President's Report 2010
The past season was an incredibly successful one for OUHC, full of silverware, successful league and cup campaigns and thriving social events.
The strong friendships between the teams have really blossomed this season, and its effect has been very clear, on the pitch as well as off.
The exciting news from the club this season is the engagement of our Martin "Trucky" Pickup to Tora Smith. Although Trucky is leaving the club this season, his commitment over the years will see him go down as an OUHC-legend for many years to come. We wish them many congratulations, and all the best for the future.
Looking back at the season itself, a very noticeable attribute is the greater bonds that exist between the six teams. The decision taken at the start of the season to move to Vincent's Club ("Vinnies") as our post-match venue proved a major triumph in this regard. It turns out cheap alcohol, unlimited opening hours and heavy doses of quiz make for very entertaining evenings! Tom Whiteley's (President 09/10) finals-revision diversion of producing the (leather-bound) OUHC Drinking Rules book should also not go unmentioned as a major factor here.
The 09/10 season also saw the return of "Fantasy Hockey" to OUHC. Whilst the pre-season talk was all about whether or not the fantasy league would lead to some conflicting incentives during matches, it soon became clear that the real danger was not tactical passing but tactical "securation". Whether or not this had anything to do with it, Carina Lindberg went steaming ahead early on and never looked back. Congratulations to her, and also to the "Hos", whose regular 18-0 wins frankly made a bit of a mockery of the whole thing.
More congratulations are due to the Men's Blues. Captained passionately by Richard Bond, the Blues put in some excellent performances over the season, which finished in a convincing 3 - 1 Varsity victory and a run to the BUSA semi-finals, of which the 5 - 2 victory over Birmingham was the highlight. The league finish of 7th was certainly lower than was deserved based on their performances, and is an excellent platform on which to build next season. The Occasionals entered BUSA for the first time and dominated their league, achieving an expected - but nevertheless praiseworthy - promotion. The Infrequents doubled their points tally of the previous year, only just missing out on promotion in an excellent campaign.
The Ladies' Blues, led strongly by Iona Turnbull, had a slow start to their season, but after some much improved performances later in the year they grew as a team, eventually finishing 6th in their league and beating Cambridge in an exciting Varsity match. The Monkeys continued the OUHC habit of basking in the comfortable waters of mid-table obscurity, finishing 8th in their Saturday league, and 3rd in their BUSA league. Their season was marked by the crushing 4 - 1 victory over the Tabs which, in the emotional words of captain Suzie Chamberlain, "literally never happens!" Well done to them. The aforementioned Hos finished the Trysports League Division 5 with a goal difference of 108 and an 88% win record, which adds-up to a well-deserved promotion for the second year running. They also won their BUSA league in a near perfect year for them.
As we look forward to another year of hockey, I'd like to thank all those who have helped to support the club over the past season. In particular I'd like to thank the coaches who give-up their time and effort on a weekly basis, especially John Shaw, who continues to contribute to the club with a noticeable passion, making a real difference to both our team and individual play.
Will Alderton
OUHC President, 2010/11
The exciting news from the club this season is the engagement of our Martin "Trucky" Pickup to Tora Smith. Although Trucky is leaving the club this season, his commitment over the years will see him go down as an OUHC-legend for many years to come. We wish them many congratulations, and all the best for the future.
Looking back at the season itself, a very noticeable attribute is the greater bonds that exist between the six teams. The decision taken at the start of the season to move to Vincent's Club ("Vinnies") as our post-match venue proved a major triumph in this regard. It turns out cheap alcohol, unlimited opening hours and heavy doses of quiz make for very entertaining evenings! Tom Whiteley's (President 09/10) finals-revision diversion of producing the (leather-bound) OUHC Drinking Rules book should also not go unmentioned as a major factor here.
The 09/10 season also saw the return of "Fantasy Hockey" to OUHC. Whilst the pre-season talk was all about whether or not the fantasy league would lead to some conflicting incentives during matches, it soon became clear that the real danger was not tactical passing but tactical "securation". Whether or not this had anything to do with it, Carina Lindberg went steaming ahead early on and never looked back. Congratulations to her, and also to the "Hos", whose regular 18-0 wins frankly made a bit of a mockery of the whole thing.
More congratulations are due to the Men's Blues. Captained passionately by Richard Bond, the Blues put in some excellent performances over the season, which finished in a convincing 3 - 1 Varsity victory and a run to the BUSA semi-finals, of which the 5 - 2 victory over Birmingham was the highlight. The league finish of 7th was certainly lower than was deserved based on their performances, and is an excellent platform on which to build next season. The Occasionals entered BUSA for the first time and dominated their league, achieving an expected - but nevertheless praiseworthy - promotion. The Infrequents doubled their points tally of the previous year, only just missing out on promotion in an excellent campaign.
The Ladies' Blues, led strongly by Iona Turnbull, had a slow start to their season, but after some much improved performances later in the year they grew as a team, eventually finishing 6th in their league and beating Cambridge in an exciting Varsity match. The Monkeys continued the OUHC habit of basking in the comfortable waters of mid-table obscurity, finishing 8th in their Saturday league, and 3rd in their BUSA league. Their season was marked by the crushing 4 - 1 victory over the Tabs which, in the emotional words of captain Suzie Chamberlain, "literally never happens!" Well done to them. The aforementioned Hos finished the Trysports League Division 5 with a goal difference of 108 and an 88% win record, which adds-up to a well-deserved promotion for the second year running. They also won their BUSA league in a near perfect year for them.
As we look forward to another year of hockey, I'd like to thank all those who have helped to support the club over the past season. In particular I'd like to thank the coaches who give-up their time and effort on a weekly basis, especially John Shaw, who continues to contribute to the club with a noticeable passion, making a real difference to both our team and individual play.
Will Alderton
OUHC President, 2010/11
