Ladies Alone

With no Men's matches (I assume the men need longer to recover from the excesses of Christmas and the New Year!) it is left to the Ladies' teams to take the entire stage this weekend. On Saturday and Sunday the Ladies' 1sts play in Division 2 South of the national indoor league at Whitgift School. On Saturday they play Staines (1.00pm) and the Army (5.00pm) and on Sunday they take on St Albans (10.50am), East Grinstead (12.40pm) and lastly Old Loughtonians at 2.30pm. The bottom three sides will be relegated to their regional qualifier in season 2009/10 and the top three sides will join up with the top three sides from Division 2 North to contest Division 2 (and the two promotion places) over the weekend of 17/18 January.

Magpies failed to make the top three last season and having qualified for Div 2 South this season through the regional qualifier at Cambridge earlier this month will be determined not to suffer relegation for a second successive season.

We have just two matches at Weybread this Saturday; at 12.30pm the Ladies' 6ths are at home to the 5ths in their Norfolk League Div 3 clash and at 2.15pm the Ladies' 2nds play Old Buckenham in a friendly. When the 5ths entertained the 6ths on the opening day of the season the 6ths won 7-5 and they (the 6ths) have gone on to drop just four points in their subsequent nine matches so the 5ths will need to be on top form to come away with the three points this week. However, the 5ths can look back on a promising season to-date with four wins, two draws and four defeats from their ten games. May the best team on the day win!!

Meantime the Ladies' 3rds have a friendly away to Beccles while the Ladies' Development will be in league action away to Lowestoft seeking to improve on their remarkable record of P10, W10, GF 45, GA 2. The Ladies' 4ths friendly match against Old Buckenham 2nds has been cancelled.

Date for your diary please – Savoury & Sauvignon Soiree (7.30pm on Saturday 31 January in Tibbenham's Barn). This is one of our most enjoyable social events of the year and I hope, as last year, we get a really good attendance. Please come! More details to follow next week.

Did you know? Hockey is played in over 130 countries around the world; its modern origins started in England with the first clubs formed in the late 1800s. It is a sport played by both genders from the age of 5 to 80 and there are an estimated 140,000 club players in the UK over 16 years old, with several hundred thousand children playing the sport at school. There are over 1,200 hockey clubs in the UK and it is one of the oldest Olympic sports; the GB men got bronze medals in 1984, gold in 1988, and the women bronze in 1992. Hockey is a big spectator sport at the Olympics; in Beijing the tournament took place over 14 days and with two sessions a day several hundred thousand people had the opportunity to watch the best in the world compete for medals. (Taken from an England Hockey press release to sports editors).

I hope you were able to enjoy a happy Christmas and I wish all members, parents, sponsors and other supporters of the club (and all other readers of this blog) the very best for 2009.

Mike Denham Tel: 01603 506925 E-mail: MDenham975@aol.com 30/12/08

Wet, cold and fine

Despite last Saturday's horribly wet and cold weather the first half of the season ended in fine style for most of our teams as they played the matches postponed from earlier in the season. Spectators hardy enough to brave the elements (or to watch from the comfort of the clubhouse) saw plenty of goals at Weybread and especially from the men's sides with the 2nds beating Vauxhall 4-3 in an eventful match to be followed by 7-0 wins for the 4ths and 5ths over UEA 2nds and 3rds respectively. The 2nds are now in second place in Div 1 East six points clear of Brentwood and seven points clear of Vauxhall while the 4ths are in sixth place in Div 3NE and the 5ths are fourth in Div 5NE, three points behind leaders North Walsham 2nds who have a game in hand. Meantime the Ladies' 2nds recorded another win with a 2-1 victory over Evergreens to move into second place in East Div 2NE just two points behind Norwich City and the Ladies' 4ths and 6ths both drew 1-1 to maintain their very successful seasons. The Ladies' 4ths are in 3^rd place in Norfolk Div 2 while the Ladies' 6ths sit proudly at the top of Norfolk Div 3 having dropped only four points in their first ten matches.

