March 25th. The 84th day in the year 2018, or for the Chinese readers under us: the 37th day in the year of the Dog. A quick look on Wikipedia teaches us that March 25th is historically quite an uneventful day, except in 1958 when on this date a processor of the European Union was established.  But after today, the 25th of March would be known for the day that DHC A (men section) became THE champion of the second hockey league in Hong Kong. The overcrowded trophy case of the Club and most of its individual A team members was about to increase.

A lot can be said about DHC’s A team. Some interesting facts you should know about them:
• The number 1 position in the league had been permanently captured since the second play round, however the league’s number 2 had been catching up closely since the winter break. DHC therefore needed to win their last match against KCC to become the champion!
• Thomas ‘Wanchai Warrior’ Kluijtmans had the doubtful honor of the least minutes played this season for the Club, shortly followed by Rene van Mill (also known as ‘The Ghost’ for obvious reasons). Two very rare species. If we combine their total number of minutes on the pitch this season, the outcome will show us the exact number of women Michael shared his bed with during University, which by the way, is also close to zero. 
• The Dutch National Anthem played shortly before commencement of the last game, and especially its reference to ‘German Blood’ (The Dutch sing in the first line they are of German Blood), had a dual significance because of the two German star players in the team. After half a year playing with them, we can confirm it is true what they say about the Germans: no sense of humor. But brilliant hockey players!!
• Sjoerd Reniers proudly worn the ‘captains belt’ around his arm this season. We have heard from his wife that he sleeps with this belt around his arm all year through! And yes, it is true that Sjoerd’s Linkedin page makes a reference of being our captain. It is to be hoped for the team that he continues. Great job, Sjoerd! 
• DHC A is the most productive team in their league this season, with a massive total number of goals scored. 75. Gareth made it to team topscorer by netting 15 of them. - Personal facts about my team members’ productivity other than on the pitch are available with me upon request. Some of them are very interesting -
• DHC A conceded one of the least number of goals this season in their league (27). Credits to DHC’s goalie Frank Li, who had an excellent (and perhaps boring) season. For those who are interested in collector’s items: Frankie’s unwashed toque shall be auctioned during the General Meeting in May. Stay tuned!  
• Apparently, the mailbox of the DHC has been flooded this year, mainly with questions related to the status of Berend. The DHC board regretted replying to all this fanmail that Berend actually has a girlfriend (of the non-inflatable sort). However, if you are female in the age category of 50-59, have blond hair and size 42 or above, you stand a little chance for a flirt (every Friday evening at Pastis might be your best shot!).  

Anyway, let’s get back to DHC A writing history. Many spectators found their way to Kowloon and were responsible for a fantastic atmosphere hanging over Kings Park’ stadium, where the game begun at 6 PM local time. DHC took the initiative immediately after the first whistle blow, and it didn’t take long before they started to create chances. Marius converted a rebound into a goal, after a shot of Gareth which got saved by KCC’s goalie in the fifth minute. DHC’s defense was resolute, though KCC got a huge chance not much later. A long ball from their sweeper reached KCC’s attacker which took a shot from the head of the D. Fortunately for the DHC, the shot just went wide.

DHC quickly wrestled their way back into the game. Julian passed the ball to Koene who dribbled into the D and shot the ball in the far corner (2-0). After about 20 minutes DHC scored their third goal of the day, which came off Tom’s stick after a nice combination with Marius. 

DHC continued their attacking game resulting in 2 penalty corners, but unfortunately, they failed to make use of both opportunities. 

After about half an hour Berend made the score 4-0, thanks to a superb solo via the side and on baseline. Thanks to his quick hand-eye coordination he managed to mislead the goalie and pushed it high into the net (4-0). If goals could be framed, then this one would surely have made it into Hong Kong Museum of Art’ spring collection.

Shortly before halftime, KCC managed to make a goal as well. After a personal mistake in DHC’s defense, KCC was awarded with a penalty corner which they converted with a bit of luck.

As the break arrived, Ali readied some stern words and suggested some new tactics. DHC began strongly in the second half. Thanks to the tireless running of the midfielders & attackers, Julian was able to pass the ball into deeper positions. Berend, Koene, Gareth, Tom, Marius and Daan were all unlucky with shots on goal which went narrowly wide or got saved. Also the 2 penaltycorners which DHC got awarded within the second half, were not converted. 

Defensively, DHC worked hard as a unit – marshalled by Sjoerd & Michael – denying the opponent space in attacking areas. KCC wasn’t able to create any chance in the second half.
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The 4-1 end result was certainly justified, and in fact could and should have been higher. 

