Dear MTBS Readers
Welcome to the new season, but more importantly welcome to another year of MTBS
which recently won ‘Magazine of the Year’ (in the PR1 post code). We are keen to bring you
some of your old favourites including look-a-likes, weapon and wonder of the week, Ste
Masterson’s joke of the week and much, much more. With only one weekend of full fixtures
played, members at ‘Royal’ Preston Hockey Club have not disappointed the writers of MTBS
in bringing you, the readers, plenty of entertainment through good humour, mainly at the
expense of one foolish individual or another.
In the coming weeks you will learn how James Sutcliffe was extradited from Wales
indefinitely after a summer of ‘hard work’. Also, how Harry Bennett’s Welsh counterpart
Jacob Draper voided his hockey sponsorship deal, and get to know the new faces of PHC
including an Aussie, a Gibraltan, a Belgian, a Brummy, a Southport(ian) and a Scouser
(plastic).
It needs little more than for me to say, sit back, relax and enjoy what is undoubtedly the
finest journalism this side of the River Ribble (within a quarter-mile radius).
The Editor
DATE 24/09/15 ISSUE TITLE The Egg Shaped Ball Issue
The MTBSTM Rugby World Cup
Competition time – count the number of rugby balls you find in this edition of MTBS to win a free
copy of MTBS next week…good luck!
MTBS – What’s the story? (for those who didn’t know…)
Welcome all Prestonians
MTBS was founded in 2009 when a group of individuals saw the opportunity to publish a weekly newsletter with a
twist. The official RPHC online rag has been a big hit in the past.....and now it is back again for season 2015-16.
The term 'MTBS' or 'Make The Backboard Sing' (to give it its full name) was coined by old fart and legend Tony
Creasey who could often be heard shouting all kinds of abuse from the sideline with his cronies, however "Make The
Backboard Sing Preston" was one of his favourites. We only saw it right that this should be the official name for the
RPHC news and gossip magazine.
What will you find in MTBS?
The overriding purpose of MTBS will remain the same as it always has – to be leading promoter of truth and justice
at West Cliff! With a sophisticated network of spies, moles and undercover reporters working the corridors of power
for us, we will have unrivalled access to breaking stories, rumour, gossip and hearsay. We will uncover the duplicity;
eradicate the waffle and turn over the cheats! No-one will escape our reach!
We'll bring you the big names you want to hear from on a regular basis – learn how Martin Finch has never
accelerated beyond 5mph in his entire hockey career (which ended about 25 years ago); understand what makes
international strike WEAPON, Jon Griffiths, get out of bed in the morning and get advanced leadership knowledge on
how Nige Roberts and Andy Pearson inspires a team young guns, mavericks and has-beens into true champions!
Keep a look out for features including fixtures, match reports, look-a-likes and much, much more…. Already we have
made a key signing by gaining exclusive access to Nick Sutcliffe's diary entries. Be sure to keep up to date with the
“Diary of a Welfare Officer” – a riveting read, especially when you are killing time at Sandbach Service Station.
On a serious note, please provide us with as much content as you can to help keep MTBS relevant and up-to-date.
Remember, there are always two sides to every story and several shades of the truth. Be sure to count on MTBS to
deliver the final and decisive word.
I hope you enjoy the read.
The Editors
PS To download new and past issues of MTBS please follow the 'documents' link under
'information'. You will need to be signed up to the club website in order to download the document.
Men’s
4-2 WIN v Deeside Ramblers Platty opens floodgates in 4-2 victory at Estadio West Cliff
Preston secured their first win of the season in front of a large West Cliff crowd. Preston hosted
Cheshire visitors Deeside Ramblers, however it was Preston who entertained the spectators with
a dominant and controlled victory. Preston started strong and took the game to Deeside. Solid
defensive work from Platt, Taylor and Thompson allowed the midfield freedom to attack hard
and open up the opposition. Despite some promising movement from Deeside’s ex-Pakistani
international Ali Ghazanfar, Adam Wilson had the measure of him and out fought him in all
areas. It wasn’t until the 15th minute when Preston drew first blood. David Greenough stole the
ball off a Deeside defender, slid the ball to Steve Halfhead who forced his way through two
defenders and reverse slapped the ball to the back post where the unlikely goal-scorer Jonathan
Platt was at hand to place the ball in the goal.
Preston continued to attack hard down the right with Ben Scott making piercing runs from
right-half and giving the Deeside defenders plenty to think about. Sutcliffe and Wilson linked
up well in the middle, and provided the opening for the 3rd. Some neat inter-play allowed
Sinclair the space to pick up the ball with his back to goal, jinked past the defender and
goalkeeper and pass the ball into the empty goal.; Preston 2-0 to the good. Preston surged
forward immediately from the goal. Deeside were again caught at the back and the turn-over
was won by Preston. Off the sideline ball Adam Wilson hit a reverse-stick pass hard through a
crowd of players, but David Sullivan was at hand near the far post to deflect the ball home on
the stroke of half time.
