A number of members have been asking about an email that they have received from Instonians < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it > regarding an invite for them to join a particular Instonians membership catagory.  If you recall in your annual membership letter sent out by David Rainey in July, the club is transitioning from a BACS payment system to a more modern electronic payment system.  This invite is just asking for you to click on a link in order to confirm your details on the gocardless payments platform.  IT IS SAFE TO DO SO.  Can you please do this at your earliest convenience.

If you are a member and you have not received your email, can you please check your junk mail folders as we have heard reports of some email clients rejecting the emails as junk.  It would also then be prudent for you to add the email address above or better still gocardless.com domain to your safe senders list.

Should you have any problems please contact the membership secretary Sharon Crossan. 

In preparation for the forthcoming season we are having a pitch tidy up on Monday evening.
This is necessary work to remove the weeds etc on the pitch tarmac and terrace area.
The more club volunteers we have the easier the job will be.
Please don't leave it to the old hands lets have as many players as possible involved.
If you have a spade, shovel, hoe and a garden brush then please bring them with you, a blower may also be of help.
So 7.00pm on Monday evening please give us your support.

Date: 3 August 2020

Time: 7.30pm start

Location: Zoom 

How to attend: All members that wish to attend, please contact Club Secretary, Jo Corry for Zoom credentials and Jo will forward on in advance of the AGM. Jo can be contacted on 077 4671 1982.

Dear Fellow Member

These indeed are unprecedented and very challenging times. COVID19 has had a devastating impact across society with multiple deaths and hospitalisations, closure of many businesses with widespread financial hardship and the cessation of all sports including our own of hockey. As we all continue with social distancing and lockdown, which leaves many isolated, I am writing to you on behalf of your committee to update you on what little has happened in the world of hockey and to reaffirm that the “Instonian team” is here to offer support where needed.

It is inevitable that the Instonian family will have been affected by COVID19 and I would like to take this opportunity to extend our sympathy to any who have lost a loved one and to wish a speedy recovery to anyone currently suffering.

Regarding hockey matters, the season 2019-2020 is officially over. The IHL League 2 was declared null and void. Our 1sts will re-enter IHL2 next season and hopefully enjoy better results. The final Ulster league places have been decided by a mathematician. The 1sts are third in the Premier League, the 2nds a very credible mid table in Junior 1, the 3rds relegated and the 4ths promoted. The 4ths missed out on the Junior League 5 title by less than 1% - whatever that means! All the youth competitions have been declared null and void as well, which is disappointing for our budding stars who were hoping to end the season with a trophy or two.

There is no indication when hockey may recommence or what next season will look like. We could face another interrupted season as it uncertain how the pandemic will play out over the next number of months. If there is any news we will circulate this to all club members. For the present the pitch and clubhouse are locked and off limits.

One bit of good news from recent weeks. Our Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer, Joanne and Andrew Corry, celebrated the birth of their son Oliver George in mid March – all continue to do well. We send our congratulations to both parents. (Please keep us posted about other pieces of good news that we can share).

To conclude I would just encourage you to keep in touch with teammates and other club members during these difficult times, post your news into your Whatsapp groups, and reach out to anyone who is finding life tough. Also try and maintain some fitness with your daily exercise, and stay safe.

We all look forward to meeting up again and playing/watching hockey.

Take Care

Yours sincerely,

Dr JH Brown

Chairman Instonians Mens Hockey Club Committee