Occasionals

Captain's Welcome

Appreciating the beauty of the Occasionals, are we? Brilliant. The Occasionals are a special side, balancing the love of the game, the desire to compete and being all round decent chaps on and off the pitch. Training twice a week and competing in South Central Premier Division 2 and BUCS Midlands Tier 1 we compete against teams of the highest calibre only one league below the MBs. Last year, obviously, there was a distinct lack of ability to play in either competition, but that did not stop us consistently beating the other local teams on a number of occasions in friendlies.

 

Gritty, hard fought wins appear to be our favourite kind: there’s nothing more satisfying than coming together as a team after falling 2-0 down to come back and win 3-2, or holding out for the last quarter with a one goal lead to go on to win. Not only is the win gratifying, but it is testament to the camaraderie, mental strength and talent that exists in the team. We play entertaining hockey with results and crowds to match. The social scene is just as important as the training (almost) for the success of the team, allowing the team to bond and excel in areas that we find complement rather than conflict the academia of the university, be it Park End or the Tiki Bar.

 

The highlight and most important date of the year is without a doubt the annual Varsity match against the ‘Wanderers’. The Best Day of the Year (BDotY) is a family occasion with the entirety of both hockey clubs watching on, offering the most insightful and encouraging words of wisdom an Oxbridge education can offer such as, “Cambridge eat their cornflakes without milk”. Last season’s epitomised the strength of the team, managing to gain and then lose a 2 goal advantage before holding out against a very competitive C*mbridge 2s to win 3-2.

 

We are honoured to have Tam Pascoe, the WBs coach, to lead us into the coming season. With vast experience in high level teams we cannot wait to develop under her guidance. I would be amiss not to mention and thank JL for his service last year and due to the success we had under his leadership we will ignore his antics off the pitch.

 

Whether you’re an incoming fresher or just too good for the Blues we would love to get you involved. The hairlines of some of our ex-players are just one testament to our longstanding and distinguished history.

 

With this year's side including a great balance of returning and new players, I’m looking forward to a really exciting season of Occasionals hockey.

 

Dan Whiley

Occasionals Captain 21/22