Twas the Night Before Half-Season

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As you look forwards, don’t forget to look back on how far you’ve come.

Richard, aged 28 and a half

Let’s begin with Coach Garth, who (with absolutely no software assistance) has written a little jingle to take you through the first half of the M6 season. Then we’ll look at our new signings, our reporters’ best photo submissions, our results so far, key dates to come, and watch a carefully curated video montage.

Twas the Night Before Half-Season

Twas the night before half-season, the turf shining bright,  
The team was all geared up, ready to fight (literally).  
The sticks were all polished, the balls neatly stacked,  
In hopes that our winning ways would soon be back.

The players were nestled, their warm-ups complete,  
While visions of goals danced in their cleats.  
Coach Garth was there, but not for long—  
A Team GB star would soon lead us on.

It started in Cambridge, with a pub crawl to roam,
Lee scouting the talent, while others called it home.
The team laughed and drank, spirits soaring so high,
But the next day, they woke up, hungover and dry.

But back on the turf, it was time to get real,  
We faced the M5s—our season’s first steal!  
With swift passing and plays that were neat,  
We left them all stunned, retreating in defeat.

But off the field, drama took a sharp turn,
Duncan betrayed Richard—oh, how the tables would churn!
A season’s start, and their bond was undone,
Like a messy divorce, no way to outrun.

A curry night followed, with spice in the air. 
The heat wasn’t just in the food, but the banter laid bare.
Laughter and chilis, the group filled with cheer,
But who’d have thought it’d end in a food-induced fear?

The Christmas party came, with Hot Fuzz in tow,
Nick Angel and Danny, putting on a show.
One swan in the corner, and garden shears near,
As the team embraced chaos with festive cheer.
A Japanese peace lily, perfectly placed,
As we “policed” the night, with no time to waste.

And now as we pause, halfway through the race,
We reflect on the moments, the joy, and the chase.
From pub crawls to curry, from drama to cheer,
This half-season's been wild, but we’re still in the clear.
So here’s to the future, the games still to win,
To teamwork and laughter, and the battles within.
With hockey ahead and the holidays near,
The next half-season’s waiting—let’s give them a cheer!

M6 Summer Signings:

We’d like to quickly pay tribute to our 3 new joiners this season. Quietly proud of the back channel negotiations used to secure these throughout the summer. Of course, as well as the new joiners, we are lucky to have a great squad and would like to thank our players for sticking with the team in the face of impressive financial packages offered by competing teams within the club.

  • Joris

  • Joe

  • Martin

Just so Joe doesn’t feel too bad, here is one of Joris’ best goals: a penalty flick very nearly saved by their left back (their goalie was still stuck in traffic).

Captain’s Diary:

At the end of the first half of season, it’s always an interesting moment to reflect. Having received no cards in the mens competitions so far this season, I’ve been pleased to see that others have stepped up to fill the void, and I felt the presence of previous captains on my shoulder when trying to bail players (*cough*, Garth) out of confrontations. It’s a sign of just how seriously this team take their hockey, and also the cyclical nature of a team and the various responsibilities therein.

Having lost only 3 times across friendlies and comps so far, the team should be proud of their efforts on and off the pitch so far. But crucially, they should be excited about both league and plate, where they sit in strong positions, alongside their unique opportunity to display their skills against Division 5 (East) top table rivals on a Friday night at the national stadium at Lee Valley in front of 3000 seats (at least 30 filled). Details of this event to be found below and match day programmes distributed nearer the time.

Thanks to the volunteer efforts of the club (especially Alanna and last minute pitch requests), our coaching team (including those kindly sent down from the GB/England set up to help get us back on track) and club umpires.

Happy new year and good luck in the second half scrap!

Reporters’ Snaps:

Sneak Peak of the Documentary:

Results So Far and Fixtures to Come:

2024-25 league fixtures
Knockout campaign underway, after purchasing a second franchise name
M6 come back to win their first men’s plate game in the knockout penalty shoot-out. After one loss and one win, they now stand one match away from a national quarter final, showing just how small margins can at this high level.

The League Table at the Halfway Stage:

For Your Attention:

Save the date:
Friday 28th March, 7pm
Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre – Main Stadium Pitch.

Under the lights on a Friday night, on hallowed ground.

Wanderers M6 take on East London M6 in what is already being described as the ‘most anticipated Wanderers game this decade’.

