2010 was a strange year for the underwater hockey group, with highs and lows in equal measure. For the first four months, while we still had spacious playing areas in Hallenbad City and in Hallenbad Oerlikon, the group continued to flourish. However, once we had been consolidated into Hallenbad Oerlikon on both nights, and particularly into one lane, numbers began to drop off, and the latter part of the year was a constant struggle to maintain numbers. But, as always, there is a bright side, and those that have stuck with the hockey group in these difficult times have matured into very capable players for whom I have the utmost praise and optimism as we start the new year.

Our name and reputation continues to grow on the underwater hockey world map, and we were delighted to welcome visiting players from the USA and Canada. We also returned the favour by sending Jos Visser, our hockey ambassador, to Club Puck in the USA to show them how it's done. And also to Dublin, Ireland, to learn how not to do it!

On the tournament front we maintained our 100% attendance record at the Parma tournament and coupled it with our best ever result - 10th out of 14 (see separate report).

We then built upon this success with a first attendance at the Alpine League tournament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, fielding a team almost unchanged from Parma (8 of the same players). Somewhat unusually, this tournament was structured such that there was no possibility of crossover between the divisions, so that if you started in the second division, the highest place that you could achieve was top of the second division. There was no chance to break into the first division even by winning all of your games.

This was a shame, because this team gelled even better than it had in Parma, and we ended up repeating our success of Parma, once again with a final ranking of 2nd in the second division, again tenth overall. It would have been interesting to see how well we could have done if there had been a first round to decide your division for the playoffs: we may well have done even better...

I would like to thank the members of the underwater hockey group for their unflinching loyalty to the group during the course of the year, to piccolo for his help and support throughout the year, to Rolf and the committee for the support of USZ, and last but definitely not least I would like on behalf of every member of the club to thank Andrea, Joëlle and Silvania for their excellent work in organising the USZ Christmas party. I think that everyone would agree that they did a brilliant job.

Joëlle and Martin at the USZ Christmas party

The UWH group - Andrea, Jeremy, Silvania, Martin & Joëlle - organised the USZ Christmas party

Onwards and upwards in 2011!

Martin Reed