Match Reports - February 15, 2014

1st XI 2-1 Woking
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In any campaign there are matches to remember and ones which are quickly forgotten. This hard-fought tussle with relegation-threatened Woking definitely falls into the latter category for players and umpires alike.

For much of the first-half we were slightly below par and Woking, who had delivered out only pre-season defeat, did not look a bottom-three side. We did create more chances – Harry Thomas had the ball in the goal off a short only to be disallowed after a vociferous appeal – but Paddy Harman gave us the lead soon after as we went into the break good for a one-goal lead.

Would you let David Knapp treat you?

The problem of the second half was that the umpires decided to clamp down on a game which had not been in any way niggly or contentious. The only reason would seem to be they were being assessed but whatever it was, they turned the game on its head in a matter of three minutes by brandishing three yellows against us; the second may have been justified, the others were ludicrous. A unquestionable flick against us in this period was saved - although it was dreadful, trickling into the keeper who would have been hard pressed to avoid it - but inevitably the three-man deficit told and we conceded.

The umpiring continued to mystify – rather than continue by the benchmarks they had themselves set, they seemed to back off and allowed a string of tackles worse than the earlier carded ones to go unpunished – in one attack we could have had three men yellowed. Perhaps to even things up Woking received two. What’s more, there were endless breaks in play to address the most petty of infractions and this unsettled both sides.
Back to full strength, the injustices galvanised us into life and we enjoyed our best period with Chris Wiseman firing home the winner ten minutes from time after several good saves by the Woking keeper.

On another day we could have lost this game and found our lead in Premier 2 down to two points. As it was other results went our way and we left TD with a seven-point margin over London Edwardians and eight over West Hampstead. We play them both over the next fortnight.

3rd XI 3-0 Thames Valley & Chertsey
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It's a funny thing, being captain of the 3rd team. On Friday evening I had 11 players on the team sheet. The next morning, I woke up to find I had 9, then 15 by the time I got to the pitch, and somehow back on 11 when the game started. 

But what an 11! Facing off against top of the table Chertsey was a daunting prospect, and spectators were keen to point out the differences in pre-match preparation between the two teams, my rather 'hands off' approach and Chertsey's more rigid 'whiteboard and magnets' making an interesting contrast.

The OCs had a shaky start, with several rushed passes giving the ball away too easily and piling the pressure on ourselves. Some determined defending meant that Chertsey were unable to capitalise on their early possession and the arrival of Kevin Smith allowed us to rotate players and keep the energy up the whole game. The Marshall brothers, Dan and Toby, in the centre put together some great passes and Jody consistently made key jab tackles, cutting down on Chertsey's movement. The OCs started to make positive moves up the field, including some great runs of 10 or more passes. I was reminded of "Mario football" on the Nintendo Wii, where the ball accumulates more power the more passes you make. If we had indeed been playing Mario football then the ball would have been positively glowing with energy by the time  it came to yours truly in the opponent's D. Thankfully I knew exactly what to do; cop out and put the ball on a defender's foot. Hey presto, it's someone else's responsibility to score! And score Knappy did, taking us a goal up into the second half.

In the second half it was more of the same, with the OCs playing a composed, simple game of hockey. We strung together some great, easy passes round the back and early on found Knappy in the D for him to put away his second goal. Faced with losing, Chertsey increasingly lost their cool with the OCs, who did well not to react to some of the wild tackles and barges which were increasingly dealt out. I overheard Martin (who was umpiring) telling one player that he was on his "very last, final warning". It's so much nicer when he's saying that to an opponent rather than Nige...

The OC's passing game continued, and returnees Ed Brown and James Seymour swiftly closed down any attacks which came our way. To round it all off, on our third short corner of the game, Knappy's shot rebounded to Bish, who popped the most timid flick I have ever seen, straight over their keeper.

As if beating the top team wasn't enough, I even managed to add insult to injury by getting the oppo's name wrong at the end. They said after the game that we had been one of the toughest teams they have played all season, and as we were only their third defeat, the numbers certainly confirm that statement. Man of the match was voted for and shared equally by Knappy, Dan and Jody.

