Rochdale Underwater Hockey Club

09/08/2026

Throwback time

One from the archives, the Rochdale team came back from the junior nationals in 1999 with the trophy for the most improved team, with only the tournament winners actually beating them.

Mark Price
Angi Dawson
Nick Dawson
Andrew Crofts
Michael Cohen. They got your name wrong!
Martyn Cooper

27/07/2026

A special thank you to our roving sports reporter Annmarie Thetford. Her summaries of each day’s achievements by the GB teams have been fantastic.

Great support by all the GB supporters who were out there to cheer us on.

Or as the U19M lads chant went

“Mick Hyde’s Red Army”

Tap to view!

24/07/2026

Day 7 - The last day of competition for Team GB

One again by team to make it easier…

The U19W had one last game in this tournament and they faced Australia. We started out straight towards the Australian tin but were fouled and awarded a penalty within 45 seconds which was saved by Australia. GB piled on the pressure, eventually broke through and the score was 1-0 to GB at half time. The start of the second half was mostly played in the centre ground but we were slowly moving up the pool until we broke through and it was 2, then 3, then 4-0. The Aussie girls had no response, we dominated the second half and the U19W ended their world championship ranked 5th in the world.

All the other age groups played twice today, the first game deciding whether they played for 5/6th or 7/8th spot this afternoon.
Mick and Ethan’s U19M played the USA this morning and it took a few minutes for their nerves to settle and really get into the game after a lot of centre play. Then suddenly a good drive forward, a scramble by the tin and it was 1-0 to GB and it was still 1-0 at half time. The second half started with a USA push forward, quickly turned around but another US attack was cleared to the corner. A lot of up and down play, very equal but we held on to win 1-0 and will play the 5/6th place match. This was played late afternoon against Australia and they quickly earned a penalty. 1-0 to Australia. A subbing error had 7 in the pool for GB so 1 player out in the sin bin. Pretty even amounts of play until just before half time when GB finally broke through and scored. 1-1 at half time. A bit scrappy on the Australian tin, a foul lead to another penalty goal awarded to GB but Australia quickly recovered and scored, 2-2. Another subbing error and a foul and we were down to 4 players and couldn’t hold them off. 3-2 to Australia. A loss but the U19M ended their world championships ranked 6th in the world.

Sophie and the U24W played South Africa this morning who dominated the early action. GB went down to 5 and SA take the lead 1-0. GB pushed back, inching down the pool and a goal just before half time equalled the score, 1-1.
Both teams really want to win this match but South Africa edged it to score 2-1. Our girls were not giving up and with 90 seconds on the clock we thought we had scored but it was ‘no goal’ Advantage puck to GB the crowd was going wild and it was back in the tin with 40 seconds to spare! So it was taken to extra time, 5 mins each way. No advantage for either side in the first period, but in the second a great swim and a goal made it 3-2 to GB and an afternoon appointment with Argentina for 5/6th place. We started well but several fouls saw GB pushed back to the middle before Argentina broke through and scored to make it 1-0. We had 2 players sent out so 4 in play but they couldn’t hold off and Argentina scored again. 2-0 at half time. We got a goal back in the second half and the Argentinian girls were arguing with the ref but strangely got no punishment! GB were pushing hard with 1 minute to go, but no last minute goal, and the game ended 2-1 to Argentina. The U24W ended their world championships ranked 6th in the world.

The U24M played Argentina this morning. An early scramble in the tin and it was 1-0 to Argentina. Great forward work by GB but can’t quite get through. A 5 minute sin bin time out for GB and they again took the advantage 2-0 to Argentina at half time. With the ‘5 mins’ spanning both halves and another player out we had 4 players but we held strong and even pushed forward. Both teams had players in and out of the sin bin but we got another 5 min call (seemed awfully convenient) A second ‘no goal’ for GB, back to 4 players and another goal for Argentina 3-0. Adam was out for 2 mins and we were at 4 again! Another 2 goals for Argentina and we now face the hosts Turkiye for the 7/8th place. The game started with GB down to 5 men within a minute. We then got it in the tin but a ‘no goal’ was called. A strong GB run forward and we scored, 1-0. Türkiye then scored and we were down to 5 again before they were awarded a penalty goal. 2-1 to Turkiye at half time. Our boys were determined to win this match and threw everything at it in the second half, a few calls going our way and we equalised. 2-2 at full time so onto extra time… 5 mins each way. Suddenly we have another player out for 5 mins, a penalty for us was saved, a very hard fought fast paced few mins, but with less than 2 mins left we broke through and scored 3-2 to GB. A nerve wracking last 90 second and we held them off and won the game. The U24M finish their world championships ranked 7th in the world.

