As we celebrate International Day of Families in 2026, 50 years ago Hockey Digest magazine reported that Southern Hockey Club held the accolade for the most unique club network in the UK with at least 21 father/son/brother combinations in their ranks back in the 1975/1976 season. Can your club do better?
Diagram showing the familial relationships at Southern Hockey Club during the 1975/1976 season.
Southern Hockey Club History
Initially named Southern Railway Hockey Club, it one of two railway clubs in the London area, the other being Great Western Railway HC. The earliest reference to the club’s existence in our archive is from the 1920s.
In 1964, Southern Railway HC formerly changed its name to Southern Hockey Club. The club was renowned for their excellent pitches at Raynes Park and was active at festivals and in English hockey’s early leagues. They regularly hosted the London Six-a-Side Hockey Tournament. Following the Second World War, the playing demographic diversified as Anglo-Indian players joined the club and brought their own style of play.
Players such as Rudi/Rudy Michael, an Officer of His Majesty’s Royal Indian Navy, joined the club shortly after moving from his hometown Lahore in 1947. Rudi was a long-time member and despite moving to Brighton in 1960 and being well into his fifties, he would return to play for Southern as the club struggled for First XI players in the late 1970s. Southern character Albert Hearne was another long-time member and a goalkeeper who was known for taking penalty corners. He played in the second team, despite being in his mid-sixties! Albert was Southern’s president in the 1970s when the club changed its name in 1977 to Raynes Park HC. It seems like Albert was a memorable player to opposition and umpires alike as he is mentioned throughout various reports on Southern matches.
The Southern Families
Ray Duckworth joined in 1962 and was a Southern captain for six years. He played alongside his brother Ralph and the two were some of Southern’s top goalscorers of the 1960s/’70s. Ralph Duckworth was a highly experienced player having played as inside left for Pakistan at the 1961 Asian Games. By 1977, following the gradual demise of Southern HC, Ralph was playing for Tunbridge Wells and his brother Ray was playing for Surbiton and Mid-Surrey. The two had another younger brother Pat Duckworth who had also played for Southern.
Burdett Coutts was another character of Southern HC who played alongside Rudi Michael and the Duckworth brothers. In 1977 he was 56 and still playing. Burdett had attended the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games as an inside left for the Singapore team and was given the nickname ‘The Magician’ for his skilful and persistent attacking style. Between 1960 and 1965, Coutts was coach for the Singapore national team and took them to the Asian Games in 1962. His son, Ashley, joined him at Southern.
By December 1977 Southern HC was considered officially defunct. Raynes Park continued into the 1990s, however it lacked the ‘Asian-style’ hockey and players that Southern had originally attracted. It seems that Southern players parted ways and resettled at different clubs.
A match report from Hockey Scene magazine in 1972 featuring the Duckworth brothers.
Ralph Duckworth pictured with his Tunbridge Wells HC team, c.1977.
So, what happened to the Southern team?
Badar Butt joined Surbiton. Lali Plaha, Wassim Butt, and Ray Duckworth played for Mid-Surrey. The Kalsi brothers joined different clubs: Mohan was goalkeeper for Mid-Surrey, Dickie joined Wimbledon, Polu went to Blackheath, and Nirmal played for Croydon Municipal Officers.
Some of the Southern ‘familials’ did stay playing together in the form of an occasional team named the Satellites. The Kalsi brothers joined ex-Southern players Lali Plaha and Shaid Ghauri, and Tochi Panesar of Spencer HC to play in some of the top Asian tournaments in the UK during the 1970s–1980s. Satellites won the National Six-a-Side tournament in 1977.