I think it is appropriate to say thank you to our trainer Ali, all of the board members and obviously our very own captain. It is because of their efforts that we can play on a weekly basis.  

It was a pleasure playing with you all, DHC A. My conclusion of the past 7 months (and the preceding 8 seasons) is that we are a bunch of nutcases with a shared interest in chasing a small ball with a stick and drinking a beer afterwards. I am looking forward seeing you on the remaining activities. 

Until then.
Koene

PS: For all whom missed the epic championship battle: there is still a chance to see the DHC heroes of today shining on April 15th in their Cup game. Cards are personally being taken care of by the undersigned, while goals are personally guaranteed by all of our strikers (rumors has it that even Daan promised to score one goal, although that could have been the champagne talking – after all alcohol and overconfidence are close siblings).  

Thank you Esther for the great write up on the HKFC tournament. 

I'd like to thank all the parents, helpers and coaches who came along to support our DHC Hockey Stars in their first tournament this year, and for many, it was their first tournament ever! 

This year at the HKFC Mini-Tournament (a 6-a-side game), we entered 1 Under 10 team, and 2 Under 8 teams, where one of our under 8 teams was mostly made up of Under 6's! 
The whole group learned so much.

I loved seeing how the Under 10 team worked so well as a team, with great passing, dribbling and defending, they all grew so much. They were also helped out by two younger siblings, Ruben and Seppe who stepped up to assist when they could, again, a valuable piece of experience for them. Thank you to Sjoerd for picking up where my running around meant I couldn't properly sit the team down. The groups 2-0 win over the Lions was fun to watch, and the DB Pirates was a close game. The "PLK" team rocked up with a goalie and some players who should probably be in Senior Nationals, but oh my, this game was where our defence was so strong, a number of players rotated in our goal. 

The Senior Under 8 team improved game on game, Liesbeth (you can see pictured above) having a team talk with the group before they got started, really getting into the team spirit! It wasn't easy playing on the rugby pitch either! This team is going to grow and grow over the rest of the year. 

The Junior Under 8's were in a tough league, with some far more experienced teams, but they still put on a courageous effort and by the end were even participating in one-on-one competitions which James saved the day on! The under 10's did manage to get one pre-game "Dutch" cheer, and after every game all the teams shook hands with the opposition. That's the spirit!  

I'm looking forward to seeing the juniors back out again next weekend for the Hong Kong Hockey Association tournament at Happy Valley, this time 5-a-side! 

Kelly-Ann
Junior Convener

In just about perfect weather, our Dutch B Men put up a great game against Hong Kong Football Club Hockey G team.

The Dutch B Men fought hard with only 12 men against the 16 of the HKFC, Dutch B won 2-1 with two amazing goals of Ben Lammens.
 
Check out the continuing team spirit that is our Dutch B Men with pics of the game, including one of the 3rd half (!) ending for some at 3 AM!!!

What an awesome start to the season!

​Bas Fransen

The two mens teams had to forgo their Tuesday training (the Ladies had over 30 attendees!) for games at Lok Fu on the 17/10/2017. 

Men's A played a hard fought game with a 1-1 draw against Recreio A, whilst the Mens B team (4th Dvision) had an unfortunate loss against Aquila C 0-3. 

As always the Men's B team were great team sports and got a fantastic group photo with Aquila at the end of the game. 

Keep the spirit up! ​

This year, the Ladies B welcomed a lot of new players to the team, hailing from all corners of the hockey-playing world. Having trained and played at different times and different styles, forming a cohesive team would be the biggest challenge to tackle right off the bat. That being said, enthusiasm, hard work and support has not been in short supply since the start and training attendance has been at an all-time high!
 
It was the fourth game of the season and after 3 hard-fought games which unluckily ended in losses, the Ladies B were looking to finally pull the big W against Aquila A. We played the first half strong and steady, managing to keep most of the possession of the ball. A solid defense led by our former captain Amélie kept our defending circle relatively spotless, while a strong midfield pushed the ball up and gave us several circle penetrations and goal opportunities. However, we just could not manage to convert them and the first half ended in a 0-0 tie.

We picked up the pace again in the second half, with centre-mid ‘Dr. Dre’ putting us on the scoreboard and giving us a new wave of confidence. Despite many failed attempts to penetrate our circle and convert goals by the opposition, they managed to squeeze a goal by our defense, tying the score and putting the pressure on. Not giving up, we persisted in attacking their circle, which gave our newest player Bonnie the opportunities to tip-in not one, but two of her first ever goals in her budding field hockey career, and putting us firmly in the lead. The team swarmed her in celebration and morale shot ‘through the roof’. To top it off, Emma, slammed in a final shot for good measure to seal our long-awaited and well-deserved victory.
 
