The 2013/14 season has not been particularly memorable for the men’s teams of Sidmouth and Ottery Hockey Club, writes Stephen Birley.

However, a new year brings renewed vigour and hope and tomorrow (Saturday) the senior XI play a Devon Cup Quarter Final when they travel to Plymouth Marjon (11am).

In their Southern One league campaign they have won just four of their eleven matches to date, all four victories coming at home. They sit seven points clear of the bottom two and are next in league action on January 18 when they visit an Okehampton side that won the game in East Devon back in September by the odd goal in five.

SOHC men’s II start the second half of their Central One campaign on Saturday week (January 18) with a visit to seventh placed Mid Somerset who they lost 6-0 to when the pair met in East Devon on match day one of the campaign. The IIs lie rock bottom of the section after suffering defeats in all eleven of their fixtures in the first half of the season.

The men’s third eleven are enjoying, arguably, the best season to date of all the teams at the club. They currently sit joint top with Bridgwater A and begin the second half of their league campaign on January 18 with a trip to a Minehead side they beat 3-0 at Sidmouth back in September. In the same section the fourth team sit rock bottom with just one draw to show from eleven matches, ten of which have been lost. A 2-2 draw at Ashmoor in early November is there only success of any sort to date this term! They entertain Yeovil and Sherborne A on January 18.

The fifth team sit bottom of South East Two, but they have managed to win one game so far, that a 6-0 win over Plymouth Uni C on October 6. They travel to fourth placed Chard A to start the second half of their season. They lost 3-1 to Chard when they hosted them on the opening day of the league season.

The men’s sixth team are the basement dwellers in South East Three with one win and one draw in their eleven games so far.

They begin the second half of their campaign on January 18 at home to leaders Bridgwater C who beat them 4-0 in Somerset on match day one.