Official Match Day Programme

A WARM WELCOME FROM OUR MEN'S CLUB CAPTAIN,

Matteo Wright

Welcome back to Exeter University Hockey Club.

The 1s continue to prepare for their return to the Premier Division, with their first fixture against Holcombe on the 26th of September. Meanwhile, the 2s have their first National League game of the season on the road against Bristol Firebrands on Sunday the 20th.

Both HPP sides have been working hard in the off-season following their successes at the BUCS finals last year, and hope to carry some momentum forward to start this year off with a bang.

The 2s face Bristol Firebrands away this weekend. Bristol gained promotion to National League last season and will be looking to cause an early upset coming in as the underdog against our 2s. It has all the makings of an exciting game, let's hope Barney Bridges can lead his boys to a win early doors.

Following a tough season, the 3s find themselves in the West - Div 1 south this year. They play a familiar opponent in Taunton Vale 1s as their opening game on the 26th which will hopefully be the start of their promotion campaign.

The 4s had a similarly tough weekend league last year and compete alongside the 6s in the West - Div 2 south. Their opening game against Plymouth Lions M2s will give us a good insight into the rest of their season and again hopefully be the beginnings of another promotion campaign.

The 5s compete in West Division 2 Central alongside the mighty 7s this year. The 5s are always a team to keep your eye on — after a very exciting season last year, where they took home silver at the BUCS Cup under Sam Inskip, they look this year to go one better and fight for a top-table finish.

The 6s, going head to head with the 4s this year in Division 2 South, play Falmouth away in their opening game. After a solid last season, the 6s look to build on their performances and fight for a top-table finish in both the weekend league and BUCS.

The 7s had a standout performance last year, captained by Leo Bez to an undefeated BUCS league campaign and a first-place finish in their weekend league. Despite no longer having Golden Stick winner Joshua Horsup in the team, the 7s still look to exceed expectations and give the 5s a run for their money in Division 2 Central.

I hope to see lots of you getting down to a hockey pitch to support, and best of luck to all players representing EUHC this weekend.

A WARM WELCOME FROM OUR LADIES' CLUB CAPTAIN,

CARA HENSHALL

Hi everyone,

As we move into the second half of the season, it’s a great time to reflect on what has already been an incredible term for EUHC. From top-of-the-table battles to cup runs and league promotions, every team has shown determination and drive to make this season a successful one. With league and cup competitions heating up, here’s what our captains had to say about their teams’ performances so far:

The women’s 1s have had an impressive first half of the National League season, highlighted by a strong 3-1 victory over league leaders Barnes, securing their position in second place. Lucy Day is currently among the league’s top goal scorers. In BUCS, the competition has proven more challenging, but the team has still achieved excellent results, including wins against Bath and Cambridge, and draws with Trent and Durham. They narrowly lost to last year’s BUCS champions, Nottingham, with a 2-1 scoreline that was decided in the final minutes. Millie Holme is currently the top scorer for the BUCS 1s. Their final game against Birmingham on Wednesday 29th January will determine their position for the knockout stage.
— Millie

The women’s 2s have come out fighting hard this season, starting with a two-month unbeaten streak. Their aspirations are high, with a tough battle for promotion into National League, while also looking to retain last year’s glory of winning their BUCS league. The excitement continues as the new year brings new challenges for their cup run.
— Hermione

Exeter Women’s 3s made a great start to the Western Tier 1 BUCS league with 5 wins, 2 draws, and no losses. This incredible run has seen them sit comfortably at the top of the league as the first half of the season comes to a close. They also had a fantastic start in the cup, beating Bristol University in the first round and advancing to the next stage of the competition.

