New men's coach for Hockey Club

Paul is currently coach of the Ulster Junior team and has been so for the past three years. He has also played and coached Parkview and prior to that was coach of Queens ladies in Section 1 of the Ulster ladies league. In the past Paul has also been affiliated, as a player, with East Antrim, Bangor and Antrim.

Paul therefore brings with him a lot of experience both as a player and as a coach. This will be vital as the men's club are seeing themselves go through a reshuffle of their line up this season. "Paul is 100% committed to the club," says Phil Nicholl, men's match secretary. "We are excited to have him here in Ballymena as we aim for our firsts to stay up in their section of the league, despite losing many players."

Paul will have his work cut out this season as the Ballymena men face their toughest challenge yet having lost almost a dozen players from last season. Included in this are 5 players who were chosen for the Ulster Junior Squad leaving Tori Alexander as the only Ulster player left in the team.

Despite only being formed three seasons ago, the men had built up a very good team and were sitting each season in a comfortable position in what is the third highest league possible. Perhaps they are a victim of their own success as players get drawn to 'more senior' clubs.

With many players finding themselves being called up for the first time to the 1stX1, this will then have a knock on effect for the seconds who may indeed have trouble even fielding a team some weeks.

On the positive side, the club has a growing talent in its young players who will have to step up to the mark sooner than expected. With a growing interest, too, from younger boys, hopefully the future can also expect a healthy influx of players who will graduate into senior teams next year and beyond.

The men played two friendlies last week as they continue to prepare themselves before the competitive matches start on September 11. They suffered a 5-0 heavy defeat against Queens in Belfast, midweek. This wasn't unexpected since Queens are in the section above Ballymena. The scoreline perhaps flattered Queens a little as the Braid men did have their chances with the best opportunity falling for Mark Allison when he failed to capitalize on a one on one with the keeper.

Not to let such a result dampen their spirits, Ballymena regrouped on Saturday to get themselves off to winning ways when they beat local rivals, Antrim, 2-1 at the showgrounds. Many of Ballymena's players once played for Antrim, so it was set out to be a good spirited contest from the start. Tori Alexander, proving himself to be a key player this season, scored first following a string of passes from a long corner. Davey McDonald, Ballymena's experienced defender, was delighted when he struck home from a penalty corner. However, concentration lapsed in the last third of the game, which was played in miserable conditions, when an Antrim forward was allowed time to take a shot from the top of the circle to prevent a clean sheet being kept by the home side.

The Ballymena team consisted of Alistair Gibson, Tori Alexander, Victor Orr, Andy Lorimer, Andrew Shields, Mark Allison, Jonny Holmes, Willie Barr, Mark Monteith, Matthew Corbett, Andrew McKelvey, Alex McKeown, David Holmes, Andrew Bell, Davey McDonald, Phil Moody, Neil Gage

Trevor Topping, Men’s Club Captain, appeals for anyone interested in playing hockey to come and join the club at the showgrounds. “The club has a lot to offer, from the very young to the not so young. You can find a level to play at that will suit you, or even just train to keep fit and enjoy the social side of the club also.”

The men’s teams train from 7.30pm to 9pm every Tuesday night at the showgrounds.

There is a mini and junior registration night on Tuesday, September 9, from 7 to 8.30pm at the showgrounds reception. This is for all children aged P1 to Year 11 at school. See www.ballymenahockey.com for more details.