31st October 2002

Happy Halloween

To enter into the spirit we offer you a Trick or Treat! Please choose carefully!

30th October 2002

Ladies 1st's finish 2002 league action with Derby Game

A hard away match against local rivals Chelmsford will be the last outdoor league action for Ipswich 1st's until January 2003. Ipswich sit 2nd in the league with a game in hand an will want to enter their long break with a good win under their belts. Chelmsford too have had a good start to their season and even though they are not scoring a lot of goals they can break down play and defend in numbers. Ipswich will be looking to Leisa King to create and take chances up front and for the defense to deal with any dangers. 

The 2nd's take on Chelmsford 2nd's again after the 1st team and will be hoping for the same vocal support that cheered them on to victory last week. Chelmsford have not won all season but Ipswich must not relax as this local derby always proves to be a difficult game. Ipswich must concentrate on possession and if they play their normal fluid game should take another 3 points to keep them top of the table.

The 3rd's take on St Ives 2nd's and will be looking to record a third straight win. The inclusion of Charlotte Anderson and Nicky Keely has been a real tonic and with both players available again this week, 3 points are a real possibility.

The 4th's after a weekend off take on Christchurch and will have their work cut out against a team that is near he top of the table and contains several very experienced players. 

The 5th's take on Bury 3rd's and will be looking to build on last weekend good win.

30th October 2002

Men's 1st's have double header and want revenge

Two hard match's will be a test of Ipswich 1st's this weekend. On Saturday a trip to Peterborough 2nd's has the potential to be a close call, while on Sunday the 3rd round of the Cup sees last week vanquishers Cambridge City return to Tuddenham Rd.  The team has the potential to win both games but a good result on Saturday would be a real boost going into the Cup game.

The unbeaten 2nd's take on local rival IES 1st team and another win will see them cement their place in the top 2. IES will have a point to prove having lost their last 2 match's and this should be a fast and furious game.

The 3rd's while maybe not be able to reproduce their 11-0 win last weekend, will be looking for 3 points against Brentwood 3rd's. Another unbeaten team near the top of the table!

The 4th's play Upminister 2nd's and after recording their first win of the season last week will be hoping for more of the same.

The 5th's another unbeaten team take on Dunmow 2nd's and look positive for the win.

Finally the 6th's hoping to get back to league action after last weeks postponement take on Brentwood's 6th's and again look to build on their unbeaten record.

28th October 2002

Ladies 1st's get away draw at Woking in Cup 3rd Round

In the first match to defend their National title Ipswich 1st's have drawn Woking away on Sunday 17th November. Woking play in Div 1 of the National League and will be no push over for an Ipswich team missing play maker Leisa King. King will be off in Australia for the World Cup but the squad is more than capable of playing without her as they proved when wining vital ties last season. This will prove a strong test for Ipswich but even away at Woking the squad should be more than capable of getting the win and setting them on the road to defending their title.

28th October 2002

A point well earned as 1st's comeback from 2-0 down and then cheer on 2nd's

The 1st's came back from a 2-0 deficit to earn a point at Canterbury. England International Leisa King scored both goals as the team worked hard to get back into the game. Not an ideal match for Ipswich but coach Sandie Lister was satisfied with the point.

The 2nd's cheered on by the 1st's defeated Canterbury 2nd's 2-0. The 2nd half was the key for Ipswich and the win sees them stay joint top with Sevenoaks. An impressive performance in a good competitive match.

The 3rd's won for the second weekend with a 2-0 victory against Lincoln. A great performance and one that should see them gain more confidence.

The 4th's did not play due to some confusion regarding pitch start times.

The 5th's recorded a fabulous 1-0 victory, even more pleasing after a horrible 10-0 defeat last week. Well done!

28th October 2002

1st's cannot keep charge going but rest of teams romp home!

The 1st's played very well at times but went down 4-2 to an impressive Cambridge City. This season was always going to be hard but the team has great potential and are looking to build on this season fro promotion in 2003.

The 2nd's continued their impressive run recoding  2-1 victory over a very talented Dereham side.

The 3rd's recorded the biggest win of the day and 11-0 thrashing on Sudbury 2nd's 11-0. Yet to be defeated they are looking good for a crack at the title!

