tirelessly on ourbehalfhiding his frustration particularly well. We owe him much thanks and praise. There were lots of good things, too. Four genuine colours were awarded. Andrew Johnson led from the front, running miles each game and covering acres of ground, tackling everything. James Edmundson and Baba Sijuwade were the strong men, full of upper body strength and able to rip the ball from loose play and develop attacks. Matthew Day developed as a fine defensive player, and one able to attack effectively when he had the chance. None ofus could hide our delight at the advance of Dennis Borissov, new to the game but a bundle of energy and speed. Pity the opposition wing who was clattered by that young man's Russian tackle. There were many moments when it was a joy to be associated with the team, but it has to be said that each was short and the gap between their appearances too long. If I wrote earlier that I was disappointed, I suspect I really meant frustrated. This was a set offifteen willing athletes not quite managing to operate as a team in a sport where the ability to work for the common cause is of paramount importance. I am grateful for the performances ofthe following, who represented the side frequently:C.R. Holmes, M.J.A. Day*, T-W.M. Kuo, T.E. Morgan, N.R. Bennett, T.W. Sisley, D. Borissov, C.A.C. Santo, M.J.H. Walker, A.E. Christie, P.B. Cleghorn, P.R. Everett, N.J. Edmundson*, U.D. Patel, G. Sijuwade*, J.E.G. Parrett, G.D.B. Stiff, A.S. Johnson* *indicates colours. D. Badger
Photographic Print - loin Horton U6
Boys Hockey This season was better than many, but not as good as some. Forthe first time, we played a squad of 12, which meant that we rolled the substitutes on and off at regular intervals. It happens all the time in league hockey, but I don't think it pleased our players much. We also tried a different system with a forward sweeper, who dropped back to a traditional position if we were hard-pressed. The team's captain, Simon West, took on this role and because a potent attacking force. What a fine player and captain Simon proved to be and I'm sure that Australian hockey is benefiting from his participation now. The rest of the defence was made up from George Horton on the left, and two L6th players, Chris. Thomson in the middle and Ben Sunnucks on the right. Both ofthese players became sure tacklers and with some good stick work, were able to join our attack, giving through Ben, an extra force down therightside. Behind these and developing fast into an excellent keeper, Mat. Sabine. The midfield remained fairly constant in its personnel, but positions for each individual changed. Most constant were Mark Critchley on the right `wing' who, with his speed and developing skills, scored many an exciting goal. What a tremendous attacking weapon he was. The two centre mid-field players were a bit like Little and Large : Peter Posnette, shorter, hard-working and volatile and James Simmonds, six foot something, elegant and usually placid. On the whole, they worked well together, but it was often difficult to know who was playing where. Ben Woodcock played left wing, but so did Tom Horton, who also played centre forward quite a lot. Ben had the advantage of speed, but often ended-up going nowhere. He did give us good service and with two fair wings we did manage to get behind many a defence. Tom always wanted to be a centre forward and he often joined Martin Sands up front and between them, they managed to score, and to miss, quite a good number ofgoals. A good'ish season, which started slowly, but we managed to win and draw more than we lost, and I think the players could be pleased with the way the team developed. My thanks to Simon who became a really good captain, gaining the respect of all, both as a player and a leader. 18