We’d love to welcome down all Wanderers, friends, family, neighbours, work colleagues and more.

Tickets: Free

New Season: Pre-Emptive Intro

Given summer mixed hockey has very sadly come to an end, we thought we’d quickly post an update about the upcoming season.

First of all, the training schedule for the first half of the season looks like the below. There’s a filterable table below too to see your team’s specific training sessions only.

Training schedule for Battersea Wanderers HC for the first half of the 2023-24 season.
HDayDateTeam(s) TrainingTimePitch SlotLocation Link
2023.11.06Mon6 Nov 2023M4, M5, M67:30PM - 8:30PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.11.07Tue7 Nov 2023M1, M2, M39PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.11.08Wed8 Nov 2023L1, L78PM - 9PMBattersea Park - Half PitchBP Map
2023.11.08Wed8 Nov 2023L4, L5, L69PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.11.08Wed8 Nov 2023L28:45PM - 9:45PMSaint Francis Xavier SchoolSFX Map
2023.11.09Thu9 Nov 2023L39PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Half PitchBP Map
2023.11.13Mon13 Nov 2023M1, M2, M37:30PM - 8:30PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.11.14Tue14 Nov 2023M4, M5, M69PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.11.15Wed15 Nov 2023L1, L68PM - 9PMBattersea Park - Half PitchBP Map
2023.11.15Wed15 Nov 2023L4, L5, L79PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.11.15Wed15 Nov 2023L38:45PM - 9:45PMSaint Francis Xavier SchoolSFX Map
2023.11.16Thu16 Nov 2023L29PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Half PitchBP Map
2023.11.20Mon20 Nov 2023M4, M5, M67:30PM - 8:30PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.11.21Tue21 Nov 2023M1, M2, M39PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.11.22Wed22 Nov 2023L2, L38PM - 9PMBattersea Park - Half PitchBP Map
2023.11.22Wed22 Nov 2023L5, L6, L79PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.11.22Wed22 Nov 2023L48:45PM - 9:45PMSaint Francis Xavier SchoolSFX Map
2023.11.23Thu23 Nov 2023L19PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Half PitchBP Map
2023.11.27Mon27 Nov 2023M1, M2, M37:30PM - 8:30PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.11.28Tue28 Nov 2023M4, M5, M69PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.11.29Wed29 Nov 2023L1, L28PM - 9PMBattersea Park - Half PitchBP Map
2023.11.29Wed29 Nov 2023L3, L4, L79PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.11.29Wed29 Nov 2023L58:45PM - 9:45PMSaint Francis Xavier SchoolSFX Map
2023.11.30Thu30 Nov 2023L69PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Half PitchBP Map
2023.12.04Mon4 Dec 2023M4, M5, M67:30PM - 8:30PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.12.05Tue5 Dec 2023M1, M2, M39PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.12.06Wed6 Dec 2023L1, L28PM - 9PMBattersea Park - Half PitchBP Map
2023.12.06Wed6 Dec 2023L3, L4, L79PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.12.06Wed6 Dec 2023L68:45PM - 9:45PMSaint Francis Xavier SchoolSFX Map
2023.12.07Thu7 Dec 2023L59PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Half PitchBP Map
2023.12.11Mon11 Dec 2023M1, M2, M37:30PM - 8:30PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.12.12Tue12 Dec 2023M4, M5, M69PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.12.13Wed13 Dec 2023L1, L28PM - 9PMBattersea Park - Half PitchBP Map
2023.12.13Wed13 Dec 2023L3, L5, L69PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Full PitchBP Map
2023.12.13Wed13 Dec 2023L78:45PM - 9:45PMSaint Francis Xavier SchoolSFX Map
2023.12.14Thu14 Dec 2023L49PM - 10PMBattersea Park - Half PitchBP Map

Second, the league fixtures are broadly out, and the first weekend of league games (23rd September) looks like this:

Third, if you’re very excited for hockey, you can even see the club’s (and your team’s) full fixture list for this upcoming 2023-24 season.

When the season begins, you can also use it to check out your team’s results and latest position in your league table. To make it easier, we’ve popped the relevant fixtures/results/league-table on each team’s tab within our ‘Teams’ page, so you can find everything automatically showing for you there.

The info is pulling from England Hockey via a very handy little tool, courtesy of Matthew Treherne at Old Kingstonian Hockey Club – so a big thank you to him, including for his help troubleshooting and adding some excellent features!

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