BILL GRIFFITHS enjoyed his “roller coaster ride” with Slough women this season, writes Dave Wright.

The popular team manager has been a valuable ally to head coach Kali Takher as the Pink and Blacks adapted to life back among the elite women’s clubs in England hockey.

Last year’s Conference East champions, Slough ended up eighth in the Premier Division, having had to stave off the threat of relegation in the final weeks of a long, hard season.

“History has shown it’s incredibly difficult for promoted Conference teams to succeed and survive in the Premier,” said Griffiths. “The gap is huge and the margins between victory and defeat are very small.

“As we entered the final few games, fighting to the death to avoid the play-offs, one could reflect on those matches at East Grinstead and University of Birmingham, where we were cruelly denied vital points by last-minute goals.

“We wondered whether we would rue those results but we held our nerve and saw it through.

“This is a real credit to one of the smallest squads in our league, who battled week in, week out, always fighting for the whole 70 minutes of every game.”

Slough confirmed they deserve to be among the leading 10 women’s clubs in the country and the experience of this season will stand them in good stead for the future.

Griffiths added: “This group of players, coaches and management started the journey four years ago and it was a long, hard battle through two Conference leagues to get back to the Premier.

“We were in some epic matches along the way, most recently against Holcombe and Bowdon Hightown, where we finished with smiles on our faces.

“There was also that magical day at Wembley Arena in January when we won the indoor title. This was a particularly proud day for the club. So all in all, this season has certainly been a roller coaster ride for us.”

Slough men also have reason to celebrate having won the Middx, Berks, Bucks & Oxon Regional Two title two weeks ago.

Without a game last weekend, the new champions complete their fixtures with a trip to fifth-placed Banbury 2s on Saturday.