Darren Bennett - Centre / Forward & Club Captain. A man who certainly knows where his priorities lie, Darren once took six months out from his job as a computer consultant with Oracle to be a ski instructor, educating nubile young ski-virgins. Upon his return, though, we noticed that he was not quite as fast as he used to be - worn yourself out, Darren?
A self-confessed "Octopush tart" (aren't we all?), Darren shuns the Groucho Marx line and will happily play for any team that will have him. Thinks nothing of jetting off to the other side of the world for a weekend tournament if there's even the slightest possibility of a posey T-shirt in the offing: we reckon he must live in that bright little Hawaii '97 number . . .
From Dave: "Finally given up smoking, now probably gonna get even faster!!"

Sue Coles - Wing / Forward. From her former team mates at London Ladies: "Chief mischief-maker, skinny-dipper extraordinaire, and party-maker - what more could we want? Age and treachery are definitely on her side . . .". A long-standing  member of Putney, "Lil' Sue" recently moved out of London and joined Chesham.
Her playing pedigree is impressive, from playing her first game of Octopush when she was six months pregnant with her younger son Sam, to winning a World Championship bronze medal as Vice-Captain of the GB Women's Masters team at the 1998 World Championships in San Jose USA, a team which also included her Chesham team mate Sara Grenside.
Her credentials for CTDC membership are also impeccable, and it is a constant source of amazement that she has never yet quite managed to join us on any trip, although her elder son Ben is now a veteran of three CTDC tours. However, we are expecting great things from her on future tours.

Andy Davis - Forward / Wing & Club Publicity Officer. In Andy's own words, written February 2000: "I am 31 years of age and married to a lovely lady from Holland. I have a beautiful daughter who is learning to swim (a future Chesham player). I first got to hear about Octopush from your local advert at the leisure centre. "This looks like a bit of fun", I mentioned to my wife, who said "give it a go".
I must admit, that when I first tried it after about three weeks I thought "this is not for me". But no I wasn't going to be beaten, I will master this (and eventually I will). I have played predominantly left forward, which at first I hated, but week by week I am feeling ever more comfortable in this position.
I am an assistant sales manager for an independent European car parts company, that specialise mainly on German & Swedish cars, selling world-wide via mail-order. I have worked within the motor trade since leaving college for some 13 years now (that's far too long!).
My ambition in Octopush is to score a goal in a league match (and win), then to play abroad and score a goal (that's the tough one, but I will)."

"Andy the Rookie"

Ed Eilerts de Haan - Centre Back and former Vice Captain. 1997's player crisis really brought out a new side to Ed, and the level of drive and enthusiasm that so characterised his play over that difficult year contributed immensely to the subsequent rejuvenation of the club. The fastest thing on two fins for miles around, Ed held down the position of Left Forward for the UK Barbarians for several years, and it was his comment of "Well, why don't we go to Slovenia?" that led to the birth of the Touring and Drinking Club. A lapsed bass player, Ed and Martin Reed once played together in a band in the days when both Ed and Martin still had long hair; Martin wasn't very good, and the band didn't make it.

Helen Ellis - Forward. Full description to follow...

Karen Futcher - Forward/Midfield. Full description to follow...

Judith Leonard - Forward. Judith is married with three children over ten years and is a childminder. Her chosen sport was badminton until she got talking to Sara at Christmas '99 about Octopush, who suggested that she "come and give it a try". Living proof of how Octopush does wonders for asthma, Judith is now hooked on the sport and has not set foot on a badminton court for months!

Judith also enjoys training her dog in obedience & agility.

Darren Long - Forward/Midfield. Full description to follow...

Bill McEwan - Wing. From Kim: "Scary boxer boy who you would never expect to be a policeman!". Fuller description to follow...

Kim Moakes - Forward. In her own words: "Ze ickle 1, short and sweet, always up for a party. STILL at school! Now also playing for the London Ladies, and skills are improving, honestly. If you pull me up for a foul, I'll steal your pants!"
Previously, also in her own words, "Age 15, studying 9 GCSEs, including art and food (even if I do blow up the oven once a year). Love ice hockey, support the Sheffield Steelers who rock! Belong to local amateur drama group and appear in about five plays a year. Inherited Octopush skills (wot skills?) from Mum n Dad. Slightly very mad and obsessed with Snoopy and chocolate. Want to become a rich and famous actress, so get your autographs now!"

Martin Reed - Forward/Wing/Back (though more on account of being no good at any of them than of being versatile!) & Club Vice-Chairman. Director of Reed Consulting (UK) Limited, I.T. Consultants, Vice-Chairman of Chesham Octopush Club and the author of these pages. Formerly guitarist with Brighton-based rock band Grim Joke. Joined Chesham Octopush Club in 1989 on the third week of its existence, and has also played on several occasions for the UK Barbarians.
After returning from a year working in Frankfurt where the entire German national team pulled out of competing in the European Championships rather than let it be seen they were being coached by Martin, Martin made up for it by qualifying as a national and international referee, being selected for Great Britain and refereeing the semi-finals of the 2000 World Championships in Hobart, Australia, the Women's final of the European Championships in Yugoslavia in 2001 and the Women's Masters final at the 2002 World Championships in Calgary, Canada.

