As of September 2010 Lloyd Stephenson and Phil Burrows will be playing professional hockey in the Belgium league for the Braxgata Hockey Club. A T H's aim is to keep you updated throughout the season, with blogs, photo's, and video.
You can still purchase our products through the site whilst we are overseas. Just flick us through an email
and we'll sort ya out -- chrysosales@gmail.com
Hope you enjoy following Braxgata this season.
29 March 2011
ATH BLOG
Hey everyone here is another instalment of the ATH Blog.
Make sure you go to the video gallery to see our latest hockey video on Ryan Archibald. Ryan has played over 250* games for NZ spanning 13 years and has always been one of the best dribblers of the Hockey ball in the World. Make sure you watch to see Ryan's amazing skills! Under the Video coaching tab.
ATH and Chryso have a new edition coming out soon. The all new PINK Revolution and signature range sticks. If you want a stylish new looking stick and to stand out from the crowd then check it out on the website www.alltimehockey.co.nz
Also, on our home page there is a new quiz question that if you answer correctly, you will go into the draw on April 15 for a Blacksticks shirt signed by the current men's squad. Email answers to chrysosales@gmail.com
In Belgium it has been interesting and fun times off the pitch with very disappointing and unlucky results on.
We started off with a double header weekend away against the teams ranked 4th and 5th respectively. Our first match was against Leopold who we bet at home first time around. We got off to the ideal start scoring early but we were unable to hold this momentum throughout the game and Leopold took the ascendency and control of the game to run out 4-2 victors.
This was our first game with a new head coach as our previous one got replaced. This is never ideal mid season but it was a move that was for the better of the team.
Our second game of the double header weekend was against Waterloo Ducks. We started extremely well during this game with some well constructed goals. We were up 3-1 until a terrible 3 minutes just before and after half-time with Watt Ducks scoring 3 goals in 3 minutes to go up 4-3. We then spent 25 minutes of the second half with only 10 men as 3 of our players saw yellow. In top hockey you can't afford to have anyone sent off and this was the case as Watt Ducks sealed off the game with 2 more goals to win 6-3.
Our 3rd game was against Herakles at home. This was a game we should win as we are the better team. Herakles took an unlikely 1-0 lead from a corner early in the game which is the worst thing that could have happened. They are a very negative team and defend with 11 and rely on luck to see them through. They scored their 2nd goal from a miss-hit that some how snuck into the goal.
We dominated the entire game through ball possession and had a total of 9 corners. It wasn't until the last 10 minutes that we scored our 1st goal and then followed that up with the tying 2-2 but it was all a little to late to win the game. But to come away with a point was better than no point at all.
We have been getting better and better over the past 3 weeks with our new coach including more organisation, a better game plan and higher intensity in trainings.
This was all proved in our latest game against Leuven the 3rd best side in Belgium at the moment. They have around 8 international players from different countries and are a very tough opposition. We were the better team with 4 corners to 2 and more quality shots. But again we had no luck whatsoever and we ended up losing 2-1.
We need some luck to come away soon as we are currently sitting in 9th position with another very tough game coming up this Sunday against Racing ranked 2nd.
Outside of Hockey we have had some pretty good times. We all saved up some money and went on a shopping spree in Antwerp with all of us coming away with some pretty cool gear. The top shopper award went to Phil Burrows with a stylish and pretty funky looking Super Dry leather jacket. The price tag will not be mentioned.
Shea has vowed never to do the dishes again as he was washing a plate and the plate snapped in half going straight into his thumb. This meant a trip to the emergency room on a Saturday night. 2 and half hours and 8 stitches later we were finally home.
We promise the next blog will have more positive news!!
Thanks for reading,
Until next time!
ATH all time all the time!
1 March 2011
Hey everyone,
With the European season getting underway again after an extended winter stop it is time to send out another blog to update you guys on the fortunes of Braxgata HC.
The weather hasn't really welcomed us back with any warmth and we are still struggling to get all the training sessions in during the week - especially the evening sessions, with the turfs icing over. For Phil who has just arrived back from a hot kiwi summer with the Blacksticks it is certainly a change of scenery but something he is used to.
