By community correspondent Rebecca Oldham.

Sunbury Hockey club have long graced the Middlesex county leagues with the likes of Surrey and Middlesex rivals, Ashford, Staines and Teddington, but with a strong colts section and achieving adult teams Sunbury has become a force to be reckoned with.

The Ladies 1st X1 play in the South Division 2 league and the Men’s 1st X1 in the MBBO Regional 2nd Division, both showing great promise in cup games and league fixtures. Last season saw the men’s 1st X1 lift the Men’s vase trophy against Gainsborough Rose, after a tense penalty flick shoot out a lone Sunbury penalty trickled across the line sealing victory for the men in green.

With three women’s teams and men’s X1’s Sunbury HC are able to provide qualified coaching to both adults and colts on a Thursday night and Sunday morning at Hampton Community College. With competition must come fun, socialising as a club is proven to be very effective. Common social nights range from the formal ‘dinner and dance’ to the less ‘school disco’ and ‘Christmas pub golf’, all providing an opportunity for banter off the pitch with a close team network.

First established in 1951, Sunbury HC now shares a clubhouse on Lower Hampton Road Sunbury with Sunbury cricket, bowls and weightlifting associations. The clubhouse boasts its own grass pitches and an area to socialise after a highly competitive game complete with three bars and Sky TV.

Club Captain Debbie Salter expresses why Sunbury has proven to be so popular amongst hockey players; ‘Sunbury Hockey club welcomes all abilities to join their club. The ethos of Sunbury is to win but what makes it so special is that win or lose the players are encouraged to enjoy their hockey on and off the pitch. Sunbury have an excellent colts section, with many of them encouraged to join the adults to improve and develop their hockey but also to build their social skills. It’s a friendly club with a winning mentality’.