I’ve attached a few pics from today but that’s the end of my takeover, thanks for reading my ramblings.
Cheers Annmarie

23/07/2026

Day 6…. Buckle in, it’s a long one…

Today’s report is by team…

Firstly the U19W completed their round robin starting with a game against South Africa where GB took the lead after a couple of minutes, some tactical play in the centre of the pool looked very equal until GB took the advantage again 2-0. GB pushing forward again, a foul by RSA gave us an advantage puck and another goal. Goals 4 and 5 arrived before half time. In the second half South Africa was applying pressure and alternating team players spending time in sin bin visits gave GB another advantage goals 6 then 7. Final score 7-0 to GB.
This afternoon the U19W played Colombia, this was not so easy, a solid first half with very equal play kept the score at 0-0 until Colombia broke through on the stroke of half time. After the break the Colombian girls piled on the pressure with a quick second goal followed swiftly by a 3rd and a 4th. Hard as they tried GB just couldn’t get close enough to the tin to score despite pushing hard. A breakaway goal from Colombia and the final score was 5-0.
This left them as 5th seed and so they face a playoff tomorrow for 5/6 place in the competition.

The U24W had to face the USA early this morning to determine which of them would make the quarter final. After a strong start GB scored a couple of quick goals and even got the puck in the tin a third time but there had been a foul so ‘no goal!’ This didn’t stop them and they soon had a third. An issue with the buzzer stopped play so an extra rest was welcomed by both teams and again GB took the advantage 4-0 at half time. The second half saw goals 5,6 and 7 so a decisive win to GB and onto the quarter final match against New Zealand.
Having already played the Kiwis earlier in the week (and losing) the GB girls were hoping to do better but unfortunately it was not to be, NZL scored in the 3rd minute and followed that with a further 5 goals. A couple of favourable calls for GB and a Kiwi in the sin bin but just as we were gaining some momentum it was half time with the score at 6-0 to NZL. We started well in the second half, we held them off with some great defending but a foul and a penalty goal given, GB down to 5, another penalty, more NZL goals and a final score of 11-0 to New Zealand.
Sophie and the U24W will now play in the second half of the draw for the 5-8th places tomorrow.

Mick and Ethan’s U19M played their quarter final game against France. A great swim up the middle from GB was almost in the tin, defended by the French and then a period of very equal play, both teams want this win and there was nothing between them. Several attacks by our boys but it was the French who broke the deadlock 1-0 to France at half time. More fantastic defence from GB and a great swim up the pool with France down to 5 men but we couldn’t use the advantage. Another French goal and it was over, the GB boys fought a hard battle but 2-0 to France.
The U19M will now play in the second half of the draw for the 5-8th places tomorrow.

The U24M were drawn to play Australia who have been unbeaten all week. This was going to be a truly difficult match, both teams are strong and passionate players and want this win! The speed the teams pushed off the wall at the start of the game was phenomenal and the water was like a jacuzzi with all the bubbles created! But Australia pushed harder and we were forced into defence from the off. It was soon 1-0 to them and we were not getting a break from the constant onslaught. Our boys had some fantastic defensive moves but just couldn’t get down the pool without being pushed back. A couple more goals and it was 3-0 at half time. The second half saw a penalty for Australia and another goal. It felt like every time we got anywhere near their goal we were called up for a foul, but it was a great game of hockey despite us losing 5-0.
Adam and the U24M will now play in the second half of the draw for the 5-8th places tomorrow.

