OHC men's 1s v. Ashford

Captain: Matthew Fisher

Contact: oxyfish [at] hotmail.com

League: Middx, Berks, Bucks & Oxon – Regional 1

2011/12 result: 2nd place and qualified for the promotion play-offs (please click here for all of last season’s scores and match reports)

OHC MEN’S 1s REVIEW OF THE SEASON

Oxford with an attacking penalty corner - captain Fish on the far left

The first season as Oxford Hockey Club has proved a good year for the Men’s 1s. Starting the season with the unknown in terms of squads and players, we have come a long way.

In their last season as Rover Men’s 1s, the team finished sixth in the league. However, twelve months on, after the introduction of Chris Boyle as coach with the team at both games and training, and with the increased pool of players through the merger, the side made it to second place in the league.

This meant they secured a play-off spot for a place in South Premier 2. Sadly, Oxford were defeated in the play-off semi by Purley Walcountians, the eventual winners.

OHC 1s ended the season with the second best attack and fourth best defence in the league (conceding fewer than two goals per game including four clean sheets). And Dan Smyth grabbed 32 goals for the season, leaving him as not only the top scorer in Regional 1 but the second top scorer in the whole of the South League.

Dan Bleach on the attack for Oxford v. Henley

An early exit from the cup, after a match in which only four first team players made the trip to BBHC, was a bit of a disappointment, especially seeing how far some of the other sides from our league got. However, the squad did well in the league and look forward to another great season in 2012/13.