This fifth win of the season puts us within reach of the middle of the table with five games to play.

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The Colts season is progressing well and regular newsletters are now issued to keep everyone up to speed with what's happening, matches, socials, kits ... everything you need to know. Click on the links below for the recent issues

Click here to download the December 5, 2013 issue

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Click here to download the November 7, 2013 issue

Click here to download the October 14, 2013 issue

Match Reports - December 1, 2013

The 1st XI stay top of Premier 2 after a 3-2 win at Banbury and the 3rd XI and Ladies end recently poor runs with draws. But the 2nd XI stay rooted to the bottom of Surrey 1 after their eighth straight loss.

Old Kingstonians 1-1 Ladies
After one point from seven matches despite some heartening performances, it was important for the Ladies not to lose against a side with only one loss in six.

We achieved that aim and turned in a battling display after taking an early lead, resisting a tough last 20 minutes which was mainly spent in our 23. We took the lead on six minutes in bizarre circumstances. Tux hit a hopeful ball into the D from 30 yards out but with nobody following up there was no danger of anything other than a 16. But the OKs’ keeper aimed a casual kick, got the smallest of touches to the ball and after brief hesitation the goal was given.

As the second half wore on we started to get pulled back deeper and deeper into our half and the pace at times grew frantic.  The OKs’ levelled on 50 minutes with a scrappy effort but thereafter the defence held firm.

Goan 2-2 3rd XI
With memories of previous controversial matches against Goan fresh in our minds, speculation was rife that the players would be hostile, and the umpires even more so. Given the expectation, the game was actually fairly well conducted, with a minimum of backchat and questionable calls. The notable exception to that was Robin "magnet face" Crumby being outrageously smacked upside the head for the second time (in only his fourth game this season), with no card being given against the fouler.

Goan fielded their usual complement of elderly gentlemen who are good with a stick and quick to shoot their mouths off. Comically most of their abusive comments were aimed at their team-mates rather than us, it has to be said that our own communication was considerably more constructive, let's keep that going.

The first half began with an outrageous 15 second goal from the pushback. Our newest signing Matt Train lived up to his surname by powering down the left wing like a locomotive before popping a perfect pass to the handsome captain who was waiting on the far post. Unfortunately this stunning opening move seemed to imprint Matt in Goan's consciousness and they marked him consistently for the rest of the game, though he still made some decent runs. For the first half the OCs kept the pressure high up the field, closing off Goan's options and forcing them to play their classic game of hit and hope down the centre. The pressure paid off with a string of short corners, and Barry from the vets converted one early in the first half. Goan managed to get a few balls through and in spite of several good saves by Kevin, went 2-1 up by half time.

With everything to play for the OCs renewed the pressure in the second half, but Tim's groin injury reduced our advantage of pace, bringing us down to 11 men, though Goan suffered an injury shortly after. In spite of this they kept three men high, and managed to find one of them in the last quarter to equalise. In spite of determined spirit, and some isolated spells of genuinely sexy passing on the offensive, we were unable to score again.

We may not have won, but hey it's better than the last several games... therefore I am glad to declare that the recession is over! The recovery has begun and I predict good times ahead. Man of the match goes to Matt Train. Thanks to Tim for bringing him down, and to Andy for encouraging some of the vets to come. Guys, you are welcome in future, and I've added most of you to the standard 3rd team list. If any more vets want to be on the list, please get them to email me, I feel like the list isn't long enough already... Nathan Glover

Match Reports - November 23, 2013

The 1st XI stayed top of Premier 2 with a gritty 3-2 win over Tulse Hill where our skill on counter-attacks, goals from Jay Harman, Paddy Harman and  Louis Holmes, and some good goalkeeping, ensured we did enough to secure the three points.  The 2nd XI went down 0-2 at Woking, the 3rd XI 1-4 at home to Addiscombe and the Ladies lost 1-2 to Croydon. The Hamstrings dropped their first points of the season in a 3-3 draw at Richmond.