Our first game back was against Dragon's. Top of the table and the one team left representing Belgium in the EHL playoffs. We hosted them in what we knew was going to be a tough assignment. Our club put on a great event with many sponsors and supporters turning out to cheer us on. We lost…. 5-2. It wasn't pretty and we came up against a slick team who made a running start to the 2nd half of the season. We had moments of good stuff but with the depth of their squad they were always going to be hard to beat… Back to the drawing board as they say. It is not going to get much easier as this weekend we have a double header as a catch up weekend from the 3 games we missed before Christmas due to the snow.
I have been here for over a month already involved in the pre season build up. In time off (which we get a lot of) I have made my way to Paris and Brugge. Two very cool cities with plenty to see and do. I have also visited Fort Breendonk, a concentration camp only 10 minutes drive from our apartment. Although having visited it before on tour with the Blacksticks it still leaves a deep impression of what prisoners at this place went through in the 1940's. I have attached a couple of photos of my journeys as well as one of Phil in action with his green Chryso stick.
ATH also would like to recognise Hayden Shaw and his international career with the Blacksticks. Well done to you mate and congratulations on all you have achieved and all the very best for the future. Christchurch needs you right now.
Well done to our quiz winner too who correctly answered the question relating to the Blacksticks bronze medal match at the 2010 commonwealth games. (The answer was 7). Our winner was Mitch Bascombe of the Waitakere's. Congratulations!!
March will also see a prize up for grabs from ATH and involve another quiz question due out next week. The prize will be a Blacksticks shirt signed by all the current squad.
Until next time
Lloyd
Video 1: Braxgata on fire
Photo 1: Phil vs Dragon's. It is hard to notice but we wore black armbands in respect of those who lost their lives in the Christchurch earthquake last week.
Photo 2: The Eiffel Tower in all its glory
Photo 3: Picture taken in Brugge at a beer cellar where they have over 500 different beers for sale. Genuine excitment on the face there.
Photo 4: Image from Fort Breendonk - where they used to hang prisoners in front of others.
5 December 2010
Hi all,
Welcome to the 6th ATH Blog from Belgium. I'm afraid there is not a whole lot to speak of at this point in time as the snow has arrived here and has put pay to any hockey for the last 2 weeks. We have experienced lows of -8 degrees.
In the last 3 weeks since we bought you all up to speed we have had one game which was away to Royal Antwerp HC. It was a game we should have won after some clear opportunities and numerous PC's but it ended in a 1-1 draw. 3 points would have seen us knocking on the door of the top 4 but we now remain in the rat race from 5th - 8th.
The disappointing thing about missing the last two weeks due to snow is that the games are against 2 of the bottom placed teams with which we were confident of taking maximum points out of. These games will now be played in the second half of the season which will mean a couple of double header weekends. We now only have one game remaining between now and the season break and even that game is 50/50 with the weather we are experiencing.
During the week we have been reduced to indoor hockey training, spin classes and gym sessions. Needless to say Phil, Shea and I are all looking forward to getting back to NZ for a bit of summer time. On one of the weekends off we had hope to head through to Holland and watch Ryan Archilbald and Simon Child play for Rotterdam HC but they have suffered the same fait with their round of matches being called off also.
Phil and Shea had looked forward to December 1 for some time as the mostache was causing some irritation. It was a successful month in terms of the money raised for both the NZ cancer society and also through our own efforts with the CHRYSO Leigh Woodcock appeal. There are still a few Limited Edition Chryso sticks still available and the last few sold will receive a Troppo hat valued at $30 from our friend Daryl Foy and iRule. They are keen to help us with our cancer appeal and raise awareness of cancer particularly in the hockey circles throughout NZ. I am keeping my slug for another few weeks and have found myself watching a few shows featuring Tom Selleck in my spare time as inspiration.
I have attached a couple of photos of the elements we are in here in Belgium. We will all be home in under 2 weeks so look forward to catching up with you on our return. Shea and Phil will be involved in the summer series against Belgium and Japan played in Auckland, Whangarei, Hamilton and Tauranga so keep an eye out for that.
From the North Pole….. Nearly
Lloyd and Phil
18 November 2010
G'day from Belgium.
Welcome to another Braxgata blog from ATH. Another two weeks have passed since the last blog in which plenty has happened. We have only had one game as the weekend just gone was a rest weekend.
