SHC Second Teams Thriving So Far in 2023/24

We caught up with SHC second team captains Pip Stewart (Women’s 2s) and Rhys Linnell (Men’s 2s) to review how the first half of the season has gone…

Our Women’s 2s currently have an eight point lead at the top of the England Hockey Vitality Women’s Division 1 South table having won nine games from nine so far this season. They’ve already amassed three more points than in the whole of last season!

Pip is delighted with the start the W2 have made. “We are really pleased about how the first half of the season has gone. We knew the talent and potential of this group but to remain focused and achieve nine wins from nine games is not a goal that you can ever expect to achieve. We feel like, compared to last season, our scoresheets are much more reflective of our performance during the game. Our grit and determination have ensured that we took all three points away from tricky games, which last year would likely have ended up with one of our many dreaded draws.”

Our Men’s 2s hold a solid league position going into the mid-season break in their second National League season in the England Hockey Men’s Conference East.

When asked how he felt the first half of the season has gone, captain Rhys said, “I was going to say satisfactory or ‘not bad’ but I’ve checked the league table and we’re third.

We’ve lost to the top two (both away) and we are best of the rest. With both first teams killing it and the Women’s 2s top of the league, sometimes you can feel in the Men’s 2s that we’re underperforming when the club (and us, until we got into the National League last season) are used to winning every week.

With a couple of broken hands, a broken nose and a concussion all to key players (not to mention pushing players up with a number of first team injuries), we sit here perhaps with a slight sense of what might have been.”

There have been a few highlights and memorable moments for both sides already this season.

Pip: “With a solid pre-season under our belts, we knew that our first few games would set the tone for what we hoped would be a successful first half of the season. And boy, were we right! We started our strong, putting on a show for the crowd with a convincing 6-1-win vs Bath Buccaneers. With a hat trick from Hannah Dennison and goals from Charlotte Calnan, Imogen Davies and Josie Hippe, rumours were spreading that the W2s goal drought from last season might be over!

In week 2, we turned our attention towards the recently relegated Holcombe. We diligently prepared for the game, mindful of both their experience and their eagerness to get one up on a Sugden Road side. Holcombe led the W2s 1-0 going into the final quarter despite two disallowed goals and many further attempts on the Holcombe goal. With an insightful Will Fulker pep talk, the W2s took to the pitch for the final quarter with a clear, inspiring message in mind… “keep doing what we’re doing”. And we did just that. Charlotte Calnan and Amie Hunt were able to find the goal before the final whistle to secure a 2-1 win for Surbiton. With a mixture of thrill, relief, and exhaustion, the W2s had shown that we could tough it out at the top.

We have had some excellent additions this year with some Surbiton juniors making the jump and thriving with the “older ladies” (you know, the ones that are between 23 and 26 years old)! These youngsters have some serious talent, and we are excited to see what is in store for them throughout their careers.”

Rhys comments, “We’ve always had two objectives: win games and provide players for the first team. Seeing Jack go from a small child in the school changing room at West Hampstead a couple of years ago to scoring goals for the first team is definitely a highlight for ‘The Academy’. The same goes for Sam Corney and Redders. There’s nothing we love more than having a pint while watching lads we’re claiming to have helped play in the 6pm pushback [for the Men’s 1s].

If anyone hasn’t been at the club since October for him to bore you with the story, Dewi also saved the first stroke of his career…”

So what are our second teams hoping to achieve in the second half of the season once league hockey returns in late January?

Pip highlights the Women’s 2s ambitions to keep the momentum going: “We would love to come away from this season as league winners, but we are aware of how difficult that will be. Going into the second half of the season as league leaders means that you have a target on your back. Teams often opt to play more defensively, and our challenge is to find ways to break down a packed defence.”

Rhys says, “We have two frozen off games to play in January and if we win both of those we are four points off the top spot. I think it’d be a big ask to win the league given the first teams in their prime (and some of them well paid) around us but who knows… I’d certainly expect us to throw a few punches. We know if we bring our best stuff, we can beat anyone.”