NEWSLETTER End of Season 2017 Another great season for Marden Russets Juniors!! A massive thank you to all the Team Managers, Coaches, Assistant Coaches and Young Leaders all your hard work and dedication is very much appreciated. And thank you to all the parents for your help and support. Registration for next season will begin in August. Have a good summer! The Junior Cricket Committee U9 Girls - Penny Webb The U9 Girls have had a great season, with around 24 girls attending weekly training sessions. We even had a few fixtures against other clubs thrown in too, in which we had more wins than losses! There really are some very skilful players in the group and I have no doubts that they will go on to represent Marden brilliantly as U10's. We finished the season with a inter-squad tournament, followed by a trip to The George for hot chocolate and cakes. Many thanks to my Young Leaders, Thara and Elsie, and my amazing Not So Young leaders, Sarah, Andrew, Toby and Dale; it makes such a huge difference having lots of help on the pitch. Finally, thanks to Kali who managed the group so well, you made my life very easy! Best of luck to Andrew Hues who takes over the reins next year, its been a very fun couple of years coaching the girls and I can't wait to watch from the sidelines next season, coffee in hand!
U10 Boys - Paul Hamlyn Marden U10 boys had a great season and finished runners up at both the County and Regional Championships! They lost to Canterbury on Penalty flicks in both finals! They played really well. Beating some big guns like Reading, Wimbledon, Teddington In the Regionals: Game 1: (Yately)2-0, Game 2: (Reading)1-0, Game 3: (Teddington) 2-1, QF: (Amersham & Chalfont) 2-0 SF: (Wimbledon) 1-0, Final (Canterbury) 1-1, Lost on sudden death p-flicks I am very proud of the boys who played their hearts out. U10 Girls - Debs Whewell-Clarke The U10 girls started the season as unknowns to me as this was my first year as a coach for hockey. From day one the girls engaged with myself and Amanda and although very shy and unaware of each other, they all immediately understood what we expected of them as coaches. Like any team at that age, it was like herding cats on a very windy day and when they had the ball, gosh, we both took our lives in our hands! We had a large group of 23 girls of various abilities, some strong with uncontrolled techniques, some with hockey awareness but lacked confidence and most importantly, some that had never held a hockey stick before. Introducing them to one another and breaking down any groupings inherited from their schools was our priority. Over the first few weeks the training sessions improved week on week and the girls hockey friendships became synchronised. The girls began to attend competitions, namely the Triangulars and each time we took all the girls, they continued to develop into their team positions. After a couple of tournaments, the girls made it very straightforward for the coaches to identify which girls suited which position. After democratic discussions amongst the team, the girls agreed with their coaches and each other that they were in their best positions and overtly supported each other to develop the team structure. By the time the girls attended the Triangular hosted by Canterbury, it was very impressive to see the girls composed, confident, sure of their abilities and respectful to their coaches, evidenced on the Astro, giving their opponents a run for their money. The County Tournament on Sunday, 19th March, saw the two teams perform beautifully. The girls maintained positions, communicated and encouraged one another and most of all made their coaches so proud it is hard to put into words. Instead of herding cats, we now lead a team of young hockey players who have great ball control.
