The 2022/23 hockey season started with a bang as our men won the Wiltshire County
Championships. Having performed the same feat the previous year, they became back-to-back County Champions for the first time! At the same event, our ladies finished in third place, having been knocked out by eventual champions, Corsham, in the semi-final.

And the season finished on a high as our Under 10s emulated their older clubmates by winning the IN2Hockey Wiltshire County Championships in March. The squad of ten boys and girls went undefeated for the entire tournament and didn’t concede a single goal all day! A huge congratulations to all those involved, including all the club coaches, team managers, parents and of course the youngsters themselves.

Having been crowned County Champions, the Under 10s went on to represent Wiltshire at the Regional Finals on the 16th of April, where they faced teams from as far afield as Penzance. The team performed well, finishing third in their group and narrowly missing out on a semi-final spot.

Not to be outdone by our youngest members, our Masters Players have also been achieving success at a regional Level. Club members have been selected for the West of England squads in the Men’s Over 45s, Ladies’ Over 55s and Men’s Over 60s age groups. The Over 60s battled to a hard fought 2-2 draw against Wales on the 16th of April.

At senior level, the club currently runs three men’s league teams and three ladies’ league teams who all compete in the West Hockey League.

Our Men’s 1 st XI achieved promotion into Division 1 (North) at the end of the previous season, putting them in a league that includes Gloucester City, City of Bath and Chippenham 1 st XIs. This season they competed well, achieving a mid-table finish and, more importantly, took the local bragging rights by finishing one place above Chippenham in the table!

The Ladies 1 st XI play in Division 2 (East), a very competitive league that also includes Marlborough, Corsham and Devizes 1 st XIs. They were in the hunt for promotion until the final few weeks of the season when they unfortunately slipped to a fourth-place finish, only three points off second place.

Our ladies’ 2 nd and 3 rd XIs had strong seasons in the Whitehorse district divisions, with both achieving mid-table finishes in their respective leagues and having a lot of fun in the process.

The men’s 2 nd and 3 rd XIs also competed strongly in the Saxon district divisions. It was goals galore for the 3 rd XI as they averaged almost four goals per game across the entire season!

In March we hosted our first ever Junior Hockey Festival, welcoming a total of 25 teams from across the county to play in three different age groups in some fun-filled matches. The event was well received by visitors who thoroughly enjoyed watching their youngsters playing a game they love whilst tucking into a treat from the cake stall and BBQ.  The club is looking to make this an annual event and would like to thank James Booth Photography and the event’s sponsor, FORT Builders’ Merchant.

The Club also has representatives playing in the Wiltshire Under 15 Girls and Boys teams and looks forward to recommending more players for the England Hockey Junior Development Centres during the summer.

The 2023/24 season will commence in August with pre-season training and our annual Club Open Day on the 2nd September from 9:30am. New and returning players of any age are always welcome. For more information about the club please contact us!

Photos courtesy of James Booth and RWBHC.