Junior girls
 Celebrations at the Mini Hockey Presentation Evening By Judy Hooker The Sunday morning Mini Hockey Club formally brought their season to a close with an awards presentation night on Friday. Around 50 children, between six and eleven years old, and their families, packed into the Clubhouse to receive their Stix Skills awards. Then, Liz English, ably assisted by Sarah, Emily and Becki, presented the Little Stars trophies to the youngest group of 6 and 7 year olds. Richard Taylor, on behalf of himself and Mark Minion, presented the U9 Group with their Best Players and Best Attendee trophies. Lindsey Shaw, Andrew Hartley and Wayne Murfin presented the Most Improved Players, Players Player and Managers Player of the season trophies to the U11 Boys A, B and C teams and the U11Girls team. All the hard work of the coaches and players on Sunday mornings, over the years, has again been rewarded by the tremendous success of the U11 Boys A Team this season. Having won the County and Midlands Mini Hockey Championships, they now go on to compete in the National Finals being held at Highfields on 18th May. Supporters will be most welcome as the boys try to bring the trophy back to Belper for the second successive year, as the best team in the country. This is the ultimate goal of the Mini Hockey section. Many thanks to all the coaches, helpers, young players and parents who have turned out every Sunday, come rain or shine, to ensure the continuing success of the Mini Hockey section of Belper Hockey Club. We wish all the Yr 6 children well as they move up to the Junior sections and hope to see everyone else in September.  Belper u13 girls Midland Champions 2008 The regional round of the under 11 and under 13 mini hockey was held at Cannock this year. Belper had two teams that were through to this round – the girls under 13’s and the boys under 11’s. The boys under 13’s narrowly missed out being beaten by Trent on penalty flicks in the county round. After waking up at quarter past six, we made it to Cannock for eight o’clock ready to meet all the team at quarter past. We were playing first game, so needed a warm up and a team meeting early. After Tim arriving late (lorry shed its load of pallets on the M6 – 8am Sunday morning? - can’t use that excuse too often!), we had a quick practice, and then made it into the changing rooms for a detailed team talk. The games were 12 minutes one way with a cross over semi and a final. In the semis and the final, if it’s a draw in normal time, it would go straight to flicks. We were playing Newark HC first and we knew it would be a pretty tough game. They didn’t arrive until nine o’clock though, and as our game was at 9:30, I think they were panicking slightly. We started well with both teams having a fair share of attacks. Around half way into the game, we won a short corner. Jess Horn got the ball, beat the first defender then shot at goal in the left hand corner. The goalkeeper missed the ball and it was 1-0 to Belper. We kept them under pressure and defended well when we needed to, the final score ended as 1-0 to Belper. After and hour and a half break, we were back on against Lichfield Hockey Club. Lichfield won the regional round last year, but luckily for us, most of their better players had gone up to the next age group. After goals from Lowri McIntosh and Maddie Wood the game ended at 2-0. Another long break and lots of Haribo later, we were back on the pitch against King’s High School. Jess Horn slotted two goals past the keeper (one in the roof of the net from a great reverse hit), and Lowri got another from a first time slap into the corner. The game ended 3-0. As we went to have a team photograph after this game, I thought we should win the next game 4-0. So our scores would have been, 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 and 4-0. We went one step better than that though, winning the game 5-0 with goals from Lowri McIntosh (2), Ellie Miles, Jess Horn and Maddie Wood. These results meant we were through to the semi finals, we were playing Cannock who had the home crowd and were use to the pitch. We sat in the changing rooms talking (and in Ellie’s case reading the strangest book ever). Then disaster struck. All day we’d (well I’d) been taking pictures, and I accidentally deleted them all! Anyway, we went out to play Cannock and were all over them. In the first minute, Ellie Miles