The past weekend saw an end to the league season for most of Bedford Hockey Club’s senior squads in a season which has brought many highs across the club’s fourteen teams.
There have been lots of positives from the season for the Men’s 1st XI, finishing in a solid third place in the Premier Division, scoring a phenomenal 87 goals across their 22 matches, and laying strong foundations for a promotional push for National League next season.
Saturday’s match, against league winners City of Peterborough, was a spirited performance.
It was Peterborough who opened the scoring, 10 minutes in, but goals from Arran Da Sousa and Liam Stevens saw Bedford take a first half lead.
Bedford continued to put up a valiant fight, but Peterborough’s power came through in the second half as they edged ahead to take the win, 4-2.
Unlike their male counterparts, it has been a challenging season for the Ladies’ 1st XI who, whilst demonstrating great periods of play in all their matches, have been unable to maintain the momentum required to take the wins.
Their final match of the season – against St Albans – certainly highlighted an ability to hold their own against a strong opposition, with Bedford gaining a 2-1 lead at the half-time whistle.
It was a lead they maintained until the 50th minute, when two back-to-back goals saw the victory fall to St Albans.
A season back in the Premier Division is now on the cards for them whilst they regroup, build on their strengths and address the weaknesses, ready to conclude next season with the aim of bouncing back to National League status.
2nd XI frustrated despite win
There was frustration for the Men’s 2nd XI as their St Albans opposition being unable to field a team, thus conceding the match.
Whilst that gifted Bedford the points, it saw their chance of topping the table slip away, having to settle for second spot, unable to score the required goals needed to catch Luton Town.
The Men’s 3rd XI can hold their heads high, beating Letchworth 6-2 and pushing them into fourth place in the same division as their 2nd XI club-mates, with goals for Josh Dixon (2), Tom Drews (2), Ollie Jackson and James Bilham.
The Ladies’ 2nd XI finished their run in fourth place, losing 2-1 to Crostyx, while the Ladies 3rd XI must settle for an eighth-place finish as they lost 5-1 to second place Stevenage.
The Men’s 4th XI also finished eighth; their season ending with a 5-3 win at Southgate Adelaide with goals for Sandeep Sira (2) Elliot Potter, Sam Ross and Charlie Neale.
The Ladies’ 4th XI celebrated their promotion with a 6-0 victory away to Royston. Even with one further fixture to play next weekend – away to eleventh place Stevenage – the team are six points ahead of second-placed, Luton Town.
After a hard season, the Men’s 5th XI got to finish their league run against bottom of the table, Southgate Adelaide.
Four goals for James Logan, a hat-trick for Alex Smallwood, and further goals from Nathan Williams and Keith Sohl saw them finish the season on a high with a 9-0 victory, and staving off relegation.
It should be a fifth-place finish for the Ladies 5th XI, at the season’s close, although several lower teams still have fixtures remaining.
Bedford’s final fixture against Blueharts caught them napping; Blueharts starting fast out of the blocks, and going 2-0 up in the first 10 minutes. It was the wake-up call that was required as Bedford pulled back to 2-2 by half-time, with goals from Abi Holt and Jood Tetlow.
The second half was dominated by Bedford, with a second goal for Abi, and one each for Joy Leeson and Chloe Waterhouse, whilst Blueharts failed to make a response, giving Bedford the 5-2 win.
Finals to come
After a stunning league run, the Men’s 6th XI finish as champions, topping their division to see promotion for next season.
Their finale, a 7-2 away win to Welwyn Garden City (with a hat-trick of goals for Gary Hickman, two for Martin McLeod and one each for Dan Sims and Ben Beveridge), saw them reach a 100-goal tally across the season.
There is one further match to play for the Ladies’ 6th XI when they head away to Chiltern next weekend. Their 4-2 victory over Blueharts last Saturday has them sitting in sixth, immediately below Chiltern, so a competitive final fixture is guaranteed.
The Men’s 7th XI finished third after receiving a walk-over against Southgate Adelaide while the Ladies 7th XI also take third-place after a goal by Maisie McIntyre brought a 1-0 victory over Letchworth.
Whilst the main league season is concluding, exciting action is still to come for several Bedford squads.
This coming Sunday, the Ladies’ Over 45’s will host Taunton in the semi-finals of England Hockey’s Masters Championships; the victors heading for a place in the final at Lee Valley, while the Under 18 Boys’ play in their England Hockey final on 13 April.
Words by Jean Fitch
