The Higgins Group plc U18 Boys Award for Joe Sharp - Tuesday 17th January 2012
Joe deserves this award on bravery alone. Born into a hockey family, he started running round with a stick at five years old going to mini-hockey with his three elder sisters (Alice has twice won the Higgins award) and his mum, Jackie.
“So he didn’t have a lot of choice,” said chairman of his Belper club Nick Fox. “From the outset it was clear he had a natural talent. Joe’s greatest attribute is his desire to win and his professional attitude on the pitch.”Joe, of Ecclesbourne School, started playing national league with Belper soon after his 15th birthday and was selected for the England Under-16 squad. But it was last July, playing as co-captain for the England Under-18s in the European Championships at Utrecht, that he suffered a life-threatening depressed skull fracture after being hit by a lifted ball. Dad Jerry is a doctor so knew the implications. Thankfully, after neuro-surgery, he made a complete recovery, and played for the Belper 2nd Xl to get fit. He is now back playing for their 1st X1 and says: “That injury is all in the past. I don’t think about it when I am playing.” That’s not quite what mum said, adding “He had only been on the pitch for a few minutes when the incident happened. He was conscious when the paramedics were called, and he went to the hospital. The facilities were fantastic. He was in theatre the next day. He had to wait for three months but he is absolutely fine now. Yes, I am very proud of my son.” Next up for Jo is selection for England’s Four Nations tournament in Holland at Easter. He will donate his award to Belper to help with coaching and equipment.
Belper Ladies Hockey Club players also featured at the 2011 Higgins Youth Awards with U18 girls runner-up: Anna Toman (Belper HC) and U16 girls joint third: Kathryn Lane (Belper HC).
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Sunday 13th November - EH Masters O40's Cup - Round 2. Belper 7 Old Wulfranians 2.
Scorers: Stuart Humphris 3, Ken Campbell 2, Andy Liles, Nick Morris
Belper strolled into round 3 with a comprehensive win at home. Belper were in total control from start to finish which meant all the squad had pitch time and played a number of positions! It was great to see Tom Osin playing upfront and taking on the opposition keeper & Kenny Campbell showing his prowess as a midfield general!
A very enjoyable fixture played in a good spirit and apart from the opposition captain unfortunately getting hit on the head by a deflected shot a good day for all. We wish Old Wulfranians all the best and hope their captain is OK. Belper moved the ball around well and it was a great improvement on Round 1! Belper will hope to have a full squad for a challenging Round 3 fixture away at Cannock on Sunday 4th December!
Nick Morris

IMHA Hockey Masters World Cup Singapore 28th October - 6th November 2011
Both myself & Jeff Longden have just returned from representing England Masters O40's in the recent World International Classic event held every two years. It was part of various Masters age group competitions. At O40's (which is the premier Veteran competition) England had never finished higher than third over the past 30+ years! We had been selected after the divisional championships & trials.
A squad of 18 travelled out to Singapore having spent the previous 6 months preparing with training & games across the country and other tournaments as part of an extensive build up. Players had to self-finance the trip and helped raise money through various events.
We arrived a few days before the competition to acclimatise to the humid & hot conditions and settle in to this beautiful small country. The squad included a mangement & coaching team along with the vital physiotherapist who kept the squad in one piece. The competition was held at the site of the 2010 Youth Olympics Sengkang Hockey Stadium in Singapore.
We trained on the Friday in very hot conditions to finalise things before playing our first group game versus the hosts, Singapore in hot conditions on the Saturday morning. Only 16 players could be included for each game so the management team decided that Jeff was one to miss out this first game. However, I started and a very competitive game began well as England took control early with the eventual result of a 3-0 win the conclusion of a good first performance in trying conditions.
The following day was to be the big game in the group and all players eagerly awaited the team selection. England had been drawn in the same group as Australia due to previous World Cup results and this second game was to be against them. England had never beaten Australia at this level and the squad was completely focused on perfoming well. There was not to be any second chances and in another hot & humid morning game it was not going to be a game for the faint hearted. Myself & Jeff were selected this time.
