cannock."

Girls U10 Team

Stratford Hockey Club U12 Juniors go from Strength to Strength

The day started in Hampton on Arden with the U12 girls team participating in the Warwickshire Junior Hockey tournament. The format a 7 team round robin tournament. The girls squad of 8 went from strength to strength as the morning progressed and they got used to playing together as a team. They drew their first game, lost the second but went on to win the remaining four comfortably, with Holly S, Iona W and Ellie M all scoring impressive goals, with assists from Kate H who forced the opposition keepers to make numerous saves and Alexandra K who grew in confidence in midfield as the games progressed. The defensive line up of Sofia C, Darcie R, Lucy P and Ella D in goal meant that vey few goals were conceeded during the tournament and the support they gave the midfield strengthened our attack further. Stratford came runners up in the Warwickshire Tournament and as such join the U10 girls in the Regional Finals in Cannock on 3rd April. The U12 boys team played in the afternoon at Old Silhillians. They won their group conceeding only 1 goal and scoring and Jamie C scored a great goal to help us go top of the group on goal difference. Despite injuring himself in the first game Eddie H fought on in defence in the other games and Charlie H distributed the ball well from his position of Left Back. A debut performance from Will J in midfield helped support the forward play of Jamie C and both Ryan T, Ewan D and Greg P attacked and defended with great commitment. Oliver T came into his own in the semi final in goal when they came up against very strong opposition in the form of Old Sils and he was forced to make a number of good saves as the defence soaked up lots of pressure. Old Sils eventually broke through and won the semi final. It was a great performance from a young team who hope to proceed further in the competition next year.

A Tired and Young Boys U12 Team

Many thanks to all those who have helped with the juniors this season; junior coordinators, coaches and helpers and of course to the parents for ferrying the children everywhere and supporting hard on the sidelines.

Good luck girls on 3rd April!

End of Season Results

Will Shakespeare — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 09:53:26 +0100

Congratulations go to the Ladies 3rd Team on their fantastic achievement of league champions in the Warwickshire League - Division 4; following their relegation last season from Division 3, the squad were determined to get themselves back upto where they should be for next season.

With a mixture of players within the squad to gain good balance between youth and experience, the squad only conceded one game throughout the season, the 13 wins and 4 draws gave them the edge that secured the title over local rivals Warwick. The team have worked incredibly hard together over the season under the captaincy of Amanda Chambers and Sharon Gibson and deserved the title. Gilly Wright was top goal scorer of the Division too with 17 goals this season - well done Gilly! The squad also exceeded their objective for the season to gain promotion by becoming champions too! Congratulations to all the ladies involved:

The Ladies 3s - Division 3 Champions 2010/11

The Ladies 1s also exceeded their objective for the season under captaincy of Hayley Nicholls and Holly Outhwaite; securing 3rd place in Division 1 - Warwickshire League. Having avoided relegation on the last day of last season by surviving with three points, the ladies 1s progressed to third place in the table, nine points clear of Coventry City & University who finished fourth. The squad has changed alot over the past 15 months with this season welcoming returnees, new players and more youngsters contributing positively to our performances. With the summer league ahead the team are hoping to continue with their success into next season.

Sadly the Ladies 2s had a difficult season - with only 3 wins and 2 draws, the team have met relegation. This also means that the ladies 2s and 3s will be competing in the same division next season. With summer league approaching it is hoped that the team can find new hope and prepare for the winter season in ernest and get themselves back upto Division 2 again.

Our thanks goes to Andy Hodges, Michelle Dalley, Matt Hyatt, Craig McKee and Martyn Helliker for all their help this season in coaching the ladies. Thanks also to parents and club members for their support throughout the season!

The mens section had a mixed bag of results too...success continued for the Mens 1s, following promotion last season into Midlands 1, the men can be proud of their continued hard work - finishing 5th in the table and securing their place in the division for next season - even beating the league champions in their last game! Congratulations to Stuart Guise and the team for their continued commitment to training and success.

