Hockey - an interview with an international!

I caught up with Canterbury and Wales hockey star Huw Stevens for a chance to get an insight into life at the highest level of the sport. We had a chat about his experiences in the game.

Huw, tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Huw Stevens i am 20 years old born in Pontypridd south Wales. I am at Canterbury Christ Church University studying Primary Education. The university team play in a BUCS league which is not the highest league but for the size of university we are, it's not too bad. We finished 2nd in the league which was a disappointment considering we only lost one game.

How was the season for Canterbury HC?
I have had an extremely successful season finishing 2nd in the South East Conference and reaching the semi final of the HA Cup. This was the first season that Canterbury have been outside the Premier division since I have been at the club and the team did have many successes over that time. However the past 5 seasons have been a real struggle to avoid relegation but now making the step down a league we were far more competitive and eventually were unlucky not to win the league missing out on the final day - this was the only real low point of an otherwise good season.
The high of the season was our quarter final cup win against Bowden away winning with a golden goal. I played every game at inside left playing every minute of every game bar 20 here and there; this was by far my most involved season in the team and started the season off very strongly only to taper away slightly in the second half of the season.

How do you keep fit for the team, and what is the team atmosphere like within the club?
There are many things that need to be done to maintain the levels of fitness and skill to make sure that you stay at the highest level. Diet is one of the most common aspects that is talked about but in truth this is something I have not ever stuck religiously too. The only exception to this would be the pre-match foods such as carbohydrates the night before and not eating within three hours, things like that.
When I was training for Wales I would be running every other day and doing weights. Throughout the season I would be training three times a week not including running and weights. Our team at Canterbury is a very well-nit unit with all players getting on in and out of the changing room. This is something that everyone says, but for our team this is one of the keys to our improved performance.

What about your history in general, playing hockey for Canterbury and Wales?
I have been playing hockey at Canterbury since I was 12 moving up through the junior teams and then in to the men's 3rd team then the 2nd team and around 5/6 years ago making my debut for the 1st team. My various achievements include winning the U18 national championships with Canterbury. But by far the greatest achievement of my career so far was getting my 8 caps for the Wales senior team. I had previously played for the U16 and U18 sides but 2 years ago made the Senior squad for 4 friendlies and then going to the European B Division tournament in Lisbon.

Could you describe some of your best memories from hockey matches down the years?
One of my favourite moments was winning the U18 national title with Canterbury at home (polo farm) the finals weekend were held at polo which made the weekend very special. The other greatest moment of my playing career was the first time I lined up for Wales senior team, and in my second game scoring a goal.
One of my greatest goals came when I was playing for South East U15 in the national tournament when I ran from my own 'D' and scored at the other end. Also scoring against Reading past [GB legend] Simon Mason was a good moment. There have been many goals and moments that stand out but these just had that extra edge. My favourite opposition i have played has to be Reading when they fielded all their GB players, that was interesting!

Who are the best players you've lined up with, and against?
I have had the privilege of playing with many outstanding players who have, in many different ways, enhanced my career but the one player that stands out has to be a goalie Tom Sheridan who in one season single-handedly kept us in the Premier League - he marshalled the defence brilliantly and some of the saves [were spectacular].

Match report - 30/11/2008 Canterbury vs Indian Gymkhana

•Shots on Target

•Canterbury: 11 Indian Gymkhana: 3

•Shots off Target

•Canterbury: 4  Indian Gymkhana: 0

•Penalty Corners

•Canterbury: 5   Indian Gymkhana: 1

Indian Gymkhana leapfrogged their hosts Canterbury today to go top of the pile after a dramatic second half turnaround at Polofarm.

Canterbury held the ascendancy early on in the game, with good possession and a high tempo to their play, as they probed the visitors’ defence. Time and again though they were forced back with the ball, and the visitors’ water-tight backline began to cause frustration.

Gymkhana waited for the inevitable slip-up before setting up counter-attack after blistering counter-attack, with superior flair and stick-skills.

It wasn’t long before the game was suddenly a more open affair, with Gymkhana using the flanks to good advantage and stretching the Canterbury midfield by forcing them to track back and defend on the back foot.

Canterbury responded by winning a pair of penalty corners, but couldn’t convert them into goals. The increased pressure invoked an ill-disciplined response from the visitors, and the game became fractious; there were three green cards in the final 10 minutes of the half.

The second half brought an early goal, Andrew Dunn registered for the home side from a penalty corner 2 minutes in. Leigh Barratt doubled the advantage 10 minutes later, and it seemed that the victory was sealed.

