I can remember playing hockey at school (see ‘Introduction’ post) and using either totally plastic sticks….horrible, or ropey old wooden sticks with the torn cloth grips hanging off the bare wood. I didn’t know any better at the time, but the sticks were rubbish. I started playing around Easter time, and for my birthday in December I asked for, and got, my own hockey stick. I can still remember it

Back to my favourite festival ever……….my home festival of Salisbury, which used to be held over the August bank holiday. I’ve already described my first one…..how wonderful it was, meeting new friends, playing in fabulous games and turning out against the team I was most proud to play for…….the ‘Haunchers’. But there seem to be so many memories of that particular festival, probably because I attended it so many times,

I think it was at my second August festival that I became more aware of the umpiring side of our precious game. I was only young…well, young compared with the youngsters umpiring and playing today. I would have been at most 15, but probably 14. I was representing Haunchers for the first time, but as a member of Salisbury hockey club I was also helping out behind the scenes, and acting as a

I hate being injured! Not just a little either. And it always happens when I’ve put so much work in. These last few months I’ve worked really hard, and honestly felt it was starting to pay off……..but here I am really struggling with my Achilles injury. A few weeks ago I was chatting to one of my best friends – another hockey player – about it. He told me he’d

Trojans 6th XI vs Salisbury 4th XI A repeat of the match from 3 weeks ago, only this time with league points at stake. Both sides seemed to have a few different faces, but early on a surprisingly warm Saturday morning, the action kicked off. Possession seemed fairly even to start with, Trojans using their wide players slightly better than we did, and they were more dangerous in and around the D. Our goalkeeper was tested

Salisbury 4th XI vs Poole Dolphins After last week’s defeat to Blandford and Sturminster, a changed squad played their first home game of the season against Poole Dolphins in the league. Right from the start Salisbury overpowered a Poole side with a number of very young, but obviously very talented, players in it. In the first few minutes our first shot on goal fell to me (just be pleased that I got in the right

No match report from me this week as I ended up umpiring….something I haven’t done for some time, and because it was a league match, I found myself concentrating very hard indeed. So hard indeed, that after the game when I thought about the match with a view to writing something down, it soon became apparent that my view of things was particularly sketchy, because I’d been concentrating so hard

With a big squad, we travelled to Trojans for our last friendly before the league starts next week. The game started at quite a pace, with both sides passing the ball around quickly and crisply. It’s hard for me to decide who had more pressure in the first part of the game, but I’d probably go with Trojans, who seemed very dangerous on the counter attack, and were probably unlucky

First things first. I was handed the skipper’s armband before we’d even left our club to travel to Romsey…..oh woe is me! I’m far too old and unfit to be captaining any side, and it’s hard enough concentrate on my own game, let alone everyone else’s. Anyway, off we went…..usual magical mystery tour. On arrival, we duly changed into our away strip……black. Good job it wasn’t sunny and really, really hot…………oh…that’s right,