Dodie Khurshid - A&E will never be the same again

In a forgettable 2nd XI match at TD in November 2009, Dodie Khurshid turned and as his shoe became caught in the pitch, fell to the ground in agony. So used were many of us at the sight of him flapping around as if shot, for some time we ignored him. Eventually he hobbled off where a trained physio diagnosed a twisted knee. Little did we know that was to be his final outing for the club or that what seemed a routine injury was in fact a very serious break. Several operations later, he has finally announced his retirement. The comments on his Facebook page when he did so spoke volumes for the fondness with which everyone who has known Dodie regard him.

Dodie was one of three player we identified in the late 1980s as being the kind of people that the Old Cranleighans wanted to recruit as we strove to adapt to astroturf and replace an ageing 1st XI. The others were Will Stephens and Johnny Stables. Stables moved to some remote part without telling us, but nonetheless, two out of three wasn’t bad.

It soon became clear that while Will was the more flamboyant, grumpy (yes Will, you are) and gnarled player, in Dodie we had a solid defender , albeit one who was guaranteed – and I do mean that – to sustain an injury of some kind during any match. We also had someone to mend the fences Will and others had smashed down during games.

Often Dodie managed to get injured during training as well. Browsing through my archives I found I have as many pictures of Dodie lying on his back, legs in the air, almost crying, as I do of my own children. I once had to drive him to Kingston Hospital bleeding profusely from a head wound. He was greeted by nurses in A&E like a long-lost friend.

But hypochondria aside, Dodie was – is - the kind of player any club longs for. Utterly reliable – only in his twilight years did he even think about daft mid-season skiing trips - quietly efficient and utterly committed to the cause on the pitch. If a ball was heading goalwards, Dodie saw the stick as only one option for blocking it, his knees the barrier of choice. The same attitude applied to attackers, and for one so relatively slight he was deceptively hard to get past. Despite that, he received few cards – in 2003 a report noted a green in a 1st XI match was his first for eight seasons. Off the pitch he was a bit of a smoothy, and not only with opponents and umpires.

His game fell apart the further forward he went. By the time he reached the opposition D he was next to useless. As the years went on it became a challenge to get him to score. In one 1st XI league game against Wokingham when we were 15-0 up he was planted in front of the goal while passes were fed to him, all to no avail.

In 2005, in his 16th season, he finally scored (see picture below) and minutes later he tried for a second, a sliding effort which, inevitably, finished with him lying on the ground bleeding. The floodgates were opened. The second - and final - goal came just two seasons later.

As the years went on speed, never really his strongest asset, diminished but his guile grew. His legs, as my wife endlessly told anyone who would listen, remained divine.

Off the pitch, as on it, he took on a lot of work without show or fuss. Even when sidelined by injury and confined to a sofa and a diet of daytime soaps, while many in such a position would have ceased involvement with the running of the club, he continued to help. It was so typical of Dodie that he concluded his retirement message by saying he wanted to “continue his (now) 22-year association with the Old Cranleighan Hockey Club. If they'll let him.”

His wish to remain involved can only be to our benefit. Personally, I am delighted we haven’t seen the last of him at TD. There are few enough gentlemen – in the true sense - left for us to lose one. Martin Williamson


David Knapp writes:
There is very little I can add to Martin's words which reflect my own views on Dodie's amazing service to the club.

I am aware that Dodie is recognised as a very intelligent guy but I do not find that thought sits easily with his decision to continually come back for more punishment. One of his last injuries was in a warm up for a league match. The 3s had just finished. Eds hit the ball goalward only for Dodie to appear from stage right and take a pile driver in the mouth. It was a horrible sight with a from tooth appearing through his upper lip. However in order to calm him down I strolled up and said " no problems Dodie, a mere scratch but as it is a mouth wound, a little more blood than you would expect". Dodie was reassured. At this point one of the 3s walked past, galnced at Dodie and uttered the immortal words " Oh Jesus, Dodie that is shocking, I am going to puke". Cue Dodie going very white and into shock and then into a car and off to A & E.

There are certain people who you know you can utterly rely on, and Dodie is one. Once he has said "yes, I will be there" there is no need to remind or prompt him again. Luckily the club has many of these types but those who have no such facets to their make up could and should look and learn from Dodie.

Thanks Dodie for all those hard yards and for coming back for more. The club is lucky to have had you around with your presence missed over the last 12 months or so.

I can only say thank you for the past and so glad you will be part of the fabris for the future.