Welcome to Reading Hockey Club, the country’s premier Hockey Club, sponsored by adidas.
We run 11 men’s teams and 7 ladies’ teams, with both elite squads at the very pinnacle of the domestic game and brimming with international talent. Our thriving Next Generation youth section attracts hundreds of youngsters to participate in our exciting sport, and ensures the future strength of Reading HC.
Whether you are an existing member or new to RHC you’ll find some useful information on the club HERE.
Awards Dinner 2014 – 26th April 2014
Just one week stands between now and the Awards Dinner to rival all Awards Dinners and the social team have been working hard to bring you the best event yet and with 150 tickets sold…it is the biggest Awards Dinner Reading HC has ever put on!
The black-tie evening will kick off at 1830 and all guests must be promptly seated at 1915 for dinner with carriages at 0130.
We have an excellent evening lined up including some excellent drink deals at the bar, the Men and Ladies section reports, numerous awards, a prize raffle, a disco and for just £10 you also have the opportunity to win your membership subscription for next season!
We look forward to seeing you on the 26th April.
The evening is a sell out and is strictly guest list only. Please ensure that you have had confirmation of payment prior to attending.
Steve Bayer is stepping down
Reading Hockey Club regrets to announce that Steve Bayer, the Ladies 1st team head coach has decided to step down after 4 successful years at the club.
Steve has been a committed member of the club, guiding Reading Ladies to winning the Investec Women’s Hockey League Finals in 2013, the England Hockey Indoor titles in 2013 and 2014, the European Club Champions Trophy in 2013 along with silver medals at the EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy in 2014. He has also helped the club win many awards within the local area, including Reading Sports Personalities Coach and Team of the year in 2013.
He has been a keen supporter of the club at all levels and especially within the Ladies section.
Steve has asked for the following message to be posted:
After 4 years at Reading I decided at the end of last month to move on. We have been very successful during those years and I have some great memories. It’s never an easy decision to take but I know it’s the right time to move on to new challenges.
I would like to thank all the players and management who I have had the pleasure of working with during these last 4 years. The management team and support staff have been excellent and should be praised for the professionalism and energy they committed to the club.I wish the club and players all the best going forward.
The club has great potential and I hope they fulfill all their aspirations. It has been an amazing journey and no doubt I will see you on a hockey pitch somewhere next year.All the best,
Steve.
The Ladies team and the Club would like to thank Steve for all his hard work and effort during his time at the club and wish him all the best in his future plans.
Further information regarding the appointment of a successor will be sent out in the next few weeks.
Reading is one of the premier hockey clubs in the country. Winner of the Reading Club of the Year Award, the hockey club enjoys a high profile through the national and local media. With two elite teams in the English Hockey League the club’s playing representatives cover the length of the country. The club runs 11 men’s teams, 7 ladies’ teams and has a flourishing junior section. The club has over 300 senior and 500 junior members and is based at a top class facility in Sonning Lane with 2 Astroturf pitches on site.
Thank you to the Volunteers
I want to pass on to all the Volunteers the huge number of people who came up to me from England Hockey, the teams and the Spectators, wanting to pass on their thanks and congratulations to the club who, yet again, facilitated a great couple of weekends – here are some of the comments :
A few special mentions from me as the RHC Event Manager:
It was made all the harder when volunteers didn’t turn up or decide they didn’t like that job and want to do something nicer and just walk off! I am grateful to all those who didn’t take that attitude.
And finally to the rest of the Playoffs Committee – Rachael Marriott, Rachel Mann, Judith Barton, Tim Hamilton and Chris Davey, (not forgetting Sue Newman, Lucy Scott, Grace Lawes and Tony Cook) – who all worked tirelessly to make sure their areas of responsibility were successful. No doubt I have forgotten someone, so thank you to you as well!!
For those who know me, they will know that I don’t like taking the credit for anything, but for once I will actually pat myself on the back – for two reasons:
- For having a great team of people helping me –many hours were spent sorting all of the above out and I thank them for making my role on each of the days a lot easier.