The previous weekend we had a pretty big Derby game against THC Beerschot. We played at home in our first Saturday game in front of around 1000 spectators who were very vocal. We really needed to win to get ourselves back into the top 6 and after learning of what the derby game meant to the club there was no shortage of motivation. After a tight first half we managed to pull away to a 4-2 lead and only allowed Beerschot a consolation goal right on fulltime to win 4-3. Needless to say there were plenty of happy people around the club following the game. Highlight for Lloyd during the game was Phil Burrows goal celebration in the 2nd half and he scored a backstick goal then ran over to the crowd convincing them all to finish their beers!! Was pretty good to see many people raise their glass and finish it off as per Phil's orders!!
The following weekend we were due to play a 'cup match' which is a knock out competition that runs in conjunction with the premier competition. It was meant to be against a 3rd division club from Belgium and after a meeting it was decided that the team would not contest the match and Braxgata would send their 2nd division team to play in our place. This was great for us as it was timely to give the body a rest. So we packed up on Friday night and drove to London - Via the ferry - for the weekend. Not a bad idea, in fact it turned into one of the best weekends in history. We stayed with a good friend of Phil's who guided us around all the good pubs and through the centre of London. We even went to Stanford Bridge and watch Chelsea play in the Bacrclays Premiership. They played Sunderland and lost 0-3 which has never happened. The lead up to the soccer was great. We had to hunt for tickets so decided to go to the ground after failing at some ticket stands in London central. Whilst in the city we took a series of photos with our moe's we are sporting for Movember in front of some of London's major attractions which was classic. There are a few photos below. It was then decided we would go to the ground to hunt for tickets which took no time and all and after a dodgy deal we had our prized tickets and were at a Chelsea pub having a beer before the game with 'Soccer Hooligans'. The game itself wasn't the best but the atmosphere and experience was worth every penny. The stadium does not have a bad seat in the house and we were very close to the Sunderland supporters - who were heavily guarded by security. They were much louder than the Chelsea crowd and were not shy of letting the Chelsea crowd who was winning. We celebrated our day that night with some ex-pats now living in London which put an end to a brilliant weekend.
We are now 4 games away from the season break. We are in a position to pick up some valuable points in that time so its back to the training pitch despite the cold weather as we look to make a strong run into Christmas. We will update you on our progress shortly. In the meantime check out the 2011 range of CHRYSO sticks now featuring on our website. These will be available in January 2011. Also we are supporting Movember which you can check out on our website www.alltimehockey.co.nz
We also have a few CHRYSO cancer appeal sticks left for sale in our bid to help raise funds for a very good friend who has been diagnosed with cancer. You can help by buying one following the link below, or emailing us to join the ATH raffle for A Chryso cancer appeal stick. Ticket are $20 and to enter simply email ATH at chrysosales@gmail.com
P.S Be sure to keep an eye on our VIDEO COACHING tab on the website. We will be adding to this over the next month and it is a great way for people to get some very handy tips to improve their game
Photos:
Big Ben Moe
Twin dress up moe
I got my Chelsea ticket moe
Stanford Bridge Moe
5 November 2010
G'day troops,
Welcome to the 4th ATH blog. This comes to you at an important time being "MOVEMBER", and ATH is doing its bit to help Kiwi Blokes and in particular Phil Burrows good friend Leigh Woodcock who has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing treatment at the present time. We have two forms of fundraising for him and Movember. There are as follows:
Movember 'support for Leigh Woodcock'. We have formed an ever growing team to raise funds for Leigh. Help us raise funds by visiting our team page at the following links:
You can view our team and keep up to date with the progress (slow for Lloyd) of the mo growing!! Also please help us with donating some funds to our cause.
We appreciate the support.
Back to the adventure we are having here playing for Braxgata HC. We are now 8 games into the season and are in 7th place with 3 wins, 4 losses and a draw. The last three games which we havn't updated you on have gone as follows:
GAME 6 VS. LEUVIN
We lost 4 nil. It was a lacklustre performance and the good thing is that as we write this we can't really remember what happened so the less said the better. Leuvin are in the Top 4 currently so are worthy opponents but we think next time we play them it will be slightly better contested on the score board.
