Meet the newest team on the turf in Thames Valley’s winter hockey competition.
The newly-formed Maramarua senior mens’ team has joined the fray, as a ‘bunch of mates’ from the area decided to have a go.
The team’s informal managers, brothers Harry and Tommy Ratcliffe, created the club after enjoying the summer hockey league. Eighteen players were brought on board from Maramarua, Mangatangi, and surrounds, and Harry said they were a good mix of former representative hockey players and newcomers to the sport.
“Everyone’s loving it. It’s good fun, it’s also a good time to catch up with your mates as well,” Harry said.
“We just really enjoyed [the summer league], so we thought why not make a team in the Thames Valley comp on a Monday night?”
The team has had plenty of support from the local community so far, Harry said, with businesses sponsoring the team and the Maramarua Rugby Club assisting with the necessary paperwork and club space. Now the team is looking forward to tackling the rest of the season; and with two wins under their belts from the first two games it’s already looking good.