The Mens 2s finished mid table but have seen some youngsters pulled through the teams and getting higher level exposure. Sadly the Mens 3s suffered relegation after a difficult season - availability was a factor in the teams performance. With relief the Mens 4s avoided relegation thanks to their opponents conceding their last game! The Mens 5s had a mixed season; conceding 9 out of 18 games; although finishing 3rd from bottom we have managed to fulfill the objective of putting out 5 mens teams. Commitment to training and improved availaibility by the lower teams in the section will improve performances next season.

Thanks again to Andy Hodges for coaching the mens section for the season.

End of Season Junior Awards Ceremony & Disco

Will Shakespeare — Mon, 09 May 2011 10:21:46 +0100

Stratford Hockey Juniors had 41 junior members attend their first end of season disco and awards ceremony at the Sports Club on Friday 6th May. Awards for Team Player, representing both skills and sportsmanship, and Most Improved Player were presented to U8, U10, U12 and U14 girls and boys.

They danced and limboed the evening away and all seemed to have a fantastic evening and are already looking to the start of the new season in September!

The organisers would like to thank all the parents for their support of the junior section through out the season.

Congratulations to all those who won awards this season, please refer to the list below:

Awards 2010/11 Season:

Sam Penketh - Team player Most improved - Samuel Cossey

Nominations: Team Players: Jo Chambers, Joel Dunnett

Most improved: Zoe Tubb and Antonia White

U10 Girls

Most improved - Grace Hopkins Team Player – Lara Davies

Nomination: Team Player -Iona Welch and Alexandra Keays

Most improved: Lucy Smith and Ella Leary

U10 Boys:

Most Improved - Daniel Tustain Team Player - Sam Grigg

Nominations: Most Improved: Tom Tyrer, Thomas White

Team Player: Charlie Leary

U12 Girls

Most improved - Lucy Pannell Team Player - Sofia Condes

Nominations: Most improved: Ellie Meeres, Ella Davies

Team Player: Holly Smith, Kate Hewlett

U12 Boys

Most improved - Ewan Dunnett Team Player - Charlie Huggins

Nominations:Most improved: William Jones, Ryan Trinder

Team Player: Greg Porter and Oliver Tubb

U14 Girls

Most improved - Rachel Hewitt Team Player – Ella Davies

Nominations: Most improved: Lauren Gill Team Player: Danielle Brain

U14 Boys: Most improved - Jamie Cossey Team Player - James Huggins

Nominations: Most improved: Oliver Tubb

Calling all 10-15 year olds

Will Shakespeare — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:59:03 +0100

Summer Hockey Academies Residential Courses to be held at Rugby School this summer...Please refer to the documents below for more information for this great opportunity to receive training from Jerome Goudie, Head Coach at Loughborough University for Women's Hockey and a centrally contracted coach for England Hockey. Jerome has 127 caps, starting his international hockey career in Hong Kong before playing for England and Great Britain.

Hockey skills to be focused upon include:

Advanced stickwork skills;
Hitting techniques on forehand and backhand;
Integrated control with distribution;
Small sided games for skill development;
Penalty corner skills in attack and defence;
Tactics and strategy from international hockey;
Specialist Goal Scoring session

More information can be obtained from the following links:

Don't miss out on this great opportunity!

Another baby for the ladies section!

Will Shakespeare — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:27:00 +0100

Congratulations to Rebecca and Gary Denyer-White on the safe arrival of a baby daughter, India, on Thursday 14th July 2011 at home. With a healthy weight of 8lbs 8oz (1.5lbs heavier than her older sibling!) she has made a great addition to the family, a baby sister to Kyle, Lyndsey and Max.

New Season Update

Will Shakespeare — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:47:10 +0100

The new season will soon be under way - please do make every effort to attend training in preparation for the new season. Details about training can be found by clicking here.

All members are requested to attend our Club registration evening which will be held on Friday 9th September 2011 at the Club House from 6.30pm for Juniors and 7pm for Seniors. Please remember to bring your cash/cheque book! Details about our subs and match fees can be found by clicking here. This will also be an opportunity for members to update their website profiles which is a requirement of membership.

Keep Saturday 17th September available too please for our Club Day. This is something of a new venture or a re-invention from past years.