Ladies 1-2 Croydon
On a crisp sunny afternoon, the Ladies team went out all guns blazing from the whistle, to try and claw back some points in the league and achieve that sought-after win. We had a strong team and it was good to have Heather back in our front line after her absence as a result of an early-season injury.

During the first 15 minutes or so we were determined and composed with plenty of dominant play, putting the pressure on Croydon. Tosh and May had a great game on the right side of the pitch, with May making many of her classic speedy runs and strong passes into the D. Our goal came from converting one of these passes, with Nikki picking up the cross and striking towards the goal. Georgie was in a superb position on the left post and managed to pounce on the rebound to slip the ball past the keeper - a great boost for the team! Towards the end of the first half, we lost our focus and composure and allowed Croydon to score two goals, bringing the score-line to 1-2 at halftime. Michelle prevented any further damage to the score-line, by almost doing the splits and making some great saves.

During the stern halftime team talk, we regrouped and lifted our heads up for the second half. We pressed and persisted, placing pressure on the opposition and keeping the ball in Croydon's half for the majority of the remaining time. Jax and Helen has some great play between them on the left side of the pitch with short strong passes. We had several chances and short corners, but unfortunately we were unable to convert and, disappointingly, the scoreline remained the same at the final whistle. Special mention must also go to the OC's men's team supporting us on the sidelines, providing a boost and encouraging us to keep fighting til the end. We'll take this spirit into the next game - bring it on! 

3rd XI 1-4 Addiscombe
Let’s start by saying Addiscombe were good for their win, looking dangerous in attack if agricultural in some of their defensive tackling. They took their chances well – their fourth goal, a reverse-stick strike from the top of the D, would not have been out of place in the 1st XI game earlier. Well done to them.

 Enough of the game. Let’s turn to Ben, Addiscombe’s delightful No. 93 – the name and number might be worth noting for future opponents who prefer a pleasant afternoon rather than one in the company of a spoilt brat with few social graces.  Ben is clearly a good hockey player, reading the game well, quick on the break and a solid tackler.  He was better than this level, but a couple of minutes after first experiencing him it is clear why he will never play at a higher level.  Umpires.  If he played in a game with any appointed umpire he would do well to make it to half time.

He loudly moaned and snarled at every decision, told opponents to “**** off” almost as often as he spat – he should see a doctor about that as no ordinary human should produce so much phlegm that it needs spitting out onto the pitch every few second – and when not spitting was reproducing that lovely footballing habit clearing his nose by covering one nostril and blowing mucas out of the other one loudly and messily.

Why single him out? Because he pretty much ruined a good game single handedly and made his whole club look bad when in fact they were anything but.  When finally called over after a face-to-face showdown with Bentsy, he just whined repeatedly “what have I done?”. Bentsy apologised. Ben just carried on moaning. He has probably never apologised for anything in his life.

What you do, Ben dearest, is spoil the afternoon for other people and drag everyone down to your level and cause tempers to boil when without you they wouldn't.  You, Ben, typify why hockey struggles for players and especially umpires. The one good thing about Ben is that we only get to share the joy he brings twice a season. For that, we should be grateful.  

Match Reports - October 19, 2013

The 1st XI continued their impressive start with a tense 5-4 over Maidstone but an availability nightmare meant weakened sides and defeats for the 2nd XI and 3rd XI. The Ladies lost 0-3 at Richmond but the old boys held their ends up with the Hamstrings beating St Albans 2-0 and the Barnstormers being denied a win with a late equaliser.

Jay Harman adds the fifth goal 

1st XI 5-4 Maidstone
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A win is a win but at 5-2 up against the bottom side and with our forwards carving holes in a fragile defence, at one stage a rout seemed on the cards as Jay Harman with a hat-trick led the way with some crafty deflections. But then we rather lost direction, shipped two rather easy goals, and ended the game rather nervously. But we remain unbeaten in third with a visit to leaders Horsham, a side with the tightest defence in the league, promising a much tougher day out.

