"And so, this is Christmas, and what have we done? Well, quite a lot. We played some hockey, drank some beer (and who knows what else at Meal-About-Town) and did a whole heap of other stuff too.

Whilst the importance of the social side of the club should never be underestimated, I feel I really should start with some successes on the pitch. Two teams have stood out but for entirely different reasons.

The Women’s 7s has become a development side to give our girls their first taste of adult hockey; much like the Pebbles is for our boys. I want to thank those adults who made way for the youngsters and those who dropped down to create a strong spine in the 7s. It’s often a stretch for youngsters when they’re promoted and, initially, they need support. That said, I’ve been impressed with how quickly they’ve have adapted – beating Horsham just before the Xmas break – and equally impressed with how quickly the new faces in the 8s have integrated.

The Men’s 4s are flying high. They currently sit 11 points clear, with a perfect record of 11 wins from 11. Other notable performances include the Women’s 5s who are 2nd, just one point off the top spot. Likewise, the Men’s 9s, also 2nd and in a 4-way fight, and the Women’s 3s, who are 3rd and in a 3-way fight for 2nd place. Good luck in the second half of the season.

Gina took over running the Gulls and celebrated their first win like Jose Mourinho, much to the delight of the girls and parents alike. I’d also like to mention the Women’s 1s. They may not be in the mix for promotion this year, but there’s definitely something building. The blend of youth and experience is beginning to pay dividends. If they can keep bringing the best out of each other, who knows what’s possible. Talking of the W1s, I wonder if we’ve ever had two pairs of U18 siblings in our first team before?

Away from the pitches, we’ve been busy too. We completed our first step on the road to EH Talent Certification. We’re pushing the clubhouse project forward. We installed a pitch-side container to house our training kit. We hosted a county-wide junior tournament. And we hosted Sussex Young Umpires. Phew!

But we’re not stopping there. We’ll soon be testing a new club email system, thanks to Chris Burrell, and a new injury monitoring system, thanks to Maddie Carr. We’ll be speaking to EH early in the new year about moving TC to the next stage and we’ll be renewing our lease on the pitches too.

All of this is only possible because of the dedication of our amazing volunteers. I make a point of calling out a few of them in each update. In addition to those mentioned above, I’d like to thank my committee – Marie, Pete, Sorcha, Rachel, James, Andy, Julia, Ramzy & Karen – who regularly go above-and-beyond to ensure we can all enjoy our hockey. Next time you see them, say ‘thanks’ or better still buy them a pint. I’ve heard they’re partial.

Have a great break. Stay safe. And let’s keep building; it’s coming together."

Cam
BHHC Chairman