Edinburgh University Hockey Club

Edinburgh University Men's Hockey Club currently comprises seven men's teams, which makes it the largest Men's University field hockey club in the United Kingdom. Each team plays in regional Saturday or Sunday league matches across eastern districts of Scotland and the top teams play in the national leagues. The men's and women's 1st – 4th teams participate in extra leagues on a Wednesday afternoon, where they participate in their respective British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) league, playing other universities in Scotland and occasionally across the UK.[1][2]

Edinburgh University Men's Hockey Club
Nickname(s)The Gamblers
Founded1901 (1901)
Home groundPeffermill Playing Fields, Edinburgh, Scotland
(Capacity 4,000)
ChairmanDennis Hay
ManagerEugene Connolly
CoachGraham Moodie
Websitewww.euhc.co.uk/men

Home games are played at Peffermill playing fields, which are water-based pitches located in southern Edinburgh. Training, which happens on a Thursday evening for the men. These pitches are of an international standard, giving players of all abilities within the club an opportunity to play their best hockey.[3]

The hockey club has a vast range of abilities within the club from international players to people who have just started to play the sport. All are welcome and the aim of the club is to not only improve players' abilities within the sport but to also provide a worthwhile and competitive sport for players to play throughout their university experience.

The club is sponsored by Deloitte and Malones Irish Bar.[4]

Club history

The first mention of Hockey at the university was in 1899 when a notice was published in the Student which read "Would those in favour of starting a Hockey Club in connection with the University kindly forward their names and addresses to the Secretary, Hockey Club, University PO?" One of these founding members was G.M.Melville who although was born in Ireland he was schooled in England and attended university in Scotland.

There is no further mention of the club until 1901 when pitches were secured at Craiglockhart and play commenced. On 18 November that year the University Hockey Club as represented that year at the meeting of clubs in Scotland when it was agreed to form a Scottish Hockey Association and so it would seem that the club was instrumental in starting the Scottish Hockey Union! The first match was played against Dumbarton and it was lost with the rest of the season recording 11 played, won 4, lost 5 and drawn 2. By the end of the season a second XI was started and so the sport must have proved a success.

The club was admitted to the University Athletic Club (now the Sports Union) in 1902 when W. Sibbald Robertson was the captain and in that year no less than 5 University players were recorded internationalists. T.P Caverhill was one of these 5 and must have been especially good given his numerous mentions and was subsequently awarded blues. The 1905-1906 season was especially good when of the sixteen matches played, twelve were won, three drawn and only one lost. One member of this team was especially of note. Frank Fasson was a former internationalist rugby player and must have brought all his speed and fiery temperament to the Hockey pitch which he demonstrated one match when he took a dislike to his opposing number and slashed his stick against the man’s shins. The next week Frank had a tooth ache and went to the dentist and much to his dismay found that his dentist consultant was none other than his previous opposing player. However the great sportsman Dr N.L. Stevenson took neither advantage nor a fee! It was Fasson who was playing later that season when Scotland secured the first Scottish victory when playing against the Welsh; the result was 3-1.

The best season in the club was recorded in 1908-1909 when the first XI was unbeaten and six of the squad were chosen to represent Scotland. It was around this time that toy rabbits first appeared in the team photos presumably as mascots of the club.

Like most sports the First World War halted hockey matches although the club was re-established for the 1919-1920 season. The remarkable growth in the Sport meant that in the following season five teams were fielded for the University. The club suffered a dry spell for victories until 1930-1931 when the competition for places on the teams was so great that an inter-society matches were organised. This successful season saw the first touring side to go down to English Universities and victories were recorded against both Durham and Manchester. It is also in this season that the Scottish Inter University Championship was first recorded which Edinburgh won which was followed the next season with the first successful tour to Ireland. This successful vein continued with the Scottish Championships residing with Edinburgh University until the 1938-1939 season, the last before the Second World War.

There was no shortage of matches to be found during the war this time with 20 matches recorded each season. It is the 1942-1943 season which saw the first incarnation of the Scottish university teams play the United Services with no less than six Edinburgh men in the team. Much of the success gained by the team was attributed to the brilliant E.Evans Anfom as club captain.

