The Under 15 metro competition start on Friday 14 March, and all other grades are expected to start on the weekend of 28/29 March. SU plays Baulkham Hills at 7:15pm at Pennant Hills

The Metro comp is starting earlier than the others because it is a 10 team comp, so it needs 18 rounds if every team is to play each other twice. Other North Area grades will have fewer teams.

The full draw for the Metro games on Friday the 14th is set out below. The draw for other rounds (or for the other grades) is not yet available.

7.00pm  Ryde Ryde vs Sutherland Blue at Ryde
8.30pm  Northern District vs St George at Pennant Hills
8.30pm  Moorebank vs South West Strikers at Moorebank  
7.15pm  Baulkham Hills vs Sydney Uni at Pennant Hills
7.30pm  Gordon Nth Sydney vs Sutherland Black  at KHC   

Our Metro team had a solid 1-0 win over Baulkham Hills last Friday in Round 1. Congratulations to all the players.

Many thanks to Tom Lobsey for coaching the team on Friday night in Jess's absence at AHL, and to Matt (our English coach) for umpiring.

We established a new Metro record in the game.  Our team had 9 girls and just 2 boys.  It's a great sign for junior hockey when competitions can run this way and still be very even. (Disappointingly, some clubs still refuse to let any girls take the field for their metro team.)

We understand the results of the other Metro games were a 1-0 win to Sutho Black over GNS, a 3-0 win to ND over St George, a 7-2 win to Sutho Blue over Ryde, and a win by Morrebank over the composite South West Strikers team.

The next round of Metro will be on the 28/29th of March.  That is also the first round of the comp for all other grades.

Tim Skidmore from GNS has had the excruciating task of preparing the draw for North Area. It will be available before Easter. Part of the difficulty in finalising the first round draw is the fact that the numbers of teams being entered by the NA clubs are still changing as players confirm (or not) their willingness to play hockey in 2008. Please thank Tim when you see him for doing a great job. Tim is easy to recognise - he's the guy who had black hair last season but it's grey now.

The junior season continues with Round 2 this week for all agegroups except the U18 girls.

Games are as follows:

U11B    BYE

U13A   vs Briars at Cintra at 10am on Saturday 5 April

U13B   vs Northern Districts Blue at 7.30pm at Ryde on Friday 4 April

U15C    vs Briars at Cintra at 11.10am on Saturday 5 April

U15 Metro    vs GNS at KHC at 8am on Saturday 5 April

Please  be at the game 30 minutes before the scheduled start time, and bring your mouthguard and shinguards.

The next games for the Juniors will be on Friday 2 May and Saturday 3 May, but the draw will not be settled until around Anzac Day. This is becasue the North Area Junior Hockey Association Committee will review the games to date to make sure all the teams are correctly graded. Once this is done a draw for the balance of the season will be prepared and published.

Round 3 was interesting, and showcased some of the trials and tribulations of junior Club sport.

The Metro team suffered a 2-1 loss to Northern Districts. It was the team's first loss, but not unexpected as only half the team members were available. Many thanks to the Under 13A and Under 15C players who filled in for the absentees at such late notice, particularly the very young Renee de la Motte. The extras showed great zeal and skill, and they all benefited from playing at this level. Even with the stop-gap team we dominated territory and possession, and had many, many shots on goal with the goalie totally beaten. As in last week's game the team was extraordinarily unlucky, though, and managed to shave or hit the post perhaps a dozen times... and that is ignoring near misses. Our opponents however earned almost a perfect record in scoring almost every time they got to our 25.

The all-young-girls-bar-one 15Cs played against a UTS team of strong boys (bar two) and the 8-0 loss was simply a reflection of UTS's superior striking power.  We played very well in the mid field with some outstanding individual efforts, but in the end the UTS attack was literally too strong. It was very pleasing to see the strong team spirit amongst the 16 players who worked so hard in the game, and particularly to see how they were analysing the play to work out their best means to counter the UTS attacks.

The 13As had a 3-2 win over Baulkham Hills and maintained their position at the top of the table. The team has some real class, and it is great to see how well they pass the ball around the field as they look for attacking opportunities.

The 13Bs lost 8-0 to one of the strong GNS sides. Our players did very well, but were again hampered by their restricted numbers and lack of extras. If just two or three more players join the team it will immediately be significantly more competitive because we have some great talent. So players - ask your friends to come along!

The 11Bs had a good 2-0 win over Northern Districts, thier second win from two games. The team is showing real promise, and we look forward to watching their progress. It is exciting to think that some of our Under 11 players from just 4 years ago are now playing in our Mens and Womens First and Second Grade teams. It shows just how much these players can learn at Primrose Park!