The 5th's another unbeaten team recorded a 2-0 victory over Old De Ferriens 2nd's.

The 6th's match was postponed but they played the vets and lost 2-1

A great weekend for the club with 10 teams either wining or drawing, hopefully signs of things finally settling down. Well done to all and let's aim for a clean sweep next weekend.

23rd October 2002

1st's and 2nd's at same venue shock, as the Women return to League action

For the first time in many years the Ladies 1st and 2nd teams will be playing the same club at the same venue. In a refreshing change at last these two teams will actually be able to support one another as they take on Canterbury 1st's and 2nd's respectively. Both teams will want to take all 3 points but are aware of the treat that an in form Canterbury side can pose.

The 1st's will be looking to build on their good start and will be aiming to keep England International Mel Clewloe's thunderbolt short corner strikes out, while looking to Leisa King, Jo Ellis and Vic Sandall to boss the midfield. This will be a hard game for Ipswich but it is a game they feel they can win. They the take on Slough on Sunday and as usual the game should be a real hockey feast. Slough are always difficult to beat but Ipswich are playing well and it will be up to Slough to take the initiative.

The 2nd's take on Canterbury 2nd's and will be looking to get back to winning ways after a 2-2 draw in their last match. Still unbeaten they must be aware of compliancy and a hard working performance will be needed to quell the Canterbury spirit.

The 3rd's take on Lincoln at home and will be looking to pick up another 3 points. Boosted by the inclusion of Nicky Keely the squad will have high hopes of picking up the maximum points.

The 4th's still looking for tat first win take on Bury 2nd's in a very hard game. However they have the talent to produce the win and if they can just take a few of their chances 3 points could be theirs for the taking.

The 5th's take on Sudbury 3's and with a full team of 11 players they should be more than capable of collecting a win.

23rd October 2002

Men aim to build on last weeks great results

The 1st team Men will be looking to continue winning ways against a strong Cambridge city team. City held Harleston Magpies to a draw last week so will prove a stern test but with captain Richard Fox and striker Simon Miller in outstanding form the team is more than capable of claiming all 3 points and keeping their title chances alive.

The 2nd's still unbeaten take on Dereham in again a very hard test. However the team boast's many ex-National League players and they are confident of taking the win.

The 3rd's to are unbeaten and take on Sudbury 2nd's and after a confidence boosting 6-2 win last weekend they will feel on top of their game.

The 4th's will be looking to turn their fortunes round and record that elusive victory, they take on Saffron Walden at home.

The 5th's continued their unbeaten run also last week and will be looking for more of the same against Old De Ferrian 2nd's.

Finally the 6th's with new Captain Paul Barret at the helm will be looking for another victory to cap of another good weekend.

22nd October 2002

King makes World Cup squad but Ellis is left out

Leisa King will celebrate her 30th Birthday in Australia next month after being named in the England World Cup squad that will take on the World's best in Perth next month.  21 year old Jo Ellis unfortunately was not selected and is on reserve standby in case anybody gets injured.  

For King it is another step in her flourishing hockey career and after her spectacular display's in the Commonwealth Games, fans will be looking for more of the same from the mercurial forward.

The decision to leave Ellis out was met with surprise at Ipswich, especially considering how well the 21 year old has been playing at both Club and International level. 

Head Coach Tricia Heberle said of the non-selection of Commonwealth Games silver medallist Jo Ellis of Ipswich: "After some promising displays earlier this year Jo has struggled for consistency and confidence in recent months.

"She has worked very hard in training to rectify these things and to be honest went very close to selection – hence her nomination as a reserve."

The only consolation is that she is still young and with the talent she posses there is not doubt her time will come gain.

The full Squad is as follows: 

 (World Cup, Perth, 24 Nov-9 Dec): J Smith, M Nicholson, K Walsh (all Slough), A Bennett, M Clewlow, F Houslop (all Canterbury), H Richardson, J Bimson, S Blanks, A Panter (all Fyffes Leicester), A Danson (Trojans), H Grant, D Marston-Smith (both Clifton), L King (Ipswich), C Reid (Hightown), H Rose (Bury St Edmunds), L Wright, R Walker (both Olton & WW).

21st October 2002

Ipswich go 2 points clear at top.

