Men’s 1 P22 W16 D2 L4 GF68 GA39 GD+29 PTS 50 POS 2nd
The 1XI’s performance this season was testament to the value of a winning mentality & making the most of winning momentum. We knew going into this season that we had the potential to put in a top 4 performance however on assessment, November proved to be our nemesis missing out on a potential 10 points.
Despite this we were able to develop into a squad who could play their best hockey for a minimum of 60 minutes to dispatch Canterbury & Marden before the Christmas break, keeping us in a competitive position. While we had a major blip in our winning form in our return to play after Christmas against Holcombe we were soon to get back on the wagon. Grinding out a well-managed win against the ever-muggy South Saxons to greater achievements such as coming back from 3-2 to flip Gore Court on their arses with a 4-3 win within the final 5 minutes. Not to mention finally bullying Tom Lightfoot to organise his contact lens trial so that he could finally see the baseline with both eyes…If it weren’t for exceptionally consistent performance from the Player of the Season those lenses would have won the title
This season has developed the form of the younger members of the squad through the defensive, mid and front lines. While I appreciate young is a loose term when there are 3x O40’s on the team these players have matured and solidified their places on the team & even had the opportunity to hammer that home at the celebration day gave vs the O35’s many of whom have played in the 1XI in recent years.
While it is a shame we missed out on promotion despite coming 2nd in the league the 1XI will go on to next year carrying that winning mentality to storm the league.
Most Improved Player James Logan
Player of Season Oli Kent