All in all the Club fared well in Round 2 with lots of players showing considerable improvement in their skills already, and some great teamwork on the field. 

The Metro team had a 3-2 win over GNS. It was a scratchy game but the team showed some real spirit. Ed Tilly scored a freakish goal to get to 3-2, which almost compensated for Re Russell's unbelievablely bad luck when her shot bounced off the post and back into the field when the keeper was completely beaten. Young Nic Johnston scored the other two goals after clever passing in the D. Many thanks to Matt Davey from the Mens First Grade team who again did a great job coaching the team in the chilly Kuring-gai dawn -  and commiserations, Matt, that the kangaroos stayed away.

The 15C team also had a good 7-0 win over Briars. They took the field with an absolute novice of a goalkeeper, but he only touched the ball twice as the team's attack and defence were very strong. Kat, Imogen, Lizzy and Hannah all had great games. Maybe having four red-headed girls on the field also helped dazzle the opposition. Again, thanks to Matt Davey for filling in here as coach too.

The 13A team had a relatively easy game against Briars and won 10-0.  The team displayed good teamwork with a number of strings of passes. A special mention has to go to Ellie Eagle, who showed very good skills and great teamwork in her first game for the Club. The coaches - David Clarke and Hannah - are doing well with this group.

The 13B team lost 4-0 against Northern Districts in their first match of the season, but this result was not unexpected as only 9 players turned up for the game, including some Under 11s who played up. Many thanks to the talented group of Under 11 players who filled in on Friday, and to Anne Simmons, who coached and managed them on the night.  We only just have enough numbers to field this second Under 13 team, and this does place a slightly higher onus on the team members to be there each week to support the rest of their teammates. We hope the team members will be available in greater numbers once the draw settles down, because this team is important in making sure all the players in the club get a good competitive game each week. A single U13 team with a very large (and very bored) bench is not our preferred option.

The U11s had a bye last week, but made up for it with a good training run on the turf at Ryde. Thanks to coach Rod Dixon for assisting in organising this outing for the team.

This weekend the 13As play at 7:30pm on Friday 11th at Pennant Hills, followed by the U15As (Metro) at 8:45pm at Pennant Hills.  The U15Cs play at Ryde at 10:00am on Saturday 12th. The Under 11Bs play at Kuring-gai on Saturday 12th at 8:30 am followed by the U13Bs at 9:30 am at Kuring-gai.

Again, thanks to Tim Skidmore from GNS for all his work on the draw. After this round the pools will be finalised and a full draw for all teams for the balance of the season will be provided by early May.

U15 C vs Gordon on 3 May. Result: won 6-0

Not a good start for the Sydney Uni U15Cs: when the whistle blew at the correct (but awfully early) time, we were the underdogs with only 8 players on the field compared to the opposition's 10. 

With this brushed aside, the 15's stormed the pitch, and within 2 minutes, a goal slipped in by Nic Johnston (borrowed from the 13s) saw us 1-0 up.  After kicking off to such a great start, the 15's continued to dominate the game. Our sturdy defence battled against any attempt of an attack from the shaken opposition. Emily Manners at left half, tackling like a demon, sent her opposition attacker off spinning.  Mollie Bevan and Jess Knight stood their ground, heading off any wandering attackers, leaving a very bored novice keeper Alistair Johnston (a field player borrowed from the 15As ) standing forlorn in goal for a good part of the first half - although given the tightness of his borrowed goalie gear he may have been unable to move anyway.

After 10 minutes, now with the side being at a disadvantage of 9-11 players, Paige Chowdhury, at right wing worked fantastically alongside her fellow forwards, and broke through the Gordon defence, making a charging run towards the goal.  The other forwards stormed up the middle, and after a hefty smack from the Metro goalkeeper cum 15C field player, Cameron Rowland, SUHC U15's where 2-0 up. Gordon let their heads drop, and conceded a few short corners.  Not being a team to miss an opportunity, the 15's responded by converting one of these shorts (Cameron again), making the half time score 3-0.

After a quick ½ time chat, the 15s ran back on the pitch ready to continue on their rampage.  The sides where now even in numbers and the 15's didn't show any mercy, setting a further gap in the score  after 5 minutes with Nic scoring, making the score 4-0.  The 15's looked unstoppable, and this got the opposition playing harder.  Gordon made a few breaks involving Alistair (in goal) in the game, but to no avail.  The 15's toyed with them, giving away a few short corners, but not allowing them to convert. A sneaky interception in our D then saw the ball flying up the pitch toward the opposition D.  Collected by Camilla who skilfully jinked the ball over a defensive opposition's stick to Paige, who then fought through another series of defenders, offloaded the ball to Nic, who finished off by tapping the ball onto the backboard, scoring his hat trick. After this well-worked goal, the score was now 5-0, and still the 15's fought on showing no remorse. 