The Ladies 1st team continued where they left off against Leicester and recorded another well earned victory. Sutton were not easy pickings however and the Ipswich side had to fight hard for the 3 points.  With Slough and Chelmsford recording a 0-0 draw, Ipswich moved clear at the top of the table for the first time in 2 years. Ipswich have another double header next weekend, firstly an away trip to tricky Canterbury the a real test against old rivals Slough at Home on Sunday. 6 points from those match's would prove Ipswich's credentials for the league title.

The 4 other Ladies teams return to league action next week and with the 2nd team also playing away at Canterbury straight after the Ladies 1st team the weekend should be rather a special one.

21st October 2002

Men's 1st record first win, in topsy turvey match

At last the Men's 1st team have a win under their belts and even though the manner of victory was not that pleasing tot he team, at this stage of the season the points were all that mattered. Another outstanding display from Simon Miller was the bedrock of this victory and Ipswich will be looking to carry that momentum into next weeks game at home against Cambridge City.

The Men's 2nd's could not carry on their winning ways but got a point against Brentwood in a frustrating game that saw the Suffolk team hit the post 3 times!

The 3rd's thumped Thurrock 6-2 to carry on their unbeaten run, while the 5th's too recorded a third straight victory beating Braintree 2nd's 3-0.

With other results still coming in things look good for a clean sweep for the weekend. let's hope next week proves as fruitful with the Ladies back in action.

16th October 2002

Sutton provide challenge but Ipswich keen to stay top 

After 2 great results last weekend, Ipswich must not lose concentration against strugglers Sutton Coldfield. Sutton can be a difficult team to break down but if Ipswich score early a hatful of goals for the Suffolk side is a likely result. With selection for the World Cup announced on Friday and with hopes high for selection for Ipswich's players Leisa King and Jo Ellis, Ipswich will hopefully go into this game full of confidence.  Start Sun 20th 12 noon at Tuddenham R, spectators welcome, bar open!

The rest of the Ladies teams have a weekend off due to the Regional Tournaments but will be back in action next week.

16th October 2002

Suffolk Indoor 

The Indoor A team gets off to mixed start. Having decided to enter 2 teams in the league, the start to the season was not as good as hoped! Ipswich A going down to Christchurch 5-3! However the side bounced back to beat IES A 5-2, and hopes are still high that they can retain last years league title!

Next games are on Monday 21st October at rushmere

16th October 2002

1st keen to get 3 points 

After knocking Harleston out the of the Cup, Ipswich will be hoping for their good form to be carried over into the league.  A win on Saturday against Broxbourne is a must if the Suffolk side want to stay in touch with the early leaders.

The 2nd's aim to notch up another impressive win and make it 3 out of 3 against Thurrock.

While the remaining teams will be looking to gain some consistency in their results.

15th October 2002

1st Ladies Coach to receive honorary degree

Sandie Lister is to be awarded an honorary Civil Law degree from Suffolk College later on in October. Lister will be in good company, as John Motson and Griff-Rhys Jones are among others to also receive awards.

Lister has long been associated with Ipswich Ladies Hockey Club, firstly as a player she Captained not only the club but her Country and  then to cap it all she won an Olympic bronze medal , playing in the same squad as other Ipswich stalwarts such as Vicky Dixon and Jo Thompson. Lister eventually retired from 1st team hockey but far from stepping back from involvement see took on the role of 1st Team Coach and Vice-President of the Club. Last year saw Lister coach the 1st team to her first National Title winning the EHA Cup back in April 2002.  

Congratulations Sandie, you deserve the recognition for all you have done for Ipswich Hockey.

14th October 2002

Men's 1st's take on Cambridge City in 3rd round of Cup

The reward for beating Harleston magpies yesterday is a home draw on Sunday 3rd November v Cambridge City in the 3rd Round of the Cup.  Ipswich and Cambridge both play in the Printwize East premier A League and as such it should be quite an even contest. Ipswich will be looking for a large vocal crowd to cheer them on and with the Girls U18 cup match v Colchester on the same day, a large crowd is expected. 

14th October 2002

Ladies 1st's take 6 points, while other sides have mixed fortunes.

