Centenary celebrated with games, food and drink

Slough Hockey Club celebrated its centenary on Sunday with a day of celebratory games, food, drink, and entertainment, writes Ali Lubbock.

The event followed the women's 1sts' opening game of the season on Saturday, a convincing 20 victory over ISCA in the Vitality Women's Hockey League Division 1 South. Surbiton and Sevenoaks lead the way after the first round of matches following solid 4-0 away wins over Canterbury and Wimbledon 2nds respectively.

The men's first team got their campaign underway with a 3-2 defeat against Henley and host Maidenhead this coming Saturday.

A centenary of competitive hockey is worth celebrating and is a notable achievement in the sport, with the club having played in the top echelons for the past 50 years.

Slough has an extensive list of honours both at a national and European level and have always been one of the country's dominant forces in the indoor game, both on the men's and women's side.

The women won the first Typhoo sponsored National League season when it was introduced in 1990-91 and dominated the ladies' game for several years after.

The men also have a series of league titles under their belt, having first won the men's National Inter League Championship back in 1975-76. Between 1979-83 they were the strongest side in the country, but they were relegated from the topflight in 1994-95 and haven't managed to get back there since.

The club has also been a breeding ground for international talent with many players having represented the pink and blacks.

The men’s list of internationals includes Ian Taylor, Paul Barber, Balwant Saini and Suti Khehar, while the women's list features Karen Brown, Sue Knight, Mandy Pottow, Sue Chandler, Jo Thompson, Mandy Nicholson, Lesley Hobley, Jane Smith, Kate Richardson-Walsh, Alex Danson-Bennett, Fiona Greenham, Sarah Kelleher, Anna Bennett, Shona McCallin and

Beth Storry to name a few. Some of those explayers were reunited for the celebrations at

Upton Court Park in Slough on Sunday, where a glass was raised in recognition of all that's been achieved and all that is to come.