The game began at a frantic pace with England on top and after 15 minutes Engalnd took the lead as Nick Morris cut inside his defender, passed into the circle for another England forward, Tim Wood to turn & fire past the Aussie keeper. England went further ahead when midfielder Adrian Betts fired home after a flowing England move. England were in control, however, just before half time Australia had a lifeline as they scored from a short corner drag flick to leave it 2-1 to England at half time.
England came out looking to re-assert their dominance after the break, but could not make the most of a couple of short corners and were left to rue this, as a few tactical changes led to Australia getting back into the game form a short corner deflected low into the bottom corner. Shortly after this Australia took a surprise lead as a long ball into the English circle was deflected past Sean Parker in the England goal. This looked to knock the stuffing out of the England team as the excellent movement & patterns of the Australians looked to be taking control in the heat.
However, England quickly got back to what they were doing well attacking at pace and putting pressure on the tiring Australian defence. This led to a short corner which Gary Ferguson dragged low past the Australian keeper with 10 minutes to go. At 3-3 England continued to press and with a few minutes left another England attack led to the two Derbyshire squad members combining in the Aussie circle. Jeff Longden collected the ball at the top of the circle and passed to Nick Morris to flick high past the on rushing keeper to send the England support wild! England managed to see out the final few minutes with some desperate defending and leave the Australians stunned and England delirious!
Following a day off England completed 3 relatively easy victories versus Austria 3-0 (Nick Morris 2), Hong Kong 9-0 (Jeff Longden 2, Nick Morris 1) & Indonesia 10-0 (Jeff Longden 2, Nick Morris 1) to win the group and continue onto the final after a day off to prepare. England were due to play group B winners New Zealand who were raining champions on the Saturday evening following the Tournament dinner on the Friday evening. The squad were all keen to be selected and the nervous players waited for the managements decision. Fortunately, myself (only outfield player to start every game) & Jeff were selected for this huge game.
All the other age group finals were held on the Saturday at the Sengkang club. England had been really successful winning O50's, O55's & 60's. However, having never won the premier O40's before all attention was on the final game of the tournament to see if England could create history. All was set and around 6pm the Kiwis, who were a very physically tall team, performed the traditional Haka. However, this did not put off the focused and well prepared England team and they began quickly pressurising the New Zealand team into errors and created numerous opportunities in open play & short corners. However, the NZ keeper made some fine saves early on to keep the scores level. England were passing the ball around well & very effectively and eventually two well worked short corners led to goals mid-way through the first half & gave England confidence to take full control of the game. However, New Zealand did create a few short corner chances from which Gary Stoneley in the England goal made a couple of fine saves to preserve the English 2-0 lead into half time.
NZ came out knowing they needed to quickly get back into the game if they were to hang onto their world No.1 tag at this level. However, it was England who quicly put the game to bed. A slick move as the England Midfield pressurised the NZ players into errors led to Jeff Longden firing under the advancing keeper to make it 3-0 and shortly after another drag flick from a short corner found the New Zealand net to make the game safe. England now had the luxury of keeping possession and making changes to give all 16 a run out. The only surprise was that they did not take any of the numerous chances that came their way over the final minutes. It did not matter and wild scenes of celebration were seen on the final whistle.
England received the IMHA Challenge Trophy for the first time and the players were presented with their gold medals. An incredible experience full of dedication, hard work & sacrifice which was all worth it as we are now World No.1 and World Hockey Masters champions.
Roll on the IMHA Hockey Masters World Cup which is being held in Canterbury & Oxford, England (as part of the olympic/paralympic summer) in August 2012!
Without all the support form family & friends this would not have been possible. Thank you to all.
On a personal note I thank Wendy, Harry & Alaric for allowing me to do this, my parents for believing in me & all who have supported me at Belper HC. Finally, Slazengers who provide me with vital kit & equipment.
Nick Morris

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Sunday 30th October - Belper 1XI cup run disappointment
On Sunday the Nailers travelled to Manchester to take on Premier league opposition in the second round of the HA Cup. Having beaten Leamington convincingly in the previous round and buoyed by recent league successes, the side was quietly confident of giving their illustrious counterparts a good game.
With Nick Morris representing the England Masters in Singapore and Tom Sherratt still suffering from a shoulder injury, the squad was not at full strength and skipper Richard Kitchen would also face a late fitness test.
