Club History
Until 1997, Winchester had two separate Hockey Clubs, Winchester Men's Hockey Club and Winchester Women's Hockey Club, both of which have flourished in the city for many years. However, in September 1997, after lengthy negotiations, the two clubs officially merged to become Winchester Hockey Club.
Winchester Men's Hockey Club is one of the oldest hockey clubs in the world, if not the oldest. The club began in March 1891 when an inaugural Annual General Meeting was held which appointed Mr. A. Tebbutt as Captain and Mr. B. Chancellor as Secretary and Treasurer. That was over 125 years ago, Queen Victoria still had 20 years to reign, the British Empire covered half the Globe and the Industrial Revolution was in full swing.
Winchester Women's Hockey Club, or Winchester Ladies Hockey Club as it was known, was one of the first clubs in Hampshire and was affiliated to the Hampshire Hockey Association in 1904. It remained affiliated for the next three seasons but then there was a gap of some six years before the club was formally started in 1919.
Here below you can read the key events which have lead to Winchester Hockey Club being the great club it is today.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1891 (6 March) | Meeting held in the Market Hotel to form Winchester Hockey and Bandy Club - led by Arnold Tebbutt (Chair / 1st XI Capt.) |
| 1891 (21 March) | 1st match played v Winton House (Winchester) |
| 1891 (25 September) | 1st AGM of Winchester Hockey and Bandy Club |
| 1914-18 | Hockey largely suspended during WW1 |
| 1915-16 | 25th anniversary - during 1st world war |
| 1919 (November) | Winchester Ladies Hockey Club formed |
| 1919 | Ladies wore blue berets, white shirts, mauve ties and long navy blue skirts with different coloured braid denoting merit |
| 1939-45 | Hockey largely suspended during WW2 |
| 1940-41 | 50th anniversary - during 2nd world war |
| 1945 | 2nd October Pat Whitfield calls meeting to restart match play, post WW2 |
| 1946 (July) | Agreed Winchester Men's Club merger with Winchester Ladies Club running as 2 sections |
| 1946-47 | men's 2nd XI first formed |
| 1947 (October) | Agreed Winchester Men's Club and Winchester Ladies Club would go their separate ways again |
| 1953 | Mayor watches both men and ladies Clubs matches on separate occasions |
| 1954-55 | men's 3rd XI first formed |
| 1954 (December) | Christmas holiday matches for colts arranged |
| 1955 (August) | Confirmation of official club colours white shirts, navy shorts, royal blue stockings |
| 1963 (Easter) | 1st attendance at Weymouth Easter Festival (to replace going to Teddington Festival) |
| 1956 (April) | Club has entered National Psychics laboratory (NPL) festival Teddington for 2 days at Easter |
| 1956-57 | men's 4th XI first formed as largely a colts team |
| 1957-58 | membership hits 100 |
| 1966-67 | Club colours changed to gold shirts and black shorts, gold/black socks |
| 1967-68 | Ladies 2nd XI first fully established |
| 1969-70 | 50th anniversary of Winchester Ladies Hockey Club |
| 1966 (September) | 75th anniversary match watched by the Mayor Mrs. Thackeray |
| 1972-73 | First league matches played |
| 1965-66 | 75th anniversary season |
| 1975-76 | men's 5th XI first formed |
| 1975-76 | Sunday Colts league team formed |
| 1977-78 | 1st Saturday men's veterans side formed. "The Wanderers" (6th Team) |
| 1977-78 | Ladies 3rd XI first fully established |
| 1979-80 | Sunday mini hockey started |
| 1981-82 | The Wombats formed as a specialist men's side for promising youngsters. (7th Team) |
| 1982 | Winchester Sports Association (W.S.A.) formed |
| 1982-83 | The 2A XI formed as a younger men's vets later becoming the Hustlers and then the Wizards. (creating an 8th team) |
| 1983-84 | The 3A XI formed creating a 9th men's team |
| 1984 | Winchester Sports Association (W.S.A.) Clubhouse opened |
| 1985-86 | The Strollers 3rd vets team formed creating a 10th team |
| 1990 (September) | Perins school, Alresford lay first astroturf pitch in Winchester City boundary for priority use by the Club |
| 1990-91 | 100th Club anniversary season |
| 1991 (8 March) | Centenary dinner in the Guildhall |
| 1994 | 3 Winchester boys from Wales, Scotland and England at play for their National U16 side |
| 1997-98 | Men's Club successfully merged with the Winchester Women's Club (10 men and 3 ladies) |
| 1997-98 | Club colours changed to gold shirts with purple trim, black skirts/shorts, purple socks |
| 1999 | The Kings' School in Romsey road laid 1st Astroturf pitch in Winchester |
| 2002-2003 | 4th men's vets team Whistlers formed (for 1 season only) |
| 2003-04 | Boy's U15 win National U15 plate final |
| 2004-05 | Veterans won National O-40 plate final |
| 2005-06 | Winchester u16 boys win National indoor title - 1st time |
| 2008-09 | University of Winchester lay 2nd Astroturf pitch in Winchester |
| 2009-10 | The Whippets formed (a specialist side for promising youngsters) |
| 2010-11 | 4th team renamed "The Academy" |
| 2011-12 | Men's teams reduced by 1 (9) |
| 2012-13 | Men's 1st win National Vase title |
| 2013-14 | Winchester Girl's Academy side started |
| 2015-16 | 4th Ladies XI first formed |
| 2017 (May) | u14 boys win National u14 Cup |
| 2014-15 | Men's teams reduced by 1 (8) |
| 2015-16 | 125th Club anniversary - dinner held in the Great Hall |
| 2017-18 | 5th Ladies XI (Tigers) first formed |
| 2018 (May) | Winchester girls (U14) win a Hampshire Cup final for 1st time |
| 2018-19 | 2 Winchester boys play for England U16 (R. Penrose and W. Whitmore) |
| 2018-19 | Winchester u16 boys win National indoor title again |
| 2018-19 | Winchester u14 boys win Mercian Junior League title for 1st time and reach National u14 Cup finals day |
| 2018-19 | Winchester mixed team reach National finals day (June) |
| 2019 (19 November) | Ladies section 100th anniversary |
| 2020-21 | 130th Club anniversary |
| 2020-21 | WInchester U16 Boys win National EH Cup in Nottingham |