We are delighted to advise of two major sponsorship deals that have been agreed. Firstly, the Wildmoor Spa is now Club Sponsor. Secondly, Edwards Estate Agency is now our First Teams Sponsor. The income generated from these sponsorship agreements helps keep membership and match fees amongst the lowest in the county and ensures that all club members get real value for money. To celebrate these new relationships, Club Day will see our Ladies First Team meet a Warwickshire Chairman’s X1 at 1.30pm and the Men’s First Team meet a Warwickshire Chairman’s X1 at 3.00pm. Fixtures for other teams will be based around these games. Aside from the formal launch of the sponsorships, we are taking over Stratford High School and will have onsite catering, a kit and equipment sale and a range of other activities. From 5pm (and given the last day of the cricket season at the Sports club), the Wildmoor Spa will host us for post-game food and drinks.

Wildmoor Spa is New Club Sponsor

Will Shakespeare — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 09:18:51 +0100

Thanks to our exciting partnership with the Wildmoor Spa, Stratford Hockey Club members can receive discounted membership of the County's premier Health Club!

For just £5.70* per workout, based on working out 3 times per week, you can energise in the gym or one of the 75 studio classes, relax and de-stress in the pool, hydrotherapy pool and heat rooms, or simply use the Brasserie to grab a bite to eat and use the free wifi.....

For more information, or to arrange a FREE trial of the fantastic facilities, please contact the Membership Team on 01789 201663.

*Monthly membership fees are discounted from £78.00 to £68.50 per month. (Terms & Conditions Apply). Over 18's only. A one off administrative joining fee of £10 will apply, discounted from £45.

Remember too that if you buy a Club Hoodie, the Wildmoor Spa contribute £12.50 to the price. This partnership has brought funding into the Club and helps keep our subscriptions and match fees competitive whilst also ensuring the Hockey Club continues to develop.

To learn more about the Wildmoor Spa visit www.wildmoorspa.com.

Club Day 2011

Will Shakespeare — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:16:28 +0100

Stratford Hockey Club hosted its Club day over the weekend, at Stratford High School, to launch its new 5-year strategy and announce two sponsorship deals.

The sponsorship deals with the Wildmoor Spa and Edwards Estate Agency mark the progress of the club both on and off the field. Its new 5-year strategy has set out a very clear vision for the club and it is backed up by a revised management structure.

The Club Day, in partnership with England Hockey Board Grow your Own initiative, got underway at 12.30pm with a prize of one month’s membership at the Wildmoor Spa for the lucky winner of a fitness challenge. All three sections played at various times throughout the day and potential new players of all ages and ability were given the chance to come and get a feel for what Stratford Hockey Club has to offer.

The club extends its thanks to Andy Hodges, Stu Guise and Dom Guise for all their hard organisational efforts. Extended thanks to Akuma for providing their kit stand, Zaheer Muhsan from Matador Hockey and to the amazing ladies from As You Like It for their fantastic catering.

Pictures of the event can be found in the Photo Gallery.

Injury Update

Andy Hodges — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 08:05:46 +0100

Ali suffered a broken wrist with a dislocation when making a fine diving save towards the end of the First Team's pre-season game with Leamington on Monday 12th September.

After spending the night in hospital, Ali had an operation to insert a plate on Tuesday.

Our best wishes for a full swift recovery go to Ali.

Club Day

Will Shakespeare — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:08:40 +0100

Stratford Hockey Club hosted its Club day over the weekend, at Stratford High School, to launch its new 5-year strategy and announce two sponsorship deals.

Pictures of the event can be found in the Photo Gallery.

Weekend Results

Will Shakespeare — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:22:38 +0100

Results from the weekend in the first league matches...

Congratulations to the ladies section with 2 out of 3 wins...and for a full house on match reporting!

Ladies 1's vs Hampton in Arden 2s - WON 4-0

Ladies 2's vs Warwick 4 - WON 1-0

Ladies 3's vs Edgbaston 5 - LOST 1-2

A great start for the Mens 1s league campaign with a win over Burton...

Mens 1's vs Burton - WON 4-0

Mens 2's - Awaiting result to be published on web

Mens 3's - Awaiting result to be published on web

Mens 4's - Awaiting result to be published on web

Mens 5's - Awaiting result to be published on web

All match selections for this season should be done through the website with match reports posted onto the site by the end of play Monday evening for them to be passed onto the press for publishing - if you wish for results to be communicated to the club and to the public in the press and for us to develop the website further for the clubs benefit then badger your captains to use the functionality of the website please!