Although the nailer’s main attention is undoubtedly the league, coach Lamb was keen to stress to the players that this game was also a great opportunity to play against a side hardened with several years of premier league experience. Preparation for the match went well with the warm up being carried out in glorious sunshine – in keeping with most of the season so far.
Unfortunately Kitchen was unable to make the start of the match, erring on the side of caution with a tricky injury. It was the right decision with some vital league games in the coming weeks.
The match started at a blistering pace that took the Belper side a few minutes to adjust to. The back four of Bull, Hawkes, Bullock and Hall held firm admirably considering the rate at which the Bowden forwards were rotated. Once Belper settled into the game they found that their usual passing game was working well against the premier league side.
When the ball was released from the back four, the midfield trio of Blackwell, Inshaw and Ebbage were able to turn and feed passes to the frontline so long as they released the ball early. The hard working Bowden midfield were quick to react to any ball in the middle of the park and passing opportunities to the front line were cut out if not taken promptly.
The early chances fell to Bowden with Slane having to make three smart saves in close succession to keep the game scoreless. Belper also threatened with the front three working hard to create an opening. Good work by Luke Davies saw him beat a Bowden defender and slip the ball to Walton. Walton was unlucky to see his shot saved by Bowden ‘keeper Robbie Turner. Adam Innocent, earning his first start for the nailers was also making good progress against the Bowden defenders and was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty corner after being felled by a mistimed tackle. Ash Blakemore also contributed well to the frontline when on the pitch and was particularly good at making wide leads for the back line to hit to.
As the half wore on, the nailers became more comfortable and used to playing at the higher pace dictated by the opposition. The increase in tempo, however, served to tire the Belper legs somewhat and Bowden started to use the aerial ball to outlet from the back. From one such effort in the 33rd minutes the Bowden Sweeper played a long ball through the middle of the park to their frontline. The Bowden side created an overload that Bull and Bullock were unable to cope with and left Slane one on one with the Bowden forward. The striker’s flicked effort was pushed on to the post by Slane but the rebound fell kindly for the following up midfielder who rifled the ball home into the rigging. It was a disappointing blow for Belper to be breached so late in the half having coped so well up until this point. 1 – 0 after 33 minutes.
At half time the team talk was simple – more of the same. The Belper side were competing with Bowden in every aspect of the game and knew that more chances would come their way.
Indeed, the second half started brightly with Bull, Ebbage and Davies all combining to earn a penalty corner just after the break. The routine was not as slick as it could have been but Inshaw still managed to carve out a chance at the back post. He was unlucky to see his shot blocked by the onrushing Turner in the Bowden goal. For Belper, this was as good as the day was to get.
Stung into action by the early Belper chance, Bowden reacted strongly and started to exercise their experience of playing in the top league. The introduction of their Australian forward and a structural change in the middle saw Belper overwhelmed at times. Bowden showed no mercy in front of goal and quickly created a number of chances. It was only a matter of time until they added to their tally as Belper toiled unsuccessfully in an effort to gain and keep possession of the ball.
Bowden made the breakthrough in the 40th minute as a long ball found its way to an unmarked forward who lashed the ball past Slane on the reverse stick. This really opened the flood gates as Bowden then added a further eight goals without reply. It was a bitter pill for the Belper team to swallow as they had competed with Bowden for much of the game.
The slicker passing, better basics and higher match tempo meant that Belper struggled as the legs got more tired. Bowden used their bench well, rotating all of their front six at regular intervals. A tactic Belper has no response for. On too many occasions the Nailer’s communication let them down as players failed to track or ‘hand-off’ opposition players to team mates in the defensive third of the pitch.
However, to write the game off would be an injustice to the Belper side who will have learnt a lot from the experience. There were also a number of positives to come from the day as Jake Bullock demonstrated again what a great prospect he is with a number of fantastic challenges and some great distribution. That Belper were able to compete for so long was also a sign of an improving side that bodes well for the remainder of the league season.
Coach Lamb was reflective after the game; “Obviously it is not nice to lose in the fashion that we did today. But we have to ensure our focus remains on eth league and also take the positives from today’s match into those league games.”
