All Change
When I wrote my President’s piece in December last year, none of us anticipated that no more league fixtures would be played in the 2020/21 league season and that lockdown conditions would prevail in one form or another until now. Unfortunately, that was what happened and although we have all been able to get back to some limited training, friendly games and now our summer league competitions, we have all missed more than half a season due to the worldwide pandemic.
However, things have still been busy in hockey circles with all the England Hockey (EH) rearrangements of all the leagues, league rules, umpires association, junior competitions and counties. Several have been involved in seemingly endless webinars. At present, the men’s teams are due to compete in the Greater London leagues, whilst the women are in the South East league. Things are behind schedule though and we are all still awaiting final confirmation of the leagues, league rules and fixture list.
It has been busy at Short Lane (SL) as the clubhouse has had to be maintained and duties covered whilst staff have been on furlough and the Directors have kept things ticking over. The kitchen and some of the bar areas have been deep cleaned and the ladies’ toilets, kitchen, office, ladies’ home and away as well as the men’s home changing rooms and bar areas have been painted mainly by Claire Brant and Doreen Brown (B&B painters & decorators). In addition, Peter Cottrell has been doing sterling work with opening up and closing (helped by Shane Smith) to enable hockey training, hockey camps and games to take place. Chris Evans, Keith Nash and Mark Doggett have also been busy doing essential jobs. The Ashford (Short Lane) Sports ( A(SL)S ) Directors have had weekly Zoom meetings to review financial and other matters. Unfortunately, due to promotion at work, Chris Lunn has had to step down as a director. We will certainly miss his high input and financial expertise and we owe him a big thank you for his many years of hard work on the Board.
It is all change for me too, and as I announced last year, I am standing down from AHC committee duties after over 40 plus years in one capacity or another. It is time for new blood, but I hope to play for at least another season, continue my grounds and equipment roles and remain as a Director and Chairman of A(SL)S. I am not sure where all the years have gone, I started with 14 years as Ladies’ Fixture Secretary when we did nearly everything by phone and postcard and played clubs’ teams across the board (1st to 4thteams) with two at home and two away. The monthly committee meetings used to be held in the ladies’ visitors changing room at our original Woodthorpe Road (WR) clubhouse. When the clubhouse was extended, we moved into the new posh office/board room for our meetings. Then when we were ‘evicted’ from the lovely and unique WR clubhouse due to external forces, the land sold and the clubhouse demolished, we squatted at our sister tennis, table tennis and bowls clubs a bit further down WR for a number of years as we sought a new home. Again, meetings were held in the ladies’ changing room or the portacabin, which was later installed on site. When we moved in 1998 to SL, we had the bonus of using the purpose-built boardroom. My roles and duties changed considerably from being Press Officer and producing the Newsletter using a Gestetner manual printing machine. Also, copying match reports by long hand using carbon paper and delivering them to the Middlesex Chronicle and Staines and Ashford News office on a Sunday night to ensure publication in the weekly papers; to doing everything online! I have enjoyed many of the changes both on and off the pitch over the years and really want to encourage all to keep moving forward in every aspect of the sport and AHC itself.
My ‘thank yous’ could fill a page and I could write a book about all the ups and downs and ace people who have helped me and AHC along a wonderful and often fraught journey, which hopefully isn’t finished just yet. I don’t personally enjoy receiving thanks and the best thank you I can have, is to see more members really taking on AHC and A(SL)S roles and helping to move this wonderful club of ours forward in every way. The future is bright, and let us make it RED and BLACK!
Lynne Morgan
Ian Jenkins (aka Sherpa) has been elected President by the AHC membership and has taken over from Lynne for the coming season. AHC thanks Lynne for her dedication to the Club during her time as President.