received the ball on top of the circle, skilled about 3 people, went round the goalkeeper and slotted the ball in the goal just as she was took out by the GK. Everyone was cheering loudly where as Ellie lay on the floor for a while then said, “Ow!” We had four short corners consecutively, but didn’t manage to get any goals from them. The final whistle blew and we were through to the final. Newark had beaten Bromsgrove in the other match so that meant that once again we were playing Newark. This was a very tense and well fought game, (not quite as tense as Surbiton but it was still pretty bad). We had about 5 minutes of attacking until Newark made a quick break, which we dealt with well. After they had won a short corner, Livi Rafferty got out to her really well and slipped the ball past their attacker to Lowri who was waiting at the other end. Lowri passed it to Ellie, who then past it back, then Lowri shot at goal and scored. We had to do some important defending in the next 4 minutes. After they won a short corner we were trying desperately to waste time. I stood on the line and told the umpire that the goal wasn’t on the line. She pushed it forward, but it still wasn’t on the line. We played on anyway and once again, Livi dealt with the player on top of the circle. The final whistle blew and we all piled on top of Sammy who had only touched the ball 4 times in the whole tournament. Well done girls everyone did awesome! Thanks Tim for all the work you did, mum for managing and many thanks to our shirt sponsor. Congratulations to the under 11 boys who also won their competition – see you at the Nationals at Highfields! Kathryn Lane  Belper 2007/08 Mini Hockey Tournament By Andrew Hartley This year’s tournament was held on Sunday 11th November. Proceedings kicked off with the under 9 tournament. 5 teams were entered: three from Belper and one each from Matlock Monkeys and William Gilbert. The games were played at a breakneck pace – players enjoying the rare opportunity to play on a full size mini hockey pitch. The tournament was a round robin format with William Gilbert coming out on top having won all their games. Belper Blues were runners up. The under 11 tournament followed with 8 teams split into two groups of 4. Group A saw Foremarke, Matlock Monkeys, Belper Blues and Belper Whites play a mini league with Group B containing Burton, Duffield, William Gilbert and Belper Reds. The top two in each group progressed to the semi finals with the bottom two going into a playoff competition. Semi Final One saw Burton and Belper Blues face each other with Semi Final Two being played between Foremarke and Duffield. Both games were very close with Foremarke and Burton doing just enough to get to the final. Burton and Foremarke were very closely matched in the final with neither team being able to break the deadlock after 12 minutes of normal play. So it was down to penalties and Burton came out on top in the shoot out. So Burton were proclaimed winners with Foremarke being the runners up. Some excellent hockey was played throughout and a big thanks to umpires Joan Passant, Sarah English, Ruth and Ian Lane, and Roy Marchant; organisers Joanne Rogers, Judy Hooker, Rhiannon, Kathryn, Hannah; and team managers Mark Minion, Lindsey Shaw, Liz English, Becki and Emily for making the day such a success. Lutterworth Ladies Junior Mini Hockey Tournament , 4th November 2007 - U11 Girl’s
 By Joanne RogersTeam: Goalkeeper – Emily Tipping, Outfield Players, (Goals scored) Emily Bullock, Charlotte Gale (4), Lucy Mabbitt, Lucy Pearson, Victoria Rogers, Naomi Slade-Walker, Niamh Vallack (4) It was an early start for the Girl’s section of this tournament. We left Derby at 7:30am for our journey to Lutterworth. We were without 2 regular players – Nicola Hartley and Danielle Booth, and 3 of the girl’s – Lucy Mabbitt, Lucy Pearson and Naomi Slade-Walker had never played for Belper U11 Girl’s before. The tournament was a round robin event – every team had to play each other once, games played were 10 minutes one way. The other teams in our section were Fairfield, Lutterworth, Ashby, Leicester and Dixie. Match 1 – Belper v Dixie We started the tournament very slowly and it took all of the first game for the girls to adapt to the sand-based pitch and the other players in their team. We had 6 short corners in this game and should’ve converted more opportunities. The breakthrough