“If we can lift each area of our own game by just 10%, we would be right up there with teams like Bowden and challenging for the league title. That has to be our objective for now” he added.
Belper resume their league campaign with another trip to Manchester this weekend to take on rivals Brooklands on Sunday.

Sunday 2nd October - Free scoring Belper 1XI progress to the next round of the EH Cup
Following Saturday’s disappointing end to their league game away to Olton, Sunday provided the Nailer’s with a chance to put right some of their wrongs by lining up against Leamington HC in the first round of the England Hockey Cup.
Despite the unavailability of several of the regular starting XI Belper were still able to field a strong squad against Leamington, with the return to the squad of Ashley Blakemore and Ross Duncan alongside Richard Cassidy who was rewarded with a place in the squad after his league goal the day previous. The starting line-up also saw coach Mark Lamb take to the field for a welcome return and Dan Darby started in goal.
Belper were expected to win the game, playing against a team four divisions below their own, but these occasions have a habit of tripping up the favourites and providing an early cup upset. Belper had to approach the game as they would any other. Unfortunately for Leamington Sunday did not see a surprise upset, with Belper starting strongly, retaining possession for long spells and threatening the Leamington goal early in the game.
It wasn’t long before the Belper were first on the score sheet and from that point on any potential nerves were settled and the home team soon got into their stride. Belper maintained their structure, discipline and effort levels, playing quick attacking hockey that took them into the half time break 7-0 up.
Leamington demonstrated a good team ethos and continued to work hard for the duration of the game, for which they must be credited. However, the fitness and quality of the EHL team prevailed and Belper scored a further 12 goals in the second half. The final score finished Belper 19, Leamington 0.
The goals for Belper were well spread throughout the team: James Blackwell 5, Richard Cassidy 4, Ben Walton 3, Mark Lamb, 1, David Ebbage 1, Dougie Campbell 1, Ash Blakemore 1, Ben Inshaw 1, Luke Davies 1, Sam Hawkes 1.
Coach Mark Lamb commented “It is pleasing to see the team continue to do the right things, even when the game was well won. It is important we maintain our standards throughout the whole season, for every game, regardless of the opposition”.
The next round of the cup will no doubt prove to a considerably bigger challenge for the Nailers, who have been drawn away against EHL Premier club Bowdon on Sunday 30th October. However, Belper will be going into the game confident and looking to put in another good performance.
Richard Kitchen

Men's pre-season 2011-12 newsletter
Welcome to new and old members as we approach the beginning of a new Hockey season. Look what's happening this season by reading the 2011-12 newsletter.
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Men’s 1st XI pre-season review
The Summer has seen a flurry of developments at the Meadow’s as the ground, team management and playing staff have undergone numerous changes. After a fraught, but ultimately successful, finish to the 2010 / 11 season, the Nailers knew that changes were on the way. It was with sadness that manager Ben Lamb and coach Graham Joyce stood down from their respective positions. The team and supporters would like to take this opportunity to thank them both for all their hard work during the season and wish them both every success in their new ventures.
With these changes, a process was started to find a new lead coach for the 1stXI. This process started in May with an advertisement drawing in a number of high quality candidates. Initial interviews were held with candidates in June and a shortlist compiled. Unfortunately for the club we became a victim of circumstances that conspired to rob us of the leading candidate. Undeterred by this the club continued in its search and Mark Lamb was appointed to the role of 1st XI coach. Mark has a fantastic record at Belper having captained the club to the England Hockey National Premier League and successfully coached many of the junior sides in recent seasons. Mark brings a huge amount of playing and coaching experience with him and this mix is ideally suited to the Belper set up. Inspirational Richard Kitchen remains at captain and will be assisted by Neill Slane in the vice-captain role.
As with any serious sporting team, the role of manager is vital and it is with great excitement that we welcome Sally Cousins to the role. Sally has been a great manager of Belper’s many underage teams and has been one of the biggest contributors to the success of the junior club in recent years.