Goal of the match has to go to Evie Bell (usually fullback), who managed to be in the right place at the right time at all times throughout the match.  25 minutes into the second half a sweeping pass from Nic went past 3 Gordon defenders and into their D, where it was magically converted through a backhand tap by Evie, who had flown across the field to be on the spot. It was Evie's first ever goal after some four years of complete dedication. Fantastic effort, Evie!!!!!

Ingrid worked hard at right half, overpowering her opponents every time, and received a well deserved POTM for her sterling effort. Well done all of you for such a great effort and a well deserved result!

Team: Mollie Bevan, Evie Bell, Jess Night, Paige Chowdhury, Emily Manners, Dev Cooray, Ingrid, Camilla, Cameron Rowland, Alistair Johnston, Nic Johnston

Scorers: Nic 3, Cameron 2, Evie 1 (but what a goal!)

Player of the match:  Ingrid. Other B&F points to Emily, Evie and Paige. 

Four players from SUHC Juniors have been named in the HNSW City Team U15's for Hockey NSW's annual Country v City Challenge. The challange is scheduled for 16 March at Moorebank, and is a key part of selection for NSW teams.

U15 Girls
Hayley De La Motte
Cara Simpson

U15 Boys
Alistair Johnston
Edward Tilly

Thirteen juniors have also been selected in representative teams for Sydney in 2008. They are Renee De La Motte (U11/1), Felicity Brown and Kate Mostert (U13/1 Girls), Nicolas Johnston (U13/1 Boys), Mathilda Carmichael, Hayley De La Motte, Rhiannon Russell, Mel Shoard and Fiona Tout (all U15/1 Girls), Alistair Johnston (U15/1 Boys), Cameron Rowland and Edward Tilly (both U15/2 Boys) and Shakti Rathore (U15/3 Boys). For a small junior club this is an outstanding achievement, and a great tribute to the quality of our team and skills coaches.

Congratulations to all players and coaches.

Our Junior club plays its second international match on Wednesday 2 July. The U18 girls team has been selected to play an invitational match against Coleraine College, a strong Irish team that is currently touring Australia.  The match is at Kuringai at 5pm, and everyone is welcome to come and watch.  We expect the team to be challenged a lot more than in their regular Sunday matches which they have been winning by substantial margins.

This international match follows a game last year between our Under 15 team and a touring team from Wakefield College in England.  SUHC won that match, so we hope to keep up our perfect record against the Irish.

A third international match for the Juniors is scheduled for Friday 25 July.  Our Under 18 girls will play a team from George Watson's College in Edinburgh, Scotland.  We are hoping to find some Welsh opponents to complete the set...

The Juniors receive a number of reqests to play matches against visiting teams. These games are played purely for the sake of a good game of hockey. They are a lot of fun for those who participate, and a good way for our own players to broaden their own horizons.  Many thanks to the parents and players who make the games happen: this is not as easy as it sounds because ground shortages and school timetable clashes are not easily overcome.

The Juniors won four from four over the weekend to give a solid start to the second half of the season.

The U15 Metro team beat Baulkham Hills 2-0. Injuries and absences had depleted our numbers yet again, but the stalwarts and additions combined well under coaches Matt Davey and Jess Blake. Zoe Spyer, Ed Tilly and Cameron Rowland played well, Alistair and Nicolas Johnston combined yet again for a goal, and Hayley de la Motte was speedy as ever. Em Manners and Marcus Culey also rose to the occasion after being called in on short notice. Particular thanks to Anne Spyer for making sure we could field a full team even though she had been unwell all week.

The U15Cs won 3-0 on Friday night, possibly due in part to the team's Tim-Tam bonding session last Monday. Dev Cooray created a perfect record in her first game as goalie while, at the other end, the Baulkham Hills goalie had to put in a player-of-the-match performance to keep out our many attacks. Everyone performed well, and Evie Bell scored her second goal of the season in a good team win. Coaches Dan Field and Rachel Smith should be applauded for the success of their novel training methods (although Dan disclaims responsibility) and their efforts in getting out to Pennant Hills on a cold and wet night. It is not easy for student coaches, and we are grateful to them and the parents who help. 

The 13As played well and had a 2-0 win over Baulkham Hills. Thanks to some wet soccer fields we had 13 players available, and they all combined well. Tim Brand, Henry Clarke and Andrew Dosseter were always a threat up front through their speed and good passing, and henry's absolute doggedness in getting that ball! Nicolas Johnston and Alex Bryant were a very solid midfield platform, and Renee de la Motte was as safe as houses as a fullback.

