31st March 2005

Ladies 1's step up for big test as Men's & Ladies 2's look to avoid the drop

The Ladies 1's face probably their biggest weekend of the season as they play 2nd placed Leicester on Saturday and 6th placed Bowdon Hightown on Sunday. With only 1 point between Ipswich and Leicester the result form Saturday's game could be crucial in deciding who lifts the league title. With Bowdon also still fighting hard for an end of season play-off spot both games will be a real test of the team character. The Men's 1's  have a weekend off. The Ladies 2's play their last 2 league games of the season and are perilously close to being relegated. Only goal difference is keeping them safe and they really need at least 1 win out of these 2 games to keep them up. The  Men's 2's  also play 2 games this weekend and like the Ladies are battling to avoid the drop. They face Old De Ferrians and Colchester. The Ladies 3's play their last game against Harleston 3's  and will want to end their successful season on a win. The Men's 3's  also have 2 games and and again probably need 1 win to keep them safe. The Ladies 4's have finished their league season.. The Men's 4's  too have completed their fixtures. Finally the  Men's Vets who are newly crowned East Vet's Champions play Bury St Edmunds.

An absolute massive weekend for the whole club with more vital games than you would think possible. 

24th March 2005

Super Cup details announced

The Super Cup competition replaces the Premiership tournament and has a new format with a "round robin" event with each side playing one match a day. The top 4 sides in both the Men's and Women's League will be competing to represent England in the European Club Championships in 2006..

The venue this year is Guildford Hockey Club and the dates are: 30th April, 1st and 2nd May

The format is: 

Saturday 30 April
1100 hrs - Womens 2v3,
1300 hrs - Mens 2v3,
1500 hrs - Womens 1v4,
1700 hrs - Mens 1v4

Sunday 01 May
1000 hrs -  Womens 2v4,
1200 hrs - Mens 2v4,
1400 hrs - Womens 1v3,
1600 hrs - Mens 1v3.

Monday 02 May
1000 hrs -  Womens 3v4,
1200 hrs - Mens 3v4,
1400 hrs - Womens 1v2,
1600hrs - Mens 1v2.

Ipswich at present are leading the title race and have high hopes of making the top 4. 

More details including tickets prices, directions etc. can be found at Guildford HC website

21st March 2005

Club Dinner

The Annual Awards dinner will take place at Fynn Valley golf Course Restaurant on Saturday 7th May. Price £25

It will run along the same lines as last year, a 3 course set meal and Disco. The bar and dancing will go on until 1am so it should be a lively night!

With a successful season for many teams we expect this to be a popular event so please buy your tickets early to avoid disappointment.

All Captains should have collected their tickets so please contact yours to buy your ticket.

21st March 2005

Ladies dig deep for win as Men fall again. U18 girls make semi-finals.

The Ladies 1'swere made to work hard against Doncaster on Saturday but despite not playing well ground out a 2-1 victory that keeps them at the top of the table with 4 games to go. Their next game is away 2nd April against 2nd placed Leicester, with many seeing this a the possible title decider. The Men's 1's  fielded a much changed side to give several youngsters a taste of top east hockey. A good performance form them was encouraging but they lost out 2-1 against Chelmsford 2's. The Ladies 2's lost 4-1 to Gravesend and have only 2 more games to keep them in east Premier League..  The  Men's 2's  got a vital win over Wisbech, hammering them 7-3. The Ladies 3's lost 4-2 to Haverhill and will be  disappointed with the result. The Men's 3's  got revenge over 5th placed Bury St Edmunds 2's with a 5-1 victory.  The Ladies 4's play Carlton Park 2's and lost 5-3. The Men's 4's  lost 3-0  to Brentwood 3's  in a tough game. Finally the  Men's Vets were crowned East Vet's Champions as they beat Chelmsford 4-0

Sunday  saw U18's girls face Olton & west Warwick  in the Quarter finals of the National plate. The girls battled back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to take the game to strokes. With some inspired GK by Chloe Musgarve they won through 3-2.

The semi final raw will appear here as soon as it is known.

Some huge results for many of the teams, a special congratulations though to the men's vets fort winning the East Title and the Girls U18 for taking another step towards defending their title.

18th March 2005

Ladies face tough weekend as Men have local derby.