Unsurprisingly, Bonnie was unanimously voted woman of the match by the team. Nonetheless, the victory is a testimony the hard work and undying spirit from all our players who have never given up or stopped smiling from the get-go!
 
Looking forward to a fun and fantastic season ahead ladies!
 
Tiffany Lo
Ladies B Captain

The Dutch Men's B won a tough game against Elite C, with a great goal by Ewout Stumphius and a 1-0 victory! 

The Men's A team are lavishing being in the 2nd Division this year it seems, with a mighty win against Elite A in the heat of midday. The Mens A team was visited by longtime Hockey Legend Frank van Ginkel, who provided some great half time feedback. 

Did you catch the action on our Instagram story? @dhchkhockey 

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On a scorching hot Saturday afternoon, the Dutch women’s As took to the Happy Valley pitch for our first game of the season against Aquila As. With a number of new players to the club and only a few training sessions under our belt, we were prepared for some disorganisation on the field, a battle with the heat and a game of finding our feet. But we needn’t have worried! The team gelled quickly, communication was strong and the work we had done in training really paid off. 

We took control of the game very early, with the forwards and midfield making it incredibly difficult for the opposition to break through our press. We controlled possession and where they did break through, our defenders were well organised and strong in the tackle. Before long, our persistent attacking led to a short corner, which Liesbeth smashed straight into the goal taking us to 1-0 up. Play continued in our favour, with good passing and some excellent skills from many of the players. One attack led to Charlie receiving the ball on the inside of the D, she demonstrated her silky skills, skinning the keeper and pushing the ball to the back of the net. 2-0 up for half time! 

After a half time pep talk, plenty of water and an entire packet of energy tablets (never before happened!), we returned to the field to continue what we’d been doing. The second half was much the same as the first - we dominated possession and our press kept the opposition at bay. When they had any opportunity at attacking our defenders worked their magic and Lan saved the day in goal. Our persistent attacking meant we had lots and lots of chances on goal. A strong keeper on their team and a little trouble converting some of these chances kept us goalless for a lot of the second half. But patience eventually paid off… Maud, who dominated the right side of the field throughout the game, received the ball and used her pace and skills to dribble into the D. She looked like she was going to slap the ball, but quickly realised she had little space so she dodged a few more players and reverse hit the ball taking us to 3-0. 

The whistle blew for the end of the game just as Aquila had been granted a short corner. In true team spirit everyone used the last of their energy to quickly close the opposition down and clear the ball. The game was an excellent start to the season - all players worked hard, worked together and just about survived the heat. The victory and the dehydration certainly made that post match beer taste even better! ​

Charlotte Brearley
Ladies A Captain

DUTCH DELIVER AGAINST CRICKET CLUB
(HONG KONG CRICKET CLUB 1 - 3 DUTCH MEN's A)

It was all too hot to handle for the Hong Kong Cricket Club; as the Dutch secured a winning start to the season. The match was played in +34 degree heat as the two teams did their best to create chances in an end-to-end game of hockey. 

As usual against the Cricket Club, the Dutch were expecting a tough game against a well-organised and fit team, and this is what they got. Both sides struggled to play their nicest hockey in a first half under the beating sun, but both sides creating a series of decent attacks. Big gaps opened in the Cricket Clubs defence as the Dutch took an early lead in the first 20 minutes; Van Mil getting the opening goal at short-distance. But the first half was to end equal as the Cricket Club were gifted a goal of their own, a touch of football from the Umpire’s feet allowing a break-away attack that led to a one-on-one goal. The first half ending 1-1, with both sides very sweaty and totally exhausted.

The tempo was raised immediately in the second half with both teams refreshed and perhaps that a slight percentage increase in performance could bring a positive result in this game - the heat was draining and demanded that extra boost of energy. Dutch took the lead within the opening 10 minutes as Van Mil opened his second scoring account for the season following a string of passes that started out-wide and finished just inside the circle. The Dutch defence and attack was being connected well by Jules, driving forward the attacks at every occasion. With just over 15 minutes left to guarantee a win from the game the Dutch kept their ability to keep creating chances. Following a string of pressure at in the Cricket Club's half, Berend added a  beautiful backhand shot in the high left corner of the goal. 

So the Dutch are off to a winning start! 
With a few players still to come back next weekend it is looking super positive for the season 

Gareth Welsh
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