Youth

We have a successful youth training programme within SMHC. It all started about 11 years ago when the club was introduced to a concept call Champion Coaching. Whereby loacal clubs provided sports specific coaching to 13/14 year olds. Steve Tyley, a long time member both playing and club development
took on the role of chief coach, having already attained the necessary coaching qualification and with the support of a few club members started the ball rolling.

Our 1st group was small and consisted of 10-15 youngsters eager to learn the finer art of hockey: somewhat surprisingly the group was dominated by boys and with only one girl attending. From this base we set up groups
catering for younger players, this gave the youngsters a good grounding and they were all able to slot into the Champion Coaching programme once they reached 13. The luxury of having astroturf was at this time some
years off so the youngsters grazed their knees and wore their shoes out on the redgra shale pitch and even at times on the tarmac netball courts at Whitstone school.

From those somewhat humble beginnings and in no short measure due to much improved facilities the capacity grew accordingly to 2 sessions a week, split by age group as follows:

Under 11: 6pm-7pm

Under 16: 7pm - 8.30pm

For 2009/10 training begins on Friday 18th September and continues every Friday with the exclusion of 30th October. After the Christmas break we re-commence on the 15th January through to 26th March with the exclusion of 19th February.

 

Shepton Mallet Junior Hockey Club News 15/03/2010

The club celebrated double-success at the Yazoo Somerset Hockey Tournament, with both the under-10 boys and girls winning their competitions at Bridgwater College.

The boys started with a 0-0 draw against Taunton Vale, before beating Civil Service and Bridgwater 1-0 and then Avalon 2-0.

Keiran McCaul, Max Chainey and Sam Pritchard bossed the midfield, while Ross Meldrum, Thomas Fone and Harry Chainey kept things tight at the back in all three games. Jack Martin netted the three goals, while Joe Heath kept the clean sheets in his first competitive outing in goal.

The results left Shepton tied on all counts with Taunton Vale, resulting in a three-man penalty flick competition to find a winner. Ross Meldrum and Keiran McCaul each netted for Shepton, while Joe Heath saved two of Taunton's penalties, one brilliantly, to give a 2-1 victory to Shepton.

The girls then followed in the footsteps of the boys in the afternoon. Wins against Bridgwater (2-0) and Taunton (1-0) and a nervous final 0-0 draw against Cheddar were enough to win the tournament outright.

Jessica Dickens, Gabriella Punton and Lily Wolff worked tirelessly throughout, but it was India Gill (2) and Henrietta Wylie who grabbed the goals, while first-time keepers Sonia Ambrose and Florence Lunnon kept clean sheets at the other end.

Both teams will now go on to represent Somerset in the County finals at Millfield in mid April.