Weekend Results – 15th October

Rhyd — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:29:02 +0000

Weston Super Mare 4 v Bridgend Mens 1st XI 0

After a much improved performance against Yate last weekend, a trip to Weston super Mare was next on the agenda for a depleted 1st XI, but after a poor performance, returned home point less after a 4-0 reverse. Having started the game well, having the majority of possession and a number of short corners, they were unable to break the deadlock before the home side took the lead against the run of play. Early in the second half two quick goals ended Bridgend’s hopes, before a fourth and final goal finished what was a hard day for The Ravens.

Welsh Shield 1/4 Final

Llan & Caerphilly 1 v Bridgend Mens 1st XI 2

Reigning champions Bridgend got the defence of their title off to a great start beating previously undefeated Llan & Caerphilly at Hawthorn on sunday afternoon. Again, with a depleted side due to injuries and unavailability meaning Bridgend were up against it from the outset, a performance full of endeavour, effort, commitment and tempo ensured victory by 2 goals to 1 against their close rivals thanks to goals by David Knight and Andrew Jones. Having dominated the game, every single player stood to be counted, with birthday boys Jon Murphy, Tom Hopkins, and Welsh international Lewis Hearne to the fore throughout. Captain Rhydian Cole said, “To face a side as tough as Llan & Caerphilly in such a high pressure game and to play like we did was very, very pleasing. We were delighted to win the shield last season, and despite the squad we had out due to injuries and unavailability, we showed that we’re not going to give it up without a fight”.

Bridgend Mens 2nd XI v Neath 7

With last week’s result firmly behind them, close rivals Neath were the visitors to Pencoed School, and just like the 1st XI, the squad was down to the bare bones and this showed against a recognisable Neath side. Despite two goals by Nick Anthony and Steve Macintosh, Bridgend conceded seven to fall to their second league defeat of the season. Next up is a tough game against Brecon at Pencoed Comprehensive School, 1:30pm start.

Other Results:

Bridgend Mens 3rd XI 3 v Chippenham 1

Penarth Ladies 5 v Bridgend Ladies 1st XI 6

Bridgend Ladies 2nd XI 0 v Cwmtawe 8

Mens 1st in Shield action this Sunday

Rhyd — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:23:36 +0000

Having gained their first points of the season against Yate last weekend, Bridgend Mens 1st XI change their attention to defending their Welsh Shield when they face unbeaten Llan & Caerphilly this weekend (Sunday) away at Hawthorn Comprehensive School.

After beating UW Aberystwyth in the Welsh Shield Final last season, Bridgend will be looking for another final appearance, against a side who always gives us a very tough game and who beat a weakened 1st XI in a pre-season friendly only a few weeks ago. Let’s ensure all availability is good. It’s a local game, so no excuses!

Full Welsh Shield 1/4 Final Fixtures are as follows:
Llan & Caerphilly v Bridgend
UW Aberystwyth v Cardiff Medics
Gwent v Penarth

Weekend Results – 8th October

Rhyd — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:17:37 +0000

After defeat last weekend to Newent in their opening Davis Wood Hockey League opener, Bridgend Mens 1st XI played host to Yate at Pencoed Comprehensive School and after a much improved performance on last week’s showing, secured their first points of the season after a 1-1 draw against their visitors from the West country. Bridgend started off the better team, with the midfield of Gareth Coleman, Rhydian Cole, Steve Murphy and the two Andys – Jones and Schofield taking control from the start, and it was Coleman who opened the scoring in the second half with a fantastic strike from the edge of the ‘D’. Picking up the ball outside the area, he beat a defender and then let fly with a thunderous shot which gave the keeper no chance. Despite creating numerous chances throughout an evenly played second half, a goal late on from Yate put paid to any hopes the home team had of gaining three deserved points.

Bridgend Mens 2nd XI, having gone down last weekend to UW Swansea, made the trip to the capital to face Cardiff & UWIC and it was veteran striker Ian Davies who got Bridgend a share of the spoils with a neatly taken goal. It was Davies himself who had a chance to win the game in the second half, but he missed a golden chance of securing maximum points.

Bridgend Mens 3rd XI also travelled to Cardiff, and after coming up against a strong home side, fell to a defeat by 11 goals to 0.

Bridgend Ladies 1st XI got their first win of the South Wales Premier Division 2 season thanks to a well earned win against Haverfordwest at Pencoed Comprehensive School. Having dominated the game for large periods, The Ravens were grateful to Louise Jones and the returning globetrotter Sian Rosser who scored the goals to secure all three points.

We’re now on Twitter!

Rhyd — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:42:53 +0000

Well, we’ve done it, we’re finally on Twitter! So, if you’re a current member, an old member or even a potential future member, you can stay right up to date with the latest goings on at Bridgend Hockey on the world’s fastest growing social network!

Just follow @BridgendHockey to become part of the action. What’s more, those of you already on Twitter, why not help raise awareness of our great club, by sending out our link to @BridgendHockey and/or retweeting our tweets.

You know you want to…

Weekend Results – 1st October

Rhyd — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:32:09 +0000

With the league campaign now upon us, it was a disappointing start for Bridgend Hockey as the senior men’s team fell to 3 defeats on the opening weekend.

