AHC - Read & Black - The Club Captains' Message

The Ladies' Section

Covid stopping play couldn't stop the momentum of Ashford Ladies! It has been well documented that the ladies were on top form leading up to the Christmas break with the 1s and 3s sitting top of the table and the 2s sitting in fourth.

With the Middlesex Leagues disbanding it was always set to be a historic season, not quite perhaps in the same way that it panned out to be, but it is a great feeling knowing that Ashford Ladies’ 1s will be the last team to sit firmly and unwavering at the top of the Middlesex Premier Division.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those involved with Middlesex Hockey for their time and commitment over the years, particularly our very own Lynne Morgan for her role as President.

Since January we haven't been taking it easy, with monthly walking, running and cycling challenges that were met and exceeded by all of those involved.

We have been incredibly lucky to have some virtual sessions from some top hockey players, including a fitness and coaching session from Welsh hockey players Jo Westwood and Beth Bingham. This was a great session with some top tips on tricky techniques! I can't say that we have all quite mastered them yet!

We were also incredibly lucky to have a Q&A session with the infamous Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh. We were treated to an insight into being an Olympic Champion, what it takes to get there and the obstacles that can be faced. It was amazing to hear their stories and refreshing to hear them answer questions about life during and after playing for your country, as well as getting some sneaky tips for on the pitch and injury recovery!

And then came summer! Restrictions started to lift and we were able to get onto the pitch – just at the point when we would ordinarily be signing of for the season – training was back up and running! Summer league started soon after and everyone had the opportunity to get back into competition!

The Ladies’ 2s, 3s and 4s were entered into the fantastically competitive Ashford Summer League, whilst the Ladies’ 1s and 2s played in the Old Cranleighan's League. With some mixed results in their games, both teams finished 3rd in their respective leagues.

We also took the opportunity to try our hand as a club in an Over 35s league in Teddington and the games have been so much fun! It has been a brilliant opportunity for players from across teams to come together to play for the club. We came up against some tough and experienced opposition but held our own and it is definitely something we will be back to do again in the future!

An exciting season ahead brings the unknown to Ashford. Being a ‘fringe club’ has led to lots of meetings and discussions about the best league to go into next season. We have taken the decision to enter into the South East Leagues and look forward to finding out our final division placing in the near future! The one thing that we can be sure of is that we will go out there and give it our everything!

Roll on season 2021/22!

Emma & Gill

Ladies 3s-4s friendly

Ladies Running Challenge

Ladies return to training

Ladies 1s-2s Summer League

Ladies O35s Summer League

Ladies Summer League

The Men's Section

Well, it would have to go down as one of the strangest, most disrupted seasons in Ashford Hockey Club’s 102-year history. Aside from the war years, I cannot think of another event that would have disrupted a season to this extent in living memory.

Although not a great deal of matches were played, huge strides were still made across the men’s section in terms of commitment, development of youngsters coming through and numbers at training. All these areas bode well for the coming season which will hopefully be much more fluid and uninterrupted than last season turned out to be.

So, a quick round up of the season:

Men’s 1s

The Men’s 1st XI, who were primed and ready for a promotion pushing season under talismanic coach and Ashford legend, Russell Mcquillan, went undefeated in the league. They managed to get in only 4 league games in total, which after all the hard pre-season work was a real shame.

P4 W2 D2 L0

Still onward and upward into next season.

Men’s 2s

The Men’s 2nd XI, under the tutelage of Ian Parker and Paul Tickner, started the season super quickly, opening up with a couple of wins, before levelling off and finishing with a record of P8 W4 L4. No bore draws with our 2s! Special mention for Ryan Croxon who top scored with 6 goals.

Men’s 3s

The Men’s 3rd XI, again started the season superbly with 4 wins and a draw, before losing out narrowly to our rivals from last year, Wooton Wanderers, then going down narrowly to Staines in the last game of the season. It was another strong season for the 3s who finish 4th in the incomplete league table, but all the sides above us played more games. Stef Gorton top scored with 5 goals, with Dan Lee and Paul Tickner scoring 3 each.

P8 W5 D1 L2

Men’s 4s

The Men’s 4th XI were entered into a league for the first time. Like our 5th XI, they were made up of promising youngsters, parents and wily old dogs that have seen it all before! … With 10 or more of our juniors making their debuts for the men’s teams this year, the fourth team held their own in what was quite a strong league, and to see some of the effort and skills on display was really encouraging for the season to come. After the second lockdown there were several 4/5s fixtures which went on into June.

4th XI – P8 W2 D1 L5 GF16 GA22
4th & 5th XI combined – P9 W4 D2 L3 GF25 GA23

Men’s 5s

The 5th XI played in a friendly league and again was showcasing our outstanding colts section and our superstars of yesteryear! In fact, the star striker of the team who was banging in the goals for fun, was our very own evergreen Peter Cottrell, for whom it must have been great each week to turn out and play with the current generation of colts that Peter has brought through the junior section. We are also excited that another group of colts will be coming through in the coming season.

5th XI – P7 W3 D0 L4 GF17 GA17.

All roads now point to August/September when fitness and training begins. We have now entered into a new league structure which will see the men’s teams play in the Greater London league, which will be different and challenging but should reduce our travelling and enable us to recruit from a wider catchment area.

We have all endured enough isolation now, so let’s get back to what we all love doing – playing hockey!

Digger Barnes