The Romford Raiders are an ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 team based at the 1,500 seat Romford Ice Arena in Romford

Romford

Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...

, Havering

London Borough of Havering

The London Borough of Havering is a London borough in North East London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in Havering is Romford and the other main communities are Hornchurch, Upminster and Rainham. The borough is mainly characterised by suburban development with large...

, east London. They were founder members of the EPIHL but now compete in the ENIHL. Their development team was the Romford Spitfires who played in Division 2 of the ENIHL before being succeeded in 2009/10 by the Romford Fury. The team colours are white, gold and blue.

History

The club was founded in 1987 and coached by Gord Jeffrey, who went on to become a hero amongst the Romford fans. Some of the best-known players to play for the Raiders include Rob Stewart, Dave Whistle and Mike Ellis, all of whom went on to play and coach at the highest levels in the UK.

Romford's first ever match was played on 13 September 1987, against the Oxford City Stars

Oxford City Stars

The Oxford City Stars are an ice hockey team based in Oxford, England. They currently play in the English National League, South. A second team was formed in the summer of 2010 and they compete in the English National League South Division 2.-1984-1999:...

. Romford's first captain, Erskine Douglas, also scored Raiders' first ever goal.

The Club also have a range of other teams including the Rascals (U10s), Raptors (U12s), Hurricanes (U14s), Hornets (U16s) and Tornadoes (Recreational). Each of the Romford teams is named after aircraft. Romford is situated within the London Borough of Havering which has a strong and important aviation history. The airfields in Hornchurch were used in the Battle of Britain and World Wars I and II. RJIHC Site

On November 28, 2010, during an English National League game against the Bracknell Hornets

Bracknell Hornets

The Bracknell Hornets are an Ice Hockey Team from Bracknell. Berkshire who play in the English National Hockey League. The Hornets play in ENL south Division 1 and won the 2009–10 league playoffs.-History:...

, Danny Marshall scored his 1,232nd point as a Raider when he assisted on a short-handed goal by Frankie Harvey. With that point, Marshall became the clubs all-time leading scorer, surpassing Gord Jeffrey's long-standing record.

2010/11 Squad

(C)

Notable players

Frankie Harvey Alan Blyth

Alan Blyth

Geoffrey Alan Blyth was an English music critic, author, and musicologist who was particularly known for his writings within the field of opera. He graduated from the Rugby School before attending the University of Oxford where he studied with Jack Westrup...

 Daniel Campson Grant Bignell Luke Bramble Ben Clements Adam Copland Evander Grinnell Danny Hammond Matt Hoxby (Death) Ric Hughes Mark Lee

Mark Lee (ice hockey)

Mark Lee is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for Ilves of the SM-liiga.-External links:...

 Norman Pinnington Andrew Sharp

Andrew Sharp

Andrew Sharp is a Philippines-born ice hockey player. He is currently playing for the Guildford Flames in the English Premier Ice Hockey League ....

 Mark Williams Andrius Kaminskas Richard Pniewski Michael Grundy

Michael Grundy

Michael Grundy is a British freestyle wrestler, who competed at the 2010 Commonwealth Games for Team England finishing 5th overall.-References:...

 Erik Bochna  Marko Filip Jan Galko Pavol Valko

Former coaches

• Rob Stewart
• Warren Rost
• Brent Pope
• Shaun McFadyen
• Henrik Olsson
• Mike Johanson
• Dan Dorion
• Robert Spalenka
• Jesse Hammill
• Erskine Douglas

Honours

• 1987/1988: Heineken League Division 2 Champions; promoted to Division 1.
• 1989/1990: Heineken League Division 2 runners-up; promoted back to Division 1 after play-offs.
• 1990/1991: Fourth in Division 1; narrowly missed on promotion to the Premier League.
• 1991/1992: Reached play-offs.
• 1996/1997: English League (Southern Conference) Champions.
• 2000/2001: English Premier League play-off Champions.
• 2001/2002: English Premier League Cup Winners.
• 2004/2005: English Premier League Cup Winners; reached play-off finals.