Meantime away from home the Men's 3rds continued their fine form and top place in Div 3NE with a 7-0 win over Pelicans 2nds. Injury has confined Joel Nelson, the team's captain, to encouraging very successfully his team from the touchline in recent weeks and it is to be hoped he will soon be back in action. There were also away wins for three of our Ladies' sides. The 3rds consolidated their 5^th place in Norfolk Premier Division just one point behind second placed Pelicans 2nds with a game in hand; the Ladies' 5ths (5^th in Norfolk Div 3) won 4-1 and there was another win for the remarkably successful Development squad who have yet to lose a match since the formation of their league at the beginning of last season.

The Men's 1sts had no trouble with the weather last Saturday as they made their debut in the Premier Division of the national indoor league at Tonbridge School in Kent and they did the club proud, managed by Martin Fields and skippered by Tom Sumner, with four splendid performances against some of the top teams in the country. Despite losing 5-2 to Beeston (for whom it was a mixed blessing to see ex-Magpie Tim Whiteman in sparkling form despite little outdoor hockey of late due to injury) and 4-2 to Old Loughtonians (who three times cleared from their goal-line) the team played some really excellent indoor hockey. Fuelled by an alcohol-free Chinese meal of almost epic proportions on Saturday night the squad played even better on Sunday. They came from a goal down at half time against Bournville, who had beaten Reading on Saturday despite Reading have three of GB's Olympic stars in their ranks, to win 4-2 and in their last game of the weekend they came from 3-2 down to beat Canterbury 8-5 with Andy Hipwell adding six goals to the two be scored against Bournville. Despite their two wins to-date the squad will almost certainly require some points from the second weekend of the event (10/11 January) to retain their place in the league when they take on Havant, East Grinstead, Reading and Loughborough Students (in that order).

This weekend the squad is in action again as they participate in the East Championship in Cambridge.

Date for your diary please – Savoury & Sauvignon Soiree (7.30pm on Saturday 31 January in Tibbenham's Barn). This is one of our most enjoyable social events of the year and I hope, as last year, we get a really good attendance. Please come! More details to follow.

In my last 'Chat' for a couple of weeks I take this opportunity to thank all officials of the club (including, of course, team managers, captains and coaches) for their hard work so far this season and I wish them and all members, parents, sponsors, other supporters of the club (and all readers of our excellent website) the very best for Christmas and the New Year.

Mike Denham Tel: 01603 506925 E-mail: MDenham975@aol.com 17/12/08

Dear Member,

We are a brand new company called Naked Wines and as a 'thank you' for your continued commitment to Harleston Magpies we have teamed up with the club to put together a bit of a treat for you.

Naked Wines will give you £40 off of your first Naked Wines order. What's even better, is that each voucher that is used will earn the club £5.

This £40 voucher can be used against your first 12 (or more) bottle Naked Wines order, with a basket value of at least £69.99, plus delivery.

Plus, when you use your £40 voucher you'll automatically be given a free Naked CashBack Account, giving you 33% CashBack on every penny you spend.

How to use this £40 Voucher

1. Visit www.nakedwines.com

2. Enter your voucher code: MAGPIES and password: NAKEDCASH

3. Tell us a little about yourself

4. Choose one of our pre-mixed cases, or pick out your own 12 bottle selection

5. Your £40 voucher will automatically come off your order at checkout

Your Naked CashBack Account

1. Using your voucher will give you a free Naked CashBack Account

2. Pay £20 a month (which equates to a bottle of wine per week???) into your Naked CashBack Account

3. Let your account build up. Spend it on ANY of our wines, at ANY time.

4. Every time you order, we'll give you 33% CashBack, paying it straight into your Naked CashBack Account

5. You can then spend your 33% CashBack on more delicious wines

6. 100% Safe. Close your account and get your money back whenever you like.

We hope you enjoy using our website and enjoy all of our wines. If you have any queries please give us a call on 01603 281800.

Cheers,

Rowan Gormley
Founder, Naked Wines

You must be 18 years of age or over to use this voucher. Your £40 voucher cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or promotion. You can cancel your Naked CashBack Account at any time, at which point your own money that you haven't yet spent will be refunded. Your CashBack will not be refunded, but will remain on your account to spend at any time. Full T'&C's can be found on the naked wines website www.nakedwines.com.

