Last weekend, IW Hockey hosted a prestigious end-of-season awards evening at the picturesque Ocean View Hotel in Shanklin. The event served as a special occasion to honour the remarkable contributions of umpires and voluntary club officials.
The evening was brimming with excitement as awards were presented to the exceptionally dedicated and skilled individuals who had demonstrated outstanding commitment throughout the season. In the U-12 Girls category, Molly Priddle was awarded for Defender, Mattie Johnson for Attacker, Lillia Siriwar for Most Improved Player, and Raffaella Jones for Coaches’ Player. Meanwhile, in the U-14 Girls category, Faith Smith and Phoebe Heng received the Defender award, Sienna Holbrook and Nicole Simpson were recognized as the best Attackers, Ellie Green and Mio Wes were named Most Improved Players, and Mia Lawrence and Polly Rider stood out as Coaches’ Players. In the U-14 Boys category, Arthur White was honoured for his defensive prowess, Peter McClelland for his attacking skills, Ed Hooper for Most Improved Player, and Seb Foster for Coaches’ Player. Moving on to the U-16 Girls, Hannah Pocock was recognized as the best Defender, Evie Fairhurst as the top Attacker, Lizzie Dodds as Most Improved Player, and Alexis Owen as Coaches’ Player.
For the Ladies’ 2s category, Mia Lawrence received the prestigious Players’ Player award, Sienna Holbrook was recognized as the Most Improved Player, Mia Lawrence was also acknowledged as the Young Player, and Abbie Fishburn was awarded as the Captain’s Player. In the Men’s 2s, Toby Noyes was hailed as the Players’ Player, Cian Smallwood-Butler as the Most Improved Player, Kit McChesney as the Young Player, and John Pearson as the Captain’s Player. As for the Ladies 1s, Georgia Whittle received the Players’ Player award, Hannah Pocock was named Most Improved Player, Sophie Parkhurst was acknowledged as the Young Player, and Emily Lord was awarded as the Captain’s Player. In the Men’s 1s category, Alex Breach swept the awards, receiving the Players’ Player, Most Improved Player, and Captain’s Player, while Nathan Bruce was honoured as the Young Player.
Dani Devenish was rightfully named the Club Woman of the Year for her exceptional contributions, and Carl Joyce was celebrated as the Club Man of the Year for his outstanding dedication and commitment to the club.
The night was truly a cause for celebration as the U-14 Boys and U-16 Girls teams were also commended for their remarkable achievement as League Winners.
The awards evening provided a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the talented individuals who contribute to the success of IW Hockey. It was indeed a night to remember and a true testament to the spirit of sportsmanship and excellence that the club upholds.