Kent Messenger Maidstone

Our new home is now pitch perfect

- By Craig Tucker

Marden Russets are up and running at their multi-millionpou­nd new home.

The site, which will also house the village cricket and tennis clubs, is still a work in progress.

But with the two hockey pitches ready for action, Russets have started to move their sides over from Day’s Sports Field to the new ground off Maidstone Road.

Transition manager Lindsay Hancox said: “It was important to start playing games at the new ground.

“We wanted to get on the pitches to reinforce in the minds of our own club the fact that this really is happening.

“The floodlight­s are up so we’re now waiting on power connection and once we’ve got the lights, we can start training on the pitches as well.

“Playing on the fringes of a building site has its challenges but it’s something we felt we needed to do and now that we’re Sevenoaks 6 ... 6 3 1 2 13 13 10 Burnt Ash 3..... 6 3 0 3 18 11 9 K Sports ......... 6 3 0 3 21 15 9 Old Willis 3 ..... 6 3 0 3 7 9 9 Burnt Ash 4..... 6 3 0 3 14 21 9 Canterbury 5 ... 6 2 1 3 23 18 7 Blackhth Hn .... 6 2 1 3 9 14 7 Holcombe 4 .... 6 1 1 4 12 18 4 Gore Court 4 ... 6 0 0 6 1 29 0 Results: Holcombe 4ths 0 Old Williamson­ians 3rds 1, Burnt Ash 3rds 6 K Sports 2, Canterbury 5ths 2 Burnt Ash 4ths 3, Tunbridge Wells 3rds 1 Blackheath & Elthamians Heathens 2, Old Bordenian 3rds 7 Tunbridge Wells Vets 4, Gore Court 4ths 1 Sevenoaks 6ths 2. Fixtures: Burnt Ash 3rds v Tunbridge Wells 3rds, Sevenoaks 6ths v Old Bordenian 3rds, K Sports v Burnt Ash 4ths, Blackheath & Elthamians Heathens v Holcombe 4ths, Old Williamson­ians 3rds v Gore Court 4ths, Tunbridge Wells Vets v Canterbury 5ths. Wapping ......... 7 6 0 1 17 7 18 on there, everyone’s delighted.”

Marden still use their old clubhouse – the new one won’t be ready until the summer – but it’s onwards and upwards at the new home as Russets look to expand.

Mr Hancox said: “We’ve now played two weekends there and the pitches themselves have been universial­ly well received by us and our opponents.

“We’ve got excited players, excited parents and we hope in the fullness of time it’s going CoP................. CoP 7 5 1 1 24 11 16 Ipswich ........... 7 5 1 1 20 7 16 Sevenoaks 2 ... 7 4 2 1 20 7 14 Canterbury 2 ... 7 4 0 3 16 11 12 Camb City 2 .... 7 4 0 3 14 11 12 West Herts ...... 7 3 1 3 24 14 10 St Albans 2 ..... 7 3 1 3 13 15 10 Norwich Drag.. 7 2 0 5 11 18 6 Maidstone....... 7 2 0 5 8 30 6 Cambridge U ... 7 1 0 6 6 24 3 Old Loughts .... 7 0 0 7 3 21 0 Results: West Herts 2 Norwich Dragons 3, Wapping 3 CoP 4, St Albans 2nds 3 Ipswich 2, Maidstone 2 Canterbury 2nds 7, Old Loughts 0 Cambridge City 2nds 2, Sevenoaks 2nds 3 Cambridge Uni 0. Fixtures: St Albans 2nds v Maidstone, Ipswich v Wapping, CoP v West Herts, Norwich Dragons v Old Loughts, Cambridge Uni v Canterbury 2nds, Cambridge City 2nds v Sevenoaks 2nds. BBHC .............. 7 5 1 1 21 12 16 Old Bordens .... 7 5 1 1 16 12 16 to be a facility that will attract players from far and wide.

“We’re not going to be shy if people want to come and join us and we get more teams which is one of our intentions.

“We had the Sutton Valence merger that we tried to get through – we voted it in, they didn’t.

“You can try revolution with a merger, which we did, and you then to have to try evolution.

“Marden’s an expanding village and that’s one of the reasons we did what we did.

“I don’t know the numbers but it’s probably about a 50% increase in population in Marden in a 10-year period which gives us a great opportunit­y to bag a few people who’ve moved into the area.

“Naturally, when you’ve got fantastic facilities, people want to come.”

Developmen­t partners Countrysid­e Properties are sponsoring the senior section’s new kit. Old Williams.... Williams 7 5 0 2 11 6 15 Kings Alleyns .. 7 4 2 1 25 13 14 Blackheath ..... 7 4 2 1 17 8 14 Cliftonvil­le ....... 7 2 3 2 17 13 9 Sevenoaks 4 ... 7 3 0 4 17 14 9 Maidstone 2.... 7 3 0 4 12 16 9 Canterbury 3 ... 7 2 1 4 13 14 7 F’stone Opt 2 .. 7 2 0 5 9 22 6 Marden Russ .. 7 1 0 6 12 19 3 BromBeck 3 .... 7 1 0 6 7 28 3 Results: Bromley and Beckenham 3rds 0 Maidstone 2nds 4, Folkestone Optimist 2nds 2 Marden Russets 1, Sevenoaks 4ths 2 Old Bordenians 4, BBHC 1 Canterbury Ladies 3rds 1, Blackheath & Elthamians 1 Old Williamson­ians 2, Kings Alleyns Ladies 3 Cliftonvil­le 3. Fixtures: Cliftonvil­le v Folkestone Optimist 2nds, Old Bordenian v Bromley and Beckenham 3rds, Old Williamson­ians v BBHC, Marden Russets v Sevenoaks 4ths, Maidstone 2nds v Blackheath & Elthamians, Canterbury 3rds v Kings Alleyns. Tun Wells 4..... 7 5 0 2 21 12 15 Gore Court 2 ... 7 4 3 0 12 6 15 Uni of Kent ...... 6 3 3 0 20 11 12 F’stone Opt 3 .. 7 3 2 2 12 8 11 Sevenoaks 6 ... 7 2 4 1 15 12 10 K Sports.......... 7 3 1 3 10 11 10 Burnt Ash 4..... 7 3 0 4 15 14 9 Gill Anchs 2 .... 7 2 3 2 8 8 9 Herne Bay 2 .... 7 2 1 4 12 16 7 New Beccs 2 .. 7 1 3 3 12 14 6 Maidstone 3.... 6 0 3 3 4 14 3 BromBeck 5 .... 7 0 3 4 5 20 3 Results: University of Kent 4 New Beccehamia­n 2nds 4, Maidstone 3rds 0 Herne Bay 2nds 5, Tunbridge Wells 4ths 1 K Sports 4, Burnt Ash 4ths 6 Bromley and Beckenham 5ths 0, Gillingham Anchorians 2nds 2 Sevenoaks 6ths 0, Gore Court 2nds 2 Folkestone Optimist 3rds 0. Fixtures: Sevenoaks 6ths v Maidstone 3rds, Bromley and Beckenham 5ths v Gore Court 2nds, New Beccehamia­n 2nds v Tunbridge Wells 4ths, Herne Bay 2nds v Burnt Ash 4ths, K Sports v Gillingham Anchorians 2nds, Folkestone Optimist 3rds v University of Kent.

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