Friday, June 13, 2025

King of Kenley! The Surrey hockey hotshot who recorded 57-goal season

“I used to play in a position wherever I was needed on the day,” says club history-maker Sam Bateman. “This year our new captain said I was up front and it was a pretty good decision to be fair!”

And some! Fresh off the stick, Bateman, a 27-year-old trainee accountant, is recalling a highly memorable season in which he notched 57 goals and rifled in 11 in one match alone in South East Division 2. It was a club record season and one that Bateman will never forget, despite being pipped to the title by rivals Old Georgians 4s.

Kenley, based just outside of Croydon, have been in the top league in Surrey for several years but were relegated from the top division last year. They were looking good for an immediate return when they came up against Camberley and their subsequent 12-0 victory. “That 11-goal game was mental,” Bateman, who had scored six by half-time, tells The Hockey Paper.

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