A lot of focus is placed on the BUCS matches for the university hockey teams, but
all 5 teams also compete on a Saturday in the Yorkshire Hockey Leagues, facing
up against some of the best club sides in the county.Although the highlights of the season are often seen to be BUCS and especially the Roses, winning promotion in the Yorkshire Leagues is also a target, and as we come towards the business end of the season, all the teams have fared well so far, and have some crucial games remaining.
Under the guidance of captain Henry Meller, the Men’s 1st XI have performed admirably in the premier division of the Yorkshire League, sitting 3rd after 15 games. Realistically this is as high as they can aim to finish, as the top two are comfortably clear, but nevertheless third would be an excellent achievement, matching that of last year. Seven successes have been recorded, including convincing margins of victory against Halifax, Kingston-upon-Hull and Sheffield University Bankers. Apart from one blip against Hull University, the other four defeats have been narrow, by the odd goal, highlighting the small margins which have prevented them from achieving an even more successful season. A 2-2 draw against table toppers Sheffield Hallam, showed the phenomenal potential of the team, and just a little more consistency is needed to make that next step, to go with the undisputed talent. I’m sure that the team will be looking to finish the season strongly and consolidate their third position, and pile on the pressure on the two teams above.
The captaincy for the Ladies 1st XI is split, with Hannah Gage leading for the midweek matches, whilst Sally Warrington assumes the role at weekends. Up until now it’s been a successful season, with the Ladies sitting top of the table in division 1 of the Yorkshire leagues. However things are very tight, with the girls battling with Harrogate and City of York for promotion, and the two other contenders have games in hand. Out of the 15 matches, 11 have resulted in victory, with defeat only being suffered twice, both on their travels. The highlights of the season have been a fantastic 6-3 victory over 3rd place City of York, and a 10-0 thumping of Huddersfield Dragons. Crucial games remain against the two other main contenders, especially a season finale trip to Huntington to play City of York, in what will without doubt be a feisty encounter. The top two teams earn promotion and I believe that the Ladies have what it takes. Sally Warrington commented “personally I think the Yorkshire League really aids with team building and allows us to practice different skills in preparation for the tougher BUCS matches”. According to Warrington, stand out performers have included Jill Mercer and Sally Dolton, but a whole team effort has been integral in allowing the tea to enjoy its successes. Commitment, hard work and passion have been key, and it is clear that the whole team have gelled into a close knit bunch.
At the end of last season, the 2nd XI suffered the disruption of losing a number of key players who had previously formed the spine of the team. However now under the Leadership of Alex Alonso, the team have regrouped and settled into a strong unit, which sit 2nd in Division 4 of the Men’s Yorkshire League. According to the skipper, “the team has developed a good chemistry and everyone has bedded into their role. Confidence has been building, and our performances have been growing steadily more convincing”. One of the highlights of the season was convincingly defeating rivals Bradford 3-1, yet there have been many other excellent successes including comfortable victories over Sheffield Hallam and Ben Rhydding. Promotion is the goal for the season, but that may be a difficult challenge, since other teams have numerous games in hand. As Alonso stated, to achieve this, the team “will need to win every one of the remaining games”, and hope for a bit of luck. It’s not all been plain sailing, early season defeat against table toppers Leeds knocked the confidence, and draws before Christmas away at Boston Spa and Acomb, halted momentum. The whole team has performed admirably and Alonso asserted that the performance of freshers such as James Hope and Patrick Forrester have been especially encouraging. It’ll be difficult to win promotion, but we wish the team the best of luck for the rest of the season.
The Yorkshire league has been fruitful for the Ladies 2nds to date, as the girls sit top of Division 6, with an excellent record of 11 victories in 13 matches. Their goal record with 78 goals scored, and only 8 conceded shows their dominance, and underlines how successful they’ve been so far. Promotion seems to be on the cards, with the main battle being for the title with Lincoln Roses, who inflicted the sole defeat on the girls, the only real low of a very successful campaign. Weather permitting, the girls have a massive match this weekend, as they look to avenge the defeat by Lincoln, and take a massive step towards grasping the title. Captain Harriet Nicholls commented, “The whole season in the Yorkshire League has been a highpoint, as we have had a lot of enthusiastic players and competition for tea selection has been high”. The most emphatic result was the 29-0 crushing of Hull, who they have since also defeated 10-0, truly fantastic results. The goals have flowed, and the team are clearly enjoying their hockey, with everyone contributing and a great team spirit being evident. As Nicholls put it, “I strongly believe we have been successful so far, because we all get along so well and have fun whilst playing”. Freshers Nina Rawlings and Alex Haywood have stood out as dependable and skilful players, whilst vice captain Anna Williamson, has been a vital member of the team through her great commitment and skill. The girls clearly have the making of a very strong outfit, and we all wish them the best in achieving their goal of obtaining the league title, which they have worked so very hard for.
Recent seasons have seen a meteoric rise through the division for the 3rd team, and after last season’s promotion, they were aiming to perform well in the North Section of Division 6. Last season the team surpassed 100 goals. This season the opposition has been much tougher, but nevertheless the lads, led by Jon Waghorne, sit in 3rd place. With 6 games remaining it may well be difficult to catch the teams ahead, who have both a points advantage and in Halifax’s case, games in hand. Before Christmas, despite a 10-2 hammering of Bingley Bees, the team’s form was rather inconsistent, which hindered their bid for another promotion. A run of only 1 win between the middle of October and early December, led to the team slipping towards mid table mediocrity. As Waghorne asserted, “It is a league in which we feel we should strongly be pushing for promotion, but at times we have not performed as we would have liked”. However a recent run of four straight victories has reignited their season. If they can keep up such tremendous form, then there’s a belief that they can achieve great things in the remainder of the season. One of the biggest disappointments was conceding two late goals against Halifax, to succumb to a 3-2 defeat, but a 7-1 win over Huddersfield Dragons was according to the skipper an outstanding performance. Chris Buttersworth has been outstanding in the middle of the park, directing play, whilst new keeper Mike Ward has displayed some promising performances. Vice Captain, Danny Williams has been another valuable asset, through his commitment and scoring of crucial goals throughout the campaign. The potential in the team is evident, and it seems that the future prospects are bright.