Head Coach Peter Nicholson was impressed at half-time however stressed the importance of the
team continuing to play their brand of hockey and tire the opposition out. Within 3 minutes of
the restart Preston went 4-0 up, Greenough being the provided and Ben Heywood at hand to
deflect the ball home at the far post. 8 minutes later Deeside found a way through to win a
short-corner which was dispatched high and hard by Ali Ghazanfar. Despite a number of
opening from Preston including 4 second half short corners they could not hit the back of the
net. Deeside found a second goal through Joe Wright on 58 minutes, however that was to be the
end of the goalscoring for the game. Preston did have to hang on with 9 men for a short period
however they held strong and weathered the storm. Peter Nicholson said after the game “the
team performed very well. It was extremely pleasing to see the passion and desire combine with
the natural skill within the squad reap the rewards on the pitch. We look forward to next week’s
opponents Doncaster on Saturday”.
5-2 WIN v Lancaster & Morecambe 1s
A special thanks to our sponsors at Preston Hockey Club
Martin & Gerri
Potts
Ladies
6-2 WIN v Clitheroe & Blackburn Northern 1s
No game
No game
4-1 WIN v Lancaster & Morecambe 2s
3-2 LOSS v South Lakes 2s
That's another fine mess It was an ominous start for the 4's as a new season
beckoned and the sun burned down on the Ulverston
astro. The team, buoyed by two convincing preseason
victories, were sure that winning the toss was a further
good omen. Or maybe not, because the team then
decided not to turn up for the first half. Preston started
scrappily and their play deteriorated from there, with
some shoddy passing and lacklustre tackling.
Two goals were conceded early on, topped by a third before half time, where keeper Pearson
responded to a ball speeding towards his D. Despite the opposition attackers bearing down on
him, the Cat had time to run out the edge of the D, control the ball and then kick it clear. Oh
well, two out of three wasn't bad... Unfortunately, rather than the ball being kicked cleanly to
Tom Ikin, it rolled gently to the waiting stick of the S Lakes forward.
The half finished with Preston trailing by three goals and Pearson taking an early lead in this
season's Death Pass competition. Stern half time talks from Marshall senior and Nick Smith
(who complained that the only time he touched the ball in the first half was when he pushed the
ball after each of the goals) woke the team from their collective slumber and the second half
started at a brisker pace. Having moved into the centre of midfield, Henry Birchall came to life
and started his jinking and turning runs, as he tried to get a reverse strike into the top corner.
Eventually, the work paid off and Preston got onto the scoresheet through Phil Derry.
S Lakes continued to attack but the Preston defence was now working well, despite Kris
Bamber forgetting to bring his shoes and earning his first green card (and two minutes off the
pitch) under the new rules. With five minutes to go Preston worked the ball forward and
reduced the gap to one goal, as Smith powered (trickled) the ball over the line. Unfortunately it
was too little, too late. Final score South Lakes 3 - Preston 2
1-1 DRAW v Rochdale 2s
2-2 DRAW v Lancaster & Morecambe 3s
Beavers – No Result Posted Badgers 3-3 DRAW v Oxton
Ladies
AWAY v Ulverston 1s – 12.30pm start
AWAY v Longridge 2s – 2.30pm start
No game
Men’s
HOME v Doncaster 1s – 2pm start
HOME v Lindum (Lincoln) 1s – 11.30am start
AWAY v Cheetham Hill 1s – 1pm start
No Game – all day session - 12pm start at The Dug Out @ PHC
AWAY v Springfields 2s – 1.30pm start
HOME v Kirkby Lonsdale 2s – 3.30pm start
Beavers: HOME (KGS) v Northop Hall – 2pm start Badgers: AWAY v Neston South Wirral – 3pm start
£5 ENTRY-
Welcome drink and BBQ included
INTER-national drinking
games!
See Facebook group/Twitter page for more details and contact numbers
NIGHT OF THE
This
Saturday
26th
SEPTEMBER
2015
7:30PM
START
JOIN RPHC FOR OUR FIRST
SOCIAL OF THE SEASON,
WEARING COLOURS/OUTFITS
FROM ALL CORNERS OF THE
WORLD!
7.30PM
START
Reading maps and typing places into a Satnav can be very misleading. It is not uncommon that place names are used
several times over in different parts of the country and even the world; did you know a ‘Birmingham’ can also be
found in Australia and Alabama, USA, as well as the armpit of England situated in the midlands (UK). If you type
‘Preston’ into BBC weather, it’ll fire back 11 matches as well as a multitude of other variants such as ‘Preston on the
Hill’. However, 4th teamer Liam Bedford was clearly passing love notes around class when his Geography teacher was
explaining this. 4th XI Skipper Andy P had arranged a fixture against West Derby, where their pitch is located in Kirkby
(n.b. there may be more than 1 Kirkby in England, or indeed the world). Liam, being the well organised student that
he is, typed it into the Satnav and clicked go.....what could possibly go wrong?! Liam arrived in Kirkby in plenty of
time however had travelled 40 miles in the wrong direction.... he’d arrived in Kirkby Lonsdale! To his credit, he took
the initiative to warm up on the pitch, smashing a few ball into the empty goal before realising that the old man and
his cocker-spaniel were unlikely to be his opposition for the day. Some quick thinking and 105mph driving along the
M6 was enough for Liam to make the push back in Kirkby (near Liverpool) and saved his blushes, however did not
prevent him from making a bold statement in this years charge for Weapon of the Year.