In this day and age, it is such a pleasure to teach, encourage and influence a wonderful group of girls who are polite, fun, keen and enthusiastic, regardless of the temperatures and the weather. These girls are a credit to their parents, Marden Hockey Club, the coaches and above all else, one another U11 Girls - Charlotte Hope On a hot Sunday morning the U11 Girls travelled to Tonbridge School to play in the final triangular of the season. They played two matches against Blackheath and one against Tunbridge Wells. This group once again dominated the tournament despite Easter holiday absences, winning all three matches, conceding just one goal all morning and scoring a total of 14. Next season we are looking forward to some tougher opposition. In the final week of the season the U11 girls had a short training session and game followed by an awards 'ceremony' to celebrate this year's achievements. This is a very small group and selecting winners from such a great team of players has been really difficult this year. The girls came either 1st or 2nd in every tournament they took part in. There have been some outstanding performances from a number of players and their work rate is exceptional. Phoebe and I did a lot of umming and ahhing, eventually agreeing that Maddie Johnson was the Most Improved Player, Katie Henley the Team Player and Greta Shannon the Player of the Season. We have also seen a remarkable improvement from Evelyn Kite in goal over the past couple of weeks and believe that with a bit more match practice she will become a very useful GK for the team. We have been very lucky to have a very efficient manager in Jedda Rutter and our thanks go to her for her hard work behind the scenes. Phoebe and I couldn't have asked for more supportive and appreciative Mums and Dads, something that makes even the coldest, wettest Sunday morning a little bit easier. They gave us some lovely gifts so thank you to everybody for our flowers, chocolate and vouchers. They are very much appreciated by us both. The team (from left to right): Rose Price, Chloe Jones, Katie Henley, Polly Brownlow, Beth Burnett, Maddy Johnson, Lydia Taurins, Molly Parsons, Evelyn Kite (GK).
U11 Boys - Tony Lawson It was good to see the under 11 squad grow to over 20 boys this year with a number of new arrivals this season. Attendance and attitude to training was excellent and the boys were a pleasure to coach and the group as a whole significantly improved their hockey. Playing in the Under 12 Kent triangulars we consistently entered two teams for the regular Sunday tournaments. Bearing in mind the boys were generally a year younger than most of the competition it was pretty impressive the A team only lost one match all season to Ashford A's. My thanks to Peter Hilborne, Mike Scobbie for helping on the coaching, young leaders James Golding and Harry Hind plus the army of regular parents on the touch line braving the elements. Look forward to seeing everyone next season for a Kent Champs year. Awards Most Improved Player - Jack Porter Player of the Year - Cody Walsh Team Player - Harry Hamerton Stove Team Player - Charlie Streeton
U12 Boys - Rob Hillier Kent Championships - 19 March Over the last few years the number of boys playing in Kent at this age group has grown enormously creating a wide spread of experience and abilities between the clubs we meet throughout the season. This makes it hard sometimes to get a true feel of the quality and potential of a squad, which makes the Kent Championships a wonderful opportunity to test one s metal. Marden B s landed in a strong pool A including classy Canterbury A s, Sevenoaks A s and Brombecks. However, they picked up valuable points throughout their 7 matches to go clear of BOE, BBHC and Gore Court in the table, and should be very proud of their achievements. Marden A s were clear winners of pool B scoring 23 goals, whilst conceding just 1, in their 7 pool matches. Although there were a few tense moments when the goals just wouldn t come, they dispatched the likes of local rivals Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks comfortably. The semi-finals brought Brombecks into the firing line, where having gone 1-0 down after a few minutes, the team rallied to come back with a fierce 3-1 victory. Making the final ensured a place at the regional finals tournament on 30 April, but the boys were keen to take a Canterbury scalp home first, as well as the Kent title. Marden scored first, Canterbury equalised. Marden scored again but Canterbury followed suit. The game was as intense as any I ve seen at this age group with both sides giving their all - a tremendous display of skill and determination. At full time it went to flicks and Canterbury won the spoils. To Marden s credit, they were magnanimous in defeat and left the pitch relishing a return match at the regionals - an exciting prospect indeed. Triangular vs Holcombe and Herne Bay - 02 April What a wonderful way to finish the scheduled triangulars and season for the U12 Boys squad, despite quite a few holiday absences. A hungry Marden A's won their 4 games convincingly (3-0, 7-0, 5-0, 5-1), whilst the B s played terrific expansive and determined hockey to win 2 of their 4 games. The squad, as a whole, shows tremendous strength in depth, and to finish the season playing such mature hockey, was wonderful for parents and coaches alike to witness.