Bridgend Mens 1st XI made the trip to Newent and with a severely depleted squad due to injuries and unavailability and after a first half performance in which we never got going, fell to a defeat by 4 goals to 1. With 6 first team regulars not featuring, it was always going to be tough against Newent who had a playing squad on the day of 14, compared to our threadbare make shift squad of 11. Having found life tough in the heat during the first half, the second half at least did ensure that Bridgend made a fight of it thanks to a goal from Andy Schofield, but it was too little to late with the half time score of 4-0 proving too difficult a hurdle to overcome. Next up, it’s a home game against Yate at Pencoed Comprehensive School next weekend. Elsewhere, Bridgend Mens 2nd XI fell to a defeat in their first game back in South Wales Division 1 with a 3-1 reverse against UW Swansea, while a goal from Rob Sloane wasn’t enough to prevent Bridgend Mens 3rd XI from suffering a 6-1 defeat to a strong Gwent outfit.

Next weekend’s fixtures:
Bridgend Mens 1st XI v Yate (Home) – 1:30pm
Bridgend Mens 2nd XI v Cardiff & UWIC (Away) – 12:00pm
Bridgend Mens 3rd XI v Cardiff & UWIC (Home) – 3:00pm

Training Dates / Times

Rhyd — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:10:13 +0000

Bridgend Hockey would like to confirm the following Dates / Times for training for the forthcoming season:

Senior Men’s – Tuesday 17th August 7.30pm—9pm @ Pencoed Comp
Senior Ladies – Thursday 25th August 7.30pm—9pm @ Pencoed Comp
Youth - Tuesday 6th September 6pm—7.30pm @ Pencoed Comp

Club Open Day
The club will be holding an Open Day at Pencoed on Sat 3rd September from 10.30am—1pm for anyone who wants to play hockey at any level (New or Ex players – all ages welcome) followed by a club Exhibition Match at 1.30pm. Contact Us if you’re interested in attending, or just turn up at Pencoed Comprehensive School (Directions Here).

Club Trials / BBQ
The Club Trials / Barbecue will be on Saturday 10th September at Pencoed Comprehensive School / Rugby club 11am – 4pm.
Further Info will follow once final arrangements have been made.

Chairperson’s Message

Rhyd — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 20:56:17 +0000

Senior members, Junior members, Parents, Family and Friends…

Welcome to another season at Bridgend Hockey Club. I hope you had an enjoyable summer break and are all fit and looking forward to an enjoyable season. Last year turned out to more challenging than anticipated.

It began with the late unexpected move from Bridgend Rugby Club to Pencoed Rugby Club which did not bode well for the rest of the season as it turned out the concerns were to be found on the playing side.

Both the Men‘s and Ladies selection committees struggled week in week out to get settled and full sides onto the field, eventually resulting in relegation of the both the Men‘s 2nds and Ladies 1sts X1, and subsequent withdrawal of both the Men‘s 4th X1 and Ladies 3rd X1 from the league this season.

This will have a significant impact on the size of the playing squads for this forthcoming season. Both the Men‘s and Ladies selection committees are aware of their responsibilities in ensuring ALL ―paid up members are given the opportunity to play their chosen sport.The reasons for the demise of 2 x teams is ultimately down to the lack of availability of the members. The club can only continue to survive if members are willing to make themselves available week in week out.

The season goes from September to April not as and when you want to play – No club in any sporting activity can survive with this kind of commitment or lack of it. I do however recognise there maybe be difficulties – Now and Again. Looking ahead: next year we will be losing more than 10 young players to university which be another massive loss to our playing numbers, so this years challenge is to find new players to replace the ones we know will be leaving. We all have a part to play, please ensure your unavailability is known by your relevant Captain as early as possi-ble, pay your subs prior to the start of the season so we know who is available for selection.

Have an enjoyable and successful season…

Steve Murphy
Chairperson Bridgend Hockey Club

Bridgend Hockey are recruiting

Rhyd — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 09:29:07 +0000

If you’re looking to start, continue or re-launch a hockey playing career, Bridgend Hockey is just the club you’ve been looking for!

With 3 Mens, 2 Ladies, 2 Veterans and numerous Youth teams, we’ve got the perfect level of hockey for you, whatever your skill level, experience or age. We’ve got a wide range of teams, a very busy social calendar planned and we’re the perfect way to make new friends in the Bridgend / South Wales area.

New members of all standards both Senior and Youth are very welcome, especially those looking at playing at a high standard.

End of Season Awards

Rhyd — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 06:45:50 +0000

Bridgend Hockey hosted their end of season Presentation Awards Evening at Pencoed Rugby Club recently, and the club would again like to extend their congratulations to the following award winners:

Men’s Young Player of the Year 2011 – Richard Knight
Ladies Young Player of the Year 2011 – Catrin Brooking
Men’s Most Improved Player of the Year 2011 – Reuben Fisher
Ladies Most Improved Player of the Year 2011 – Rachel John
Men’s 4th X1 Player of the Year 2011 – Rob Sloan
Ladies 3rd X1 Player of the Year 2011 – Hannah Sainsbury
Men’s 3rd X1 Player of the Year 2011 – Matthew Arthur
Ladies 2nd X1 Player of the Year 2011 – Sophie Evans
Men’s 2nd X1 Player of the Year 2011 – Tony Price
Ladies 1st X1 Player of the Year 2011 – Jo Poupon
Men’s 1st X1 Player of the Year 2011 – Rhydian Cole
Merit Award 2011 – Steve Murphy
Special Recognition Award – Jack Steer

Thank you all very much to those of you who attended was was a great night. Stay tuned with the Social Scene page on this website for information on the forthcoming Bridgend Hockey Social Events

Club Trials & BBQ

Rhyd — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:54:14 +0000

The club would like to confirm that the Annual Club Trials and BBQ will be held on Saturday 10th September at Pencoed Comprehensive School. Please could everyone make an effort to attend as it’s important we start the season off well.

More news on this to follow soon …