Super Saturday!

What a day we had last Saturday! In the outdoor game we fielded eleven teams with nine wins, one draw and one defeat. And later in the day we heard that the Ladies' 1sts had qualified for the national indoor league by winning the East event in Cambridge and the U16 Girls had qualified for the national finals by winning the East championship at the University of Essex in Colchester. Further success came the way of the club on Sunday with the U11 Boys winning the Rudds' Minis at Gresham's School and the U13 Boys coming second in their event. Meantime the U18 Boys and Girls were being reminded of the thin margin between winning and losing in their indoor exploits at Bedford and Cambridge respectively.

The highlight of last Saturday's home programme was undoubtedly the 3-1 win of the Men's 1sts over second-placed Havering. It was a hard fought if unspectacular win over strong opponents ensuring the squad completed the first half of the season with a 100% record and an eight point margin, with a game in hand, at the top of East Premier A over St Albans (who lost at home to Blueharts), Havering and Blueharts with Cambridge University one point further back. While this is undoubtedly a good position for the squad to occupy my cup is always half empty when it comes to teams I desperately want to see win! There were also good wins at Weybread for the Ladies' 2nds, 4ths and 6ths and the Men's 4ths. During the latter I was mildly rebuked by the team's keen band of supporters for not giving my full attention to the game notwithstanding at the time I was clearing the inevitable detritus from the other pitch! But when I made up for my lapse in attention the 4ths scored a further two goals to complete a splendid 5-0 win over Lowestoft Town for whom it was good to see former Magpies' Tom Hart and Marcus Chorlton playing. And it was good to see David Cobbald back at the club and looking and walking so well after his recent hip operation.

Due to the snow three weeks ago (and one postponement last week) we have a nearly full programme of league matches this Saturday instead of several friendlies. At Weybread the Ladies' 2nds play Evergreens at 10.30am looking to consolidate their second place in East 2NE; the highly successful Ladies' 6ths (eight wins, one draw, no losses) take on Dereham Colts 2nds at 10.45am; the Ladies 4ths, after two wins and a draw in their last three matches, entertain Pelicans 3rds at 12.15pm; the Men's 2nds play fourth placed Vauxhall at 12.30pm in a match postponed from the opening day of the season due to Ramadan; the Men's 4ths entertain UEA 2nds at 2.15pm and the Men's 5ths play UEA 3rds at 4.00pm looking to get back to winning ways after two successive draws in an encouraging season to-date.

Away from home the ever-improving Ladies' 3rds play Norwich City 2nds; the Ladies' 5ths (two wins and two defeats in their last four matches) play Loddon 3rds; the Ladies' Development (nine games, nine wins with one goal against) take on Pelicans and the Men's 3rds play Pelicans 2nds seeking to maintain their 100% record. Last week the team beat UEA 2nds 4-1 with another hat-trick from the prolific Matt Brand and the 'goal of the season' by Andy Smith (I heard this third hand from Andy so it might have got even more exaggerated in the telling!). Finally, in a friendly the Men's 6ths (after their splendid 5-1 win over UEA 3rds) take on Norwich City 6ths. Please see the Home Page of the website for start times.

I wish all our teams the best of luck this weekend including, of course, the Men's indoor team when they make their debut in the national premier league at Tonbridge School. The team will be captained by Tom Sumner and managed by Martin Fields. After winning Division 2 of the national league two seasons ago and finishing as runners-up in Division 1 last season it will be a big test for the team as they take on the top indoor teams in the country starting this Saturday with Beeston and Old Loughtonians followed by Bournville and Canterbury on Sunday. The league concludes over the weekend of 10/11 January with matches against Havant, East Grinstead, Reading and Loughborough Students.

News and comments in brief:

· If you regularly send match reports to the website and have not been informed by me of the new arrangements to send them direct please let me know before your next report and I will let you have the simple instructions. NB. Instructions have already been sent to all team captains.

· My thanks to Kirstin Cumming for once again preparing the club's excellent entry in the annual 50 Christmas Trees Festival held recently in Dickleburgh Church.

