With no league matches last weekend we'd planned to focus this weekend THC News on our #HockeyFamilyand celebrate the ability for our sport to cross generations, abilities and build life long friendships and a sense of community that goes way beyond the pitch. It's a bitter sweet update we share this week as well as all that's so powerful about our hockey family its with a heavy heart for those who've been around a few years and involved during the 1990's and beyond that we share the sad news of the passing of one of our own Sanjay Nayar who passed away at the weekend. Stu Nich and Col T have shared a tribute to Sanj below and we will be posting a standalone piece on facebook. We send our deepest condolences to Aashoo Sanjay's family and friends on behalf of all at THC. #RIPSanjay

#HockeyFamily in action
Hockey a sport has its roots in a sense of community and family and has always transcended the generations and goes far beyond the time or the pitch or training. Two things run strong in through the veins of hockey clubs and our sport :

• being a truly multi-generational sport for all
• community and life long friendships

The passing of Sanjay epitomises the bonds build through hockey and how playing in a team or being part of a club lays down the roots for friendship that continues long after matches and playing days. That's a very special thing and its great to see year on year new friendships made through hockey and renewed and to connection that are built.

Last weekend we had an brilliant example of how the love of hockey creates a special family glue and multi-generational involvement in our sport. The Hornby Family brought this to life brilliantly at the weekend with:

• Clare playing in the O35's Cup teams, that when looking like conceding the game pulled in blues from across the ages to field a team and great to see so many players turning out on what was more like an O45/55's team with only two players under 45! (and they won 5 - 2 v Leek)
• Lara was playing her first Otters game and making the first steps to 'Hockey Saturday's' on and off the pitch
• Jacob whose one of our latest young umpires was on the whistle and headset with is Dad Neil and Malcolm Tucker was there too as Umpire Developer (not sure if for Jacob or Neil!)

• Plus the small army of managers and coaches for our Badgers, Beavers and Otters all with connections deep into the club now - Rory Gibson, Dan Brown and Simon Frampton

...and if you ever needed convincing that hockey really is for life then we had a real advert for this last week at the club when we hosted a match between England Over 80's Men v Thistles (Scotland) Over 75's - and it wasn't walking hockey either. Thanks too to Nick Burnett for umpiring - and explaining the card he gave to a player post match!

So let's all take a moment to think about how hockey is more than a sport and how in good and bad times we've a hockey family to support and encourage each other. As a club on and off the pitch these lots to do and to keep this special bond created through sport we need to continue to make hockey about more than turn up and play - its about teas, its about building friendship beyond the pitch, its about helping out and sharing the load. Its doesn't happen by accident but because people make it happen and engage and join in as we head to the next block of fixtures build in some time to help out, pick up a whistle, stay for teas, watch the home teams with hockey mates, laugh and smile and even have a cry together.

Club online Shop is OPEN - closes 3rd November 2024
Quick reminder the online EV2 Club Shop is open until Sunday 3rd November for orders of kit and THC branded accessories all for Xmas delivery. THC online Shop - Xmas Orders see full details

Save the dates
A few dates to get in your diaries:
- THC Christmas Quiz : Saturday 7th December 2024
- TSC Christmas Party: Saturday 21st December 2024

Sanjay Nayar - RIP
Back in the early 90s and in the days when National League Hockey was confined to just 24 clubs, most of them London based, Timperley had a useful 1st XI. For 3 or 4 seasons running we reached the last 16 of the HA Cup always losing to premier division opposition. A key player in that team was our old mate, Sanjay Nayar, who sadly passed away recently.

Sanjay was an uncompromisingly tough left half, with a low strong reverse tackle and a very hard hit as many of his team mates knee caps and thighs can testify to. He made sure the opposition never had a comfortable time and he never stopped talking to them and the umpires, about them. On one memorable occasion, having travelled to Gateshead the night before we’d had a couple too many, so Sanjay decided for that match he was playing up front. By half time he’d won and scored a hat trick of penalty strokes. The opposition were more bothered about him than the game. That was normal, he just knew how to get inside their heads.

Off the pitch, he’d continue to talk and talk and talk.He always had a view of how we should be playing and what such and such a player was doing wrong. But, and always with a smile, he had time for you and he knew who his friends were.

He left Timperley for a few years, playing in the National League with Barford Tigers and was a particularly effective indoor player. When that part of the season came around he was often sought out as a ‘guest’ by several of the top teams for annual finals night.

He had a wonky left knee, and invented walking hockey years before England Hockey had thought of it, but it held out just long enough for him to retire to the sidelines to provide similarly continual advice to his son, Rohin who himself played at Timperley until a few years ago. Sanjay continued to turn up at games, pull a player, any player, to one side and give him the benefit of his wisdom and experience. It didn’t matter who he was, or what level he played, he just had a passion for talking about the game.

Those of a certain age, will almost certainly also remember his infamous curry nights where he would bring huge vats of various curries from one of his friends' restaurants in Rusholme down to the club.

There are a couple of team photos on the wall in the bar of the team from that time and, although as is the modern way, people move away, retire etc, we’ve kept in touch with each other. The occasional re-union has taken place, always starting here at Timperley. As news of Sanjay’s passing has spun out to old teammates, the word ‘character’ has been used by many. If ‘character’ means something about someone you can’t ignore or forget, then it’s the perfect word for our old mate, Sanjay.

Stu Nicholson & Col Taylor