The 11Bs won 3-0. Correspondent Jack Clarke reported that they all played pretty well and that the Northern Districts opposition were pretty good, but Uni still beat them pretty easily anyway and had a good time doing it. Go the 11s!!

SLICS will be running a Goalkeeper & Striker Academy during February at Cintra Park, Concord.

Players of all levels 13 years and older are invited to attend. This is an opportunity for players to prepare for the 2009 season under the guidance of SLICS' quality coaches. Players will be grouped according to their age and ability levels, with Advanced, Intermediate and Novice groups all available.

STRIKERS PROGRAM
WEEK 1: Hitting Technique & Accuracy
WEEK 2: Power shooting, lifted shots - chipping and squeezing
WEEK 3: Quick shots, reverse stick shooting, PC's & PS
WEEK 4:  1v1's, rebounding, deflections

GK PROGRAM
WEEK 1: Technique, ground saves and circle orientation
WEEK 2: Hand & stick saves, saving of wide shots
WEEK 3: Dropping & sliding, PC's & PS
WEEK 4: 1v1's, dynamic & reaction saves, multiple saves

Location:        Cintra Park, Gipps Rd, Concord
Dates:              February 1, 8, 15, 22.
Times:             4pm - 6pm each week
Cost:                $150 (includes $50 discount equipment voucher for any purchases over $150. Valid for 12 months)

To register, log onto www.sportslinkaustralia.com.au and go to the "Camps & Clinics" page. REGISTRATIONS CLOSE 26th JANUARY 

Family & Club Discounts also available:
1st Player - Normal price
2nd Player - 10% discount
3rd+ Player - 20% discount

The Under 18 girls suffered a rare loss on Friday 25 July when George Watson's College, a visiting Scottish school team, won their one-off international by 3-2. It was a great match. The standard of play was exceptionally high, it was played in great spirit, and it was a real nail-biter.  GWC's winning goal came just seconds before the final bell.  SU should be extrememly proud of its performance because GWC is not your average touring team. The school has seven girls in the Scottish Under 16 and Under 18 teams, and they just won the Under 18 Scottish Youth Plate (without eight of their regulars being there). They set their sights high, too - on Wednesday they were at the Hockeyroos training in Perth.  Congratulations to GWC on a good win and to both teams on a great display.

Cintra had one of its most motivated Friday crowds for the game. GWC came with its own cheer squad, who doubled as the GWC touring rugby team, and were perhaps more used to the cold and showery conditions than the locals. They proved to be the perfect means to show how sport can work to build international relationships, and at least one member of the SU team received a marriage proposal from at least one member of the GWC cheer squad after the game. To date, we are not aware of any acceptances.

Many thanks to Mathilda Carmichael (a non-goalie) for filling in as goalie at the last minute, and to GWC, Anne Simmons and Katie Price for organising the match. A special vote of thanks also goes to Garry and Gilbert Gough-Fuller from Briars. At the last minute we found we were short some goalie gear, but Garry and Gilbert dropped everything and came to the game just to lend SU a much-needed helmet. Thanks guys for some genuine sporting friendship!

The Under 18 Girls had a 6-3 win in their international match against Ireland's Coleraine College on Wednesday 2 July. The team started very strongly and scored 3 quick goals, but Coleraine fought back and scored some good goals. With 10 minutes to go the score we were leading 4-3. We found our opening form again in the last 10 minutes, though, and scored two more goals to end up as 6-3 winners.

Many thanks to Coleraine College for a great game on a cold evening at Kuring-gai. It was a great game played in the best spirit.  Its a pity the local kangaroos did not come out for the visitors - that would have topped off their evening. 

Many thanks again to the parents and players who made the game happen. 

Congratulations to Mathilda Carmichael, Hayley de la Motte, Melissa Shoard, Cara Simpson and  Fiona Tout on their selection in the NSW Under 15 Girls squad. Having five players -  more than 10% of the squad - from one club (let alone one U15 Metro team) is a huge achievement. These Juniors are already playing an important role with the Senior Women as well - it looks good for the future.  It's also a credit to their recent SU coaches, particularly Liam Dixon, David Hancock, Khevyn Williams, Matt Davey and Jess Blake.

The full squad is on the HNSW website.

Our junior boys put in some great performances at the U15 State Championships in Wagga Wagga on 23-25 May, and had considerable success. 

Alistair Johnston was in the Sydney U15/1 team that emphatically won the A Division. The Sydney team scored 48 goals in their five games (with just 2 against), including a 5-0 win over Illawarra in the Final. 

