Easter Charity Mixed 7-A-Side Tournament on 23rd April 2011

Worthing Hockey club are, once again, planning to host a mixed sevens hockey tournament this year on the Saturday of the Easter weekend (23^rd April). The emphasis of the day will be on fun though there will also, inevitably be an element of competition too. The monies raised on the day will be donated to Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice which is the only children’s hospice in Sussex.

Four years ago, Rob Warner who is a stalwart member and youth coach at Worthing Hockey club proposed reviving the Worthing mixed open tournament at Easter, donating the monies raised on the day to Chestnut Tree in our daughter Megan’s name. Megan had been a junior member of the club for several years but sadly died following an extreme allergic reaction to nuts in September 2006. She was only 16. Megan loved playing hockey and particularly the informal mixed hockey tournaments with juniors, ladies and men playing together. In her short life she had also become a fundraiser for Chestnut Tree House so Rob’s idea was a fitting memorial to our Megan.

Rob called the event “Megz’ day” and managed to contact several clubs around the county who came to the event. This year although Rob Lowe is heading up the organisation of the day, my husband, David and I feel we want to be involved in organising this event and thus I am writing to all the clubs we play during the season either on the Sunday social mixed games or the Saturday leagues.

The proposed format will follow Rob’s original i.e. teams of 7 players with three ladies, three males and a goalie/kicking back of either gender. Teams can have as many substitutes as they feel necessary and junior players are positively encouraged. There will be some fun rules such as no showing off of pitch skills which will be penalised and any players in costume will be taken into account when the most sporting and fun teams are judged.

The event will be staged on grass pitches at the Manor ground in Worthing (just off Georgia Ave, Broadwater, Worthing and adjacent to the A24) from 11am Saturday 23^rd April. There will be hot food available in quantity this year with volunteers from the Sailing Club coming to help man the kitchen and bar and a live band “Fakin’ it” playing in the club that afternoon. We are asking teams for contribution of £30 a team – going to Chestnut Tree House – and there will be some raffles and other events on the day to raise as much as we can for the charity.

I really hope that your club can raise a team and join us this year. If you are interested can you please contact Rob Lowe (god1016@hotmail.com), myself (Janice Duncan 01903 537258 jan@ossltd.co.uk ), Bob Catlow (01903 815445 catlowbob@aol.co.uk) or Mandi Stevens (01903 203642 m.stevens@tas.co.uk )

With kindest regards,

Janice Duncan

Worthing Hockey Club