For Saturday hockey, the 3s earned promotion to the West Women’s Premier League after winning last year’s league. After a challenging start and a few early losses, they made an impressive recovery with an unbeaten run across five matches. A highlight of this stretch was a massive win against league leaders Bristol 1s, being the only team to defeat them so far this season. Going into the second half, the 3s sit comfortably mid-table, full of momentum and looking strong for the rest of the season.*
— Caitlin

The ladies’ 4s got off to a great start in West Division 1 with a 6-0 win against Penzance. As the season progressed, they continued to battle against other teams, finishing mid-table before the Christmas break. In BUCS, they had some extremely close games and, despite the cold, won 2-0 against Bath in the ICG Women’s National Trophy to secure their place in the next round of the cup, taking place on 27th January!
— Eden

After a challenging first BUCS match against top-of-the-league Plymouth, the 5s gained momentum, working together to get some great wins and secure themselves in the middle of the table in ICG West Division 2 before Christmas. They’ve also reached the quarter-finals of the Western Conference Cup, happening on 5th February.

The 5s have followed their success into their Saturday matches in the West Women’s Sedgemoor Division 2, with convincing wins such as a 15-0 victory! As we look into the second half of the season, the 5s are hoping to continue their success all the way to the final of the Conference Cup and finish top of both leagues.*
— Liv

What a term it’s been for the Ladies’ 6s! After securing promotion last season to ICG Western Tier 2, we have stepped up to meet the challenge of our new league. While results didn’t always go our way, we dominated in early matches, finally securing a well-deserved 2-1 win against Bath 3s!

After a chilly trek to Cardiff for our first cup match, we arrived to a frozen pitch, postponing our game to 17th January. With most of our fixtures still to go, we are back and ready to bring our A-game, hoping to secure more wins in both the cup and the league!*
— Izzy

The 7s started off the season with an impressive 8-1 win in our first home game against Winchester 1s. After starting on a high, we continued our success throughout the term, only dropping points to a strong Southampton side, putting us in 2nd place going into the Christmas break!

We also gave a strong performance in the first round of the cup, with a 3-0 win securing us a place in the second round against the 5s! We are looking forward to our last few games, especially our spectator card, hoping to score lots of goals and finish the season as we started.*
— Lauren

This weeks results:

This past week saw a mix of competitive league matches, intra-club fixtures, and crucial cup games. Here’s how each team got on:

1s: The 1s played a friendly against Clifton Robinsons on Saturday, putting in a dominant performance to secure a 4-0 win. On Wednesday, they faced Birmingham in their final league match before moving into the knockout stages, narrowly losing 1-0 in a closely fought contest.

2s: The 2s had a strong week, beginning with an intra-club match against the 3s, where they secured a 3-0 victory. Midweek, they faced Bournemouth in a dramatic 3-3 draw, showing great resilience to earn a point.

3s: The 3s faced the 2s in an intra-club battle on Saturday, ending in a tough 3-0 loss. However, they bounced back brilliantly midweek, securing a 2-1 win over Cardiff Met 2s in a hard-fought match. Currently sitting at the top of their BUCS league and progressing in the cup, the team is in a fantastic position to make this a season to remember.

4s: The 4s continued their strong performances with a 3-1 victory over Penzance on Saturday before carrying their momentum into Wednesday, where they secured a 3-0 win over Surrey. They also remain in the ICG Women’s National Trophy, with their next cup match fast approaching. The team is building great form and will be looking to maintain this consistency in the coming weeks.

5s: The 5s had an exciting week, meeting the 6s in their cup fixture in what was a hard-fought and closely contested game. They edged out a 2-1 victory to progress further in the competition, continuing their strong performances across both league and cup play.

6s: The 6s put up a fantastic fight in their intra-club cup clash against the 5s, narrowly losing 2-1. Despite the result, their progress this season has been outstanding, stepping up to the challenge of a higher league after last year’s promotion.

7s: The 7s ended the week on a high with a fantastic 3-1 victory against Marjons, continuing their strong performances from the first half of the season.

8s: The newly formed 8s continue to impress, earning a hard-fought 3-3 draw against ISCA 4s despite playing without a goalkeeper.

This Saturday brings another set of exciting fixtures, with plenty to play for as our teams aim to keep climbing their leagues. Best of luck to everyone playing this weekend – let’s bring home more wins for EUHC!

Cara Henshall