MTBS verdict: Liam, welcome to the RPHC and welcome to the shortlist for Weapon of the Year.
For those who remember Rob
Jones of Liverpool FC you will
remember him as an outstanding defender with a proven track record for both club and country. Preston’s defensive
stalwart Platty shares similar traits, being the rock at the back for several seasons now. However these two also have
something else in common, which is finding the back of the net. In Rob Jones’ 185 appearances he never scored for
Liverpool, nearly 8 seasons. JP however broke his personal Preston hoodoo this weekend against Deeside Ramblers
when he was at hand to slot home the opening goal in the 1st teams 4-2 overhaul of the Cheshire opposition. Platty
was naturally given plenty of praise (and stick!) from the lads after the game, but he was also asked what on earth he
was doing in there so early on in the game, “well I’d made the initial pass to Steve however saw that there was no
support so decided I’d go on a little hunt for goals, and it paid off”.
MTBS verdict: A top effort ‘young’ Platty, one of many more we hope!
Sun 13 Sep Sheffield Hallam Preston
Sun 20 Sep Preston Deeside Ramblers
Sat 26 Sep Preston Doncaster
Sun 04 Oct Wakefield Preston
Sun 11 Oct Preston Durham Uni
Sun 18 Oct Bowdon Preston
Sun 25 Oct Preston Olton & WW
Sun 08 Nov Preston Loughborough Uni
Sat 14 Nov Lichfield Preston
Sun 22 Nov Preston Sheffield Hallam
Sun 29 Nov Preston Bowdon
Sat 30 Jan Deeside Ramblers Preston
Sun 07 Feb Preston Lichfield
Sun 14 Feb Doncaster Preston
Sun 21 Feb Durham Uni Preston
Sun 28 Feb Preston Wakefield
Sun 06 Mar Loughborough Uni Preston
Sun 13 Mar Olton & WW Preston
EHL Conference North 2015-16
All home fixtures will start at 2pm
Come and enjoy a drink at the new PHC bar
Refurbishments underway and ready in October
In the meantime enjoy the new draught ales on offer
Jeanette Bowman will be ready to serve you your delicious pint after a
hard fought victory!!!
RPHC & MTBS - Special Thank You
Preston Hockey Club and the Men’s 1st Team would like to thank David
Platt for all his support and assistance with the 1st team over several
seasons. David has played an important and committed role as
Assistant Manager, Match Delegate and as an Ambassador to the first
team for visiting teams and officials. He has been an invaluable servant
to the 1st team and the club would simply not run without volunteers
such as Platty Senior. He and Elaine will of course continue to
enjoy/endure the 1st team performances as spectators.
Thanks for all your hard work David.
Dear MTBS
I’ve have spent this summer working away in Wales, putting the ‘graft’ in behind a pub bar and of course
doing lots of pulling….pints. When I returned to my righteous home West Cliff, the boys began
interrogating me about what I got up to ‘out of hours’. I feel I’ve got a safe alibi in my friend that I stayed
with, who for the sake of remaining undetected I shall call H. Bonnett. Anyway, Harry has promised that he
won’t say anything to the lads however I’m still worried that stuff might get out about my Lothario
reputation with the Welsh ladies.
Will the lads find out?
Yours truly
JS
Dear JS
Thank you for your letter. We of course understand that being a real hit with the ladies can be a
challenge. However, keeping all this locked behind a facade will not last, it will all come out in the wash
eventually. We’ve seen many a member try it in the past but with embarrassing consequences (see Matt
Hoffman, 2010). I recommend sitting the lads down this weekend at the Night of the Nations social and
spilling the beans. After all, we smell a rat and will not stop until it’s caught.
Yours Sincerely
MTBS
p.s. your dad wants to know if you can umpire the beavers away in Neston at 3pm straight after your
2pm game at West Cliff.
What do you call a man with a
car on his head?
…Jack
Preston Hockey Club is asking for
help from you to raise £500
If you do shopping online,
whether it be for food, clothing, car insurance,
holidays or whatever it may be then you can help
the club raise hundreds of pounds.
It does not cost you anything, but each time you
purchase online the club earns a small
percentage of the cost.
It is very simple:
Sign up to the Preston Hockey Club causes page
http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/prestonhockey
Then start shopping using the search bar. Each transaction will
be recorded and the percentage of money donated to PHC
Rugby World Cup
Home to Royal Preston Hockey Club, Estadio West Cliff England RFU National Stadium, Twickenham
1st Team half-back Alex Thompson England lock, Geoff Parling
Solid frame of 6th Team forward Jono Griffiths
Solid frame of Twickenham’s goal posts
We are back!
Good luck to all RPHC teams this weekend. The bar is open all day and the opening club
social is not to be missed.
Please send in all comments/ideas/weapons/wonders and the all rest to
Peace out.
MTBS Editors.