The club is delighted to announce that at the AGM, Tolly was honoured for his unwavering commitment to our club over many years by being granted lifetime membership. Tolly’s contributions have been invaluable, and he has become a true legend within our community. On behalf of everyone at the club, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Tolly for his years of support, dedication, and friendship.

Below, you'll find a brief biography and some of Tolly's cherished memories from his time with us.

I hope you enjoy it!
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BIO

The first of my 51 seasons playing for OSHC was 1973 aged 13. Starting in the 4th XI and have played for all 6 teams (once for the 1st XI v Bishop Stortford away in the early 80’s). I Captained the 3rd XI for a number of years in the late 80’s through the 90’s. And since played for the 5’s and 6’s.

I started my involvement in off the pitch roles age 15 as Assistant Bulletin Secretary to the great Phil Hopkins. Took over at Social Secretary for a number of years pre IT when things were done the manual way, land line calls, handmade notices and posters & post (The good old days!). I was 3rd XI Captain for a number of years with a very successful and sociable team and Club Captain at the turn of the Century. Mark Wills (President) Simon Cossey (Essex Hockey Rep) and I attended a trophy awards event in Cambridge as we were awarded the Regional Fair Play Cup a great achievement for the Club. My greatest honour was being VP Coordinator keeping ex-players in touch with the club, all of whom I had played with over the years and learnt from many of them. As a hobby I took many of the photos that can be seen in the clubhouse. Although a defender all my hockey playing day I have score a number of goals, mainly short corners.

I have several memorable matches, my first game at Blenheim Park we played Wanstead and Maurice Dumbell said to me the centre forward Wally will spit and swear at you when this happens tell me. Soon after the bully and on queue he did, I snitched to Maurice and he said leave it to me he will not do that again, and he didn’t. Next ball Maurice opened his shoulders and reverse stick shelled the ball into Wally’s chest. Another memorable time we were playing the Witham 7’s and there was a ladies game before ours . They had two Rachel’s which became confusing and we had two Simons and that’s where ‘Rachel’ Cossey got his lifelong nickname.

Jimmy Riddlers Isle of Man Hockey Tour started in 1977 when I was 16 and that was the first of my 34 years of the 37 tours. So many memories and friendships made. For most of that time I toured with Steve Dove and “Flossy” aka Paul Moxon. We toured until 2013 and are having one last reunion this year. Just Because. Apart from the Clubs annual tour to various clubs in the 80’s we toured annually to Ringwood at the Wayfarers HC , 48 teams camping in a sports field in the woods, known at “in the field under the pylon tour’, because when it rained the electricity pylons going over the tents buzzed when it rained.

Off the pitch we had a very successful darts team playing in the Southend Social League. We had many memorable evenings in the Sergeants Mess on the Shoebury Garrison, interesting evenings in the basement of Bullwood Hall Ladies Prison, interrupted matches at Leigh & Southend Fire Stations when they got a shout and we were left in charge of the bar until they returned, varied stories in the Southend Police Station Clubroom and many seasons of success and friendships, both Mens & Ladies.

If anybody doesn’t know why I’m called Tolly, it is a Brewery and Beer from way back when called Tolly Cobbold.

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Story

I was invited to watch the 1stXI play at Chalkwell Park age 13. Some weeks later the 4thXI were short and hence I started the first of my 51 seasons playing for OSHC. Those days all games were on grass or Redgra (Shale). In 1975 Steve Harrison became my PE Teacher and I became Asst Bulletin Secretary to the great Phil Hopkins. He typed the bulletins, printed them on an ink printing press. I wrote the envelopes and licked the stamps and about midnight we posted them. Training was on Thursday at either Garons or Shoebury Park on the Redgra’ first you had to drag a piece of carpet over to whole pitch to clear stones.

My first game was at Blenheim Park and there is a whole story about that. At that time after games, all played at the same time, we entertained oppositions at the OSA Clubhouse in Crowstone Road, with jugs of beer the normal.

