Ladies 1s ( Captain Claire Gribbin)

Over the summer the Ladies first team welcomed new Performance and 1st Team Coach, Paul Hamnett which helped bring about an injection of rejuvenation.

Great numbers of new and old faces at pre-season fitness training across the entire ladies section meant that selection for the first few friendlies was an opportunity to try new things.

The Christmas break saw the team sitting 3rd in the league, level on points with second place. With some things still to work on heading into February including scoring more goals, a resounding plus has been the strong defensive displays conceding only 5 goals, things look to be going in the right direction for the Ladies 1’s.

Ladies 2s( Captain Hannah Bromfield)

With extremely high hopes for the new season, the 2s have had a disappointing half. With almost a whole new squad and different players every week, lack of consistency has proved challenging. 

However, team morale has increased hugely this year and the squad has started to really gel, along with better training turn-out and players sticking around for teas after games it has started to feel like a positive/happy squad. 

The second half of the season already looks more encouraging, with a planned social in January as well as much improved availability going forwards. This, along with Jo Toon being confirmed as team manager means the team is excited about consistency and performance improvement going forward.

Ladies 3s  ( Captain Michelle Brabants)

Ladies 3’s have had a rollercoaster of a start to the season and, mainly due to availability issues and injuries across the ladies section, they have struggled through some heavy defeats leading up to Christmas.

The team did however put in inspiring performances to secure draws against Boots Ladies 2’s and also to top of the league Worksop so there’s definitely some magical spirit in the squad......and of course, tonnes of love to go round!

The Ladies 3s haven’t lost the smiles or the positive vibes and the fun bus is well on its way to a victory or two through the second half of the season.

Ladies 4s  (Captain Rachel Wood)

The Ladies 4s have got off to a great first half of the season with a consistent team working hard together each week. Results have followed with 6 top wins and only 2 losses which included an edge of the seat 3-4 thriller against an in-form top of the league Uni side.

It is currently looking like a 3-way battle at top so there is all to play for going into the next half of season as the Ladies 4s chase promotion!

Ladies 5s( Captain Beth Rosser)

At the halfway point the Ladies 5s are sitting pretty mid-table just under the Ladies 4s. They hit the ground running at the start of the season with two great wins over Players and Beeston, 4 draws and only two losses (a very close game vs L4s and then Uni with a bare 11).

Team spirit is high this season and the 5s are playing some great hockey and have been the better team in most games but they have struggled to find the back of the net at times!

Sights are firmly set on a top half of the table finish. Training turn out is greatly improved, a testament to the great coaching on Thursday nights and it is definitely showing on the pitch on a Saturday!

Ladies 6s ( Captains Heather Wright + Kirstie Stark)

The Lades 6s as always are a highly positive team. Unfortunately even with a huge squad on paper, many players have been unavailable for most of the season so far, leading to a slightly rocky start. The squad has started to settle down and gel and the juniors have really stepped up and added to that mix.

Ladies 6s started the season with a worthy draw against a tough team from Newark, followed by some very close losses to Bridgford, Redhill and Worksop. The 6s kept their spirits high even after a 4:0 loss to an excellent Aztecs team but came back fighting securing their first victory beating Arnold 4:1.

Ladies 6s finished the first half of the season with defeat in a shield game against a very strong Beeston team, but spirits remain high and the team is looking forward to the new year.

Mens 1s ( Captain Adam Innocent)

We always knew our first crack at Midlands Premier League was going to be difficult and so it has proven to be. However,we are improving all the time  and we fully expect to get our first points on the board in the near future.  The last two games have been so very close with Harborne commenting that the team was unrecognisable from the beginning of the season. Buoyed by the news there will be no relegation from the league this season the squad has bought into this developmental stage and are improving every minute.

Mens 3s (Captain Rob Peck)

The 3s position in the league does not do our performances on the pitch justice.  We have put in some outstanding performances most notably the 65 minutes we held our own against a younger, fitter University side in December who are top of the league.  We battled hard and narrowly lost to Derby's 1st who were strengthened by new recruits and considerable coaching support at the side of the pitch.  We had the chance to take the game away from Mansfield 1s who needed a slice of luck to win even with ex-Midlands Prem players.  

Our last two games were against Newark 1s and West Bridgford 3s who are run by their 1st XI coach who was until recently their 2nd XI captain in the Midlands Prem,  We started brilliantly in both games and earned ourselves a 2 goal lead.  If the games were 65 minutes we'd have picked up all 6 points rather than the two draws we came away with.  The tide will turn and we look forward to converting these good performance into wins and rising to our rightful place in the top half of the table by the end of the season

Mens 5s (Captain Steve Caron)

A much-changed squad for 2018/19 season with many juniors stepping up to the regular squad (Umar, Josh, Cai and Rhys). A solid first half, finishing the first set of fixtures in 5th place, 6 points from the top. Lots of good games, tight matches and great goals. A solid second half will see us challenging for promotion.

Mens 6s (Captain Ravi Saund)

“Following the ( hopefully temporary)  dissolution of the mens 7th team this season, the mens 6th team inherited a mixture of ages/abilities and new players so managing expectations of individuals and player rotation (especially having 3 goal keepers) has proven to be a challenge from the outset.  However, the spirit is always positive and hockey is played in a competitive yet fun manner every week.  We are a supportive and enthusiastic bunch who always help under 18s to play with confidence and you can now see how well they are developing. 

Following a few early defeats (always the norm for us!), heads were lifted with a victory at home versus great rivals West Bridgford and the season now appeared to have turned a corner with a couple of consecutive clean sheets.  January has been tough against strong opposition but we’re hoping for a more successful end to the  season.  We aim to further develop and improve the junior players and continue to give some of the Boots ‘legends’ game time!  The ethos at this level is to always enjoy hockey regardless of the score line so onwards and upwards”.