Edward Tilly and Cameron Rowland played in the Sydney U15/2 team that won the B division, with a close-fought 1-0 victory over Macarthur in the final. Shakti Rathore also played in the Sydney U15/3s (in only his second seasn of hockey). Shakti and his team played exceptionally well to maintain their ranking in the B Division of the State Championships even though there are over 30 teams spread over 4 Divisions.

Congratulations to all these players. This is the most players the Club has ever had in boys Under 15 representative teams, so it is a credit not only to the boys but also to the coaches, parents and others who have assisted them over the years.

Congratulations to Nicolas Johnston, who was a member of the Sydney U13/1 team that was crowned joint State Champions at the HNSW Boys U13 State Championships at Orange on 7 July.

Congratulations also to Abby Speyer, who was a member of the Parramatta U13 girls team that won the HNSW Girls North Half-State Championship at Coffs Harbour on 13 July.

Nicolas's Sydney team won all their round matches and their semi-final, and then faced Tamworth in the final. The score was 2-2 at the end of regular time, so the teams went to "golden goal drop-off". They played six scoreless minutes with 9 men a side, and then dropped immediately to 7 men a side. After another six minutes the scores were still locked at 2-2, so the title was awarded to the teams jointly.

Interestingly, Sydney U13/1s Boys shared the title with Illawarra last year after a similar process, and the U13B pool was also shared this year. The boys have nerves of steel. The parents are nervous wrecks.

Details on Abby's team's victory will be provided when our Coffs Harbour correspondent returns. We have checked of course on the HNSW website, but it continues to give "vacuous" a new meaning.

Congratulations also to Liam Dixon, who was coach of the Sydney U13/3 Boys team. Liam kindly stepped into the coaching vacancy for this team very shortly before the Championships and did a great job bringing his team together. They performed well, and were unlucky in losing some games very narrowly. Liam's shorts and thongs approach to Orange's freezing winter weather drew much attention to the Premier Squad hoodie that he proudly wore all weekend.

Registrations for the Junior Club are now open and the Club currently has a small number of vacancies in all age groups.  Beginners are very welcome.

Training is on Mondays from 5 til 7pm at Ryde for U13, U15, U17 and U18 players and at 4pm at Primrose Park for the U9s and U11s.

Registration fees for 2009 are $175 for U/9 players and $225 for U/11 to U/18 players in our Junior teams.  These fees include $11 Sydney University Sports Union membership, accident insurance and GST.

For more details, please email juniorhockey@suhc.asn.au or complete the attached SU Rego Form 2009 and post it to:

SUHC Juniors,
c/0 24 Shirley Road,
Wollstonecraft 2065

with a copy of your birth certificate or passport and cheque made payable to "Sydney University Hockey Club".  Players will be asked to complete the Sydney Uni Sport form at training.

GSU 17A def briars 1-0 on 26 June

After four months on the battlefield the boys in fluro have finally broken through the western front and raised their flag high at Cintra Hockey Complex. Many men were lost before the final battle, Brenton Osborne was absent due to injury, Peter Sidwell the goal keeper was MIA,  Nicolas and Alistair Johnston were on call for school or Metro, and the coach had been moved to another command post. It seemed like the battle had been lost before the first strike, with only eleven able men available to take the field, with the reinforcement arriving at half time (Peter Aschcroft).

The boys were briefed, and asked to help each other out and ensure that an open line of communication was maintained. Special thanks to the goal keep who took on the challenge of preventing any shot at goal penetrating through, Jeremy who seemed a bit bemused at being asked to play as a forward, only to realise that he may actually enjoy playing up front. Also, a credible mention to Nicholas Marat who not out played, out flanked the opposition but kept also kept Briars guessing by playing as a forward, inner and half, so that other players in the team could be given a break.

Andy Skidmore led the boys with valor, and with the support of Christoph the defence was somewhat solid as the Great Wall of China. Nicholas Johnston (Gordon Nick, not SU Nic) ,Shakti Rathore and Alex made many attempts to penetrate the Briars circle, only to come off second best to the defence or at times out skilling themselves. A new strategy was given to the boys to try on the first short corner, only just failing a positive strike, the break through come during the first half when the ball was slotted into the goal from another short corner attempt by Andy. From here on in, the boys fought even harder to maintain their ground, and although many attempts were made by the opposition umpire to aid Briars over the line, even in the dying minute of the game to try and signal a short corner, the fluro hockey alliance were victorious.

CONGRATULATIONS to all the boys for the win, and for listening to the many instructions being yelled form the sideline.

RR

After storming to the minor premiership in a late run, Sydney Uni Women's Under 18 team playing in C-Division of the Sydney North Women's Competition last night won their Major semi final versus Northern Districts 4-1.  ND had had the better of results during the year but the major semi was a different story.

