ASHMOOR men’s Indoor team went into their second and final weekend of matches in the England Hockey Super Sixes Division One, aiming to improve on their 7th-place finish in the table from the first weekend of matches. The squad welcomed back Captain Jamie Bishop from the previous weekend, as well as experienced striker Rich Fisher and keeper Paddy Walton.

Guildford were the first opponents, currently top and unbeaten in Ashmoor’s outdoor National League West Conference, however Ashmoor matched them stride for stride.

Bishop opened the scoring after being set up by Cullen Turner and Ashmoor led 1-0 at the quarter-time break. However, two goals from Guildford gave them a 2-1 lead at halftime.

Having received no cards in four matches the previous weekend, it was surprising when Lewis Hammett was sin-binned, but Ashmoor responded magnificently to being a player down with Bishop scoring a magical solo effort to draw the sides level.

Alf Dinnie netted a penalty stroke to restore the lead but Guildford hit back again. Ashmoor saw out the game for the draw but rued the two points dropped.

Ashmoor then faced Exeter University in match number six. A slow start put them 1-0 down but this was just the kick up the rear they needed, Alf Dinnie (2) and Hammett scoring to give them a 3-1 lead at the half.

Fletch Naisbett-Jones then scored a sublime 10-minute hattrick with Ben Barnett and Hammett adding to the advantage before Dinnie Jnr completed a treble of his own. The Uni side grabbed a consolation goal to make it 9-2 but couldn’t deny Ashmoor a biggest win for 2025 to date.

In their penultimate match, Ashmoor faced a Repton side vying for a top-3 placing. It was a great contest between two quality indoor teams, and with Ashmoor losing Barnett to their own Under 18 Squad in Derby, the team welcomed 15-year-old Theo Bennett into the team, recently selected for England Under-16s.

Player-coach Jack Dinnie and Rich Fisher struck to fire Ashmoor into the lead and at the other end, they remained resolute, only conceding on the brink of half-time because of a penalty corner.

Repton drew level through another penalty corner after more questionable officiating but Ashmoor remained undeterred, Cullen Turner being upended after a great run and Fisher burying the resulting flick with aplomb.

This time Ashmoor were able to see out the game for a valuable win, although a harsh sin bin for Hammett certainly didn’t help matters!

In their final match of the Super 6s, Ashmoor were up against Premier outdoor league team Bowdon, who had been in third place after the first weekend.

Ashmoor won 4-3 in a back-and-forth affair, Bishop scoring twice with Rich Ashworth and Jack Dinnie joining him on the scoresheet to round out a very successful campaign.

The third win on the trot for Ashmoor meant that the team finished in an amazing 3rd place in Division One, missing out on promotion to the Premier Super 6s league by just three points. The team picture shows the Ashmoor squad from the Bristol UWE weekend.

Pictured- back row, left to right: Dan Smith (Assistant Manager), Steve Dinnie (Manager), Jack Dinnie (Player-Coach), Alf Dinnie, Chris Bristow, Rich Ashworth, Rich Fisher, Paddy Walton, Cathan Wherry (Assistant Coach).

Front row, l-r: Fletch Naisbett-Jones, Jamie Bishop (Captain), Lewis Hammett, Theo Bennett, Ben Andrew. Absent – Ben Barnett.