Although the league season ended at Bedford Hockey Club several weeks ago, and no action is possible at the Chester Road ground with the pitch refurbishment having commenced this week, there was still activity of note both on and off the pitch.
On Saturday (26 April), the club’s Under 10s travelled to Harleston Magpies to play in the East Under 10s ‘In2Hockey’ Championships finals, with 11 teams from across the eastern region participating.
Bedford’s youngsters put in a fantastic performance, finishing second in the group stages, and securing fourth place overall.
Saturday night was a highlight of the club’s year, as players met to celebrate Awards Night, recognising the players and teams who have excelled this season, and acknowledging those club members who go above and beyond for the club.
Players’ Player awards (nominations made by members of each team) were:
Men’s 1st XI – Alex Drummond
Ladies’ 1st XI – Emma Pinny
Men’s 2nd XI – Nathan Fuller
Ladies’ 2nd XI – Becca Budd and Annie Mabin
Men’s 3rd XI – Steve King
Ladies’ 3rd XI – Ella Roberts
Men’s 4th XI – Freddie Bowls
Ladies’ 4th XI – Alice Brady-White
Men’s 5th XI – Nathan Williams
Ladies’ 5th XI – Ali Woodward
Men’s 6th XI – Dan Simms
Ladies’ 6th XI – Sami Da Silva
Men’s 7th XI – Luke Thompson
Ladies’ 7th XI – Sophia Howard
Amongst a plethora of other awards, there was recognition to Kevin Quinn-Barnes for his umpiring services, while Coach of the Year went to Pete Rattu.
Brendan McNulty won the ‘Services to the Club’ award.
On Sunday, it was the turn of the Under 12s to travel to Harleston Magpies for their East ‘In2Hockey’ Club finals as Bedford Hockey Club sent a boys and a girls squad to compete.
Both teams faced tough oppositions, battling it out with the best teams in the region. Some fantastic hockey was on display and, most importantly, great fun was had by all.
The Girls’ team, competing in this tournament for the first time, showed huge progress across their matches. Although the results didn’t go their way early on, their determination shone through, culminating in a fabulous (and nerve-wracking!) 0-0 draw to finish the day.
The Boys’ team were competitive in every game – many of which were decided by the finest margins. They finished 7th out of 11 teams, a fantastic achievement considering the high standard, and a brilliant platform for Bedford to build on next season.
At the other end of the age spectrum, six Bedford players travelled to the International Super Veterans Tournament in Tilburg at the weekend.
Jon Ratcliffe, Chris Townson, Chris Madden and Dave Sharples played for Alliance and Ian Chitty and Steve Bilham playing for Scottish Thistles.
Whilst there was mixed success, effort, commitment and the spirit of play were 100%.
Marathon record broken
Three Bedford Hockey Club players showed off their sporting prowess by successfully completing the London Marathon.
Heidi Langley completed the course in 3:42;57 and Matthew Wilson, in 4:09.02 although one of the more intriguing fancy dress costumes came courtesy of Chris Setterfield and his team.
Running as part of a team of 10 dressed as test-tubes in a test-tube rack, to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Setterfield and company finished with an impressive time of 5:41:49.
Not only did Chris and the team do amazingly well to reach the finish line, they did so in world record-breaking time, shaving 55 minutes off the previous record for a 10-person costume.
Looking ahead to the coming weekend, the Women’s Over 45’s will be stepping out in the national finals of England Hockey’s Tier 2 championships on Saturday, where they face Epsom.
Words by Jean Fitch