As well as the changes off the pitch, there were a number of changes to the playing staff with a number of movements occurring. It was with sadness that we said farewell to Sam McCambridge who has returned to Australia, Joe Browne and David Boddy who have left to go to university. The squad will certainly miss Sam’s contribution to the goals tally and the club will miss his infectious personality. We hope to see Sam back at the Meadows in the future and will ensure that contact is maintained.
The loss of Joe and David will also be deeply felt. David provided a huge amount of pace to the frontline and Joe had developed into a very strong defender. Their performances at the back end of the previous season showed that they will continue to go from strength to strength. We wish them every success and hope to see them back at Belper when they finish university.
The clubhouse, changing rooms and pitch have also undertaken a transformation as club members have worked hard to clean, decorate and repair the facilities. The Meadow’s is in the best shape for manys a year thanks to the hard work of everyone involved.
Although the 1st XI has lost a small number of players, there have also been some new recruits to the camp. Belper are pleased to welcome new players Ashley Blakemore from Chester and Aaron Cambden from Beeston. Both players bring experience with them and operate in the frontline. At the back the club has welcomed new faces Jacob Bullock and Toby Hooker. Both players have come from the club youth teams and judging by performances in preseason, are both already eminently capable defenders who will get plenty of pitch time in the coming season. Rich Cassidy has also returned from university in London to bolster the squad further.
Although not new players, Ben Walton and Dougie Campbell have returned from a long period away from the 1st XI due to injury. Despite not playing, Walton was always a very vocal supporter of the club and could frequently be heard on the side lines at the Meadows while Dougie has continued his junior international career where possible with Scotland. Ben and Dougie have struggled with numerous injuries throughout the last 3 seasons and to see them back and training well has been a great boost for the new management team. The longer away trips during the season will certainly be more entertaining now that ‘Wally’ is back in the squad.
Mark Lamb planned a thorough preseason programme taking in a significant amount of cardio training as well as stick and ball training. This was built up to include a number of fixtures over the last month. Six fixtures have taken place allowing Mark to try out several formations and player combinations. Initial matches against National Conference South opposition Teddington and Midland Prem outfit South Notts were promising in parts but showed that there was plenty of work to do ahead of the league season. Belper managed a win against Teddington (7 -1) and a credible draw (2 -2 ) against a South Notts side packed with former Belper players.
The following week Belper recorded another win (4 – 3) over newly promoted Lichfield who will undertake their second stint in the National Conference West. James Blackwell and Dan Darby both impressed in this win showing good form early in the season.
The highlight of the preseason programme was a Monday night fixture against National Champions Beeston. Despite a couple of injuries Belper put in a magnificent performance only to lose out 4 – 2. This was an encouraging performance that showed just what the squad is capable of if they can maintain high standards throughout the season. Jacob Bullock was the star performer on the night putting in a performance that belies his young age.
The final week of preseason has been completed with two further victories against West Bridgford (3 – 6) and Edgbaston (3 – 6). Despite fielding a weakened squad, Ben Walton, Ben Inshaw and James Blackwell all performed very well to ensure two wins for the Nailers as they prepare for that vital first league game against Doncaster.
With the National Conference North set to be a very competitive league, it is vital that the Nailers get off to a better start than the previous campaign. With Brooklands dropping out of the Premier League and a strong Preston side being promoted from the Northern Prem league, there will be no easy games this season. The four biggest challenges will surely be Durham University (the current league champions), Sheffield Hallam, Doncaster and Brooklands.
“The league this season will be tighter than it has been for a number of years” said Mark Lamb. “With a premier league team coming down and the previous league winners staying in the league, it will be much harder to challenge at the top. But with the squad we have we are more than capable of competing with and beating the top teams”.
“This season I am wanting to build a strong cohesive unit that will be able to provide any team with a stern test. The game against Beeston certainly showed what we are capable of and it’s down to us to maintain the standards the players have set themselves. I can assure any supporter that there will be no compromise in the coming season from my squad and we will also provide lots of exciting hockey for the spectators.”
Captain Richard Kitchen also added “We cannot take anything for granted this year. The competition for points means that we will be battling from the first game for every point we can get. We have a tough start at Doncaster and it will not get any easier after that.” He was also quite upbeat on the state of the playing staff “Although we have a couple of injury concerns ahead of the first game in Sam Hawkes and Tom Sherratt, we have a strong unit of players with lots of experience on the pitch. There is a real buzz in the camp and the guys are chomping at the bit to get going.”
