Brown urges team to enjoy top flight (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Brown urges team to enjoy top flight

9:37am Thursday 25th September 2008

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Hockey: Devizes Hockey Club chairman Toby Brown wants the players to simply enjoy the fruits of their labour this season after an incredible ten successive promotions.

The Moonraker men start their assault on Premier Division One at home to Isca on Saturday after finishing runners-up in Premier Two last term.

But despite the club now being just one step away from the national league, Brown feels the players' enjoyment is more important than another promotion this time around.

Brown, who has been with the club for the past 11 years, said: "The lads have felt enough pressure over the last ten years so now they can go and enjoy their hockey because the matches are going to be more challenging.

"It's like being in the Vauxhall Conference in football terms, which is not too shabby for a little market town in the middle of Wiltshire.

"I'd like us to finish in the top half and stay in the division because it's going to be our most challenging season ever.

"Of course it would be nice to get another promotion but the guys have done tremendously well to earn ten in-a-row, I think it would be arrogant to expect the same again.

"Sooner or later all good runs have to come to an end."

The 46-year-old chairman, who occasionally turns out for Devizes' fourth team, has appointed Matt Philpott as the new first team coach after Charlie Seccombe left to join England Hockey.

And Brown is tipping ex-Marlborough player/coach Philpott to continue the club's success story.

He said: "Matt played for us during the second half of last season and he seemed a natural successor to Charlie.

"He has coached at a much higher level, in the national league in France, but he is a Wiltshire guy so he wants to coach a local team in a top division.

"Charlie did a cracking job for us for four years and I'm sure Matt will carry it on."

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