GAME 7 VS. RACING HC
Racing were always going to be a tough opponent as they are one of the two Belgian teams that compete in the EHL. We played them after they had competed in the first round of the EHL which didn't go so well. They lost, and we came across them in rebound mode and again lost 4 nil. They deserved to beat us but it was frustrating for us to end on nil given the number of opportunities we had in the match. Bloody good party at Racing club that night however.
Prior to this match Xav Reckinger one of our Belgian internationals who is on the injured list at present and was hoping to be back on the pitch by now was told by the Belgian team doctor that he wont be fit to play until after the Christmas break!! Obviously isn't made out of Kiwi.
GAME 8 VS. GANTOISE
This game we really should have won. It ended 3-3 with Phil Burrows featuring on the scoreboard. Again we had plenty of chances and we were really keen to win as the Gantoise team has a few of the South African players who we always like to beat. One of the more memorable moments in the match involved Shea McAleese who copped a follow through from a stick in the throat. When he went down we instantly thought he had dislocated his troublesome shoulder again but then he coughed up a bit of blood and we soon realised it was a different problem. He returned to the field shortly after to prove he is made of Kiwi!
So here we are with 5 games to play until the Christmas break and our team in need of some points to get ourselves into the top 6 prior to the break. We have a good opportunity having played all the top 4 teams so we will be chasing the points and hopefully when we add our next blog there will be better news.
In terms of other exciting news….. Well, its getting bloody cold here! Phil has his wife, Jan here for a holiday at present. Our club president who owns a number of flash hotels has put them up in one in Antwerp City which is nice so he is living the dream even more so now. We also had a visit from Blackstick Richie Petherick who has been playing in Germany for TC Blau Weiss. They have finished their first half of the season as in Germany they have a large indoor hockey league over the winter months. The second half of the competition does not begin again until March 2011. He is really trying to get the comb over, or side part hair style going again in NZ. He tried it here to see what we thought but you can make your own mind up from the photo below. We have a bye weekend coming up also so we will planning to get away for a few days to relax. Options include Paris, Dublin, or somewhere in Eastern Europe. We will see what unfolds!!
On our website we have begun our video coaching page to help people who want to improve on particular skills. Featuring so far is Jerome Dekeyser of the Belgian National Team and our own Phil Burrows. Those that will feature in the near future are Ryan Archibald, Mark Knowles of the Australian Team, Rolo Perez - a 3 time Olympian for Argentina, Shea McAleese and Lloyd Stephenson. These are proving popular so we hope they help you.
Thanks for reading. We hope you are able to help us raise funds for Leigh Woodcock either through our Movember efforts of through the sales from our Chryso Revolution sticks which you can check out on the link above. Thanks again and we will be in touch soon.
Cheers
Lloyd and Phil
13 October 2010
Hi all
Welcome to the third instalment of our Braxgata Blog. Obviously our first couple started off in a happy tone as we went 2 from 2 to open our season but we have since suffered two defeats. They have been to 2 of the top teams -Dragon and Waterloo Ducks and it has given our young team a bit of a reality check, although we are yet to play with our full strength side this season which we are sure will bring success.
Sunday the 25th of September we played Dragon at their venue. A wealthy club with a fantastic set up, and a top team stacked with internationals - even on the bench. Their club house is called 'the Mansion of Dragon', and it is an impressive building. We played in front of a large crowd who have a great stand to watch from. Plenty of Braxgata supporters made the journey to support us and for 60 minutes we gave them plenty of hope. We trailed 1-2 and were going OK. We then made an aggressive decision to add a 4th forward at the expense of a fullback and conceded two late counter attack goals to lose 4-1. Disappointing score line. I think Dragon deserved to win but we certainly had our moments. I also witnessed one of the Dragon player's score an 'ESPN top 10 plays of the week'goal which was an on-the-fly no look back stick shot that was in the roof of the goal before anyone knew what had happened. Our GK Marcel Koeten from Holland is of the very best quality and not even he could save that one.