came towards the end of the game when Niamh opened the score. First game won with a 1-0 scoreline. Match 2 – Lutterworth v Belper This game started very brightly with a goal in the opening minutes and another added later. Charlotte, playing as the only forward throughout this tournament, had some very good runs and the midfield of Emily B, Victoria and Niamh created plenty of attacking opportunities. Our defence was rarely tested in this game. We thought a 3rd goal was going to be scored, but Victoria’s shot hit the right-hand goal post on the outside edge and trickled out of play. Final score 0-2 (Scorers – Charlotte & Niamh) Match 3 – Fairfield v Belper Unfortunately Fairfield were quicker than us at the start of this game, and opened the score within 2 minutes. For the remainder of the game the Belper team battled hard and enjoyed the majority of the possession. Fairfield defended very well and their goalkeeper had to make several saves. Fairfield worked well as a team and intercepted several long passes and their forwards broke through our midfield on several occasions, the defence of Emily T, Naomi and Lucy M were up to the test and defended extremely well. Our goalkeeper, Emily T, actually had to make more than one save to keep the final score line to a 1-O win for Fairfield. Match 4 – Leicester v Belper After a break of more than an hour, we played our 4th game. We played some lovely hockey and passed the ball very well between our players. Charlotte opened the score with a well worked individual goal. We then conceded a goal. The midfield and Charlotte kept on battling and during the last minute of the game we managed to breakdown the Leicester defence to score the winner. Relief all round for all the Belper spectators. Score 1-2 (Scorers – Charlotte & Niamh) Match 5 – Belper v Ashby We knew that a win in this game would see us finish 2nd overall. The earlier morning games had moulded a well-rounded team, who worked well for each other. The length and breadth of the pitch was used in this game and the Belper girl’s passing game was very good. Final score 3-0 (Scorers – Charlotte (2) & Niamh) Round-Up This was a very pleasing tournament for the first-half of the season. Victoria, Niamh, Emily B and Charlotte showed their experience and the rest of the team grew in confidence as the tournament progressed. WELL DONE GIRLS! RUNNERS UP! Many thanks to all of the parent’s that supported the team throughout the tournament and special thanks to Rhiannon for umpiring for the team. Thank - you to all of you and well done on your achievement! Lutterworth Ladies Junior Mini Hockey Tournament , 4th November 2007 - U13 Girl’s
 By Kathryn Lane Team: Claire Gething Lewis (GK), Alex Smith, Lowri McIntosh (Capt.), Jess Horn, Ellie Miles, Kathryn Lane, Maddie Wood, Naomi Cotteril, Becky Hawkins. We travelled to Lutterworth to play in the annual friendly tournament for under 11’s, 13’s and 15’s. The competition was a round robin and the games were ten minutes one way, so we had to score quickly. We entered the Under 13 age group and were hoping to get some good wins. We were playing South Leicester in our first match and thanks to some great goals from Lowri, Becky and Ellie, we won 4-0. After one match off we were back on the pitch again against Leicester. It was a very tense game and after a goal from Lowri, we were in the lead. However, disaster struck when Leicester got a lucky break and managed to slip the ball into our goal. Belper fought back strongly and after many chances we just couldn’t seem to score. The match ended 1-1. Next, we were up against the home side, Lutterworth. They were no problem for us though! The match ended 4-0. In the next two games we knew we had to win both of them if we were to come first. After a very long break (yum lunch!) we were playing Ashby. They were a fairly small team, which matched us perfectly. After slotting 4 goals passed their keeper we won that 4-0 again. Our last match was against Milton Keynes and we had out a good team to ensure that we either beat them or drew with them. Fortunately we managed to win the game 3-0. This meant we came in first place. Well done everybody, lets keep it up! Belper Hockey Club Junior Girls are probably the most successful club in England in recent years having won national titles at all age groups indoor and out. Many of our girls represent Derbyshire, the Midlands and England.