Belper start their league campaign with an away trip to Doncaster on Sunday 18th September with a 2.00pm push back. All support is, as always, very welcome. The Nailers will follow this fixture by entertaining Leek at the Meadows on Saturday 24th September. A mouth-watering clash considering the history between the two sides from the same fixture last season.

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Men's and Ladies club kit - order by 11th September, 2011
I have busy been updating the Club clothing available for our members to purchase from Cricket Hockey Direct (see attached). Orders can be placed now, via www.crickethockeydirect.co.uk/teamwear/club-kit/belper-h-c , for Ladies, Men’s, and Junior garments. The deadline for people to get their first orders in is 11th September, for delivery, hopefully, at the end of September. There will be the opportunity for another order for delivery in time for Christmas. I have a few sample garments available and hope to bring these along to the Men’s committee meeting on 31st August! I will also probably have more samples in time for the Club Day. I am ordering some more Belper socks, in both red and white, and these can be ordered directly from me not CHD. The price will remain the same (£5.50/pr, or 2prs for £1
Judy Hooker - email: judynigel@btinternet.com

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Nick Morris plays for Midland O40's masters
Nick Morris and Jeff Longden were the Derbyshire players involved with the Midland O40's masters last weekend (7th and 8th May) at the Divisional championships held in Bristol. They played 5 games over Saturday & Sunday! Their bodies are certainly feeling it! They managed to win the tournament and be crowned Divisional champions playing some excellent hockey with both Nick and Jeff scoring a several goals. The results were as follows:
Group A: Saturday 7th May - Drew 1-1 v West, Won 5-0 v East, Won 3-1 v Scotland and won the group.
Playoffs: Sunday 8th May - Semi-final Won 2-0 v North and Final Won 3-1 v South.
They have now reached 3 consecutive divisional finals winning 2 (as lost to the south last year!).
The England selectors were at the event and have invited 40 players to trials over the next few weekends. From this, squads will be selected for the Home Nations in June, European cup in Germany late August & IMHT World Cup in October/Nov in Singapore. Both Nick and Jeff have been selected for the trials and hope for more! Fitness permitting they are hopeful of being included and Singapore alone will cost a substantial amount even though the England Management are trying to secure some funding it is up to players to be self-financing and will only be able to attend they can find some help/support!

Men 1XI look to appoint new head coach for season 2011-12
We wish to invite applications for the post of Belper Men’s Hockey Club 1st XI Head Coach.
This is an opportunity for a hockey coach, holding a EH Level 2 certificate or above, to be involved in developing this ambitious club. The 1st XI play in the EHL Northern Conference and the position will be required to create a positive environment which facilitates both player and squad development. Ultimately, the head coach will be in charge of providing the best opportunities for all the squad to raise standards, instil a pride at representing the club at the highest level & achieve success.
In detail the Head Coach will work with the club’s management team to develop the 1st XI squad, attend all meetings, deliver a structured programme for players & squad performance, organise competitive & appropriate pre-season & mid-season programmes, provide high quality coaching at least twice a week and work with club officials to help provide a structured whole club approach.
Belper Men’s Hockey club is EH ‘clubsfirst’ accredited and intends to run a further 6 senior men’s teams competing in the MRHA leagues and a Badgers team in the West Midlands friendly competition. The Men’s Hockey club has an extensive & very successful junior section which is part of the wider Belper Meadows Sports Club and shares facilities with the Ladies Hockey, Tennis, Cricket & Bowls sections.
The facilities are very good including a clubhouse & water-based astroturf pitch in a beautiful location. The BMSC is working extremely hard to maintain & improve these facilities now & in the future.
For more details about the club please visit our website www.belperhc.co.uk
Applications need to be received ASAP as we wish to appoint by June 2011. If you wish to apply please email your CV & a covering letter to BMHC Secretary Nick Morris mozza6@tiscali.co.uk
If you wish to speak to us then do not hesitate to contact Nick Fox on 07949119653 or Nick Morris (Secretary) on 0785 8255329.

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