In the history up to 1959 the club recorded a total of 32 full internationalists and one (S.P Theobald) who represented Great Britain and between these players they recorded 183 international caps.[5]

Current Situation
  • The 1st XI are currently coached by former Olympian Graham Moodie. They currently compete in Scottish National Division 1, in the 2011/12 season they finished in 8th place. Whilst in the 2012/13 season they finished 7th [6] In the British Universities & Colleges Sport the 1st XI compete in Scottish 1A, which they won in the 2011/12 season [7]
  • The 2nd XI are currently coached by Tom Johnston, and play in the Scottish Regional League 1. In the British Universities & Colleges Sport the team won Scottish 2A during the 2011/12 season and so won promotion for the first time to Scottish 1A since the leagues were re-organiased in 2003. They finished the 2012/13 BUCS 1A season in 3rd place [8]
  • The 3rd XI won promotion from the District League in 2011/12 into Scottish Regional League 2. This was followed by promotion to Central 1 in the 2012/13 season [9]
  • The 3rd and 4th XI both compete in the British Universities & Colleges Sport in Scottish 3A and 4A respectively [10]
  • The 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th XI all compete in the East District Leagues.[11]

Current and Former International Representatives
  • Graham Moodie - Great Britain, Scotland (Senior) , [12]
  • Callum Duke - Scotland (Senior and U21) [13]
  • David Forrester - Scotland (U21)
  • Neil Fulton - Scotland (U21)
  • Aedan McCrossan - Scotland (U18)
  • S.P Theobald - Great Britain (Senior)
  • T.P Caverhill - Scotland (Senior)
  • Frank Fasson - Scotland (Senior)
  • James Wong - Scotland (Senior and U21)

See also

References

The story of Edinburgh University Athletic Club edited by Colonel C.M.Usher. Published in 1966.

  1. http://www.euhc.co.uk/men/about.php Archived 7 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine About- EUHC - Edinburgh University Men's Hockey Club
  2. http://www.euhc.co.uk/men/contact.php Archived 7 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine Contact - EUMHC - Edinburgh University Men's Hockey Club
  3. http://www.euhc.co.uk/men/about.php Archived 7 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine About- EUHC - Edinburgh University Hockey Club
  4. http://www.euhc.co.uk/men/sponsors.php?s=1%5B%5D Club Sponsors - Edinburgh University Hockey Club
  5. Usher, C.M (1966). The Story of Edinburgh University Athletic Club. UK.
  6. http://www.scottish-hockey.org.uk/competitions/league-competitions/subway-eat-fresh-men-nl-division-1.aspx?leaguename=SUBWAY%20Eat%20Fresh%20Men%20NL%20Division%201&poolname=&location=0 Archived 4 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine Final Standings - Scottish Hockey
  7. http://www.bucs.org.uk/bucscore/TeamProfile.aspx?id=2151&sport=Hockey&institution=Edinburgh Final Standings - British Universities & Colleges Sport
  8. http://www.bucs.org.uk/bucscore/TeamProfile.aspx?id=2152&sport=Hockey&institution=Edinburgh Final Standings 2A - British Universities & Colleges Sport
  9. https://sites.google.com/site/easthockeymen/tables/div1table East District Division
  10. http://www.bucs.org.uk/bucscore/TeamProfile.aspx?id=2151&sport=Hockey&institution=Edinburgh Institutions: Hockey: Edinburgh - British Universities & Colleges Sport
  11. https://sites.google.com/site/easthockeymen/ East District Hockey
  12. http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/staff/moodie-190809 Archived 23 December 2012 at Archive.today Graham Moodie Appointed 1st XI Coach - Edinburgh University
  13. http://www.scottish-hockey.org.uk/2012/may-2012/scots-set-for-spanish-tests-in-terressa.aspx Archived 4 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine Scots Set for Spanish test in Terressa - Scottish Hockey
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