· Kirstin's nephew and former Magpie Richard Alexander is one of seven GB Olympians in England's indoor squad for the Tri-Nations event to be held at Fleming Park Leisure Centre, Eastleigh from 19-21 December. England's opponents will be Australia and Scotland. The teams play each other twice in the round-robin event.

· The club has teamed up with a brand new company called Naked Wines to offer wines to members at a very special price. For more details please see the email to be sent shortly to all members on the club's distribution list.

· Last Sunday's national men's veterans' cup match against East Grinstead was unfortunately called off when our opponents withdrew on Saturday due to injuries. This was another blow to Vets hockey. Already this season we have seen the demise of two teams in the already reduced East league. Magpies are now through to the last 16 of the national veterans' cup (after a bye in round one, one win and one walkover!) and we are away to Ipswich on Sunday 22 February.

· I draw the attention of our young members in particular to the new England Hockey Youth website - www.englandhockey.co.uk/youth

· I remind members of the reopening of the gym at the newly named Harleston Community Leisure Facility. Membership is £22.50 per month but this will reduce to £20.50 per month when five HMHC members have joined and to £17.50 per month when ten or more HMHC members have joined. These reductions will apply to existing members when the numbers of HMHC members reach 5 or 10. So if you are interested please show them your HMHC Handbook when you join and in due course your fee could be reduced to either £20.50 or £17.50 per month. For more information please ring 01379 852088.

With best wishes and kind regards to all members, supporters and friends of the Club.

Mike Denham Tel: 01603 506925

E-mail: MDenham975@aol.com 10/12/08

Cherry for England

Congratulations to Cherry Seaborn who has been selected to join the National Age Group U18 Programme for the 2008-9 season announced today (3 December) by England Hockey. The 24-strong squad, under Head Coach Sue Chandler, has been selected following a final assessment camp over the weekend of 21-23 November. This is an honour for Cherry and HMHC.

The U18 programme includes training sessions and camps in the UK, the Easter Four Nations tournaments, Test matches against international opposition, the EuroHockey Nations Championships and the UK School Games.

Last Saturday there were mixed fortunes for the club's 1st teams with the Ladies losing 3-0 at home to Southgate and the Men winning 7-1 at Wisbech. The Ladies got off to the worse possible start conceding a goal after 30 seconds before playing well and setting up several chances before half time but after the break the game swung Southgate's way to give them a margin of victory which their band of supporters conceded was a little flattering. Meanwhile the Men maintained their 100% record with their best performance of the season and this week they entertain second placed Havering in a game brought forward to 12.30pm to accommodate our visitors who have a big fund raising event back at their club.

Despite the disappointing defeat for the Ladies' 1sts it was far from doom and gloom at Weybread as of the other seven games played there were five wins and two draws for our teams. The Ladies' 3rds set the ball rolling with a 4-2 win over Sprowston, the Ladies' 4ths drew 1-1 with Sprowston 2nds, the Ladies' 5ths came back to form with a 4-0 win over Norwich Dragons 4ths, the Men's 6ths did extremely well to hold Ipswich 5ths to a 5-5 draw (after conceding a late goal), the Men's 2nds had an impressive 4-0 win over Redbridge & Ilford and in the performance of the day the Men's 3rds held their classy looking and chief rivals Felixstowe to a 1-1 draw.

I feared the worse when Felixstowe thumped in their first shortie but Matt Brand continued his fine goalscoring run by getting the equaliser early in the second half. I have to admit to missing the goal while having a well deserved cup of coffee in the clubhouse where I got a phone call from the captain of the Men's 2nds asking me to come out to update the scoreboard and on my way would I put out the lights on the sand based pitch? Why I ask couldn't the Men's Vets have done this after their gritty 3-1 win over Pelicans?! But getting back to the Men's 3rds they had to withstand a barrage of shorties after Matt's goal but they held out with keeper Mark Lewis leading the way in a fine defensive team display.