- I will also pat myself on the back for making the decision 20 years ago to join this fantastic club which I am incredibly proud of.
It is the members who make a club, and the members who came down and really helped these past few weeks did the club proud –Well done and Thank you.
Liz Spencer
A very proud Ding, and Vice Chair of Hockey.
The Finals Weekend from the Volunteers View
Well the past few weekends have been incredibly busy for the club and its members hosting the Now Pensions Mens playoffs , the England v Ireland international and the Investec Women’s playoffs.
This report is not to give you a rundown of the games, results etc. – you can find all that out on the various websites (England Hockey, Top of the D, Reading Chronicle, various other hockey websites) but hopefully it will give you an insight into what it takes to get the club ready for these events and also the roles that club members play in making it such a success. It is also a way for me, the assigned RHC Events Manager for the weekends, to say thanks and well done to everyone.
For everyone who came down to the club for these events, you will have seen a transformation. Even though it is the responsibility of England Hockey to ensure that the infrastructure, stands, marquees and branding are in place, there is also a huge amount of work that needs to be done behind the scenes by club members.
Believe it or not, there are no magic fairies who click their fingers and it is all done!
It started back in December with the Club Clean-up day, when some club members gave up some of the Christmas holidays to come down to paint the Ladies changing rooms, small corridor and the foyer. There was also a huge amount of leaf collecting, car park cleaning and tidying up around the grounds. These activities were just the start of things to come, and it helped enormously in getting the club ready for the events.
Read the Full Story
It was quite a weekend for Reading Colts
Boys U18 EH Plate winners
Reading were very dominant in their first game with a 5-1 win over Neston, as two early shots from the top of circle ensured an early lead going into the second half, where they carried on in fine form. Their Plate final was equally decisive, as Reading followed on from their previous 5-1 win with a 7-1 victory against Yateley.
Girls U16s finished 4th in the NATIONAL GU16 Championship – which is no mean feat
In pool C, Reading got off to a good start on the opening day, which saw them draw 1-1 with Southgate before defeating Buckingham 3-0. This set up a tense final pool match between Wakefield and Reading, which the latter had to win to qualify for the final. However, they were unable to find a goal as they came up against a resilient Jess Walsh in the Wakefield goal as the match finished 0-0.
Reading were thorough to the play-off for third place,where Bowdon scored the only goal of the game and Reading took the fourth spot.
Girls U10 became South Champions
Boys U10 won the Plate competition
In other games:
GU16 Dev 2 – 1 Guildford
GU14 Dev 0 – 1 Maidenhead
GU12 1 – 0 Surbiton
GU12 Renegades 3 -1 Maidenhead
Easter Coaching Camps
Classic Camps – Junior & Senior
After the success of our February camps, this Easter sees the return of our camps at Reading. For the first time, we will be running two camps during the holidays to ensure players don’t miss out on the chance to be a part of the hockey experience here at Reading Hockey. ??Join our high quality coaches, including Steve Hardy (England Hockey Coach Assessor) and Jess Brooker (Bradfield College & Reading Ladies 1s) as they focus their coaching on honing those core skills, as well as trying out some new more advanced techniques. Also, Goalkeeping coaching from Sarah Ellis will be offered on both Mondays of the camps. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from the best in the business!?? If you are between 8 to 12, you can sign up to our Junior Camp. For those a little older (up to 18 years) can sign up for our Senior Camp.
7th – 8th April
14th – 15th April
(GK Coaching on 7th & 14th)
Performance Camps – 14+ and minimum JAC level
We are also presenting ambitious young players with two opportunities to learn from the best in the business! For the first time, we are offering two days of Performance Hockey Camps in the Easter holidays. These camps are aimed at players between 14-18 years old who have reached JAC or higher in the England Single System, and focus on the skills and tactical knowledge to reach the very top level of the sport. Our coaches have expert knowledge in this area, with many of them having played or coached at not only the England Hockey Single System level, but at the height of international hockey.
10th April
16th April
So don’t miss out, get yourself on these camps today to avoid disappointment! Book today at camps@readinghockeyclub.org.uk
YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOU!!