In 1977 I went on the initial Jimmy Riddlers Isle of Man Tour age 16, and have been 34 years of the 37 Tours. We are going back this October one final time. In addition, the Club had weekend tours at the end of each season. Wokingham, Cambridge, Sheffield, Leicester, Jersey and some others. Another of the regular Tours was the “In a field under a pylon” tour in Ringwood run by the Wayfarers HC which I attended for 10 years.

During my time at the club I held several other roles, in no particular order I have been Social Secretary (car rally’s before any IT), Pulling the Vulcan Bomber along Southend Airport runway, Carol Singing was cut short we met in the White Horse Pub walked down to Hugh Jarvis house in the Boulevard and he invited us in opened the wine and made a generous donation so we didn’t have to knock on doors;

I Captained the OSHC Darts Team for many years from 78 to early 90’s we were successful, we completed in the Southend Social League playing 8 men and 6 ladies, singles, doubles and 8/6 ‘s against the Police, Fire Brigade x 2, Ambulance Club, Sergeants Mess, Bullwood Hall Prison & Civil Service home, away and competitions. One memory was at the Sergeants Mess in Shoebury barracks Martin Robinson was asked by a retired senior army officer how he was getting home, he said he had his motorbike and would pick it up tomorrow, to which the army guy got a squaddie out of bed to put his bike on the back of a Landover and drive him home in Ashingdon.

3rd XI Captain, where it was compulsory to stop at the Jack & Jenny Pub any time you went past Witham (which was regularly. During that time we as a club played our last games away at Rochester & Gillingham HC (R&G Away as it was known), 4 teams in a coach and there lies another story. Another interesting fixture was Severalls Mental Hospital in Colchester away, playing the doctors. Once a patient wandered on the pitch only for the opposition to escort them off to their colleagues on the side line. Another regular stop was every time you were in the location of Romford HC you’d pop in and have a beer with several opposition from other clubs with the same idea, and one time we played the Romford 7’s on a Sunday after Steve Dove party at Tilehurst only leaving the party to play hockey. Ilford HC was always a challenge, not the match but leaving Valentines Park after a few beers in the rain and dark with kit. The parky locked us in and the only way to get to the cars was to climb the spiked painted railings.

Whilst at Royal Life I sponsored each team (6) with shirts, both Old Gold and White. During that time we had a weekend tournament at the club, bar open all weekend, teams camping and sleeping on the floor of the club room. My wife Lynn, aka H or Hilda (long story!) cooked 120 full English breakfasts in the club kitchen. Since taking her down the Club as my girlfriend and now my wife she is still impressed with my reverse stick scoop aerials.

One constant throughout my time with the club is the Club Supper, there have been many versions of this but one year whilst at a Silver Service event at Crowstone Road we had a power cut. Given the food needed cooking in the tiny kitchen (Steak & Kidney Pie etc) and the pumps wouldn’t work we en mass went to the Plough Pub until the power was restored at 10pm, then the Club Supper began. And one thing everybody looked forward to was Albert Shears version of “Brown Boots”, he was a legend and a brilliant wordsmith.

My greatest honour was being Vice President Coordinator , I took over from the great club members Richard Campbell Carr & Grant Littler. I had the honour of attending 22 funerals of the long- time club members whom I grew up with. And held in high esteem.

Over all my time with the club is filled with joy and reward. From Crowstone Road when Tony Barrett stood in front a full clubhouse and unravelled a piece of wall paper with the state of the clubs finances on and explained if we didn’t go alone we will never be a great club. We moved to Warners Bridge when the council agreed to use it for Rugby and Hockey. Once the field was grassed we built the changing rooms. Some years later we built the Temporary Clubhouse from building scraps and from when the High Street Bakers Oven closed down and members built the bar from their shop front wood. We raised enough money from this to borrow from the brewery and bank loan and members generous donations to build the Clubhouse now in place. Two pitches later we are the strongest the club has ever been. This is down to the legacy of new members taking the mantel from longer serving members and evolving the style. 103 seasons and growing.