Conceding two goals in such rapid succession served to elicit a deadly response in the West London-based visitors, who had other ideas. Their first shot on goal of the day produced a goal, the Canterbury ‘keeper was beaten by the cross to leave Laveen Jandu with an easy finish.

Five minutes later saw Gymkhana draw the game level at 2-2, Jagdeep Gill registering with a blinding penalty corner drag flick to the goalkeeper’s left with the man on the post left standing.

League top-scorer Lloyd Norris-Jones tried to take the game by the scruff of the neck and win Canterbury the game, but the South African international striker couldn’t find the finish to match some impressive solo runs.

The 30^th minute brought with it the game’s only yellow card, with tempers fraying. A Gymkhana player was dismissed for wrestling midfielder Huw Stevens almost to the ground, with his stick flaying dangerously close to the 19-year-old Welsh international’s face.

Ten-man Gymkhana only seemed to gain more resolve, and scored a the winning goal with just one minute left on the clock, the hard-working Pravinder Hanspal finishing with the ‘keeper left stranded again and luckless Canterbury were beaten.

Three goals conceded and three points dropped for Canterbury, who will take this as a hard blow as they look to bounce back to the Slazenger Premier League on the first attempt following relegation last season.

The two Christchurch students in the team, Tom Richford (former England-youth defender), and Huw Stevens (Wales) had this to say at the final whistle:

Richford:

“We were unlucky today in terms of the amount of chances we had, and we didn’t score enough, and they got lucky with their three shots on target to score all of them.”

Stevens:

 “I thought I played alright, but it’s hard work to get into a game like that, all they want to do is break the game down. So I tried to get into it much as I could – get it, give it, get it, give it. Looking back on the team performance, we  should’ve won, lots of chances, a couple of open goals, we did well to break them down but at the end, 2-2, we let them in and don’t move our feet like we have done all game, and that lets them in and they score.”

Gymkhana’s 3-2 victory is some turnaround from last weekend, when again they were the visitors to Polofarm, with Canterbury running out 6-1 winners.

The result is Canterbury’s second defeat of the season, with the green-and-whites having lost by the same scoreline away to rivals Sevenoaks in November.

The Conference East table is looking tight, with new leaders Gymkhana only three points ahead of fifth-placed Sevenoaks.

 

CCCU so close

Canterbury Christchurch's hockey team finished 2nd in the league, seperated from champions Imperial College by the new head-to-head rule. With a superior goal-difference to their London rivals, CCCU are runners-up on the basis that they lost 4-2 at home and won 3-2 away and so on head-to-head, Imperial were a goal better.
It hasn't been a season entirely of doom and gloom, however. Having ammassed an impressive 65 goals over the 9 games, there is reasonable cause for optimism for next season's campaign with team captain Aaron Hudson promising that the squad will be working towards promotion to the top league in the South Eastern conference.
that 4-2 set-back came in only the second game of the season, with the visitors taking advantage of poor concentration levels in a Canterbury team still intigrating some of its players.
The season ended with an 11-1 thumping of Imperial Medical of London, who finished the season with just 4 points, but dissappointment once again ensued in the form of Varsity.
Canterbury went into the game against bitter rivals Kent with high hopes, having lost only one game all season.
On their on pitch and with a massive following of hostile supporters, however, UKC soon took the inititative and battled to a 4-3 win. CCCU 2nds fought for 0-0 in their game, which represented as good as a win against a team in a higher league. The game was eventually lost 4-2 on penalties after captain Jack Bowsher failed to convert the first in the shoot-out.
The ladies games were both similar stories, with both teams losing out to superior UKC sides.

National Men's Hockey

England's premier hockey league is moving into its final 5 games of the season. East Grinstead are currently in poll position to clinch the National Slazenger league, leading Cannock and Beeston by just one point. Defending champions Reading lie 4th, separated from 1st place by just 3 points, with Surbiton just one point behind them in 5th.

So with just six points separating five teams, this season's run-in promises to be a thrilling close to the season.

The league table can be viewed on the England Hockey website here.

BUCS university hockey is also close to it close for the season. In the Northern conference, Loughborough university are in 1st place with 21 points, closely followed by Birmingham with 18 points and Durham with 17.

The Southern conference isn't quite decided yet, with Exeter leading the division with 27 points. London Metropolitan are in second, trailing by 5 points on 22, meaning that Exeter need just one more point to be crowned champions - their head-to-head versus London Metropolitan is 0-3 and 5-1, meaning that Exeter will win the league in the event of level points.

The league tables can be viewed on the BUCS website here.

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