Holcombe Coaches Joined At The Hip In Women's Play-Off Bid

Holcombe have hit form at right time to keep play-off tilt alive, reports Rod Gilmour of The Hockey Paper 

Could this season be a tale of two halves for Holcombe women? After five defeats on the spin during the latter part of Phase 1 in the Vitality Women’s Premier Division, the Medway side seem to have hit their straps either side of the winter break in the race for a place in the top eight next month.

Holcombe are now unbeaten in seven matches, including friendly wins against East Grinstead and Surbiton last month and a 4-0 victory away at Buckingham last time out ahead of a Lower 6 double header against university sides at home this weekend.

“Against Buckingham, our finishing was very good,” said Holcombe’s assistant coach and New Zealand international Hayden Phillips. “To put four away up there (a double from Tania Escaich, Amelie Green and Catherine Ledesma) was quite tough and then to hold them out, we were stronger defensively and took our chances a lot better. It’s been one of the main things happening this side of Christmas which we weren’t doing before.

"And this Phase 2 makes every week a big match, in comparison to it being just a league every week and playing every team twice.”

Holcombe sit fifth in the Lower 6 but the Kent side are only five points behind leaders Loughborough Students in the race to finish in the top two and the chance to compete at Finals Weekend.

Meanwhile, University of Birmingham sit just one point ahead of Holcombe heading into the weekend’s action, which is also England Hockey’s match of the week. “A win swings the whole table and it makes each game more exciting and to have more riding on it,” added Phillips. 

This is the first season that England and GB internationals Nick Bandurak and Phillips have been at the helm as coach and assistant coach respectively. Bandurak replaced South African International and ex-Holcombe men’s first team player Chris Bowen, who took over at short notice last season after Kevin Johnson joined Hockey Wales. 

With Bandurak and Phillips linking up with the men’s side, the pair are now fully invested across Holcombe’s elite programme. “It’s been a bit of a learning curve as we go along, figure things out and to get the best out of the group,” said Phillips.

Holcombe men train on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the women on Mondays and Wednesdays, leaving the Kiwi to joke: “I would say between us that we see more of each other than our partners at the moment. We live quite close by and six out of seven days a week I am seeing Nick’s friendly face.

“I love the club and I came over not expecting to be here more than a season and here I am nearly four years later. The large part of why I have stayed is because of Holcombe and how much I have enjoyed more time here.

“The opportunity this year to do coaching with the girls has been a great addition to all the playing. I’m loving it.”

Phillips met his UK-born partner Hattie Jones back in New Zealand. They each came to the UK at different times before deciding to come back to England together, with Jones playing for the women’s 1s, while Holcombe have now been aided by a second New Zealand international in Phoebe Steele. 

The Kent side have also attracted an array of players from countries such as Chile, Argentina, Spain and Italy in recent seasons. “I’d say it’s a very multicultural club, we have people here, there and everywhere,” said Phillips.

Phillips, who has been in the national set up since 2016 after being called up for Rio 2016 as an 18-year-old, says he has been fortunate to work and learn from a variety of players and coaches. As for the coaching combination, the Black Stick says the partnership is beginning to deliver the results. 

He said: “Banders articulates himself really well and delivers the team talks with some great player management and I come in with the technical and game plan side. It’s working well at the moment."

Phillips returned to the UK at the start of the month after playing his part in one of the men’s World Cup’s most most memorable matches of all time when New Zealand came from 3-1 down to draw with India and then win a thrilling shoot-out in front of a 15,000 sell out at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. 

The 25-year-old recalled: “To beat India in India in that kind of a game, in terms of having a packed out crowd and the atmosphere that was going, I will probably never play in something like that ever again. It was ridiculous.”

Saturday: Holcombe v University of Birmingham, 2pm

Sunday: Holcombe v University of Nottingham, 2pm