The Ladies 1's travel to Doncaster on Saturday knowing that a win would keep them top and depending on the result between Olton and Leicester could even see them open up a 4 point lead.  Doncaster though will be no push over as they are fighting for their Premiership survival. The Men's 1's  will be keen to get back to winning ways against Chelmsford 2's. Having already secured the title the team will want to finish on  high. The Ladies 2's face crunch game in their bid to survive in the East Premier League. They face Gravesend who are 1 point ahead of them, and a win would be a huge step to safety for either side.  The  Men's 2's  also battling relegation issues face 4th placed  Wisbech Town, who beat them 3-0 in the reverse fixture. The Ladies 3's play Haverhill and could still sneak a promotion spot.. The Men's 3's  play 5th placed Bury St Edmunds 2's and will want revenge for their 4-0 loss earlier on in the season.  The Ladies 4's play Carlton Park 2's and again will want to get back on the winning trail. The Men's 4's  face Brentwood 3's  in a tough game. Finally the  Men's Vets will be chomping at the bit to get back into action against local rivals Chelmsford.

Sunday sees the U18's girls face Olton & west Warwick at home in the Quarter finals of the National plate. This should be a great game so pleas try and come along and cheer on our defending Champions.

Another HUGE weekend for several teams, non more so than Ladies 1's, 2s and Men's 2's and 3's, not forgetting the U18's.

14th March 2005

Ladies claim double win to go top as Men fall to Bedford

The Ladies 1's had a perfect weekend beating Trojans on Saturday 4-2 then destroyed local rivals Harleston 5-0 on Sunday. Their double win sees them back at the top of the Premier 1 table, with 5 games to go. The Men's 1's  suffered a title party hangover against Bedford losing 4-2. The Ladies 2's battled hard against 2nd placed Canterbury 2's but were beaten 3-1, leaving them needing at least 2 wins to survive in East Premier.  The  Men's 2's  also lost to 2nd placed Peterborough Town going down to a heavy 11-2 defeat. The Ladies 3's lost 3-0 to local rivals Sudbury who clinched the league title with the 3 points. The Men's 3's  played  March Town and lost 4-1.  The Ladies 4's  lost for the first time in 05 going down 6-0 to Grasshoppers and improvement form the last time they met when they lost to 10-1. The Men's 4's  faced Sudbury 2's and lost 3-2. . Finally the Men's Vets game v Bishop Stortford was cancelled due to pitch booking confusion.

Sunday saw the U18's destroy Broxbourne 13-1 to make the quarter finals. Their next game is this Sunday 20th March at home v Olton & West Warwick.

A great weekend for the Ladies 1's and the u18's but very disappointing results for the rest of the club with not one win amongst the remaining fixtures. As the East league reaches it's conclusion points are vital for several teams to avoid the drop.

10th March 2005

Ladies face Double test as Men's new Champions play Bedford

The Ladies 1's  face 10th placed Trojans knowing that they need a win to keep them in the hunt for the league title. On paper Ipswich should win but the Southampton based side will be fighting for points to avid the drop.  Sunday sees a derby game as Harleston Magpies make the short journey to Suffolk. Magpies are also fighting for points and too will be sure to throw everything at the home side, who know that 2 wins would see them back at the top of the table. With 1st placed Leicester playing 2nd placed Canterbury on Saturday  Ipswich  know this weekend could be crucial. The Men's 1's  will be looking to celebrate their Championships and return to National League with a good win over 2nd placed Bedford.  Having won the reverse fixture 5-3 this looks like it could be a high scoring game. The Ladies 2's have not played now for 4 weeks so will  be looking to get back into action against 2nd placed Canterbury 2's. Ipswich really need a result here to lift the relegation danger. The  Men's 2's  also keen to get back into the fray face 2nd placed Peterborough Town and will want revenge for their 9-1 thrashing earlier on in the season. . The Ladies 3's play league leaders and local rivals Sudbury and will want to get back in the points. .  The Men's 3's  face a March Town side that they beat 5-1 back in November However the 5th placed team will be a astern test.  The Ladies 4's  on a  2005 undefeated run play Grasshoppers whom they lost to 10-1. A different result is aimed for this time round. . The Men's 4's  face Sudbury 2's and with only 3 games to go are aware that time is running out for them to get their first win. .Finally the Men's Vets play Bishop Stortford.