Three fine team goals to Jess Wallace and finely tuned defence meant that SU always had control of the game.  The concluding stages saw many of the younger players in the team on the pitch, playing in prominent positions and controlling proceedings.  The very young team failed to be rattled by their older and more experienced rivals.   All the players in the team have come through the SU junior ranks.

The grand final will be on the 27th (we assume at Ryde) and a huge and noisy crowd will benefit the team.

A pizza-fueled crowd of Juniors saw the winning tickets in the Junior Club's raffle being drawn on Monday night. The prize winners are:

10   D Kulk  (movie tickets) - sold by Abraham Visser (U15)
9     S Yee Kong (Ipod shuffle) - sold by James Ellis (U13)
8     J Skelly (champagne) - sold by Krissy Almeida (U18)
7     Z Watson (GPK vouchers) - sold by Lucy Higgins (U15)
6     Manjusha  (sydney harbour cruise) - sold by Shakti Rathore (U17)
5     M Vaughan (womens trophy hockey final) - a Vaughan sale (U18)
4     E Eagle (spring hill beef voucher) - an Eagle sale (U13)
3     Hartogs (Mazon hockey gear) - a Hartog sale (U15)
2     S Brown (Nikon camera) - sold by Tim Brand (U13)
1     S Dawes (IPod touch) - a Dawes sale (U13)
 
Many thanks to all the players who put in such a great effort to sell tickets to help raise funds for the club. The U11's got all their books in to Rozanna first so they will receive an extra reward when training starts again in late July.

Top sellers were the unstoppable Tim and Isabel Brand (with some help from Tommy) who sold an unbelievable 15 books.  Alistair and Nicolas Johnston were next with 7, and did a great effort getting the Seniors to also support the raffle.

The greatest round of thanks and applause has to go to Rozanna Brand, the Club's fundraising dynamo, who has again worked tirelessly for the club for many weeks to make this such a huge success.  The whole junior club will benefit from Rozanna's dedication and skills.  Many thanks Rozanna.

Men's, Women's and Junior trials for selection in NSW indoor teams for 09/10 will be held in September.

All trials will be held at the Hurstville Leisure Centre. The respective State Championships take place toward the end of October/early November.

Women's Open and Junior girls trials will be held on Saturday, 12 September 2009 are as follows:

U/13 Girls                            - 2.00pm-4.00pm (Court 1)
U/17 Girls                            - 2.00pm-4.00pm (Court 2)         
U/15 Girls                            - 4.00pm-6.00pm (Court 1)
Women's Open                - 4.00pm-6.00pm (Court 2)         

Men's Open and Junior boys trials will be held on Sunday, 13 September 2009 are as follows:

U/13 Boys                           - 10.00am-12.00pm (Court 1)
U/17 Boys                           - 10.00am-12.00pm (Court 2)    
U/15 Boys                           - 12.00pm-2.00pm (Court 1)
Men's Open                       - 12.00pm-2.00pm (Court 2)

Good luck to all SUHC members who trial!

For further information please visit the SIHA website,

Changes to the U11 Competition

Some very good information (courtesy of Meg Smith from Ryde) on changes to the U11 competition for the last part of the season:

1. The U11 competition now comprises three pools, `A', `B' and `C'.
2. The A pool comprises the existing four teams, ND Gold, Manly Red, GNS Red, Ryde
3. The B pool comprises the teams that occupied the top four positions in the current B pool at the cessation of Round 9

4. The C pool comprises the teams that occupied positions 5 to 10 in the current B pool at the cessation of Round 9 (including SU).
5. All teams will carry their points as at Round 9 into their designated pool.
6. The season draw for the `A' and `B' pools will run from rounds 10 to 16 inclusive and will include `A' and `B' pool teams playing each other. Points awarded will be as per the North Area By Laws and the `A' and `B' pools points tables will remain distinct from each other.
7. The final series for the `A' and `B' pools will be held over two weeks. It will comprise position 2 versus position 3 (in each pool) playing each other for the right to play the minor premiers in the Grand Final.
8. The arrangements for the C pool are as follows:
- the six teams in the C pool will play each other in Rounds 11 through to 15 inclusive
- at the close of Round 15 the top four teams will be engaged in a traditional final series involving major and minor semi-finals, a preliminary final and a grand final.
9. These changes have taken place because North Area couldn't continue with a 10 team B pool competition (for one there are not enough rounds!).

Congratulations to Cameron Rowland, who has now earned the unique honour of playing for almost every available team in the club at some stage of his hockey career.

Cameron is just 15, and has played with SUHC since 2002. He is usually a goalie, but has often helped out by being on the field as well. At the end of 2008 he had played 178 games for the Club, so he could well have played over 200 games for SUHC by the end of this year.