u18 Junior Girls Training is incorporated within club training sessions. Contact: Jackie Sharp 01332 840325 or jackie@southlea.plus.com u15 Junior Girls Junior u15 girls training Wednesday 6.00-7.30pm commencing Wednesday 6 September, 2006. Contact: Jackie Sharp 01332 840325 or jackie@southlea.plus.com u13 Junior Girls Junior u13 girls training Wednesday 6.00-7.30pm commencing Wednesday 6 September, 2006. Contact: Jackie Sharp 01332 840325 or jackie@southlea.plus.com U11 Mini Hockey
The mini hockey section is run on a Sunday morning and has up to 60 boys and girls from 6-11years training and playing matches. The u11 girls won the England Mini Hockey national title in 2002, 2003, & 2006 and were runners up in 2004 & 2005. The U11 boys won the England Mini Hockey national title in 2005 and 2007. Season 2007/8 commences on Sunday 9th September from 9.30am - 11.00am. Contact Jo Rogers on 01332 840029 or email joannerogers@btconnect.com  Belper U18 girls go one better at The National Championships at Birmingham University By Tim Barlow Hugely disappointed with their runners-up medal last year although all but one of the squad was a year young, Belper Under 18s were absolutely determined that this year they would not fail to deliver. The biggest headache was how to keep the squad fit and motivated, given the excessive break of 8 weeks between the end of the National League programme on March 24th and the tournament, 9 weeks from the quarter-final plus their exams and revision. Judicious balancing of time, appropriate practice matches at key times in the preparation process and the development of new skills and techniques in training, kept the players fresh and eager.  The opening match vs Harleston Magpies was a solid performance. Well aware that in these sorts of tournaments, although it is not possible to win the title in game one, it is quite easy to lose it, the Belper approach was steady and responsible as the players adjusted to the pitch, the pressure of a proper match after 8 weeks, and developing their patterns of play. Five penalty corners for and two against was a fair reflection of Belper’s control of the game. Once Hollie Webb had put away the penalty stroke on 20 minutes, the confidence flowed but it was disappointing that none of the chances that were subsequently created were taken – the lack of regular training and match practice probably responsible.Day 2 saw the second match vs Trojans start at 9.00am which meant a 6.15am wake up to prepare properly. Hollie Webb gave the Nailers the best possible start with a beautifully struck corner on 2 minutes. Again Belper were able to control the game but, once more, the chances to make the game safe were not taken. Trojans levelled the score with 9 minutes to go with an excellent individual run. Almost immediately Alicia Robinson received a yellow card and suspension for a stick tackle. It was here that Belper’s character and experience came to the fore. They upped the pace with the 10 players remaining and after a swift passing move, Harriet Fell’s initial shot was parried by the keeper but a wonderfully improvised reverse stick shot by her from an acute angle off a bouncing ball, saw Belper retake the lead. Two minutes later Harriet was badly fouled in front of goal and Hollie Webb again made no mistake from the penalty spot to ease Belper into a 3-1 lead with only a few minutes to go. Belper’s last opponents, Chelmsford, had also won both their games, so the match was to be the title decider. Again Belper scored an early goal in the 6th minute to settle the game down as they had done in so many NL matches this season. A change in the corner routine saw Louisa Boddy put a strong shot on target; the rebound off the keeper fell straight to sister Gill and she slapped the ball firmly over the line. Belper were not fazed by Chelmsford’s half-pitch press as they had encountered similar tactics on a number of occasions in the National League as teams tried to prevent the Nailers scoring. The back four of Emma and Rachel Sharp, Louisa Boddy and Sophie Appleby calmly passed the ball around the pitch whilst searching for the openings. Hollie Webb and Lucy Horn in midfield were resolute, thoughtful and exemplary in their decision making and the strikers made clever lead runs to open up the channels. The use of a high player to disrupt the Belper back four had no effect as they switched their marking pattern to deal with the threat. Three minutes from the end, another surging Laura Bridge run created the opening for Jess Wood and to the unrestrained delight of the whole Belper contingent, she fired high into the net to complete her comeback and seal the match and the title for Belper. Squad: GKs – Sabbie Heesh, Ashleigh Theobald; Outfield – Emma Sharp (capt), Louisa Boddy, Rachel Sharp, Sophie Appleby, Laura Bridge, Lucy Horn, Hollie Webb, Jess Wood, Alicia Robinson, Gill Boddy, Harriet Fell, Georgina Grostate, Sophie Passant.
