The England Hockey 2020 Awards ceremony was held on Saturday night and due to the Covid19 situation they were unable to hold their presentation evening as normal, and so the awards were all presented via their social media channels. Okehampton Hockey Club were thrilled to be shortlisted in four categories with their Men’s first team being awarded the prestigious title of the ‘Howden Men’s team of the Season’: an extremely notable achievement for the Okehampton club to be singled out from all the other Men’s teams in the country.

The Men’s First team have enjoyed a very successful season, including promotion from the Southern 1 division in the Verde Recreo Hockey League, meaning that next year they will be playing at a higher level in the Conference South division. The team also progressed well in the Men’s Tier 3 EH Championships, making the third round before being defeated in a hard game at Southampton. They were also unbeaten in this seasons Devon trophy. Overall, the first team have developed and progressed leading to improved match play and confidence whilst maintaining their enjoyment for the game. The improved success has also led to the recognition of the team in the local media and an increase in membership numbers for both the senior and junior teams. Many of the team also assist with coaching the upcoming junior teams, taking them to their events/games when needed. The unity within the team has reaped its reward with a string of fine results taking the club to a new level, growing and sustaining hockey for future.

See the award on the EH facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EnglandHockey/videos/635160737074698/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARDohZ6ABwyPAS7yJJKM8Z56kZDINBLrYVDepzQJd18e0gL34eophysPOodUqN3Vw8GVl3qWwiqCob9J

The Men’s club were also shortlisted for the Club of the year, having grown substantially over the past 12 months, attracting new members and providing quality training for all members whilst maintaining a friendly atmosphere and a sense of fun. The first team have been promoted and have provided a platform for growth and development for junior players and the second team, who narrowly missed out on promotion, have provided a friendly atmosphere for younger players to become experienced in match play, improve their fitness and develop important social connections. The club also provides multiple social events within the community, including quiz and curry nights, which help to bring the club together and maintain the sense of unity within the club and community. The more experienced members of the club are encouraged to mentor the junior members encouraging them to improve their playing skills.

Men’s first team captain, Luke Liversidge was shortlisted for the ‘Spirit of Hockey’ award recognising his contribution to the game. He always aims to make the game as inclusive as he can for everyone, regardless of their background or skill level and will happily work with all the players to improve their overall game. Luke coaches the Men’s, Ladies and junior teams giving up his time to plan and develop training sessions and fitness challenges for all members of the club. Always keen to encourage new talent into the senior teams, Luke has helped many new players develop an interest in hockey and enjoy playing the sport. Luke helps to encourage young players from the local schools to get into the sport, as well as being involved in developing the junior club sides.

In their centenary season, Okehampton Columbines Ladies Hockey Club were shortlisted for the Ladies Club of the year. They have had a momentous year with the Club celebrating its Centenary by securing a £7000 Heritage Lottery grant to research and exhibit the Club’s history. The research highlighted how the Club has progressed, originally only having one team until a second team was formed in 2012; in 2019 four teams are playing every weekend as well as U10, U12 and U14 girl’s teams. This growth has been the result of a hard-working committee alongside dedicated coaches and volunteers. Weekly Back to Hockey sessions, popular Club junior coaching and regular sessions in local primary schools has come to fruition feeding players into all four ladies teams. 2019 has seen new and existing Club coaches attending EH courses developing their coaching skills and inspiring our players. The Club has worked closely with Devon Umpires and recently hosted their first Devon Junior Umpire Academy with 14 young umpires from the Club attending.

The Club are hoping to start playing hockey again soon following England Hockey guidelines, and are looking forward to the start of the new season.