Festival News

Will Shakespeare — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:31:21 +0100

Congratulations to London Scottish for retaining the mixed hockey festival title for a second year!

I am still awaiting an update re festival news and pictures so if you have any please forward to stratfordhockey@gmail.com. In the meantime thanks to Giles Stagg for organising the event.

Weekend Results

Will Shakespeare — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:59:59 +0100

Results from the weekend in the second league matches...

Ladies 1's vs Solihull Blossomfield 2 - Awaiting result to be published on the web

Ladies 2's vs Coventry and North Warks 2 - DREW 2-2

Ladies 3's vs Warwick 4 - Awaiting result to be published on the web

Mens 1's vs Kings Heath - LOST 2-4

Mens 2's - Awaiting result to be published on web

Mens 3's - Awaiting result to be published on web

Mens 4's - Awaiting result to be published on web

Mens 5's - Awaiting result to be published on web

All match selections for this season should be done through the website with match reports posted onto the site by the end of play Monday evening for them to be passed onto the press for publishing - if you wish for results to be communicated to the club and to the public in the press and for us to develop the website further for the clubs benefit and its members then badger your captains to use the functionality of the website please!

Ladies 1s win again!

Will Shakespeare — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:05:28 +0000

The Ladies 1s have won yet again - another win at the weekend beating Hampton 2-0 keeps our ladies at top table position (ie the promotion spot!), 2 points and one game in hand ahead of local rivals Warwick.

Keep going girls - we are all routing for you to continue this great performance.

I am still awaiting other teams results - Captains please use your website and update the match reports to tell others about your successes or where you need encouragement etc!!

Results from 21st January

Andy Hodges — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:11:51 +0000

Comfortable wins for the Ladies 1sts (keeping them top) and 2nds (meaning they remain unbeaten in second place), but a narrow defeat for the 3rds. The Men's 1sts slipped to a 1-0 defeat, the 2nds drew, whilst the 3rds scored five and the 4ths four to secure wins. The 5ths were also winners when scheduled opponents failed to fulfill their fixture. We hope to see everyone at training on Wednesday and Thursday,

Race Night - Date for your Diary

Andy Hodges — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:45:08 +0000

Please put Saturday 25th February in your diary and make sure you, friends and family attend the 2012 Race Night. This year's event will follow a similar format to last year's hugely successful night. Tickets will soon be available, so let's see which team can get the biggest attendance. Tickets will be £10 to include Race Card, free entry to a raffle and food (chilli and rice).

Roger Harrison President. RIP

Ian Powell — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 09:21:05 +0000

A full obituary will be published shortly.

Roger Harrison - Funeral details

Ian Powell — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:43:18 +0000

Family flowers only. If you wish to make a donation in memory of Roger, to Cancer Research and St. Swithin's Church.

Junior Tournament at Olton on Sunday 5th February postponed due to bad weather

Anne Tubb — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:42:51 +0000

The Junior Tournament at Olton planned for Sunday 5th February has been cancelled due to all pitches being frozen. It is very unlikely that they will be playable in the morning. If the diaries permit this tournament will be rearranged to a later date.

Race Night - 25th February

Ian Powell — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:46:26 +0000

You are cordially invited to STRATFORD HOCKEY CLUB'S 2012 RACE NIGHT.

Saturday February 25th. 7pm for a 7.30pm start at the Clubhouse.

Tickets £10 to include entry, chilli and rice and free entry into a Special Prize Draw.

Tickets on sale from Wednesday 8th February from captains.

Own a horse from £5. Prizes for the winning owner in each race.

Please support this event!

Purple Balls - The Hockey Dinner

Ian Powell — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 08:59:20 +0000

The Ball is being held to raise funds for the National Autistic Society and to have fun! There's a swing band booked already and the dress code will be Black Tie and Purple.

Purple is the charity's colour.

Contact Vicki Guise to reserve ticketson vickiguise@hotmail.co.uk

More informations soon - as soon as we have it - you will!