March 21, 2015, by Lee Chrimes
Big Wednesday’s Big Build-Up – Men’s Hockey (part two)
A follow up to our post from yesterday as there was too much to fit into one post – here’s the full list of who’ll be representing Nottingham in the BUCS Men’s Hockey Championship Cup final this Wednesday at Loughborough.
University of Nottingham Men’s Hockey 1st team
Andy Dalman – Centre Back
Course: Chinese
Season highlight: Beating Durham for the first time ever for a place in the final
Aspirations: To complete ‘sally up, sally down’
Bill Gage – Centre Back
Course: Industrial Economics
Season highlight: Quarter-final game against Bath
Major achievements: 2014 Conference Cup Silver medal
Aspirations: 2015 Championship Cup Gold
Sam Clarke-Knowles – Forward
Course: Chemistry
Season highlight: Scoring against Bristol in the cup
Major achievements: Finding my way back to civilisation to perform my stand up routine
Aspirations: 2015 Championship Cup Gold
Mo Ghandi – Quarter Back
Course: Civil Engineering
Season highlight: Away game against Durham
Major achievements: Silver medal at the Indoor Pan Am Cup 2014
Aspirations: Compete in the Olympics
Thomas Gibbs – Forward
Course: Spanish
Season highlight: Extended team rendition of ‘I Used To Work In Chicago’ on the bus back from Bath
Aspirations: BUCS Championship Gold
Ali Clift – Half Back
Course: History
Season highlight: Beating Loughborough 3-2 at home from 0-2 down
Aspirations: BUCS Gold
Guy Mills – Half Back
Course: Architecture
Season highlight: The bus journey back from Bath
Aspirations: BUCS Gold
Tommy Norris – Midfield
Course: Mechanical Engineering
Season highlight: Golden goal against Bristol
Major achievements: Ending the goal drought
Aspirations: BUCS Gold
Ben James – Defender
Course: Civil Engineering
Season highlight: Coming back from 0-1 to beat Durham 201 in the semi-final
Major achievements: Bath and getting the equaliser in the semi final
Aspiration: Get Tails on the balcony with a BUCS Gold medal around his neck
Warwick Beswick – Forward
Course: Environmental Science
Season highlight: Beating Bath at their place in the quarter finals
Aspirations: Finding some composure in the D and BUCS Gold
Jonathan Wilkinson – Midfield
Course: Philosophy
Season highlight: First BUCS goal and away win vs. Birmingham
Aspirations: BUCS Gold
Dan Darby – Goalkeeper
Course: History
Season highlight: Golden goal time vs. Bristol
Aspiration: BUCS Gold
Jonny Ruiz – Forward
Course: Animal Handling (AKA Veterinary Medicine)
Season highlight: Silencing Bath crowd with the quarter final win
Major achievements: European National tournament
Aspirations: Scoring against Loughborough and winning BUCS Gold
James Gall – Midfield/Forward
Course: Economics
Season highlight: Witnessing a tactical masterclass in the away win at Bath
Major achievements: Chelmsford HC U9’s Most Improved Player 2001/02 Season
Aspirations: To exit the shadow of my brother (U9’s Player of the Season, Chelmsford HC 2001/02)
Jack Richmond – Midfield
Course: Theology
Season highlight: Beating Bath away
Aspirations: BUCS Gold
Harry Martin – Midfield
Course: Economics
Major achievements: IMS Dodgeball Bronze medal 2013
Aspirations: To see an Amesy and Tails dance-off after winning BUCS Gold
Joe Sharp – Box to box midfielder
Course: Economics
Season highlight: Darby’s first save of the season vs. Bristol
Major achievements: U11 Mini Hockey National Champions 2004
Aspirations: BUCS Gold
Peter Small – Forward
Course: Civil Engineering
Season highlight: Beating Birmingham away
Major achievements: Top goal scorer for a third year running
Aspirations: Turning my six pack into an eight pack
And now, over to our sports scholars for their own thoughts approaching the biggest game of the season:
Mo Gandhi
What has been your highlight of the season?
Beating Birmingham away (Fortress Bournbrook no more!).
How do you feel about reaching the Championship final?
I can’t begin to describe how much this means to us. Every fitness test and off-season sacrifice over the last 3 years has been in anticipation of this game, every late night video session and every early morning run. From the icy cold mid-season break to the bittersweet heat of the summer league, everything boils down to these 70 minutes of hockey. Both sides are equally talented and well coached, so to win we must be the hardest working team on the field. And when we think we’ve given everything, when our legs turn to lead and our bruises swell and throb, the question every athlete must ask himself is “How much do you want it?”.
How has UoN Sport supported you as part of the hockey club this year and how has it helped you get to the Championship final?
Through top quality physio treatment, superb training, conditioning and performance facilities, world-class coaching through Matt Taylor and David Ames, and financial aid which is incredibly important and allows me to target resources where I need them most. All the above have helped me consistently perform at the highest level for uni, club and country and are ultimately invaluable in getting us to the Championship game.
James Gall
What has been your highlight of the season?
Winning away at Bath in the quarter finals despite the squad having a few key absentees.
How has UoN Sport supported you as part of the hockey club this year and how has it helped you get to the Championship final?
The support has been quite incredible from UoN Sport this year. Benefits such as the campus car permit, gym membership and a scholarship grant have gone a huge way into easing the process of playing high level sport at the University. Also great credit has to go to Matt Taylor (Director of Hockey) and David Ames (1st XI Coach) for their knowledge and hard work with myself and the team.
Joe Sharp
What has been your highlight of the season?
The win against Bath in the quarter final. It was away and they had a big crowd there, while we had a depleted squad, so it was a great game.
How has UoN Sport supported you as part of the hockey club this year and how has it helped you get to the Championship final?
The gym membership meant I was able to improve my game by really pushing my strength and conditioning. Also coaches David Ames and Matt Taylor – without their tactical insight we wouldn’t have got where we are.
Good luck once again to Men’s Hockey for their final on Wednesday 25 March – if you can get to the Loughborough campus to watch them play, make sure you cheer on the green and gold!
You can review their progress throughout the season through the BUCS Score website, follow the team on Twitter and don’t forget to keep an eye on @UoNSport throughout the week for all the latest news and updates. You can also visit the BUCS website for a rundown of the day’s events and a Live Feed of results as they come in, or follow the BUCS Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube social media channels for photos, updates and videos throughout the event.
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