So, not the results we wanted today there were tears, frustration and disappointment from the teams. But there are still places to play for, so a final day of competition tomorrow.
U19W will play either Australia or South Africa
U19M play the USA then either Australia or China
U24W play South Africa then either Australia or Argentina
U24M play Argentina then either France or Turkey

I said it was a long one!
Cheers Annmarie

22/07/2026

So Day 5 is where all the tables are finalised and we find out who plays who in the quarter finals tomorrow (except the U19W who have another day of round robin matches) but more of that later, first to today’s games….

Another early start for the U19W who played Australia at 7:30 this morning, but they were very awake and scored 2 goals within 5 mins. Some great tactics taking up all the free space and getting through their formation. Although down to 5 we still powered forward but made no further gains in the first half. The second half was a lot of powering up and down the pool with some great skills shown from both teams and was a very equal start. Then GB found their rhythm and the goals followed… numbers 3,4,5,6 and 7 and finally with 15 seconds on the clock goal no 8! Final score 8-0 to GB.

Mick and Ethan’s U19M also faced Australia, a good closely matched game a lot of play in the middle ground but GB got the advantage and it was 1-0 at half time. After a goal line scramble in the second half the Aussies equalised with 10 mins still on the clock. No further change to the score and it finished 1-1.

The U24M were the third GB squad to face Australia this morning and we started strong scoring quickly and holding them at bay for 10 mins before they equalised 1-1 at half time. A good start to the second half pushing forward, then up and down the pool swapping the advantage but then we were down to 5 men and Australia scored 2-1. Another 1 out each and a very scrappy last 2 mins near their goal but we couldn’t get it in the tin. Final score 2-1 to Australia.

The U24W played their match against Argentina at the same time as the men so I had to watch the replay for this match. The girls had lots of the play but Argentina broke through after 9 mins and then a second time meant 2-0 at half time.
Plenty of pushes forward for our girls after the break but they just couldn’t convert any of them into goals. Argentina went to 5 players and we got a penalty goal ending the game 2-1 to Argentina.

After lunch the U19W played Turkiye, the noise from their fans was intimidating so we tried our best to outdo them with our singing and shaking a couple of buckets full of chickpeas which is surprisingly effective as large maracas! In the pool the girls scored first and then had several long hard defensive plays. We got them up the pool but a quick turnaround and solo swim gave Turkiye a goal 1-1, then they scored again with 25 seconds on the clock, 2-1 to Turkiye at half time. After the break there was a quick 3rd goal for Turkiye and one of our girls was hit with a headshot but no offence called or Turkish player sent out! They got another goal and then as with lots of the Turkish games there was a sudden flurry of sin bin visits for lots of our players especially the backs! The game ended 4-1 to Turkiye.

The U19M then faced New Zealand and started well, but the Kiwis scored the first goal after 5 mins. We almost got it in the tin but a foul was called. The game was end to end lots of play and not many fouls, 1-0 to NZL at half time. More free play followed it was a great game to watch, end to end and GB pushing hard but a couple of breakaway goals and it finished 3-0. The score was not representative of the strength of the GB game play.

Finally the U24M also finished their round robin against New Zealand. A strong start for GB and a quick goal had us all screaming but the Kiwis quickly equalised and then got another. GB held on well to reach half time at 2-1. NZL had 2 players out at the beginning of the second half and we took advantage equalising the score 2-2, the Kiwis were pushing hard but some fantastic defending from GB. Both teams really wanting the win made fouling errors and took turns in losing players to the sun bin. A penalty goal for New Zealand and then a final goal with 22 seconds on the clock left GB with no opportunity to counter and the game ended 4-2 to New Zealand.