Ian Ringham - Back & Bill Payer. A founder member of the club, and our current Treasurer, Ian is married with two children. He is a versatile sportsman, and also manages to play hockey without water, although this may be just a rumour, as none of us can work out how he does it. A Master Builder by trade, Ian is notoriously camera-shy, and was conspicuous by his continued avoidance to provide a photo for this page. However, as can be seen, Sara got him in the end.

Dave Roper - Back.
From Dave: "My playing style has followed my hair: it started at the front and slipped slowly backwards".
Also, very modestly, from Dave: "Seems to score, even from the back, but usually lazes around the back stopping everything"
And, to put it into perspective , from his "mate" Darren B: "A man who has been playing Octopush for twenty years and still has less talent than he has hair".

Peter Watson - Forward/Midfield. In Peter's wife's words, written November 2000: "When Pete announced in January that he was going to take up a new challenge to mark the Millennium, I thought "good on you!". When he said it was pushing a puck along the bottom of a pool with a wooden stick I laughed! When I realised he was serious, I said "Can you swim?"!
Against the family's scepticism, Pete has remained a member for eleven months, and is certain to remain one, at least until the Christmas Bash! I have no idea whether he is any good at the game. But presume he can swim!"

Sarah White - Forward/Midfield. In Sarah's own words, written February 2000: "Roped into the sport at the beginning of the new millennium against her better judgement by a friend (who after three weeks promptly disappeared off to the Caribbean!), Sarah is still in denial about the whole malarkey. However she has invested in some pretty flash fins, mask and snorkel and, although constantly amazed at how she manages to emerge at the end of a Monday-night session still alive, in some bizarre masochistic kind of way seems to be getting hooked.... (Progess report will follow)"

Colin Wilson - Back/Midfield. Full description to follow...

Charles Yarwood - Wing/Back, sometimes Forward & Club Treasurer. A former Putney player, Charles now lives in Amersham, and joined Chesham in the middle of 1997. The proud father of four children, Charles is a computer manager with Johnson & Johnson, the pharmaceuticals giant: his company car is a seven-man people carrier, which comes in very useful for those away matches!

Garry Checksfield - Centre / Back, now in Bristol. In (mostly) his own words: "The words 'headless' and 'chicken' spring to mind when describing Garry. Has played for many clubs due to his job moving location with regularity. Started at Plymouth Uni in 1996 and has since played for Bristol & Cheltenham, Totnes, S.W. UK, Farnham & Guildford, but then his career took a nosedive and he has now ended up with this shower.
Once got a last-minute call-up to play for G.B. in a tournament in Pontoise, Paris.
Has a stupidly high flick and has broken the surface at Totnes (but Garry, Totnes is nine feet deep!). "
From Kim: "The lack of oxygen can cause extreme vanity!"

Garry now has his own web page, which can be found here.

Chris Davey - Centre / Forward, now in Amsterdam. Chris is a former member of Putney and the now defunct Sussex Octopush Club. He was also a founder member of the UK Barbarians at the tender age of fourteen, and his experience and high level of skill and determination stood Chesham in good stead in our 1997/8 Eastern & Central league matches.
However, one drawback in having Chris in the water was that it did make it less easy to identify our then captain, Doug, at first glance (they're both very hairy!). Chris was definitely the man to know on the Touring and Drinking Club's 1998 expeditions to Bussum and Bologna - he owns a twelve-man tent! Sara nicknamed Chris "Pingu", and anyone who ever came to one of our club sessions would immediately have understood why!
Click here to hear Chris' comments on the subject of Octopush, click here to hear a preview of what we expect Chris and Peter Burchill to be like if we every manage to get them together on a Touring and Drinking Club weekend, and finally click here to see what the irresistible Chris does to unbreakable objects.

Richard Fox - Wherever! Full description to follow...

Justin Nobbs - Centre / Wing. Justin was introduced to the sport by his home club of Northampton before jetting off for three years to the sunnier climes of Australia. He returned briefly to England but just as quickly returned to the land down under, where he won a gold medal for Australia in the 1999 Southern Hemisphere Championships in Durban, South Africa. Not content with that, he managed to follow that feat upon his return to England by being picked for the Great Britain national team to compete in the 2000 World Championships. In Australia no less! Work that one out...
Justin is well known for his passion for finesse over bashing, but legendarily famous for the massively entertaining fallout that happens whenever his notoriously short fuse blows. Don't wind him up, it ain't worth it . . .

Heather "Top Muff" Sidorova - Wing/Forward.
In her own words: "Would rather play with a ball, a racquet and plenty of fresh air.... I suppose at least all this extra water I'm drinking should be healthy!"
From Kim: "Is now amazing, has now managed to play for three months without once losing her bikini, much to the disappointment of Colin"

Andrew Stanton - Back/Wing.
In Heather's words: "Small, hairy and dangerous . . . and a bloody Kiwi!!"
Fuller description to follow...

Sara Waterhouse - Right Forward, now in Bristol. The club's first-ever Great Britain international, Sara was for the duration of her stay with us a nurse tutor at the University of Hertfordshire, where she taught National Vocational Qualifications. Sara plays primarily now for Bristol & Cheltenham, but has also played for London Ladies, the UK Barbarians and the Great Britain Womens Masters, and reached a high point in the summer of 1998 when she brought home a bronze medal from the World Championships in San Jose, California.