People

George Black

George Black was the first President of the club, and is our most capped player at senior level. He was our regular goalkeeper for many years and still turns out in club matches and the occasional Scottish Thistles side at the age of 91. George has rarely been seen without a smile on his face and has represented the club in a fine manner ever since 2002.

Doug Morrice

Doug Morrice is the founding father of the club, having organised the first Scotland LX team which played in Paris in 2002 and dealt with all the arrangements. He initially acted as Secretary and Treasurer before the club was fprmally constituted, stepping down at the inaugural AGM in 2005. Nothing was too difficult for Doug, who looked after every detail with meticulous care, and didn't charge the players until well after the event. He is still playing and is a regular in the Scotland Senior Grand Masters side.

Keith Forster

Doug was a hard act to follow but Keith picked up where Doug had left off, taking on the role of Secretary/Treasurer at the inaugural AGM in 2005 and applying the same meticulous care and attention to the organisation of the club, which was growing both in numbers and in activities. The only thing missing was the three month delay before players were asked for payment! Keith's cheerful, 'can do' atttitude shone through and he made many friends in the hockey community, which was a great help in increasing the number and frequency of fixtures. His 'reign' lasted until the 2008 AGM, when he had to be replaced by two people. He then devoted his considerable effortsto hockey development, particularly in primary schools in West Fife. Keith developed heart trouble and eventually had to stop playing, though he kept a keen interest throughout and has been seen with a stick in his hand in recent times ....

Alistair Philip

While Doug and Keith looked after organisational matters, Ally Philip was the wise old bird who kept teams on the right track, captaining the teams from the beginning and being formally elected the first Club Captain at the inaugural AGM in 2005. He stood down in 2007 but continued to play for the Over 65s. In recent years he has been a less frequent member of squads but turns out for the Senior Grand Masters when fit.

Alan Auld

Alan Auld was another founder member, taking part in Paris in 2002 at the tender age of 56. Having reached 60 by the time of the 2007 AGM, he was elected Club Captain, continuing in that role until 2013. Alan is still playing.

Ian Downie

Ian Downie was another member of the original team in Paris, taking no part in the management of the club until there was an awkward silence at the 2008 AGM when there were no nominations for the new post of Secretary. After what seemed like an eternity, Ian raised his hand and took on what turned out to be a growing challenge as the club developed. Ian demitted office in 2012 but took up the post again from 2014 to 2016. Ian has been the club webmaster since 2005, first of all managing the Veterans section on the Scottish Hockey website, and then in 2007 developing and maintaining the club's own website. Ian is still playing for the Senior Grand Masters team.

Peter Monaghan

Yet another founder member, Peter Monaghan captained teams in the absence of Ally Philip before taking on the new role of Treasurer at the 2008 AGM. He managed in no small way to help the club amass a tidy sum of money over his years as Treasurer, which ended at the 2017 AGM. Peter is no longer playing.

Kieran McLernan

The first of the 'new boys', Kieran first appeared on the scene in 2005, playing in the Scotland Grand Masters squad which finished fourth in the European Superveterans Tournament in Rotterdam, though he did not play regularly until 2009 as he was still a (well over age) member of the Scotland Over 55 squad until then. Kieran was elected President of the club in 2013, at the same time assuming the role of Club Captain, and still holds both offices. Kieran is still playing with the Senior Grand Masters.

Jim Chisholm

Jim first played for Scotland Grand Masters as an underage player in the 2009 WGMA European Cup in Amstelveen and was Vice Captain of the 2010 squad in the WGMA World Cup in Cape Town, moving up to Captain in 2011, a post he held until 2017. Jim was Secretary for part of the 2012-13 Club year and for the following year. Jim is likely to move up to the Great Grand Masters team in 2018.

John Hay

John is our current Secretary, having taken over from Ian Downie in 2016. John has been a regular member of the Grand Masters squad since 2015.

John Smith

Our newest Club Officer, John Smith has been a regular Scottish Thistles player for many years, originally joining the Club as an umpire at the European Superveterans Championships and World Cup in 2006 but appearing in more and more teams as a player as the years went on. He has played for both Scotland Grand Masters and Great Grand Masters over the years. John took over as Treasurer from Peter Monaghan in 2017.