After starting the season with an 8-1 hammering at the hands of Birmingham University the omens didn’t look good for the 5thXI. This result followed up with a 3-1 defeat to Harbourne and left the newly promoted 5’s languishing near the foot of the table.

Where many teams would have let their heads to drop the 5’s dug in and began to battle. Some sterling performances from a reinvigorated Mike 'Big Nickers' Nicklin and the ever youthful Colin Reid saw them loaned to the 3rd xi never to return. Despite this the 5’s managed regularly to turn out Champagne hockey despite the Lambrini budget that was inevitably on offer.

The club policy of promoting youth through the ranks (remember Nicklin and Reid?) saw Ben Green, Ben Moore, Ben Garvey, Ben Dunnington and
George Greenslade all play important roles for the team throughout the season, although sometimes at the expense of the elder statesmen of the club.

Miles was to have his swansong for the 5’s with a last second call up from the side-lines as Big Dave quite selfishly packed his gear up at the toss of the coin and scarpered to Good Hope Hospital at the insistence of Mrs M and the soon to be Baby Jake! Had Dave stayed he may well have improved on the 36 goals that he chalked up for the season!

Special mentions to Carl Allen for travelling all the way back from Northern Ireland in time to make a match. Gary Hyde for the one and only time he ventured out of his own half to stroke home a penalty corner in the final seconds of a tough away game at Olton to secure a 3-2 victory. Simon Clarke for driving over to Stourport for the final game of the season in his van after we got as far as the M42 before ‘we’ realised ‘we’ had forgotten him.

In all a near perfect season which saw us only denied 3rd place by a surprisingly strong Stourport 4XI on the final day of the season!

Matt Norton

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