Reading Hockey Club is delighted to be hosting the Now: Pensions Men’s League Finals weekend and the Investec Ladies Finals Weekend, the culmination of the national league play-offs and cup competitions, over the weekends of 5-6 April and 12-13 April 2014.
The club is also hosting an International Now: Pensions Nations Cup England vs Ireland game on the evening of Thursday 10 April. There will be a few of our 1st team playing in this game for both sides.
The aim of hosting the events is to reinforce Reading Hockey Club’s excellent reputation as the pre-eminent hockey club in England. In addition the goal is to raise its profile outside of the sport nationally and in the local area, to create an image that Reading is the automatic choice as a centre of excellence for hockey and the leading venue in the country. Reading Men and Ladies have both qualified to play in their respective competitions so the atmosphere will be electric!
In order to achieve this aim, your club needs YOU. The help of each and every member of the club and the extended hockey family will be required. We need a teams of helpers to work during the day and, although some will be able to join us for the complete days, we recognise that many of our fantastic volunteers may only be able to come along for a section of time.
If you would like to come and help, we will need to know the days and times that you intend to come along, so that we can ensure that all the areas have enough cover for people to take breaks and be able to watch some of the games.
Saturday 5th April, Sunday 6th April, Saturday 12th April, Sunday 13th April
Thursday 10th April
Working days to prepare the site Sunday 23rd and 30th March
This will be general tidy and clean-up of the club site to prepare it for England Hockey coming in to set up all the stands and marquees.
Please could you sign up for the events by registering on the form on the website (preferred) or send an email to RHCPlayoffs@gmail.com.
Thank you for your support
The Playoffs Committee
(Liz Spencer, Tim Hamilton, Judith Barton, Chris Davey, Rachael Marriot)
For more information on the tournaments, see the England Hockey Website
Reading 3 – Clifton 1
8th March 2014
This weekend saw the top four teams in action against each other, Reading were taking on Clifton who had been dubbed the ‘Silent Assassins’ after their recent good form. The spoils had been shared during the previous encounter between the two sides, but this time the Ding were on home soil and were looking to take away all three points.
In the early stages of the half both Danson and Chamberlain went close but their shots narrowly missed the goal and went fizzing past the far post. Despite Reading’s early dominance and pressure they found themselves behind after an attacking corner broke down. The visitors capitalised on this opportunity and were quickly down in Reading’s circle, were Addison was on hand to slot home the bouncing cross. The home side were awarded a barrage of penalty corners and the Ding finally converted a routine in the last few minutes of the half through Gilbert who tapped in the rebound, after a powerful strike from Wilkinson. At half time the teams went in level, and Reading knew they needed to start converting their opportunities to ensure victory.
In the second half Reading found their stride and were extremely slick in possession and looking potent in attack. Reading’s defence was solid and the team were nullifying Clifton’s counter attack, which had posed some problems in the first half.
After a good passage of composed play, Danson was found by a pin-point accurate pass from Kate Richardson-Walsh. Danson attacked the head of the circle and found the goal with her trademark reverse stick, and gave the home side a 2-1 lead. Clifton came close shortly after when a ball went flying across the front of Ellis’s goal and a few inches in front of the stick of the oppositions diving attacker.
Reading went on to secure the win after Thomas coolly converted from the penalty spot, which was awarded when Danson was fouled and deemed to have been prevented a goal scoring opportunity. Reading controlled the final stage of the game and went home victorious. The win meant that the Ding were one point adrift from league leaders Canterbury and keeping the pressure on for the final few games.
Reading Rustlers have won Division 1 of the over 35′s league
With a comfortable 3 – 1 win over Old Georgians Reading Rustlers have now won Division one of the over 35′s league.
Captain Andy Holden seen here discussing next weeks Cup team with former RHC Captain Jon Wyatt. Well done to all the squad. With the Super Vets unbeaten since Christmas and the Redsox able to win Division two if they win their games in hand a extrodinary treble is on the cards!!
