CHC April News

We’ve made it to the end of the season, and the CHC committee is very much looking forward to a well-earned break. As such, this will be the last newsletter for a few months. So, for the final time this season, we’d like to express our thanks to our club sponsors: Cheltenham College, Root Group, Trefurn, and Y1. Read more about our sponsors below.

Were very sad to announce that at the end of the season, Will Carter will be stepping down as President of CHC.

Will has been a dedicated leader since taking on the role in 2021, and his contribution to the club over the past few years has been significant. From championing club values to supporting players across all sections, Will has given countless hours behind the scenes to help CHC thrive both on and off the pitch.

His hard work, calm leadership, and unwavering commitment have made a real and lasting impact - and we know we speak for the whole CHC community when we say he’ll be hugely missed in this role.

While we’re sad to see him step down, we’re incredibly grateful for everything he’s done. Thank you, Will - your legacy at the club is firmly secured.

A huge thank you to all the Vice Presidents who joined us for VP Day last month. It was a real pleasure to reconnect with familiar faces and share in a fantastic day of hockey and anecdotes.

The club was buzzing with energy, with matches taking place throughout the day and a great atmosphere in the clubhouse. You must have brought the luck with you - the men’s 1s secured a convincing 4-1 win against Clifton Robinsons, and the women’s 1s put in a superb performance to draw 1–1 with top-of-the-table Reading.

We’re also incredibly grateful to those Vice Presidents who kindly made a donation to the club. Your generosity plays a vital role in supporting our continued success - thank you!

The CHC Dinner Dance is just around the corner, taking place this Saturday at the Queen’s Hotel. Our brilliant organisers have pulled together an impressive raffle, packed with some truly fantastic prizes - take a look here!

We know it’s short notice, but we’d like to offer you the chance to grab some raffle tickets. If you'd like to buy tickets, just get in touch! Prices are £5 for 1 strip, £10 for 3, or £20 for 8. To be included in the draw, please email secretary@chelthockey.org by Friday, April 11th. Good luck!

For one last time this season, here’s a final roundup of our league standings.

Men's 1s

The men’s 1s were aiming for promotion back into the National League and put in a strong campaign. Although they narrowly missed out, finishing second, they’ve built a solid foundation and will be well placed to challenge for the title next season.

Men's 2s

The men’s 2s (pic below) found their form in the latter part of the season with some impressive performances. Unfortunately, it came just a little too late to change their fate, and they will be relegated - but we’re confident they’ll bounce back stronger. 

Men's 3s

The men’s 3s (pic below) had a solid season, securing 4th place in Cotswold Division 1 - a result to be proud of.

Men's Masters

Sadly, the men’s O45s lost their quarter-final against Clifton, 3-1. It seems that they had a bad first 5 minutes after which it was a hard fought 1-1 draw! As last year, it has been thoroughly enjoyed by all participants.

The men’s O35s suffered a similar fate losing 3-2 to Hamton-in-Arden in their quarter-final.

Women's 1s

The women’s 1s have enjoyed their most successful season in National League, finishing in 5th place (they have same number of points as 4th place, but a less favourable goal difference). They look forward to another strong season in September. 

Women’s 2s

The women’s 2s, who were promoted this season, successfully met their goal of a top-half finish. With a season of experience under their belts, they’re well positioned for an even stronger push next year.

Women’s 3s

The women’s 3s were unlucky to miss out on promotion, finishing joint 2nd. It was a hard-fought season and they should be proud of their performance and progress.

Women’s 4s

And finally, a huge shoutout to the women’s 4s - the stars of the season! They stormed to the league title, finishing a comfortable 7 points clear with an incredible goal difference of 81. What a year!

The 2024/25 season has been another successful one for the youth contingent in the Club. We have had our largest ever groups of U16s with 41 boys and 60 girls. Our youth teams have acquitted themselves well in the competitions that they have entered. There have been individual successes too with 4 boys and 16 girls having been selected for Talent Academies. Seven U18 boys have represented the Men’s 1s and nine U16/U18 girls have represented the Women’s 1s with many more participating in the other senior teams.

U16 Boys

In their final match, the U16 Boys gave away two early goals but demonstrated huge resilience to come back to win 4-2 thus securing a second consecutive title as West Tier 2 champions. Noting that they had also reached the quarter-final of the Tier 2 Cup; their opponents, Reading, have gone on to the final this weekend.

U16 Cobras

The U16 Girls Cobras (A team) were disappointed to lose their Tier 1 Supra League Plate Quarter-Final against Reading. We were much the better side but were thwarted by an excellent GK and Reading scored from two PCs. A frustrating finale to the season for this strong group of players, who had previously finished 3rd at Christmas time in the West element of the Tier 1 Supra League. Cobras also finished as runners-up in the West Indoor.

U16 Cheetas

The U16 Girls Cheetahs (B team) finished the season on a high with a 1-1 draw against a strong Lansdown A team, who won the West Tier 2 League. The Cheetahs finished a very creditable 4th behind three club first teams. In the Avon Junior Hockey League, the Cheetahs were runners-up to Wotton having won all their matches except against the overall winners.

U18 Girls

For completeness, even though it was reported in the last newsletter, the U18G reached the semi-final of the Tier 2 Plate losing to Old Georgians, who have gone on to reach the final this weekend. The squad was also runners-up in the West Indoor.

A huge thank you to our club sponsors this season.

Cheltenham College

CHC has been in partnership with Cheltenham College since 2023, as one of our main facility providers. CHC enjoys training at College on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; and plays matches there on Saturdays and Sundays.

Y1

Y1 is a lifestyle brand that combines fashion and sport, and is made up of YoungOnes Apparel and Y1 Hockey. CHC entered into a partnership with Y1 in 2022, for Y1 to be our principle kit provider. We are grateful to Y1 for their support.

Trefurn

Trefurn handcrafts traditional and contemporary furniture who partnered with CHC in 2023 to sponsor the Men's 1s team. We are grateful to Trefurn for their support.

Root Group

Root Group is a premier construction company who entered into a partnership agreement with CHC, which includes sponsoring the W1s. We appreciate their support!

Thank you for your continued support. If you have any feedback for the club, please do not hesitate to get in touch. See you next season!