Regional Championships - 30 April Squad: Will Brunt (GK), Gus Chatterton, Max Henley, Arthur Bracken, Thomas Newton, Tom Errington, Archie Macleod, Jack Webb, Will Goddard and Jonte Hillier. The boys gave the travelling Marden support plenty to feel proud about by playing outstanding hockey and winning the plate competition with relative ease. The highlights were not only the final against Trojans, where the winning goal came in the final minute, but also our mature performance against Surbiton in the group stages. This game triggered some real belief within the boys and, after a frustrating first game loss to Winchester, carried them through the remainder of the day. Marden are right up there at this level and it will be interesting to see how cup finalists Surbiton and Canterbury go at the nationals in a fortnight. Two teams we know we can beat. It's been a wonderful season and the strength in depth through the whole U12 group is quite remarkable. The boys have been motivated, highly coachable and fun to be around. A tribute to their parents, who haven't been bad either! Roll on next season... Results: Group 0-1 winchester 4-0 Horsham QF 1-1 Surbiton 3-0 Reading SF 5-0 South Berkshire 3-2 Trojans Final
U12 Girls U13 Girls - Georgie Ridge This season the Under 13 Girls had a large squad of nearly 30 players, and I had the joy of not only having them for the second season in a row but also becoming lead coach. At first this was a very daunting prospect, feeling as though I was only a couple of years older than them, and their constant energy and enthusiasm was overwhelming at first. However, it proved extremely rewarding, as I was able to watch them progress throughout the season and my Sunday mornings became filled with laughter and impressive hockey. We entered two competitions: the Home Counties and Kent League, meaning, much to the girls delight (maybe not the parents), our season was jam-packed with matches against a variety of teams across Kent.
After a few sessions spent getting back into the game, we were faced with a few weeks of solid matches where we started our unbeaten streak. The girls made my job incredibly easily, linking well together up the pitch, working back in defence and making the big step up to 11-aside look simple. We were fortunate enough to have two incredible keepers with us for all matches, however our dominating play meant that they received very little of the ball. Due to the success of the girls within the Kent system, it has sometimes proved difficult to get full teams out for away matches, especially with many getting lost and ending up all the way in Dartford on occasions! Nevertheless, the girls adapted to playing out of position at times, and on occasion with a couple of the opposition s players, and kept our victorious streak. Unfortunately, our unbeaten run came to an end in our penultimate match of the season against Surbiton, where missing players meant we were behind 3-0 at half time. However, it was a huge credit to the girls when they managed to come back fighting in the second half and narrowly lose the game 5-3. Not that I am one to make excuses or remain bitter, but we did lend the opposition our finest keepers, who decided to play out of their skins and not let any of our shots past, keeping Surbiton strongly in the game in the second half. With one match to go, and only loosing one, I think it s fair to say we ve had an impressive season. I have been fortunate enough to have Tim Reid helping me out both in training and matches, giving the extra support when the girls were bouncing with energy at the 10 o clock sessions and helping pass on his wisdom within sport on the hockey pitch. Dom Barber has been a lifesaver, umpiring in the various matches across the county, warming up both the keepers and players, along with leading drills at training sessions. Niamh Connell has been a perfect role model for the girls, helping out with tactical positioning and bringing the fun into the training sessions. However, this season would not have happened without our team manager, Annabel Preston, who has organised everything from who brings the half time oranges, to missing team members and frozen pitches. Without her support the season would not have run as smoothly and I think the parents can back me up that she has made it all so easy for everyone. Throughout the season, every member of our squad has gone from strength to strength, developing into skilful players and although I am probably vey biased, the girls have stood out from every other opposition, showing impeccable sportsmanship, enthusiasm and manners both on and off the pitch. I must mention Daisy Dent who has been my star player throughout the season. She has shown up with trainers on for half the season, meaning the pitch became an ice skating rink, yet she has been one of the most determined and enthusiastic team members. We lacked defensive players for the majority of the season, yet Daisy was the first to volunteer to step up to play out of position, and I think the whole squad will agree that her work rate and incredible tackles have saved us when we occasionally looked vulnerable to a break through our defences. All the girls have been an absolute pleasure to coach and I wish them the very best next season I will really miss you all. U14 Boys B Team Will Finn Over 25 weekends, the U14 B boys played 15 matches, winning 7 and losing 8 (some of which were against A Team's in a Development league). In total 19 boys played in the B Team. A big thanks to the young leaders and parents who have helped me out over the season, your participation is invaluable. Also, to all the parents who continue to drive their son to wherever the match is taking place. It has been an enjoyable season, although tough at times with some of the results, but hopefully we are ending having improved our overall hockey and will be ready and raring to go again next season following a Summer break. Thank you to all the boys and well done. Finally, I would like to give a big thank you to Susanne Sprent, who has been truly amazing behind the scenes with organising all the matches in an extremely efficient and organised manner - thank you very much Susanne from all of us.
