Cardiff 4 October 2007 - After a weekend off, Whitchurch again face another double-header weekend in the Slazenger English Hockey League. Tomorrow they welcome local rivals and current league leaders, Firebrands to Sophia Gardens. On Sunday they travel to South West London to take on recently relegated Teddington.

Whitchurch were convincing 4-2 winners in pre-season against Bristol side Firebrands – but it’s the Bristolians that have hit the ground running this campaign with three wins out of three. James Hudson is their main goal threat from penalty corners, having already bagged four this season. Tim Laing is another creative threat in midfield.

Teddington have fallen from grace in recent seasons, with consecutive relegations and an apparent exodus of players. The Middlesex side, believed to be the oldest hockey club in the world, dating back to 1871, were unable to fulfil their first league fixture, owing to a shortage of registered players. They currently sit bottom of the league without a point. In the North Division Harrogate also had to concede their first match due to lack of players. Having been thrashed 13-0 by Birmingham University the following week, Harrogate have opted to pull out of the English Hockey League.

Whitchurch Coach Tyrone Moore spent many successful seasons as a Teddington player – winning numerous Welsh caps and gaining vital GB experience. “To see Teddington struggling is very disappointing, but I’m sure they will come good. It will be good to see a few familiar faces again.”

This weekend Whitchurch will be looking to get six points and more importantly their first win of the season. They will be without newcomer Jonny Gordon who suffered a broken finger at Holcombe, two weeks ago. Neil Potter and Owen Brotherton are not available this weekend, but another newcomer Andrew Cavendish, formerly of Stourport, is available for the Welsh side. Team Manager Nazir Mohammed commented; “The squad seem to be settling in quite nicely, creating lots of chances going forward, but still conceding a few sloppy goals.”

Saturday’s game is a 13:30 start at the Welsh Institute of Sport, Sophia Gardens.

Cardiff 20 September 2006 – Whitchurch face their first double-header weekend in the Slazenger English Hockey League, when they travel to Kent to face Holcombe tomorrow and welcome new boys Robinsons to Sophia Gardens on Sunday.

Holcombe were relegated from Division One, but have recruited well over the summer. South Africa international Denzil Dolley is still a free-running threat down the right flank and new recruit, former England international, Dave Mathews has a proven goal scoring pedigree at national league level. Holcombe’s pre-season programme has brought victories against higher placed opposition, but they did lose convincingly to local rivals Bromley & Beckenham recently – the side that Whitchurch largely outplayed last weekend. It is risky to base league form on the results of pre-season friendlies, but does show this is an open division this season.

This weekend will be the first big test of the new resources available to Whitchurch. The South Wales & West of England regional league commences this weekend, so the Whitchurch 2nd XI is also in action. Thankfully the recruitment drive over the summer has been profitable, but new boys Jonny Gordon, Tony Gough and Kyle Stubley, making their EHL debuts, will have to hit the ground running. Experienced defender Richard John also returns to the squad, having just completed a charity walk along the Pembroke Coastal Path, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Research.

On Sunday newly promoted Robinsons of Bristol will aim to kick-start their season in the EHL. Robinsons were promoted instead of Cardiff Hockey Club, who were deemed to have broken player eligibility regulations last season. Sunday’s game will see a father and son duel unfold, between Rod of Robinsons and Joe of Whitchurch. Joe grew up playing for Robinsons until commencing his studies at UWIC and joining Whitchurch. Joe has recently broken into the England U21 team and father Rod is still playing international hockey at veteran level. There is never any love lost between these two sides, so the umpires Stephen Cox and Ian Johns could have a testing afternoon.

Sunday’s game is a 13:30 start at the Welsh Institute of Sport, Sophia Gardens.

Cardiff 13 September 2007 – The Slazenger England Hockey League kicks of the 2007-08 season tomorrow, with Cardiff side Whitchurch entertaining Bromley & Beckenham at Whitchurch High School.

Whitchurch were set to be joined in the EHL by fellow Welsh side Cardiff Hockey Club, who won the South West regional premier league for 2006-07. However, England Hockey put a halt on Cardiff’s progress, citing they had fielded too many non-eligible overseas players during the season. After a good deal of wrangling Cardiff’s place was awarded to Robinsons of Bristol, who were runners-up in the league to Cardiff. This still leaves Whitchurch flying the flag for Wales in the EHL.

As expected, there have been changes in personnel at Whitchurch. Tyrone Moore remains as Head Coach and has recruited former international player Andy Gowman and former WHU Head of Performance Dave Griffiths, to strengthen the coaching team. On the playing front, James Bainbridge has relocated to Devon for professional reasons.

New recruits are aplenty – Jonny Gordon joins from Swansea Bay, Tony Gough from Cardiff University, Gareth Cosker from Firebrands and Mark Whatling from Belper. Unfortunately only Whatling will be able to make his league debut this weekend, as Cosker is injured and both Gordon and Gough’s registrations are still being processed by England Hockey.

Manager Naz Mohammed commented; “We are certainly looking to build on our fifth place finish last time. We’ve got some really talented young guys in the squad, but we need the players to gel now, so we can get a good start to the season. The Bromley game is a bit unpredictable – they turned us over twice last year in games we should have won. We need to be more consistent this season.”

Whitchurch this week named stalwart goalkeeper Iwan Williams as their new Captain and hope he can perform the same heroics again this campaign. Chris Fido has forced his way into the squad after a strong finish to last season and some impressive performances for Wales U18s in the summer. Joe Naughalty also enjoyed international honours in the summer, breaking into the England U21 squad. Whitchurch will be without senior pro Graeme Egan this weekend, as he is on international duty with Wales in Lisbon.