Sports Editor’s Roundup

Football

Havant & Waterlooville FC
Hawks inform young striker JJ Hooper who has been scoring freely this season has had problems with a hamstring and as a precaution was rested for a little period at the beginning of December. JJ’s excellent progress has already attracted the interest of league clubs and various scouts have been following his progress.

Hawks captain and goalkeeper Ryan Young has also been in fine form and probably the most consistent performer so far season with a series of top class displays. The defence in front of him has been solid continuing the good form from last season.

The January Transfer Window is nearly upon clubs. Although this can be an opportunity to pick up players from professional clubs looking to offload players or give developing players the chance of first team football, it can also be a double edged sword for successful smaller clubs like Hawks. With a wealth of young talent being nurtured by the club, when the professional clubs come knocking it is difficult to stand in the way of talented young players wanting to further their careers.

Hawks Academy side sat unbeaten at the top of the Football Conference Youth Alliance early in December, having won seven of their eight games, scoring 59 goals in the process and conceding only nine. Academy players Charlie Searle and Harry Wedlake (below) are now in the first team squad.

Havant & Waterlooville Football Club

Portsmouth Football Club
The side has continued to do well at home but seems unable to get it right at the moment away from Fratton Park. It is evident that the players are comfortable with the way they play their home games, but away from home they seem uncertain and disjointed. To perform well players must be clear as to what is expected of them individually and as a team and capable of delivering. It may be therefore, that more clarity is needed on the requirements for away games and if so they will have to work it out with the coaching staff in training.

Rugby
London League 1 South side Havant has recovered well from a slow start to the season and have climbed away from the bottom to a more comfortable middle table position. Much of the credit for the improved performance rests with Steve Cruddas who rejoined the Club at the beginning of the season and has played a key role in helping the team move up the league. Steve is already well known to the Club’s supporters from his earlier period with the Club. After returning from a two year period away Steve soon played his 200th game for the Club when they played local rivals Basingstoke on 15 November. Steve is only the fifth Havant player to reach the 200 league appearances milestone, joining Dave Jones, Liam Davenport, Grant Morris and Dylan Raubenheimer

Havant RFC has been awarded a Rugby Football Union grant from its Transforming Social Spaces Grants for the 2015 Rugby World Cup which is being staged in England and Wales. The grant will be used to enhance the club’s social facilities and provide a resource to be used by the local community. Club Chairman Jon Mangnall said “We are delighted that our project has been chosen as a recipient for a grant. We will now have some of the best facilities in the area that local people from Havant, Waterlooville and the surrounding villages can use. The 2015 Rugby World Cup will inspire a new wave of people of all ages to become involved in rugby and this RFU investment will help our club to be even better equipped to welcome newcomers”

Congratulations Steve Sruddas
Congratulations Steve Cruddas

Hockey
Havant Hockey Club’s season is progressing well in South Premier Division 1. They are right in the promotion picture under coach Ady Adams and his assistant Steve (Nellie) Lawson. The team has a blend of experience and youth. Sandeep Singh is providing quality at penalty corners, Polish player Tomaz Nowicki is adding pace and the forwards are scoring plenty of goals. The team are showing strength and resilience and a determination not to be beaten. At the end of November they were lying in second place and unbeaten after eight games having won seven and drawn the other.

Sailing
Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntyre, the Team 3,2,1 that Postcode has been following in their build up to qualification for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, finished in second place to take silver in the 470 Class at the Sailing World Cup Final held off Lulu Island, Abu Dhabi from 27-30 November. Sophie and Eilidh have each suffered setbacks in their short campaign together. It was Eilidh initially who in a training accident received a serious injury to her finger which required surgery.

The pair had again been sidelined from training and competition initially for six months as Weguelin underwent treatment for a deep vein thrombosis. But after a testing three months, Abu Dhabi provided a silver lining for Sophie and Eilidh. With Weguelin gaining the all clear from specialist medics three months into her treatment and just two weeks before the Abu Dhabi event, the pair made the most of their competitive return to win the medal race on the final day by 21 seconds and elevate themselves into the medal spots after starting the day in fifth.

By
Tim Randall
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