At Ipswich last Sunday in the national cup the U18 Boys did well to hold an impressive home team to 4-2 after taking the lead on the cusp of half time. Early in the second half Ipswich equalised with a superb reverse stick shot and they quickly followed up with a short corner conversion to put us on the back foot. At 2-1 down we missed a chance to equalise only for Ipswich to increase their lead in seconds. Next up were the U15 Boys and against an older and bigger team their spirits never dropped and they played some good hockey despite a lesson in finishing by the outstanding Ipswich team.

This Saturday in addition to the Men's 1sts at 12.30pm we have seven games at Weybread including at 10.30am the Ladies' Development who take on Pelicans looking to maintain their 100% record; the Ladies' 6ths, with the excellent record of seven wins with one draw from their eight games to-date, who play Norwich Dragons 4ths at 12.15pm; the Men's 5ths who play Norwich City 4ths (1.45pm); the Ladies' 2nds, after their excellent 4-0 win over North Walsham last Saturday, who entertain Norwich Dragons 2nds at 2.15pm and the Men's 4ths who play Lowestoft Town at 3.15pm.

Also on Saturday the Ladies' 1sts turn their attentions to the indoor game when they compete in the East championship in Cambridge hoping to secure the top spot and a place back in the national league while at Colchester the U16 Girls will be competing in their East championship aiming for a place in the national finals. On Sunday it will be the turn of the U18 Girls (also at Colchester) and the U18 Boys (at Bedford) with similar ambitions to the U16 Girls. Finally on Sunday the Men's Veterans entertain old rivals East Grinstead in the third round of their national cup at 1.00pm. Best of luck to all our teams in action this weekend.

News and comments in brief:

· UK Sport, which funds the Olympic and Paralympic sports for their elite activities announced today (3 December) that hockey would be receiving £14.1m for the four year period 2009-2013 for the build up to and preparation for the London 2012 Olympics. At about £3.5m per annum this is about a 25% increase on the annual funding that was provided for the Beijing Olympics. Bearing in mind recent comments were suggesting a reduction for hockey this is excellent news. Well done to all concerned!

· Leandro Negre of Spain has been elected the new President of the International Hockey Federation. He was elected at the FIH Congress in Los Angeles last Saturday for a four years term beating Els van Breda Vriesman of the Netherlands who has been the President since 2001. During the Congress the FIH welcomed five new national associations to membership, namely Mongolia, Qatar, Togo, Vanuatu and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The FIH membership now consists of 127 nations.

· At the Congress Luciana Aymar of Argentina and Pol Amat of Spain were crowned as WorldHockey Players of 2008. For Aymar this was the fifth time she has won this prestigious award while Amat becomes the first Spaniard to be honoured since the awards were introduced in 1998.

· I hope as many members as possible will help the club by joining www.easyfundraising.org.uk. Please see the Home Page of the club's website for links. My thanks to Rob Goodson, Adam Lascalles and Nigel Bedingfield for setting up this scheme for the club. It is an easy and painless way for members (and their relatives and friends) to help the club via their online purchases.

· My thanks to everyone who supported the July 'In The Mood' concert and the recent Fireworks Spectacular organised jointly by Harleston Lions, Scouts and Magpies' HC. As a result I am pleased to say that £1500 has been given to each group. If you would like to join James Smith and me on the committee with the Lions and Scouts please let me know. The meetings can be quite enjoyable!

· A couple of weeks ago I referred to the reopening of the gym at the newly named Harleston Community Leisure Facility. Membership is £22.50 per month but this will reduce to £20.50 per month when five HMHC members have joined and to £17.50 per month when ten or more HMHC members have joined. These reductions will apply to existing members when the numbers of HMHC members reach 5 or 10. So if you are interested please show them your HMHC Handbook when you join and in due course your fee could be reduced to either £20.50 or £17.50 per month. For more information please ring 01379 852088.

· Dates for your diary please (all Saturdays) – Savoury & Sauvignon Soiree (31 January), Karaoke Evening (7 March), End of Season Bash (18 April) and Summer Ball (4 July – marking 50 years at Weybread by HMHC).

With best wishes and kind regards to all members, supporters and friends of the Club.

Mike Denham Tel: 01603 506925 E-mail: MDenham975@aol.com 3/12/08