U16 Boys - Charlie Ridge Having entered four competitions with a squad of only 19 players we have had a really busy season with plenty of match time for everyone! Thanks so much to the parents for taking the boys to so many away matches, and to the boys who have made themselves available throughout the season enabling us to fulfil so many fixtures. More than half of our squad were from the younger year of the age group, whereas most of our opposition teams were usually older but I was particularly proud of how the boys adjusted to facing such physically intimidating players. We had many great performances, notably in the second half of the season, and won more of the matches than we lost. In the Mercian League, we finished runners-up, and progressed to the regional knockout stage to play Reading. The match was a nail biter, with both teams defences being just too strong, and the game remained goalless until a we conceded a heart-breaking goal in the last few minutes to lose 1-0. It was really bad luck, as we had battled hard, with nothing quite going our way, and on another day we could have won by a few goals.
The remaining matches of the season were a joy: with the higher competitions over, we focussed on maximising the pure enjoyment factor of playing and the results were startling: team work improved with more of the players getting fully involved, and we scored some stunning goals. The last match of the season was against Canterbury A/B team, and featured most of our older boys in their last match as Russets juniors. Earlier in the season, we may have struggled, but today we played joyous hockey: we scored early and looked as though we would dominate the match. However, Canterbury had some top class players, and would not be put down and came back to take the lead in the third quarter, when for once our standard dipped. The spirit and class of our team showed through and we came out for the last quarter to come back to 5-5 with 10 minutes to go. Better, our effort level increased yet again and we scored two goals to put the game beyond doubt. Captain Ben Hillier saluted his players fantastic performance, stressing that it was teamwork and the contribution of ALL players that had enabled us to win. We have been really fortunate to have had great support for the coaching of the boys this season: Ali Macdonald from the adult section has been with us throughout and provided lots of guidance, in particular helping to to improve our defensive play. Jamie Drewe has been a total star as our Young Leader, a great role model for the boys, and doing everything from coaching sessions to umpiring, running the subs and even taking part in one of the games including coming to even the furthest away fixtures. Cameron Sprent was another brilliant Young Leader for us, fitting in his coaching responsibilities alongside being a key player for the U18 team. Parent, Andrew Wheatley has also been a really valuable additional coach, successfully bringing many ideas around formation and structure from football to hockey. Thanks so much to all of the coaching squad we couldn t have done it without you! I hope that the boys and parents have enjoyed the season as much as we have. Have a great summer, and come back next season fit and ready to go. It promises to be a very exciting time as we move to our new ground and our 1st and 2nd Men s XIs face the challenges of higher leagues, both having been promoted this year. I know that the club is massively grateful to the boys for all the support they have given to the adult teams and they have played a huge role in Marden Russets success. Scott Moen and I are really looking forward to coaching such a talented group of U16s next season and hope that as many of you as possible will also play in the Men s teams whenever possible. Also watch this space for news about possible U18 fixtures.
Marden Russets Juniors are grateful to our generous sponsors