23/06/2026
Please forgive the indulgence of an old player.
As the Beatles sang "The long and winding road".
It is no longer feasible for me to play contemporary hockey for my club but I always feel I represent PZHC and Cornwall with pride while playing Masters hockey.
This season I was honoured to be selected for the West Men's O70s.The process involved two training sessions/trials at Taunton followed by a practice match/trial at Bristol against Wales.
Once selected, two further practice matches followed at Taunton, and then off to Ilkley in West Yorkshire for the tournament: seven games in three days.
The squad was festooned with seasoned county and international players and then me, the former rugby ho**er from Penzance.
The preparation was all about discipline and attention to detail both in open play and set pieces – no more than you would expect from a team manager who is ex-RAF. This paid off handsomely. The squad had been settled for many years, passing through the various age groups, but had not won gold for a long time, and so there was air of unfinished business.
Gold was ours by the conclusion of affairs on Sunday afternoon. One loss, one draw and five
wins, the joy and relief amongst the squad was
tremendous.
To some that read this, it will seem ridiculous, old men still chasing a hockey ball, but it keeps us fit and focused. Nearly all the players in the competition have been playing with and against each other for over 50 years, the camaraderie and friendship after the whistle was wonderful to observe.
It goes without saying that at the age of 72 it is probably the pinnacle of my time in hockey. A solo effort it was not. I have to thank Scotty, who has been my training partner for many years, Zelah Morrall, who helped repair my battered body at the end of last summer, my Gatfers teammates, especially Peter Whitby (Isca and Gatfers) who turned me into a player able to compete with the best in my age group; and finally, to my wife Dawn, a one-woman support team, nurse, carer, secretary and chauffeur. Little did she think at the age of 16, watching me play rugby for Mounts Bay, she would still be sitting in cold and draughty stands watching me chasing a ball decades later.
Richard