Richmond 3-0 Ladies
The mind games started ahead of the whistle as we warmed up. There were odd looks from the opposition as we practised our 360 degree looking using the rugby netball technique before the game. We were ready. We battled hard against the oppo and elements, passing well across the team with lots of calling. Unfortunately they snuck one past us in the second quarter. The game continued to go from one end to the other with strong performances from midfield and some great saves from Michele however the first half finished 1-0 to them. We came out fighting again in the second half. Several shorts at both ends but nothing going in. They then managed to find the back of our net twice before the final whistle was called to end the game 3-0 to them. There were a lot of positives for us to take away and we felt we’d had a strong game but just been outmanoeuvred on a few occasions and not been able to put away our chances. Man of the Match went to Nikki however the votes were spread across several in the midfield as there was lots of outstanding play.

Wanderers III 3-0 2nd XI
No report

3rd XI 3-4 Old Reigatians
Report to follow from Eds Copleston. You have been warned.

Hamstrings 2-0 St Albans
You have to feel for Tim Cook. Stuck on the A3 in solid traffic so by the time he arrived the game was well underway and they had found two umpires, he must have thought his day couldn't get any worse. He was wrong as he had to watch Andy Loates and then Neal Fox score, the latter from at least a yard out. Stuart Sleeman, more than two years after his terrible injury, made an hugely popular return to action and showed all his old tricks up front.  Hamstrings are now top with three wins in three.

Barnstormers 1-1 Basingstoke

Match Reports - October 12, 2013

The 1st XI continued their impressive unbeaten run with a 2-2 draw away against Marlow. The 2nd XI didn't play after the oppo pulled out but the 3rd XI are top of their league with a great fightback to win 3-4. The Ladies however suffered a 0-2 defeat.

Marlow 2-2 1st XI
No formal report but lots of talks about how we were two up and let it slip,

Ladies 0-2 London
After last weeks defeat, the oc ladies were determined to pull back three points. An energetic warm up put us in good stead but a lack of concentration in the first few minutes meant that the opposition put one past us into the goal. Riled up, we picked up our game and a had several chances in the D but unfortunately didn't mange to convert before the half time whistle went.

Following some encouraging words at half time, the second half started much more positively.The team worked well together to keep possession and much of the 2nd half was spent in the oppo's half thanks to some great work by the mids and forwards. Defensively we held strong throughout, forcing the opposition into some 'hit and hope' passes. Unfortunately I think tiredness got the better of us and in the closing minutes a second goal was scored against us. A disappointing result for the ladies but they can't be faulted for the effort put into the game. A big thanks to Liz for stepping in as captain in Tux's absence, and well done to Nikki for getting Woman of the Match.

Reigate Priory 3-4 3rd XI
And so we roll on to GAME TWO which proved to be more a scene from Rambo - first blood- which ended with the great Stallone (Our skipper) forgetting the final score..... guts, blood and drama....this game provided it all.

It all started with Nathan sending us directions to the wrong ground. However despite the skippers sabotage we had 12 there for the team meeting and the side were left in shock with the sudden realisation that the infamous whiteboard was actually reversible. The plan was clear, move the ball swiftly and use our speed on the flanks, just how we won World War One against the Germans. Shockingly for an OCHC outfit we started very well and scored in the first 2 minutes. Usually we concede early and we automatically sat back and waited for Reigate to respond. It didn't take too long and a cross from deep in the corner won them a soft goal which was quickly followed by a second. 2-1 down and now they have a short corner.

Their striker looked like he had been 10 rounds with Rocky but he evidently could smash the ball as it went straight at Crumby's head. Blood all over the place and a hairline fracture and a wobbly tooth later we asked if he was going to apologise and the response was "I didn't intend to hit him." Ok. As Crumby was walking to A+E we ironically took control of the game.

