Mercian Home Counties Colts Leagues

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT FOR 2007-2008 SEASON

First things first I would like to thank Surbiton Hockey Club for hosting a wonderful weekend, I’d also like to thank Dave & Janet Gunn, Mike & Wendy Beaney, and Jeremy Holt for all there hard work over the weekend to make sure things rang smoothly.

This was a very special occasion for the Mercian League. The league itself has been running for 32 years, and Mike Smith, as Mercian, has been sponsoring us for 30 of them. I believe that we are now the largest league in the country.

Originally started with under 16 & under 18 teams then 15years ago a suggestion was put forward that an under 14 league was created. Since it’s formation, the Mercian League has gone from strength to strength - now with upwards of 50 clubs taking part – that’s a staggering 120 teams!

The area covered was originally the Home Counties, but through it’s popularity the Mercian League has now grown and spread beyond these boundaries.

I would like to make a special thank you to Mercian for putting on the celebration tournament and to Mike & Judy Smith for there continued support and sponsorship of the league. Thank you.

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To all the committee members and club organisers who work so hard each year to keep this league so successful – thank you. And a huge thank you to Dave Gunn & his wife Janet, who both work tirelessly throughout the year to ensure that we are all organised and prepared for each new season ahead.

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However, this evening could not pass by without another special thank you, this time to Mike Beaney, who due to ill health has finally decided to retire this year. Trawling through old minutes it appears that Mike’s name first appeared in 1979 when asked to run the Surrey/Hants U16 division of the League. He has been involved ever since, and became Chairman in May 1990 until retirement in 2005 after 15 years in the post. Mike also formed the Under 16 Premiership as well as organising the playing dates and Top Club Award. Mike did not escape completely until this year, when he will officially retire from the league at the AGM in June.  Mike what can I say - except that you will be greatly missed by all of us, and thank you for all your hard work over the years. We all wish you well in your retirement.

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I’d like to also say a big thank you to the divisional secretaries for all there work through the season for making the Mercian League the success it is today.

Finally I would like to say that there are many boys out there, who through their involvement in the league, owe their enjoyment of hockey to Mercian. Equally there are many clubs who owe Mercian for the constant stream of enthusiastic youth players entering the adult teams as a result. I look forward to our relationship with Mercian remaining into the future. Thank you.

Under 14 Leagues

This past season the League and Development League continued and with some teams dropping out right at the start as they could not field strong enough teams, this is always disappointing as it takes time to create the leagues and the teams left play fewer games as there is not time to slot them in the development league.

As in every season due to club commitments they cancel games at the beginning of the season, I can except this but most of them leave rearranging the fixture to the very end of the season and then wonder why they cannot slot that fixture in. Some of the larger clubs could field a B team that would be just as strong if not stronger than the smaller clubs, but they have to field thier stronger side to thrash the opposition. I am not going to be so tolerant next season and will be discussing this at the next committee meeting.

For the first time we formed a Under 14 Premier League, I felt at the time this was not practical as expecting young lads of 12 and 13 to travel far distances and then play a game. This League was really in two halves with the top four teams dominating and with the other teams not being able to compete at a high enough standard. This was an experiment for this season only and I am going to recommend to the committee that we go back to the normal league and abandon the Premier for the time being.

To make the Under 14’s run successfully I do now need to split the leagues up I have organized and run them on my own for the last 15 years and is getting too big for one person to run. As in the Under 16’s and 18’s we need many more divisional secretaries so that we can have one division per person, so please ask among your club and see if anyone is willing to help, contact myself or Dave Gunn.

What with e-mails and fixtures live it is very easy to run a division.

PAULL SPINDLER