Sunday sees another flux of games after the snow cancelled all matches last weekend. The Ladies 2'shave been forced to pull out of the  2nd team Cup game v Woking 1a's because England Hockey would not support the U18 Cup game being played next weekend. Due to pitch bookings and the number of people involved with all games on Sunday it was impossible to play the tie U18 and 2nd tea, within the 11.30 to 14.00 slot decreed by England Hockey.  Due to the fact that the U18 are defending Champions the extremely hard decision was taken that they should fulfill their game. This is extremely sad situation and one we are not happy with at all. A letter expressing our disappointment will be sent to England Hockey.  Apologies to all 2nd team players.  The U18's game will now take place at Henley Road @ 14.00 on Sunday 13th March. Please support them.

So after last weekends great result for the Men can the Ladies 1's follow them? Needing 2 wins out of 2 the 1's know that their fate lies within their own hands..

8th March 2005

East extend league deadline date to 10th April

Taken from East website 

"In view of the number of games lost to weather recently, the season has been extended up to and including Sunday April 10th.
Please rearrange your outstanding games as soon as you can."

Please do not forget to contact your league rep when arranging games as they need to co-ordinate with umpires etc.

7th March 2005

Ladies drop to 4th after game is postponed but Men are CHAMPIONS

The Ladies 1's fixture v Harleston fell victim to the snow that hit East Anglia. They were the only sides not to play and as such other results have seen them drop to 4th place on Goal difference. However 2 wins next weekend against Trojans and Harleston would see them back at the top. The Men's 1's beat Crostyx 2-1 away and clinched the East title with 3 games still to play. The win means that next season the men will be playing in National League Div 3 and Ipswich will be only the 10th club in England to have a Men's and Ladies team in National League.  The Ladies 2's again were frustrated by the weather and with Cup games still to play are looking at some serious future back log. The  Men's 2's  also did not play due to the weather and are also stacking up games. The Ladies 3's again were a victim of the weather.  The Men's 3's to did not play.  The Ladies 4's  game v East Bergholt team was also postponed. The Men's 4's  played Redbridge and Ilford and lost 4-0 .Finally the Men's Vets game will also be re-arranged.

Sunday  saw all game cancelled and there is some serious juggling going on behind the scenes to fit all the re-arranged games in. WATCH THIS SPACE! 

 U18 girls  v Broxbourne . Ladies 2's game v Woking 1a's.

The story of the weekend has to be the men winning their league and getting back into National League. A HUGE well done to all involved and we look forward to next season when we can a step towards a bright new future at Ipswich Hockey Club.

3rd March 2005

Ladies aim for another derby victory as Men can claim title.

The Ladies 1's face local Norfolk rivals Harleston and will be looking for 3 points . Ipswich beat Harleston 4-0 back in the opening fixture in September and will be looking for a repeat of that victory. A win would see Ipswich remain top and could drop Harleston back into the relegation play-off zone. The Men's 1's play Crostyx away. and know that a win would see them crowned Champions. A massive game for the boys.  The Ladies 2's have not played for 2 weekends and will be busy this weekend. They too face a local derby game v Harleston 2's and know that 3 points are a must if they want to move out of relegation danger. The last times the sides met it was a 3-3 draw. On Sunday they welcome Woking 1a's for a re-arranged 2nd Team Cup game. The  Men's 2's  boosted by a great victory last weekend face Colchester, the last times the sides met it was a 2-2 draw. They then also play a vital game v Old de Ferrians on Sunday. With the two sides battling hard to avoid the drop this game could be crucial. The Ladies 3's also face a Harleston side, their 3's. Having won the last meeting 1-0 this will be a close game.  The Men's 3's face Norwich Union 2's and with them only being 4 points behind the Norfolk's side Ipswich will be looking for a win..  The Ladies 4's  face and East Bergholt team 1 place below them, the last time these sides met Ipswich won 3-0. The Men's 4's  face Redbridge and Ilford and are still searching for that win .Finally the Men's Vets face Colchester and will be looking to continue their winning streak.

Sunday  sees the U18 girls  v Broxbourne attempting to be played for the 3rd weekend in a row. The winners get a home draw v Olton. They Ladies 2's game v Woking 1a's in the 2nd team Cup is also trying to be played for the 2nd weekend in a row. The winners getting a home draw v St Albans.

Another huge weekend for all teams, fingers crossed the weather is kind to us and we can get the backed up games played.