The 1st team Ladies shrugged off last weeks disappointment to record two outstanding wins, which takes them and Slough clear at the top of the table. Saturday's 2-1 victory over Clifton was a superb confidence boost especially considering they were missing Captain Kirsten Spencer. Spencer returned for Sunday's game and another 2-1 win this time against Leicester saw the team return to the top of the table for the first time since 2000. The team will be raring to go against strugglers Sutton Coldfield on Sunday at home 12 noon start.

The 2nd team took on fellow table toppers Letchworth and in a true end to end battle honours were shared with a 2-2 draw. Ipswich were the happier taking a point after some dodged defending saw them stay in touch. Again it was a story about taking chances and Ipswich proved once more that they can come up trumps when the pressure is on. Sevenoaks also could only manage a draw, so these 3 teams are still matching one another stride for stride. A week off next weekend but then they travel to Canterbury 2nd's for a hard return to league hockey.

The 3rd's notched up another win beating Bourne 5-2 and hopefully this win will give them some confidence entering the week off. The 4th's despite playing well are still looking for that first win. The 5th's unfortunately suffered another large defeat but considering they only had 7 players due to last minute problems, it was a valiant effort.

A great weekend for the 1st team and one that hopefully can inspire the other teams. So The Ladies 1st and 2nd's sit top of their respective league tables, let's keep up the hard work and make sure we stay there. 

14th October 2002

Men's 1st's taste defeat and victory, while other teams record 3 out of 5 wins.

The 1st Team Men suffered a disappointing league defeat on Saturday to a dangerous Stortford side, but managed to dump Harleston Magpies out of the Cup on the Sunday. The Cup game was won on a Golden goal and will hopefully boost the teams league performance.

The 2nd team men continued their winning ways in Premier B, beating Wisbech 3-2. The 3rd's also bagged another win over Witham 2nd's. The 4th's are still looking for a win losing 3-1 to a Harlow 1st team. The 5th's recorded their first win beating Romford 2nd's, while the 6th's are still waiting for theirs losing 3-0 to Thurrock 2nd's.

A mixed bag but a 50% winning ratio, plus a fantastic Cup win is not too bad so early on in the season. The Men have a full league campaign next week, so hopefully with the Ladies not playing they can get some good support to cheer them all onto a win.

10th October 2002

Ladies 1st's have to bounce back in hard weekend

The 1st team Ladies also have two hard  match's this weekend. Firstly they have to turn their attentions to struggling Clifton, Clifton are always a difficult side for Ipswich and the Suffolk team must keep concentrating for the whole 70 minutes if they want to claim all 3 points. On Sunday they travel to take on Leicester, an unbeaten team but one that Ipswich have a good history of victories against. 3 points from the weekend are a must and 6 is not out of the question if the team turns in a performance that they know they are capable of.

The 2nd's travel to Letchworth and with both teams unbeaten it should be a very close match. Ipswich will be confident of a result though and will be looking to keep a 4th consecutive clean sheet, to keep them at the top of the table.

The remaining teams will all be looking to get back to winning ways and 3 god wins would certainly help out on league postions.

10th October 2002

Men head into double header weekend with 2 hard match's

The 1st team men take on Bishop Stortford on sat, Stortford dispatched title contenders Harleston Magpies on Sat and will prove a real test for the Ipswich side. As if that match is not hard enough on Sunday Ipswich travel to Harleston to take them on in the Cup 2nd Round. 2 wins are a real possibility for this talented Ipswich squad but the team will have to take their chances better than they did last weekend. The Harleston Match is 14.00 at the Magpies ground and the more spectators we can get there the better.

The 2nd's take on another difficult team Wisbech, however the 2nd's fear no one and cold prove to be real title contenders in their first season in Premier B.

The remaining men's teams all have difficult games but a clean sweep of wins is not out of the question.

6th October 2002

Socks finally arrive

The new Prostar socks are finally here! Players need to buy BOTH home and away socks. The cost is £7 per pair (these are top quality socks, specially made!)

Ladies please contact Jane Cook Tel:01473 236452

Men please contact your Captains.

6th October 2002

Ladies go down to Olton fight back as 2nd team record only win.

With 15 minutes to go Ipswich were leading last years Premiership winners 1-0 but a determined fight back by the  Midlands team saw Ipswich conceded 3 goals within a 10 minute spell. It was a frustrating result for the Suffolk team, especially as they had chances to put the game out of reach in a first half that they dominated.  There are obviously areas that need to be worked on and with a hard weekend playing Clifton and Leicester ahead Ipswich will need to move on from this result quickly. On reflection though, several Ipswich key players did not have their best games and the team can take heart from the excellent first half display.

