20/04/2026
Match Reports- Saturday 18th April
Men's 1's:
Minehead Men’s First Eleven's final game of the season was away at West Dorset on Saturday. Though The Seasiders had all but won their league, it was still mathematically possible to lose by a 9 goal margin and relinquish the league title. This was the setting for a slightly tense affair with the players wanting to finish the season on a high. West Dorset started well, and although Minehead scored in the opening ten minutes, the home side were strong in defence and offered some threats in counter attack. The first half felt like it was anyone's to play for, and had West Dorset scored Minehead could very easily have capitulated. At the half time break there were some firm words and reminders to work hard for the team for the final 35 minutes of the season. Taking this on board the travellers picked up the pace, working well to score three more goals and finish the game 4-0. West Dorset were a hard side to break down, with a strong core who knew their game well. Final score 4-0, two goals for Kyle Wheaton, one each for Josh Hooper and Nick Jones. Minehead Men's first team are now official Parrett Division 1 Champions, and will look forward to new challenges and a higher standard of hockey to strive towards next season.
Men's 2's:
Minehead Men’s 2nd team travelled to Old Bristolians to close out the 25/26 season. The team had already clinched the league last week so there was nothing to lose but nonetheless we wanted to put in a good stint and finish the season on a high. It wasn’t going to be easy again Old Bristolians.
It was warm and sunny, which isn’t the best weather for hockey and we soon knew that OBs were going to make this difficult for us. They had a young fit side with some very good players which kept us on our toes. The first half was relatively balanced with a few chances from OBs and us but we were struggling to convert short concerns and get the ball on target. The first half ended 0-0. It could be anyone’s game.
The second half started and it seemed liked OBs had strengthened their side which was causing us grief putting our midfield under pressure. We kept them at bay and Sam Cobb managed to get us 1-0 up. It was still early on and challenging to hold them. We were unfortunate that a good cross ball hit a OB defender’s foot and then deflected up by a stick hitting Pilch in the head who scored ‘a header’. Alas this is not a legitimate goal in hockey. OBs finally broke and scored an equaliser via an impressive short corner. A Simon strong strike for a short corner found the goal but just a few inches above the backboard which disallowed it. We were tiring but held off the OB attack to settle for a draw. They were a very good team, it was a good natured game and perhaps a sign of things to come as we find ourselves in a higher league next season!
Minehead 2nds were undefeated this season, scoring over 110 goals with only 16 conceded.
Men's 3's:
Minehead Men’s 3s faced Sidmouth & Ottery 3s at home for their final fixture of the season.
Minehead fielded a confident side but knew it would be a competitive match. Sidmouth put pressure on and Minehead had to work hard in defence showing that it wasn’t going to be an easy day for the away side. Minehead midfield were stretched by having to support defence which meant the forwards were sparse when the ball made it through to them. Sidmouth managed to open the scoring with a shot from top D. After the reset Minehead put pressure on and hit the backboard but sadly after a whistle giving them a short corner in their favour. This was fruitless and Minehead spirits dropped before half time. The second half saw scrappy play from both sides, Minehead conceded a second goal and despite several strikes on goal by Will Reed, failed to capitalise. A 0-2 loss for Minehead kept Sidmouth off the top spot in the league with goal difference but Minehead felt they hadn’t put in their best performance on the day.
This has been an exceptional first year for the newly-merged Minehead & West Somerset Hockey Club; the top two men’s teams have won their respective Leagues, with the Third team closing their campaign in third place. The Ladies had to settle for a close sixth place in what had proved to be a very competitive League, so a climb of five places was a great credit to the hard work and commitment of all the players and coach.
