30th September 2002

Ladies 1st team 7-up party!

The 1st team started their National League campaign with a fantastic 7 goal spree against newly promoted Trojans. However the floodgates did not open until 18 minutes into the game but once the Suffolk side had the advantage they were ruthless. Sarah Bamfield and Tanya Barnard both scored their first National League hat tricks, with Lizzy Aldous also getting her name on the score sheet.  The score line however could have been higher with both Leisa King and Colleen Adcock missing penalty strokes.  Coach Sandie Lister was very happy with the result and the team will now be looking forward to taking on the team they beat in last years Cup final, Olton. The match is scheduled for Sunday at Olton.

30th September 2002

Ladies 2nd and 3rd team impart finishing lesson to students, as 4th's and 5th's slip to defeat.

A 2-0 victory saw Ipswich 2nd's continue their unbeaten run but the game was a very hard fought one and if the students had been more clinical in their finishing in the first half it could have been a much different score line!  Ipswich to their credit battled as a team and with several new players coming in this was definitely a team effort to ensure victory.  Player of the match Sarah juggins was outstanding as was Deb Rawlinson and keeper Kate Bond. Another satisfying performance and one that shows that the 2nd's will be a hard team to beat this season.

The 3rd's recorded their first win, buoyed by the return of Vickey Dixon the side linked well to set up several goal scoring chances. Fiona Shaw was in top form  grabbing 2 goals and with Captain Tory Walton adding a 3rd at a short corner, the side were too strong for an enthusiastic University side. A good win and one that should be a platform to build on.

The 4th's unfortunately could not continue the winning run and slipped to a close 1-0 defeat. For once Ali Fitzsimmons was not on the score sheet but the side played well and it will surely not be long before they record their first win.

The 5th's too slipped to a 3-0 loss but they are a young team with several players new to hockey and there is no doubt they are getting better with each game. The main thing is they are enjoying their hockey and a win is surely just round the corner.

30th September 2002

Men play last friendlies and get better of Harleston

All teams took on a Harleston team on Saturday and all bar the 6th's came away with a win, the 6th's to their credit battled hard but only had 8 payers and a stand in GK!

In all it shows the depth of talent that we have here at Ipswich and bodes well for the league season that starts next weekend.

The Men's 1st's  travel to Cambridge Uni for what will be a very hard match but it will be a match that they need to win if they want to start their campaign for National league hockey on the right foot!

26th September 2002

Kit delivery

The kit is here at last!!! Captains should have all received an e-mail regarding picking your team set up.

The only item missing is the socks due to the manufacturers mistake but they should be here in 3 weeks max.

At last one colour for all the club, let's do it justice and make sure we all win come Saturday!

Note: All players still bring second colour shirt on Saturday in case of last minute problems!!

26th September 2002

Ladies 1st's start League action

At last the Ladies 1st team return to National League action after what has seemed like an extremely long summer break. 

The summer has been good to the Suffolk side and it boast's a full squad of 16 players, all of whom are injury free and raring to go.  The side also now includes two Commonwealth Games Silver Medallists in Leisa King and Jo Ellis, both of whom will have a large part to play in the teams success.

Captain Kirsten Spencer is well aware that newly promoted Trojans will be no pushover but she has high hopes for her team and will be looking to build on last season's performance

The 1st Team Men do not return to league action until October 5th but have been in scintillating form in a series of friendlies. The side Captained by Richard Fox will be looking to regain a much converted National League spot that they lost so cruelly by 1 goal last season.

The Ladies 2nd's continue their league action with a tricky away trip to  Cambridge University, while the 3rd's boosted by the return of ex-GB Star Vicky Dixon take on the students from UEA. The 4th's travel away to Haverhill 2nd's looking for a win, while the 5th's aim to bounce back from their thrashing last week with a win at home to Carlton Park 2nd's.

The remaining  Men's side all take on Harleston Magpies teams, so it will be a set of good match's all round.

A win for the flagship Ladies 1st team is crucial  this weekend and one that should boost the whole club.  Please go along and support if you are not playing.

23rd September 2002

2nd's "bury" local rivals but rest of Ladies slip to defeat

Despite having not played a competitive match together for over 5 months, Ipswich 2nd's were always in control of this local derby.

It was a fantastic team performance and one that bodes well for the season ahead. 

The 3rd's traveled to Norwich and came away 4-0 losers. Forced to play a large portion of the match with only 10 players due to an injury early on Ipswich battled well but could not take their chances. Disappointing start to the season but could have been a different score line with a full team.