In his eight years with the Club Cameron has played in the Under 11 and the Under 13 A and B pools, in the Under 15 A, B and C pools, and he has even made an appearance (by agreement with the opposition) in the U18 girls team. He has skipped only the U17s, but this is only the first year he has been eligible for them, so he may yet make it.

This is his second year playing in Men's, and in that brief time he has played some time in every grade from 1st grade to 7th grade, including winning the 5th Grade grand final. He has only missed out on 8th grade, but this is the first year we have had 8th grade since he could play Seniors..... We also hope he stays in Premier League!

Great effort, Cameron!

Sydney Uni's Under 18 Mixed Indoor team are usually a feisty lot, but not on Easter Thursday evening.  It was half time in the grand final, and they were playing the undefeated Terrey Hills. They had had to win a semi-final an hour beforehand, and were not as fresh as their opponents.  Some were in their third straight game after playing in the Under 15 Grand Final (won 8-1 by SU) which came between the two Under 18 games.Their elder stateswoman and star striker, Emma Scriven, had been injured in the first few minutes and couldn't play any more.  They were down 9-3. 

The team was Cameron Rowland (GK), Max and Antonia Wettenhall, Evie Bell, Paige Chowdhury, Sonia Hartog, Nicolas Johnston, Kimberly Spragg and Emma Scriven.  The classic junior team, really: an Under 18 team with ages ranging from 13 to 17, some with brothers and sisters (and even parents) who play for SUHC, some in their first season with the club, others in their 9th or even 10th season, some who have played for NSW and others who have never played hockey before.  One of the mums - Jenny Rowland - was coach, manager and often chauffeur.  All year they had been dashing out to Balgowlah on Thursday and Friday evenings to support their team and club.  They had done a great job to make it to the grand final against bigger, stronger and older teams.

Then there was a second half comeback.  They tackled their hearts out, Cameron played a blinder and the attackers kept passing and passing. Max and Nic were in their third straight game but refused to tire, and scored the occasional goal.  The parents and spectators moved slowly from stoic resignation to a bemused inkling that these youngsters might make a match of it.   As the second half went on the scores got closer and closer. The comeback had the spectators urging both sides on. SU kept scoring. At 9-6 it was exciting. At 9-7 everyone was off their seats. At 9-8 they were screaming.  At 9-9 it was deafening, and everyone was watching the clock.  But with seconds to go Terrey Hills were awarded a stroke.  SU had come so close - and then Cameron saved it!  The siren went and it was over. A stunning comeback had secured a 9-9 draw, with Terrey Hills the winners as they finished higher on the table.

Or so we thought.  We were wrong.  The rules go to Golden Goal drop-off: 5 minutes with only 4 field players.  Terrey Hills had four 17 year olds plus goalie.  We had Antonia (17), Max (15), Nicolas (13) and Sonia (15) with Cameron (15) as goalie.

It was four minutes of anguish.  Terry Hills used all their strength to attack relentlessly. The ball wouldn't get out of our half.  All our players were defending as if their lives depended on it, but Terrey Hills were edging further forward and closer to that golden goal.  Then Jenny played her trump.  She switched two players and told them to attack.  Terrey Hills were so used to being camped on our goal that they just weren't ready when Nic and Max whipped the ball down the right hand side and sprinted to their goal.  With two players bearing down their goalie had a single moment of indecision ... and Max scored.  Sydney Uni had just won the Grand Final 10-9.

Have you seen parents cry and laugh in relief?  Have you seen a team almost too surprised to be excited?  Have you seen Jenny Rowland do a fling?  You had to be there.

Full credit to the Terrey Hills team.  It was a good game and they were gracious and sportsmanlike after their only defeat of the season.  Many thanks too to Alan Wiggins from Manly, who has selflessly run this indoor competition for many years.  He has enabled some fantastic memories ... especially the fling.

The Club's Under 15 Juniors continue to blaze trails through the representative ranks.

After the State Championships on the weekend Mathilda Carmichael, Mel Shoard and Cara Simpson were selected in the NSW Under 16 Girls Indoor team. In addition,  Andrea Seymour, Hayley de la Motte and Rhiannon Russell were selected in the NSW Under 15 Blues team.

Cam Rowland was also selected in the NSW U16 Boys Blues team.

Congratulations to all seven. It is good to see how well the hockey club is doing in broadening community participation in sport through SU, as well in building so many elite athletes.

The York Cup has just been held in Tamworth. It is an annual event in honour of Olympian Michael York, and is for the State's best Under 11 teams. Congratulations to the two Sydney teams, which won their respective divisions.