Following the game we said Goodbye to Phil and Shea as they were flying out to Malaysia to join the Blacksticks in their Com Games build up. A big loss to the team for the next two competition games and luckily they get back this Saturday just in time for our fixture on that Sunday. Phil is going to try and provide updates on our website from the Comm Games but it is proving difficult already with the unreliable internet connection in the games village.
Sunday the 3rd of October we faced off at Home against Waterloo Ducks who again boast many internationals mainly from Belgium and Argentina. Without Phil, Shea and Xav Reckinger of the Belgian national team we knew it would be a tall order. Best not to write too many words about this game. We played well below ourselves and were deservedly beaten 5-2. Playing Waterloo Ducks reminds me of Duckshooting season in NZ. The few supporters from Waterloo that travelled to support their team all bought duck callers. Our crowd drowned them out when they had a chance, it's just that we didn't give them much to cheer about.
So it's back to the drawing board this week to get ourselves back on track. I am sure we can.
My tennis game with Wickmayer was not allowed to go ahead either. I believe her coach made her take a compulsory rest period and stay off a court for a month. I believe she is scared, but I can't say that with any seriousness. Hopefully there is an opportunity later in the season.
Sunday October 10 vs. Herakles HC
We faced a must win battle to hold onto our top 6 spot on the table away to Herakles. In Braxgata's short history they have formed a rivalry with Herakles with players and supporters of Braxgata formerly from Herakles and they are also one of the closer clubs to ours. A good crown of about 1000 people turned out to watch and the day was celebrated in 'Derby' style with members of each club enjoying a huge lunch prior to the main event. Again we were without Burrows, McAleese and Reckinger so there was a lot of pressure on some of the other players to step up and get the result we were after.
We scored early and then went up 2 nil midway though the first half. We let Herakles score just before half time which meant for some tense times in an around half time. The start of the second half saw us go straight on the attack again and extend our lead to 4-1. There were two goals late in the game, one for each team to give us a well deserved 5-2 win. It was good to see our supporters so happy with the win and they certainly had a glow on afterwards which was a combination of pride and wine! The boys were pleased with their efforts and celebrated in style as Herakles put on a great party that night.
Lloyd
20 Septemeber 2010
Hi again from Belgium….
We are now two weeks into the competition and are happy to report that Braxgata HC sits on top of the table on goal difference. Two wins from two games which is a first for the club at the top level but we have some very difficult games coming up including Dragon and Waterloo Ducks in consecutive weeks - both typically top finishing teams every year.
Our first competition fixture was against Pengioun away from home, down in the south of Belgium in the French speaking region. This team won promotion for the 2010/11 season and as a result had a very vocal and excited crowd to watch their first game in the top league in some years who armed themselves with drums and whistles and vocally attacked the Braxgata players and umpires if a call ever went against them. It was a good atmosphere and our team did well to counter this as. We won 6-3 having been 6-1 up with 4 minutes left which is a bit disappointing but a good result all the same. Following the game we had the pleasure of meeting Yanina Wickmayer one of the worlds best female tennis players. Lloyd is playing against her next week. We may not focus too much on the result. It will be on a clay court which will suit her, but hopefully he can win a game.
In the weeks build up to the first match, Braxgata signed another international player in Brian "Doc" Docherty, an Irish defender. He isn't really a doctor of medicine but knows what panadol is. He is more a doctor of drag flicking and Guiness, the filthy Irish beer which is a solid meal in a glass. Combined with Jerome DeKyser one of our Belgian internationals and Shea McAleese we have a leathal corner combination and have a conversion rate of 75% from corners after our first two games.
The second game was much tougher. It was our first home game of the season and against a team Braxgata HC has not beaten at home since they have been in the top league - Leopold. A good crowd turned out in expectation. We won 3-2 after being down 0-1 at half time and there were some very happy people around the club following the game and a good party took place which has resulted in the sore heads we have while writing this blog.
During the week we had a visit from Ryan Archibald and Simon Child two Blacksticks who are playing in Holland. They drove the hour and a half to Antwerp in Belgium to hang out for the night which was good fun. You will see a group photo below which we have included because we don't know really how to explain Ryan's knit jersey! A fishing accident maybe? He calls it fashion!
Shea and Phil have been putting in some extra training sessions as they prepare for the Commonwealth Games. We have them for one more game - away to Dragons next Sunday and then they miss two matches while in Delhi, India. Hopefully we will have Xav Reckinger, our other Belgian international back from injury by then.
