West Wilts Hockey Club

How to find us

West Wilts Hockey Club, based in Warminster, is one of longest established hockey clubs in the West of England. The club has been in existence for over 100 years and with an ever growing membership, currently nearly 200, we are looking forward to a successful second century.

 

West Wilts Hockey Club currently runs 12 adult sides and a number of Junior sides at various age groups and has access to 4 astro pitches:

 

7 Mens Teams	All Mens teams play league hockey in The Gerrard Hockey League. Their home ground is Warminster Training Centre, Warminster.
3 Ladies Teams	All Ladies teams play league hockey in The West Clubs Women's Hockey League. Their home ground is Warminster Sports Centre, Warminster.
2 Mixed Teams	The Mixed 1st XI play most weeks and we also have occasional Mixed Vets matches. Their home ground is Warminster School, Warminster.
2 Indoor Teams	We run both a Mens and Ladies Indoor team. Occasional Junior Indoor matches are arranged.
Junior Sides	We run Under 13 - Under 18 sides for Boys and Girls who play in regular friendly 11 a-side friendly and cup matches as well as playing in 7-a-side tournaments around the Wiltshire county. Their home ground is Warminster Sports Centre, Warminster. Junior members are aged between 6 - 16 years old.
Mini Team	The Junior section also runs a Mini team (6 - 11 years old) who play in regular 7-a-side tournaments around the Wiltshire county. Their home ground is Warminster Sports Centre, Warminster.

 

 

Training is held in Warminster, for both adults and juniors and we also hold additional training sessions in Trowbridge for the junior section. If you would like to come along to a training session then either just turn up or contact Alan Kilminster for more details.

 

Adult training	Adult training is held on Tuesday evenings at Warminster Training Centre, Warminster between 7 - 9pm.
Junior Training	The Junior members train on Wednesday evenings at Warminster Sports Centre, Kingdown School, Warminster between 7 - 9pm.

 

 

With a membership of over 200 you would expect the club to be a sociable one and we are exactly that. We hold regular social events throughout the season as a club and each team or section also tends to hold their own events throughout the season.

 

 

Here's a bit more about the Club's history but if you would like to know anymore about us or would like to join us in playing hockey and having some fun then please contact the Webmaster.

 

Club History

The club was formed originally in 1899 as Trowbridge Hockey Club, playing its home matches at the County Cricket Ground in the town. Disbanded during the Second World War, it did not reform until 1962, initially at Trowbridge but moving the following year to the Westbury cricket ground. The resurrected club is therefore now entering its 41^st season, some 104 years after its foundation.

In 1975 came a change of name to West Wilts Hockey Club, reflecting more accurately the wide area from which its members were drawn. This is still the case, with players travelling regularly from most parts of the triangle formed between Bath, Swindon and Salisbury.

West Wilts returned to the County Ground in Trowbridge for the 1981-82 season, in association with Trowbridge Cricket Club, to form the Trowbridge Cricket and Sports Club. At the same time, an ambitious scheme of ground drainage and pavilion restoration was initiated, involving total expenditure of some £50,000. This resulted in some of the best sporting facilities in the region, further enhanced by the arrival of Trowbridge Ladies Hockey Club in 1983 as the third member of the Association.

1983 also heralded a new era for West Wilts Hockey Club in the form of a sponsorship agreement with White Horse Windows Ltd. of Warminster. For the next five years the club was known as White Horse West Wilts, receiving playing kit and other support from the Company in return. The next agreement, which also lasted five years, was with the Trowbridge based firm of solicitors, Bishop Longbotham and Bagnall and the White Horse prefix was dropped.

With the increasing use of artificial turf pitches for top quality hockey, and the resulting decline in use of grass pitches, West Wilts Hockey Club began to look further afield for home pitches during the 1990’s. Few such pitches were available locally, although they were required for all League games. As a result, West Wilts played at King Edward’s School and the University in Bath; at Monkton Coombe School; at Dauntseys School; and at Warminster School, finally settling on the last facility as their current base.

For the 1996-97 season, the transfer to the new venue was completed with an agreement to share clubhouse and changing facilities with Warminster Cricket Club, thus appearing to sever the club’s links with Trowbridge. At the same time, the men’s and ladies’ Clubs formally merged to become a single organisation, acknowledging the close links between them. Somewhat perversely, after years of waiting and uncertainty, an artificial pitch is now finally available in Trowbridge, at the John of Gaunt School, which the club use mainly for junior section coaching and matches. The opening of an astro-turf pitch at the Army Training Centre in Warminster has confirmed the town as the club’s base, with matches shared between Warminster School and the Army pitch. The new pitch now available at Warminster Sports Centre at Kingdown School in Warminster has added to the available options for the club, while there are also plans to develop the clubhouse at the Warminster Cricket Club ground.

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If you would like to know more about West Wilts Hockey Club please contact the Webmaster