The Club also heartily congratulates our own Tim Brand, who was named Player of the Tournament. Tim is in the Sydney Under 11/1 team. He has played indoor and outdoor hockey with Sydney Uni for several years already, and is one of our young stars. Well done, Tim.

Congratulations to Renee de la Motte on her selection as a shadow for the HNSW Under 13 Girls team.

Renee is one of the stars of our Under 13 team, and frequently stars with the Under 15s as well. She is a true stalwart who never misses training and never misses a game.. and now a State rep as well. Congratulations Renee.

You don't have to be disappointed that the outdoor season is coming to a close because Indoor is just around the corner!!  If you're keen to stay fit in the off-season and want to sharpen up those skills, why not try indoor hockey this year?  Sydney Uni has teams from U9 to premier men so there's a team for everyone. 

Seniors
The seniors competitions are generally held mid-week and run from the first week of October through to the first week of December.  There will be a few trials  but as a general guideline, they are roughly equal to your outdoor ability so if you play in Men's Prem now, you would most likely play in Men's Prem for indoor.  Please email Andy Elton at indoor.suhc@gmail.com by August 31, 2009 and let him know what grade you would like to join. 

Juniors
Sydney Uni has a fantastic record in junior indoor hockey and we will be entering teams in all the junior SIHA competitions again this year.  There are numerous junior comps available and depending on team numbers will be held at Ryde Aquatic Centre, Auburn and/or Hurstville. Our plan is to pull our teams together and enter them at Ryde as our Club's preference but first it's important to get numbers.

Games commence the week beginning 19th October and continue until 11th/13th December. There is no midweek training for indoor but we will be holding some training sessions at HK Ward prior to the comps commencing.

If you are interested in playing, please email juniorhockey@suhc.asn.au with your name, date of birth and which comp you would like to play in by August 31, 2009.  If you want to put a team together, 8 is the ideal number per team, although 7 to 10 is possible.  Players do not have to have played with Syd Uni before and we welcome all newcomers.

We would also like to hear from players or parents who would like to coach, manage or umpire indoor.

If you want to read more detailed information on the Sydney Indoor Hockey Association, please follow this link: http://www.sydneyindoorhockey.com.au/pageitem.aspx?id=22631&id2=1&eID=12540&entityID=12540

The Under 18 Girls have added another trophy to the SU cabinet for 2009 with a nail-biting 1-0 win over UTS on Sunday 27th September.

The scores were locked at 0-0 until the dying moments of the game, when SU finally scored to win the match. Spectators are still recovering, but the players are celebrating.

Congratulations to the Under 18s! A special mention to Evie Bell, the Junior Club's joint Lion Cup winner in 2009 (which is their Club person of the Year). Evie played her 100th game for the Club in helping the U18s win. It was her second premiership for the year as she played in the U15Cs winning team as well.

The junior club has yet again lead the way by winning the first premiership of the season for the Club.  The mighty U15Cs overcame a defiant Gordon North Sydney on Friday night at Pennant Hills to clinch the final in a hard-fought 1-0 win in extra time.  Coach Maddy Roche said that she was incredibly proud of the team throughout the season and especially in the Grand Final that lasted 80 minutes.  The team was ecstatic when Ingrid Bissaker finally slotted the winning goal in the 75th minute. 

Assistant coaches for the evening, women's Vice President Andrea Buchan and club social coordinator, Chloe Hardwick-Jones were both hoarse at the end of the evening.    Thanks to Eunice Bell for managing the team and all the parents and friends who came to support the players throughout the season.  Go Uni!!!

International standard Hockey comes to Sydney in June when Sydney Olympic Park plays host to round one of the Men's Australian Hockey League for 2010. 

See World Cup winning Waratahs Simon Orchard, Matthew Butturini and Kieran Govers, along with all-time great Brent Livermore, facing off against a number of their fellow Kookaburras as NSW takes on the best from Victoria, the ACT and Tasmania. The Waratahs are determined to improve on their third placing in 2009 and they'll be out to get off to a flyer in front of their home fans.

Hockey NSW are giving away free child tickets to all 2010 player registrations between the ages of 5 - 15 years. The ticket will admit the child to both games for one of the following AHL sessions:

Friday 18 June:  6pm VIC v ACT & 8pm NSW v TAS
 
Saturday 19 June:  2pm TAS v VIC & 4pm NSW v ACT
 
Sunday 20 June:  12pm ACT v TAS & 2pm NSW v VIC

To receive the free child tickets, send your name and address to Anne at juniors@suhc.asn.au .SUHC will then send a form to Hockey NSW. the details have to get to HNSW by Friday 4th June 2010. The tickets will be posted to you by HNSW.