On Thursday (8th May), Steph Daniels and Lynn Pearce formed part of the Women’s East O70s squad, in their regional tournament, facing up to teams from regions across the country.
After a highly successful day’s play, the team were crowned tournament winners.
From the men’s side of the club, Jon Ratcliffe met up with former Bedford Hockey Club player, Phil Joyce, to see action over the weekend in Cockermouth, running out on pitch for the Scottish Thistles in an LX tournament (premier hockey for the Over 60s), involving matches against four other LX teams.
It was a trip north, at the weekend, too, for a team of the club’s women’s masters, as they headed to Harrogate for the Crawfurd Porter Veterans’ Tournament, an annual pilgrimage that players from Bedford have been making for well over 25 years.
After two matches on Saturday and three on Sunday, in scorching temperatures, Bedford returned home as tournament champions, having secured three wins and two draws.
Back down south, Sunday also saw great representation from Bedford Hockey Club’s women, in the Women’s O50s East County Tournament, Bedford players making up a significant percentage of the Bedfordshire squad. An intense day of matches ended in Bedfordshire gaining a podium position, finishing a creditable third.
There was action, too, for some of the club’s juniors, the Boy’s Under 12s attending the Barford Tigers Festival. The scores speak for themselves: Bedford 2-0 Cannock; Bedford 2-0 Newport; Bedford 3-0 Barford 1; Bedford 7-0 Barton; Final: Bedford 4-1 Barton.
Special mention goes to one of the Bedford squad, Gurvir Sira, whose 8 goals earned him the Top Goal Scorer of the Tournament award.
Mention, also, goes to the club’s President, Rob Oakley, after the announcement that he has been shortlisted for the Lifetime Achievement Award, in the England Hockey 2025 Awards.
Rob is a stalwart of the club, a former Bedford Town player, who was instrumental in the merger of the various Bedford men’s and women’s teams, back in the days of grass play, and the move to the current Chester Road home ground, forming Bedford Hockey Club as we now know it.
Rob has dedicated a lifetime to hockey, playing, coaching, umpiring, fundraising and promoting the sport, not just here in Bedford, but on a county, regional and national level.
The awards will be presented on Saturday the 7th of June, at a ceremony in Leicester, when the winner will be announced.