Well done to everyone who got out and played on a cold Saturday after a long break. Updates on those results to follow. In the meantime the indoor season is in full swing and an update is long overdue.

Firstly back in December the Men’s and Women’s teams took part in the East qualifiers. The Men had already qualified for National League Div 2 being an every present for some years however, they still took part with a very young team and did rather well – in fact they won it. The Women fought valiantly, they won the group but lost in a play off final against Cambridge University. Reports for both are below.

Additionally the boys and girls under 12s fielded 2 boys and 1 girls teams at a national indoor tournament in Nottingham 27,28,29 December alongside a boys U14. The boys under the tutelage of James Southgate did brilliantly against the likes of East Grinstead, Surbiton and Beeston as did the girls under Pineo and Storm in their respective competition. The tournament is run by "UK Indoor Hockey", a not for profit body that runs most of the indoor hockey – they are very professional with a clear vision. Incidentally I believe they also run our very successful masters hockey – read into that what you will. They are welcome in my view to run England Hockey as well! Additionally, at all the indoor tournaments we are so well represented with umpires, tournament officials and administrators - thank you all of you! The boys U12 took the bronze medal by the way – they are a seriously talented group of players. Thank you to the behind the scenes work that goes into booking indoor halls for training, not an easy task there!

Men’s Indoor National League Div 2 (January)

The Men’s indoor team have just spent the weekend in Bristol playing National League Div 2 and have qualified for the second round in 2 weekends time in Manchester. Bristol. It’s a long way there and even a longer way back when you’re cramping up at 10 pm on a Sunday night. After Southy’s decision to step back this season, Craig the Wiiderbeest took a squad of 10 with a balance of youth and experience and he managed with composure, nouse, and clear direction. The team beat a Teddington team with over 150 international caps 4-3 in the opener - it was a belting game. Most impressive was that they were 0-2 going into the last quarter, then 1-2 and 1-3 with 3 minutes to go. They won 4-3 – quite a demonstration of Ipswich Ticker! Frypan with a laser ball to Milo for a last second deflection winner.

Next up they put St Albans to the sword 6-2 and Saturday’s work was done. Sunday saw a narrow 3-4 loss at 9am to eventual group winners Epsom but they secured qualification for the next round in style beating Bristol 12-0. Their final game, a 5pm dead rubber saw them lose 3-6 to Robinsons who needed by that stage to win to qualify. Across the weekend, Cherry stood tall in goal, Jammie and Craig were superb at the back, Bastow and Oscar bossed the midfield and Milo, Wardy, Cooper and Charlie Taylor were tireless in the forward line. Frypan played everywhere, but it would appear that at this stage in his career he is an indoor forward and his partnership with Milo was immense. What do goals get?

All results are scorers are HERE (Milo on 9, Craig and Fry on 6)...

East Men’s Sixes – Ipswich Men Take East Indoor Title (December)

Ipswich Hockey Club’s Men’s Indoor side arrived at Aldenham School Sports Centre on Saturday with a squad that looked more like a sixth-form open day than a regional finals team. They left as East Area Champions, unbeaten and smiling.

On a big pitch built for fast, flowing hockey, Ipswich played with composure well beyond
their years. At the back was Callum “Cal” Warnes, just 16 but already running the defence like a seasoned pro. Constantly vocal, barking instructions, organising rotations and bossing the D, Cal was the heartbeat of the team — a goalkeeper who didn’t just stop goals, but ran the game from behind.

In defence, Austin Edwards locked down the left side with authority and swagger. Never beaten on his reverse, Austin played like a defender who genuinely enjoys defending — stepping in early, reading the game beautifully, and then fizzing laser-guided passes through the press to launch attacks. Calm under pressure and ruthless when the chance appeared, he made the left channel Ipswich territory all day.

Over on the right, Seth Midwood decided that “substitute” was a lifestyle choice he simply didn’t believe in, playing every single minute. Constantly dashing forward, endlessly working back, and being mercilessly teased for scoring “mistraps” — which were in fact two outrageously skilful penalty corner deflections — Seth’s engine never stopped.

At the centre of everything was Oscar Taylor, returning from university and immediately reminding everyone exactly who he was. Ice-cold under pressure and dripping with class, Oscar ran the tournament like a conductor with a very fast orchestra. He dictated tempo, split defences at will, and delivered big moments when it mattered — including pouncing ruthlessly when St Albans overcommitted. Alongside him, younger brother Charlie Taylor brought flash hands, sharp movement and a natural scoring touch, while Ben Bastow was, frankly, rude. At times completely untouchable, Ben combined slick skills with sheer power, scoring and assisting while still doing the hard graft. Defenders chased, lunged, and mostly failed.

Jack Cooper, just 15, played with fast hands, clever lay-offs and a permanent grin — “Mr Chilled” in full effect. He looked entirely at home at this level, even if the slippery hall briefly reminded him that gravity remains undefeated. Captain Myles King, the elder statesman at 25, led with goals, cheeky finishes and elite-level game management. His switch to a half-court press against previously unbeaten St Albans strangled their space, and when they shifted to three at the back, Oscar pounced. Leadership, tactics, execution.

**Results:**

**4–1 v Magpies** (Myles x2, Oscar, Jack)
**2–2 v Chelmsford** (Charlie T, Myles)
**2–2 v Old Loughts** (Seth, Ben)
**3–2 v Cambridge City** (Myles, Seth, Charlie T)
**4–0 v St Albans** (Ben, Oscar, Jack, Seth)
**5–0 walkover v Saffron Walden**
Post-tournament car chat quickly turned to the numbers. Austin (16), Cal (16), Ben (16), Charlie (17), Jack (15), Seth and Oscar (20)… and then Myles at 25, single-handedly dragging the squad’s average age up to a dizzying 18.1. Strip him out and this was essentially a youth team, with the average age hovering somewhere just shy of legal adulthood — albeit one that happened to come with a captain, a tactics board, and a serious indoor hockey IQ.

Women's Sixes: Ipswich runners up and Cambridge University claim title and qualification

The women’s competition at Culford School Sports Centre followed a round-robin format before bronze and gold medal matches, with the top two sides earning the right to contest the final. Cambridge University and Ipswich emerged early as the strongest teams. Their opening encounter ended goalless, but Cambridge University responded well, edging past Chelmsford (1–0) and St Albans (1–0) in tightly contested matches before producing a commanding 5–1 victory over Crostyx to finish top of the standings.

Ipswich enjoyed a productive round robin of their own, recording convincing wins against Crostyx (4–1), Chelmsford (2–0) and St Albans (2–0) to secure second place and a spot in the final.

Chelmsford and St Albans met in the bronze medal match following competitive round-robin campaigns. The play-off proved to be one of the most entertaining matches of the day, with both sides trading goals in an end-to-end contest that finished 4–4.

The women’s final proved a fitting conclusion to the day, bringing together the two strongest sides from the round-robin phase. Having drawn 0–0 earlier in the tournament, Cambridge University and Ipswich entered the gold medal match evenly matched, but it was Cambridge who rose to the occasion. Showing composure in possession and clinical finishing in key moments, they gradually pulled clear as the match wore on, eventually securing a 5–2 victory. The result not only crowned them East Area champions but also underlined their ability to perform under pressure, earning them the right to represent the area at the National Super 6s in January.