The Ladies 4th's took on Lowestoft in a real goal feast. Unfortunately they came away 5-4 losers but with the team in goal scoring form they should be looking to pick up 3 points very soon.

The 5th's were the final team in action and recorded a shocking 10-0 loss to Lowestoft 2nd's. Not the result expected but with a team full of youngsters and missing Captain Nareen Fenton they were simply over run.

The men's teams were also in action playing a selection of friendlies.  The 2nd's beat Purley 6-4, while the 5th's and 6th's drew 4-4 and 2-2 respectively against Colchester, 3rd's and 4th's.

So a bit of a mixed bag from the weekend, with the highlight being the Ladies 2nd's win over Bury.

The Ladies 1st team start their campaign next week at home to newly promoted Trojans, so we will be looking for a good start for them.  

The Men begin on October 5th.

2nd's and 3rd's begin league campaign.

After a long summer of merger talks and training, the East league finally starts for the Ladies 2nd's and 3rd's.

The 2nd team will take on local rivals Bury St Edmunds (Tuddenham Rd, 1pm) in what will prove to be a hard fought match but one that the Ipswich team are confident of winning. (see preview for more details)

The 3rd's will travel to Norwich to play Norwich City and will hoping to build on the friendly win over IES last week.

The Ladies 4th's take on Lowestoft 1st team  (Henley Rd 11.30am) while the 5th's tackle Lowestoft 2nd's (Lowestoft 10 am)

England get draw

England Women gained a 1-1 draw with Spain in the first of their 3 tests in Barcelona last night. Ipswich star Jo Ellis is part of the squad and all players are fully aware that they will be playing for a place in the World Cup team.

England's goal was scored by Purdy Miller, Miller has moved to Slough this season after several years at Leicester.

Kit delay

Due to the manufactures making the wrong quality socks, the delivery of our socks has had to be out back 4 weeks!  Up until the arrival of the new kit, can teams please play in either white, navy or purple socks!  Please contact your opponents as soon as possible to inform them of the delay and therefore the change!

Shirts are due to be with us hopefully by next week, again until then please play in either white or navy!

This is all rather frustrating but hopefully will be worth it in the long run when we all look very smart in our new club kit!

Ladies get off to winning start

The 5th team got the newly merged Ipswich Hockey Club off to a winning start in the Suffolk League on Saturday with a 3-0 victory against Felixstowe 2nd's. The 4th's also were close to adding a second win but opponents Felixstowe 1st's scored an equalizer with just 5 minutes left to go, to make it 2-2.

Friendlies see 7 wins

With several other teams in action over the weekend, including the Ladies 1st's it was satisfying to see so many winning results. 

The 1st Team Ladies won the Canterbury tournament (after a 1-1 draw in the final against Canterbury, it went to goal difference), and were very pleased to welcome Leisa King back in to the team.  The Men's 2nd's also won their tournament in Sudbury and will be a real threat to the other teams in East Premier B. The Ladies 3rd's beat IES 3-2 and with so many new players having never played in the same team before, it bodes well for the upcoming league game next week. The Men's 3rd's and 4th's also recorded fine wins, beating St Ives 2nd's and 3rd's 4-1 and 2-1 respectively. The Men's 5th's were the only team to lose going down 6-0 to Crane!

So the first weekend of competitive hockey and things are looking good already. Next weekend will see the Ladies 2nd's and 3rd's start their league campaigns and the pressure is on for them to join the winning teams.

Ellis gets England call

Ipswich 1st team star Jo Ellis is celebrating her return to the England squad. The squad travels to Spain this month and  Ellis who  missed out on the Champions trophy trip due to her Brothers wedding is looking to claim her place in the World Cup squad.  Ellis played an important role in the Silver Medal squad at the Commonwealth games and is a serious contender for a trip to Australia in November

Junior Training gets underway

For ages 6 years to 18 years

 - Wednesday's 6pm to 7pm at Tuddenham Road (Starts 11th September 2002)

 - Sunday's 10.30am to 12.00 noon Henley Road (Starts September 15th 2002)

The U15 girls and boys have Cup match's along with the U18 girls.

There are also Suffolk leagues for U9's, U11's and U13's (waiting for more info, so watch this space)

For more information regarding the above please contact Richard Pittaway: 

5th September 2002

Quiz & Curry Night 12th October

Yes the first "official" social gets underway at Henley Road 7pm start, bring your brains!