So where does that leave us? Well, it’s going to be a battle but all 4 teams still have a chance. Tomorrow the U19W finish their round robin but for the other 3 teams it’s
8am (6 am UK) Court 1 GB U24W v USA
11am (9am UK) Court 2 GB U19M v France
3pm (1pm UK) Court 1 GB U24W v New Zealand but only if they win against USA
4pm (2pm UK) Court 1 GB U24M v Australia
It’s now a knockout phase so we need to win to progress, so keep you fingers and toes and anything else crossed 🤞
Good Luck to all our teams
Cheers Annmarie 😊

A couple of photos added of our ‘maracas’ and Mick and Ethan

21/07/2026

Day 4 …. A day of penalties…

The morning started for GB with the U19W playing the French who got an early goal. Some great defending from GB kept the half time score at 1-0. France came out quickly in the secondly half and were soon 2-0 up but a goal for GB followed. 10 mins to go and we were down to 5 players, France played the advantage and scored twice more, the game finished 4-1 to France.

The U24M knew that playing hosts Turkiye would be challenging and they started with some great defending despite poor referee decisions, then a scramble in the tin edge, a long ref time out finally decided 1-0 to GB. The Turkish team came back strong but it was still 1-0 at half time. The second half started with a second goal for GB and then it all went downhill. There was a sudden turnover of GB players being sent out and we played most of the second half with 5 men. Then Turkiye were awarded a penalty and they were allowed to take it 3 times (maybe because we saved the first 2 🤷‍♀️) so 2-1 to GB. Then we were down to 3 men and they got another penalty so 2-2. A quick breakaway for them made it 3-2 to Turkiye, just appalling refereeing! 20 seconds to go and we scored again to end the game 3-3. The boys fought really hard for this draw, and showed real tenacity and teamwork.

The U24W v France was a much calmer affair, an early penalty gave GB the advantage, the French countered but we defended well until just before half time 1-1. After the break a series of sin bin visits for our players made it difficult, but great defending and strong swims end to end couldn’t break the deadlock and it finished a 1-1 draw.

In their second game of the day the U19W played New Zealand and as expected from the current world champions we were soon 2-0 down. A penalty to NZL was expertly saved by GB but that wasn’t enough and the goals kept coming 7-0 down at half time. In the second half we were again outclassed and it was 12-0 with a couple of minutes to go. A last minute attack by GB was thwarted and the game ended 12-0.

The U19M only had 1 game today and it was against the USA. A long period of corner play, from one side to the other and back finally ended with a goal for GB. A poor tackle gave away a penalty and it was 1-1 at half time. In the second half we were down to 4 and the USA were pressing hard, we conceded another penalty 2-1 a constant stream of GB players were sent out but we still managed to equalise and the game ended 2-2. An early finish hopefully means a chance for Mick and Ethan’s team to rest and recover before tomorrow’s games.

The U24M were the second team to play The USA and it was GB who scored first. Adam scored the second goal before the Americans got a breakaway goal and we countered with another one getting to half time 3-1 up. A quick goal after the break followed by a fantastic solo swim from Ty gave a final score of 5-1 to GB.

Last up and also playing the USA were the U24W not much to say it was goal after goal for GB and 6-0 at half time. Not much changed in the second half, we were down to 5 players for a couple of minutes, and a few calls for infringements gave the US a bit of respite but we ended the game 9-0 to GB.

More tomorrow… cheers Annmarie 😊

20/07/2026

Day 3…. Another day with 2 matches for each of our teams, we started with Sophie and the U24W playing the hosts Türkiye. A quick goal by them left us 1-0 down at half time but we equalised soon after the break. Our girls defended well but as with all the Türkiye games there were lots of sendings out! Ultimately they scored again and we ended the game with a 2-1 loss.

Mick and Ethan’s U19M started their day playing Columbia. A very calm first half, both sides clearly were taking their time to get going and it was 0-0 at half time. A few good attacks from Columbia, well defended by GB but the game ended with the score at 0-0.

Next it was the turn of the U19W to face Turkiye and again there were more than a few sendings out including 2 GB ‘backs’ at the same time! Turkiye were awarded 3 penalty goals and we lost the game 5-0.

Adam and the U24M then had their turn to play Columbia, they were a tight knit bunch and we seemed unable to get anywhere past their forwards. The score looks more one sided than it was with a 4-1 loss for GB.

The days second round of matches started with the U24W playing South Africa. We were 3-0 down by half time with some excellent saves by them on the lip of the tin just keeping us out! Finally Sophie broke through the South African back line to score but another goal from them in the last minute gave the final score of 4-1 to RSA.