The 2nd team continued their winning ways and recorded another 2-0 victory against hard working Folkestone. It was not a classic display from the Suffolk team but their persistence and patience paid off as they finally broke through a Folkestone defense packed with 11 players. Next weeks sees a trip to Letchworth to take on another undefeated team, it will be a hard test but one Ipswich will feel every right in thinking they can pass.

The 3rd's traveled away to Long Sutton and despite the good win of last week could not record another victory. A 4-0 defeat will be hard to take but the team has enough quality to bounce back next week against Bourne.

The 4th's too recorded a 2-1 defeat to Harwich and will be hoping that eventually one of these close games goes their way.

The 5th's are still looking for that second victory and went down 5-1 to a strong Mildenhall team.

All in all not to good a weekend for the Ladies and they will be looking to get back to winning ways next week before a league break on the 19th October.

6th October 2002

Men start League campaign with dramatic comeback

The 1st team Men could not have had a more dramatic start to their Printwize East league campaign, coming back from a 2-0 deficit with only 2 minutes to play.  A short corner and then a penalty stroke saw the Suffolk team claim a hard earned point.  It was a sterling second half display from the Ipswich side and the spirit shown bodes well for the future match's.

The 3rd's took IES to the cleaners recording and easy 6-0 victory, a great display against their local rivals.

The 4th's battled hard against a strong Wapping team but eventually succumbed 3-0, a good display against a team that got relegated from the above division

The 6th's too battled hard but ended up going down 5-2 against a young Student team.

A mixed bag for the men also but some hardworking displays continued into next weekend should see some more wins.

2nd October 2002

Need a new gumshield?  

We need a minimum of 25 interested people to enable Opro to arrange a visit to our club and take moulds to make you a high quality gumshield in a variety of colours and designs. Cost varies between £22-36 and gumshield can be made in Junior and Senior sizes.

Visit Opro website for more details about the gumshield.

If you are interested please add you name to the list by e-mailing here

Once the number is reached I will contact people with regard to the date for fitting!

2nd October 2002

Men start League campaign to claim back national League spot.

The 1st team men start the long hard road back to National League status on Saturday, taking on Cambridge University away. The Men's East Premier Division is always a hard fought one but this year it seems like it will be even closer, with probably 3 to 4 teams feeling that they can claim the top spot. The most realistic challengers are; Ipswich, Harleston Magpies, Croystx and Peterborough Town, however there are several other sides that are more than capable of an upset and no team will find it a stroll in the park. The reward of wining the league is a place in the Regional National League  Play-Offs, itself a very hard round robin tournament.  Ipswich relegated from National League last year will want to bounce back straight away and boosted by the  arrival of several quality players the squad has a balanced feel about it. Support for all teams is vital, so let's get behind the club and support the team that is paying before or after you at the very least!

The 2nd's start their first year in Premier Division B after wining promotion last year and even though they will find this a hard division they have a high quality squad that can finish very near the top.

The remaining 4 teams all proved last week against Harleston that they are more than capable of playing classy hockey and some good final league placing's are expected come the end of the season.

2nd October 2002

Women aim to build on good performance

The 1st team travel to Olton on Sunday to take on the same team that they beat to claim the EHA Cup back in April. Olton have lost playmaker Helen Grant and could only manage a draw with relegation battlers Hightown last week.  Ipswich high on confidence from their 7-0 victory last weekend realise that this will be a much sterner test but are confident that they can take the game to Olton while containing the strikers. The squad is boosted by the inclusion of youngsters Ella Kenny and Jo jo Anderson. Leisa King and Jo Ellis will have also returned from their last England Training camp and both will be looking to get on the score sheet.

The 2nd's take on Folkestone and will be looking to continue their unbeaten run. Yet to concede a goal the 2nd's are full of confidence and will be looking to keep that run going at the expense of the Kent side.

The 3rd's travel to Long Sutton looking to build on their win last week, while the 4th's take on Harwich at Tuddenham road still looking for their first 3 points. The 5th's take on Mildenhall and again will be looking to record another a win after two losses.

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