Saturday May 19th, 2007. Chelmsford 1 - Trojans 0, Harleston Magpies 0 - Belper 1. Sunday May 20th, 2007. Chelmsford 0 - Belper 2, Trojans 0 - Harleston Magpies 2, Harleston Magpies 0 - Chelmsford 1, Belper 3 - Trojans 1.  Belper U15 girls win National Title for fourth successive year - wow! By Jackie Sharp The U15’s were in no doubt as to the enormity of the challenge of winning the National cup for an unprecedented fourth time and approached the whole weekend with their usual professionalism and maturity. Saturday morning saw an early start from all corners of Derbyshire to travel to Birmingham in good time for the first match of the tournament which was to be against Teddington. Belper made a good start putting pressure on the Teddington defence but some excellent goal keeping by the Teddington goalkeeper kept the ball out of the net until the 20th minute when Ellie Green opened her account with a typical Greenie tap in from the right post. The second half continued in much the same fashion with Belper having all the pressure but unable to score. However with eight minutes to go Jo Lane converted a penalty corner to make the game safe and put three points on the board. The girls then had a four and a half hour gap until their next match which they spent quietly (well most of them!) and out of the rain! We knew the second match was going to be tough as we were up against Chelmsford who had been runners up last year. The first five minutes saw Belper look nervous and Ellie McCance in goal pulled off two good saves then Belper composed themselves and it wasn’t too long before Charlotte Hobbs picked up a rebound from the keeper and this seemed to settle the nerves. A few minutes later Alice Sharp made a run from the midfield to score a fine individual goal and Charlotte added to the score line to make it 3-0 at half time. The score remained the same for the second half but Belper kept the pressure on with good runs from Rhiannon Rogers and Sophie Hawkins on the left and Anna Toman on the right. The two youngest members of the squad Jess Horn and Natalie Tipper played in the second half and demonstrated skills beyond their years. On Sunday the match between Teddington and Chelmsford ended in a draw that meant we had won the title before we played our last game. However the girls were determined to get a further three points on the board and keep a clean sheet. Obviously safe in the knowledge that the title was theirs the girls played some outstanding hockey and put three goals past Bournemouth in the first ten minutes. To their credit Bournemouth didn’t take their foot off the pedal but the Belper defence – Jo Lane, Tash Webb, Rachel Mason and Katie Jones dealt calmly with everything that came their way. In the second half some legs were rested and Judy Wrigley and Charlotte Bright added an important dimension to the team and helped the defence keep a clean sheet. For the last fifteen minutes the responsibility of goalkeeping was handed over to Sarah English who looked very at ease in between the posts. When the final whistle went there were some very elated but very tired players who can be very proud of what they have achieved. Squad: Ellie McCance, Sarah English, Jo Lane, Tash Webb, Rachel Mason, Katie Jones, Charlotte Bright, Judy Wrigley, Anna Toman, Alice Sharp (capt), Sophie Hawkins, Ellie Green, Charlotte Hobbs, Rhiannon Rogers, Natalie Tipper, Jess Horn, Camilla Hall. A special mention to Camilla who sustained a nasty knee injury before the tournament so only managed a short period of time on the pitch but had made valuable contributions in the previous matches.
Saturday May 19th Teddington 0 - Belper 2, Chelmsford 2 - Bournemouth 0, Teddington 1- Bournemouth 1, Belper 3 Chelmsford 0. Sunday May 20th Chelmsford 0 - Teddington 0, Belper 3 - Bournemouth 0 |