Pauline Dempsey joined Crawley Ladies Hockey Club in 1971, when just fifteen. She quickly established herself as a player of outstanding ability and unrivalled goal scoring prowess. First choice as centre forward for the 1st XI for over 20 seasons Pauline was the top Ladies goal scorer in Sussex for many years while breaking club records as a matter of course.

In her most prolific among many high scoring seasons she scored an incredible 111 goals, a feat which is not only unsurpassed in the club, but also I believe is still unmatched in Sussex ladies (or men’s) hockey to this day. Over the years she has scored quite simply hundreds of goals for the club as well as at every level for Sussex County teams.

Unsurprisingly Pauline’s exceptional goal scoring brought success at both team and an individual level. As a member of the Ladies 1st XI across three decades she was hugely instrumental in the team’s success in winning:
• Multiple Sussex Clubs Championships and Knock Out Cup competitions
• Numerous tournaments including the Reigate International Tournament (twice)
• The prestigious Woking Invitational League
as well as playing in the Southern Counties Clubs Finals, when CHC qualified as Sussex Ladies Champions on several occasions for both the Indoor and Outdoor teams.

Pauline captained the highly successful Ladies 1st XI for ten consecutive seasons and was the Ladies Club coach throughout this time and many more years besides.

On a personal level she was selected to play for Sussex Juniors, Sussex Senior 1st XI, the Sussex Indoor team and finally the Sussex Vets team.
Pauline was appointed as a Sussex Junior and Senior Selector, Team Manager for the County outdoor teams and was invited to umpire in prestigious matches for the County, for example the first ever Sussex League play-off.
In recognition of her efforts, Pauline was later awarded the Sussex Cup by the Sussex Ladies Hockey Association and made an Honorary Vice-President for Sussex.

In their Centenary Year the All England Women’s Hockey Association awarded Pauline a Special Certificate in recognition of her contribution to hockey.

After stepping down from the Ladies 1st XI, Pauline has continued to make a huge contribution to the Ladies 2nd XI team, both in terms of goals scored and overall play but also as team coach and as a valued mentor to new players.

As a member of the Ladies Vets’ team she contributed to the Club’s success as repetitive Champions of Sussex subsequently playing in South Finals on many occasions, including in highly competitive matches at Bisham Abbey. Further afield she has been a keen participant on overseas Vets’ Tours to Spain, Portugal, France and the Netherlands, to name but a few.

This year Pauline completed her 50th unbroken season as a Crawley Hockey Club player. In true style in the final match of this memorable season, in the very last second of the game, she did what she has done throughout those 50 years and scored a goal for Crawley.

In recognition of 50 years playing for the Club, for her unrivalled achievements for Crawley and for Sussex, a Special Award of Honorary Club Captain is being made to Pauline.

I consider myself hugely privileged to have played alongside Pauline, both for Crawley and Sussex, for over 40 of those 50 seasons. As such, I have witnessed first hand, as have countless fellow team players over six decades, her special qualities as a player of extraordinary skills, goal scoring brilliance and outstanding sportsmanship. I can think of no more deserving recipient of this Special Award made in recognition of a very special person and player.

Sym Savage
President Crawley Hockey Club