Not much else to report at this stage. We have a big week of training coming up as we prepare for our toughest challenge yet next Sunday so stay tuned and thanks for reading. Lastly, check out the new ATLAS Jumbo Bag under the accessories tab on the website. Top quality, and over sized to fit everything you need for hockey and the rest. These are now available in NZ in three different colours.
Until next time
Phil and Lloyd
Photos include:
1 Group shot with the "fashionable" knit pullover
2 Action shot of Phil using his Chryso, challenged by Rossi, an Argentina International
3 "Doc' the Irishman and Lloyd showing both sides of the Braxgata HC home uniform
4 A shot from inside the club house at Braxgata HC following our win on Sunday
5 Does this hand shake indicate Belgian International Jerome DeKyser is interested in joining ATH?? Phil Burrows won't tell.
6 Septemeber 2010
Hello from Boom!!
We are now a week away from the start of the European hockey season so we don't have long to prepare. The club we are playing for is Braxgata HC. We are also joined by Blackstick Midfielder Shea McAleese. Braxgata is a club we are familiar with having played the 2007 champions challenge here for the Blacksticks in which we lost a gut renching final to Argentina 3-2 after being up 2 nil with 8 minutes to play!!
Braxgata has about 900 members including juniors, and the club has set us up very well as you will see by the photo of Phil with his Jeep (the major sponsor) the club have given him, and of our apartment block. Braxgata is located in Boom, about 15 minutes from Antwerp city and features 3 pitches and a modern club house. It is a club that operates fulltime with large junior development programmes and a very social atmosphere in which it has been mentioned is the cause for the equivalent of $2 million NZ going over the bar in a season. The team we play for finished 9th in 2009/2010 season and for 2010/2011 have ambitions of a top 4 finish with the ultimate goal of winning the Belgian league. Our thoughts are that this is possible, but it will be tough and a huge success for the club if we reach our goal.
Since arriving we have played 4 practice matches. We played a team from Holland last Saturday and won 3-2. We have also played three Belgian teams for a 8-2 win, a 1-2 loss to the defending champions - Dragons who look to be an excellent team coached by former Australian coach Colin Batch and featuring many of Belgium's national team players as well as imports from Ireland and Australia, and a 4-6 loss to Waterloo Ducks - who finished third last season. We were without 3 of our best for these losses with Burrows injured as well as Reckinger and De Kyser (to Belgian National team players) also injured. Burrows and De Kyser are expected to be fit for the start of the season next weekend. Reckinger is likely to be another 3 weeks. He will be familiar to some people in NZ as he played for North Harbour in the 2002 edition of the NHL.
Getting paid to play hockey means you have a fair amount of time of your hands. We use this time to go to the gym, or visit the central city of Antwerp of which you will see photos in future blogs. It is an awesome city as it has such a relaxed feel to it and plenty of awesome buildings dating back to the 13th and 14th century. Phil watches a healthy amount of Soccer (Man U fan) and Shea likes the girls of Belgium. We also spend some time working on our ATH company and testing sample hockey sticks. We do however train a fair amount. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-7pm and Wednesday's and Fridays from 12 - 2pm (we play on Sundays). In and around trainings we do some physical conditioning and rehab as well as video analysis of games played (our team has an appointed physical trainer, physio and video analyst). Part of one session is purely dedicated to set piece and in particular attacking PC's. After every training the club provides us with dinner or an after training meal which usually consists of pasta and rice to replace the carbs etc - The team goes through a lot of food but that's because it tastes great as we have a fulltime chef/ barman at the club. If you totalled all the sessions up in a week and included games, video analysis, fitness, and meal time, the team is together about 16-17 hours per week so it is needless to say we have gotten to know everyone pretty quickly.
Our first game is Saturday the 12th of September vs. Penguian at their home pitch. We are confident of winning and we will be in touch next week to update you on the seasons opening fixture. Keep an eye on our website for developments on our Chryso range of Hockey equipment and also for the outstanding 2011 range of Atlas gear. There will be video clips with coaching tips to come also. If you have any questions or comments drop us an email on chrysosales@gmail.com
