BASINGSTOKE Hockey Club has confirmed that all events will be cancelled for at least a week after a fire tore through its clubhouse.
The club has been forced to close its clubhouse and pitches for at least a week following a fire that broke out overnight in the tunnel area of Maidenwell Pavilion, at Down Grange.
As previously reported, the fire was reported at around 5am on Monday, September 1, and 60 firefighters from crews across Hampshire tackled the blaze, with the stop message coming through at 9am.
As structural surveys are completed over the coming week, Basingstoke Hockey Club has confirmed that all training, matches, and club events are cancelled until Sunday, September 7.
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The club stated that the timing "could not be worse," as the fire struck just a week before the new hockey season was due to begin.
The club’s much-anticipated opening Club Day has been cancelled, and preparations for the first league fixtures are in jeopardy.
The blaze destroyed vital equipment, including all of the club’s spare goalkeeper kits, the personal kit of the men’s second XI keeper, the club marquee used for summer events, and tables and chairs used for functions. The club confirmed that some equipment survived the fire.
Danny Bowden, club chairman, said: “This is a huge blow for our community club of over 400 members, especially with the season about to start.
"Hockey is such an important part of life in Basingstoke for people of all ages, and to lose access to our pitches and equipment now is heartbreaking.
"But thanks to the quick response of the fire service and our vigilant neighbour, things could have been far worse.
"We are keeping our fingers crossed that the building and pitches can reopen in time for the first games of the season, and in the meantime, the support we’ve had from the wider local community and hockey family has been incredible.”
While the fire has dominated headlines, some sides were in action for the first friendlies ahead of the season kick-off: Men’s 1s opened strongly with a 3–2 victory over Henley.
Josh Fiske struck twice, with Mark “Cheese” Smith adding the other. Ladies’ 3s were edged 2–1 by Fleet & Ewshot in a promising performance.
The Basingstoke goal was a well-worked team effort: an initial pass from Lizzie Islip found Charlotte Hazelwood, who drove into the D before unselfishly laying off to Harriet Sage, who in turn set up Sophia Wood to calmly slot the ball under the keeper.
Men’s 4s battled hard but went down 3–0 to Yateley 2s. Men’s 5s secured a 2–1 win against Yateley 3s, thanks to goals from Pete Wood and Will Shepherd.
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