Reigate couldn't get our half, Tommy CD and our new recruit Nick were dominating the middle with fluid transfers and finally we were passing the ball with speed and passion. No goal though. At half time Skips pointed out the oppo are embarrassed to be ahead, so really it was more of the same and no soft goals at the back. Nothing goes according to the whiteboard when the game starts and we leaked another weak goal to go 3-1 down with 25 mins left. If this side maintains what happened next for the rest of the season it will be a glorious one.

We controlled the game henceforth and forced chance after chance, controlling the game on both flanks and finally a few short corners were won and Eds popped in two shorts from a very well drilled short corner routine and we were back to 3-3.

At this stage we saw the first card of the game. I'll be honest - if you've lost control of the ball Bentsy lets not dive and then get up like Zinedine and try and start a fight with the man we know has been 10 rounds with Stallone. No-one is gonna have your back. Comically the opposition got the green card and the game continued.

With five minutes left Bents came good and made a great run into the D and passed to Eds to finish off a hat trick. We had 5 minutes to hold on and defended very deep to hold on to our magnanimous (eh?) 4-3 lead. With seconds to play Reigate won a short corner. Nigel was epic in defence and we managed to hold out for what was a truly emotional victory. So now we are top of the league. Minor point being we have played the two bottom sides and beaten them. We all dream of a glorious season and the day our skipper will send us to the correct ground and remember the final score. Best wishes to Crumby from all of us. This weekend will be a tougher challenge at home - especially as Jock is still on the sidelines following his "attempt to run" injury.... THE DREAM IS ALIVE!  Eds 'Horribly Excitable' Copleston

Match Reports - October 5, 2013

Match reports for the first full week of the league season with good results for the men's sides but a setback for the Ladies

1st XI 4-2 Barnes

Croydon 2-2 2nd XI

London Edwardians 4-0 Ladies After the long drive to Battersea Park (for some) and inevitable afternoon push-back delay we set to against a tough London Edwardians team, with 12 players. We battled hard against the opponents and the bumpy pitch which at times gave rise to an almost lacrosse style of play (Fletch must have taken tips from Sophie DH!).

Unfortunately the first half ended with us having conceded and in need of really taking the game to them. However, today wasn't our day - they seemed to have a bit more fire in their belly so although it was an incredibly tough game on all sides and we had a few chances in the D we couldn't get it across the line.

An early season defeat of 4-0 to London Edwardians leaves us itching to get back out there and come out fighting next time.
3rd XI 2-0 Sunbury and Weybridge Hawks
This was a fresh season, a new start for a third team that lost their skipper last season and had Nathan "Man Up" and take over a team that was clearly talented but had not produced the goods to date. Comically, Skips wasn't even there for the warmup, he was busy creating a masterpiece of a whiteboard that would ensure we knew our structure and were mentally prepared for a season that he wants to be glorious. Its great to be back in England and experience the wonderful rain that seems to fall even when the forecast was for sun and no clouds. We had a few motivational words from skips after the whiteboard was put down...then it was time for pushback and the beginning of what we believe is going to be a monumental 3rd XI season.

We dominated the first half and should have had a few more than just the edge of Eds's stick that their keeper mysteriously let go into the goal....what was he thinking....The back line held firm throughout and was the reason for us being up at half time. Nigel had a few too many words with the umpire. I have never seen a keeper complain about a decision that went in our favor - so passionate he is that it almost resulted in a sin bin.

Early in the second half we began to dominate the game and despite the loss of Jock Vickers (quite an extraordinary injury that when questioned he claimed he was trying to "change direction"). The half time team talk was listened to and we began to move the ball wider and use the speed we had against what was an ageing opposition back line. We did need a second goal however, and it took a long time to come. A seriously selfish Chris Bents had 5 open players when he decided to shoot from the sideline. We still await his penalty jug. Eventually a short corner routine that has taken years to evolve after training resulted in Eds finishing the game off and the crowd were chanting OC's forevermore.

It looks like a good season ahead and a victorious one now that we have Jock on the sidelines serving Pimms and taking pictures. Well done to Nathan for incredible organisation and a white board that leaves Alex Ferguson pondering where he went wrong..... Ed Copeston