The U19M took on France and got an early goal but that was quickly countered by a couple of French goals and it was 4-1 by half time. Controversially there was a timing error and the ref didn’t stop the clock for half time, the French played on and scored! VC Oli showed great patience and negotiation skills to get the goal disallowed. Unfortunately in the second half the boys had no reply as France scored several more times and the game ended with a 7-1 defeat.

If the U19W were feeling intimidated by the thought of playing the Australians they certainly didn’t show it, they came out ‘all guns blazing’ and scored 3 before being awarded a penalty. The Aussie No 8 made a great save, but we reached half time in the lead. The second half continued like the first, attacking well and keeping the puck in their half, goals number 4,5 and 6 soon followed. A great performance and a 6-0 win.

The U24M also took on the French this afternoon, we came out fighting and it was a great start, very equal up and down the pool. France got the first goal but we soon equalised after a strong swim by Tyresse with Adam providing the assist. In the second half it was again equal both teams playing with passion but a GB foul gave away a penalty so 2-1 to France. We equalised, and after a fraught last couple of minutes the game ended a 2-2 draw.

Another rollercoaster of a day, lots of singing and shouting from the supporters makes for a fantastic atmosphere, even if the temperature at the pool feels hotter than the sun 🥵
Cheers Annmarie

19/07/2026

A busy day with all four age groups having two matches each so we were in the first match this morning and the last match tonight!

The U19W started the day against Columbia, a pretty even first half but after the break the Colombians dominated and it ended with a 9-2 loss.

Sophie and the U24W were simply outclassed by another strong Colombian side in their first match which ended in a 12-0 defeat.

Then Mick and Ethan’s U19M took on South Africa and went 2 up in the first 5 mins, the RSA commentator saying ‘GB are just steamrolling into us’ as we shot another 6 past them to give a final score of 8-1. A 3rd consecutive win for them.

Adam and the U24M took on a much stronger South African side, we got an early goal but they countered with 2 in quick succession, we equalised but they scored another couple and it ended a 4-2 loss.

The second matches of the day started with the U24W against Australia, we dominated the first half but couldn’t quite get it in the tin! With 5 mins to go in the second half we scored, but Australia equalised so it ended 1-1 a much improved performance this afternoon.

Most drama of the day was the U19M against Türkiye. Being a home games their support is phenomenal and LOUD we went 2-0 down in the second half but the lads were penalised with a few ‘sin bin’ visits leaving us with only 4 players for a couple of minutes. They held strong but conceded another goal and it ended 3-0 to Turkiye.

The U19W found their rhythm in their second game against South Africa. 5-0 up in the first half and they continued in the same vein after the break with a great performance and an 8-0 win.

The last match of the day was the U24M versus The Netherlands, a quick goal each had the score at 1-1 we scored again but then had 2 players sent out. We held them out for a couple of minutes but then just as we had a full team again they scored a last minute equaliser and the game ended 2-2.

It was a rollercoaster of emotions all day and there are a lot of supporters with croaky voices this evening! But we’ll be back again tomorrow for more

Cheers Annmarie 😊

18/07/2026

What an opening day….

We started early with the U24M playing Argentina, we had an early goal not given and went on to draw 2-2. A strong performance from all the lads!

Unfortunately the U24W were a bit overwhelmed by current world champions New Zealand at the start of the first half and conceded a few quick goals leaving them 7-0 down at half time. In the second half they came out stronger and held them off better, the game finished with a 10-0 loss.

The U19M coached by our own Mick and Ethan had a great start to the comp beating China 5-0 this morning and then beating Poland 6-2

The U19W played France this morning and lost 6-2 then played New Zealand this afternoon and suffered a second defeat losing 6-1.

This evening we had the official opening ceremony which was attended by all the teams, parents, referees, CMAS members and many local dignitaries. Speeches were given in Turkish and English and the competition was declared open! A short video of the GB team being welcomed and a photo of our Rochdale players is attached.

More tomorrow….
Cheers Annmarie 😊