DLHC History

Statement from Ralph Darby, Club President...

  

DURSLEY LADIES’ HOCKEY CLUB AND ME (RALPH DARBY)

 

The beginning:

When my youngest daughter Emma left Rednock School in July 1986, she said to me “dad it’s so unfair when boys leave school, they can join football rugby and cricket teams but the girls have nothing”. Emma enjoyed playing hockey so I said I would try to start a hockey club for Dursley and surrounding areas.

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In August I checked with Roy Harper the head of Rednock if the pitch at Norman Hill could be hired. He said yes, so I decided to call a meeting to test interest in the community. This was to be held at the Community Centre on the 1st of October. A notice was put in the Dursley Gazette asking for persons who were interested in playing hockey in a ladies’ hockey team or helping.  Twelve ladies turned up and apologies were received from six others.

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At this meeting, the decision was made to form Dursley Ladies Hockey team with myself as first Chairman. The first captain was June Pritchard – later head of Cam Everlands, Secretary – Karen Pascoe P.E. teacher at Rednock, Treasurer -Ann Murphy – now living in bungalow at The Hollies (whose daughters Fiona and Liz both played for the club with distinction their names appearing several times on the Player of the Year Cup).  The coach was Ian Dixon a teacher at Cam Everlands. Membership for players was fixed at £12 and a match fee £1 and  home matches were played on the lower level of Norman Hill field. A fixture list of friendly matches was later prepared, and matches played for a season.

 

Later :

After the first season the charges for pitch and changing rooms had been increased and difficulties had been encountered with school holiday use and wet pitches.  Home matches were then moved to Berkeley Vale School, a redgra pitch and the club entered the Severn League.  Unfortunately, after a few years  the condition of this  pitch deteriorated. We were forced to stop playing there, part way through the season, and we had to find other pitches for the remainder of that season. We went as far as Rencombe College to play. The following season we moved to Stroud and stayed there until the pitch at Wotton under Edge became available a few years ago.

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After the early years the Club became very successful particularly with a junior section organised by Lisa.  We had teams of under 13 and under 18 and a senior team.  Stroud once asked us to join them, we think to get all the junior players like Hattie and Linzi.

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In 2015, when Lisa and several important senior players decided to retire, the junior section was ended, and we were short of players. The committee felt we could not continue but when this was put to a meeting Stacey Smith (now Sealey) and Clare Rodgers said they would run a senior team. So, the club continued mainly under their management but with support from me and others. We later moved to the Berkeley League, and we were champions in 2017 and 2019.

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To be still running successfully after 36 years without ever having a suitable home pitch of its own is a remarkable achievement. I still live in hope that a pitch for our use will be built in Dursley or Cam in the near future.

 

Dursley Ladies Hockey Club will always be to me ‘my Club’ played by ‘my ladies’.

 

 Ralph Darby 25th April 2023.