Welcome to the new hockey season. Here are your battle plans, cooked up by our captains / vice captains to inspire the club to even greater achievements than last season.....

Ladies' 1sts - Camb Premier League (last season....6th in Camb Prem; 3rd highest ever)

Ladies 1s had an up and down season last year. If we can play every game like we did our best matches of last season, I'll be happy. This year I'd like to see us working really well together as a team (even if its not the same people every week!), with lots of passing, and lots of excellent plays in groups of 2 and 3 up the field. The most important thing for us is increasing our chances in attack, and keeping the ball up front. This means people need to run into good space to receive the ball, and and be confident in passing it to each other in the goal and the attacking 25. We may not win every game, but as long as we are a hard team to beat every week, that's o.k. This season, finishing mid-table would be great, anything higher is definitely possible, and would be awesome. (Serin Dabb / Louise Cantwell)

Ladies' 2nds - Camb Div 1 (Last season ...5th in Camb Div 1; highest ever)

We aim to get full teams out each week ideally with subs, bringing together experience and introducing new players into the club. We need to work together as a team with good communication, accurate passing and making the most of our strong breaks to score more goals. Playing needs to be fun yet challenging. Hopefully this will enable us to push for a strong position in Cambs Div 1. ( Leonie Dickman / Gemma Young)

Men's 1sts - Eastern League 3NW (Last season... 4th in East 3NW = highest ever)

Having finished 4th in Div 3 for the last two years, the Men's 1sts are once again aiming for promotion to the elusive heights of Div 2. The main strength of our team has tended to be a solid defence - so with the loss of two key defenders from last year, our ability to reform as a cohesive defensive unit will be crucial this coming season. The integration of some exciting new faces into the squad will certainly mean competition for places remains stiff. A core aim for the year will be to improve our passing, while not losing our direct attacking style. (Graham McCulloch / Mark Williams)

Men's 2nds - Eastern League 3NW (last season....9th in East 3 NW: highest ever)

M2s will redouble their efforts to conquer the mid-table of Div3, overwhelming our opponents with the flowing champagne-hockey we've come to expect from the team. With some fresh new faces to support the old guard, the team is well set to repeat last year's successes and improve on some disappointing results. Most hotly anticipated are the double trashing that we intend to give City and - of course - the fight with M1s. Our aim for the season is to finish in the top half of the table - 6th or better. (Ron Oren / Colin Troll)

Men's 3rd Team - Eastern League 5NW (last season...1st in East 6NW(s)

…the first time a CSouth men's team have been league champs EVER) This season we are looking to finish firmly in the middle of Div 5, making sure that we consolidate last season’s promotion, and hopefully play some attractive attacking hockey along the way (Alistair Edge / John Benedikz) .

Men's 4th Team - Eastern League 6NW(s) (Last season...8th in 6NW(s))

We hope to improve on last years 8th place finish / 19 point haul in the league. We will encourage the development of both new players and youngsters within the club, and field a full side each week (and find a goalkeeper). Generally, we want to have fun and play the game in the right spirit - fair, fun, friendly but competitive..and take at least 4 points off Camb City 5's (Simon Frampton, Boris Lossy)

The Leagues start on Saturday September 15th. The anticipated glorious success will require: 

• Training - Mondays 7pm to 9pm at the Leys. For all levels from beginners upwards, with our professional coaches
• Keeping fit...Pay-and-Play (Wednesday evenings 8pm to 9pm at the Abbey)
• Talent spotting / Recruitment....we are always looking for new players. Reduced annual subscriptions, deep gratitude from the club, and inner satisfaction through serving your community in this way all available. Let someone from the Committee know and we'll ensure new people are made welcome
• The smartest hockey-related kit in the region, accessible at unbeatable prices through SneadeEnterprises
• ..and in order to maintain our reputation as a friendly lively club (as stated on the Interweb, so must be true), a programme of Social events, courtesy of Cath and Neil. First up is the Pizza night at the Cow on Saturday 22 September ("more details to follow but same format as last year - pizza/salad/quesadilla and a drink for a bargain price then on to other drinking establishments for the hardcore who fancy a dance").

Everything you could possibly want to know is there on the club website www.cambridgesouthhockeyclub.co.uk/

I wish all teams and players a successful, injury-free, enjoyable 2012-2013 season.