Wales Over 70 Men made history by winning gold at the O70 & O75 Masters Hockey World Cup in Tokyo, a result hailed as an ‘amazing achievement’.
This is the first time any Welsh Masters team has claimed the World Champion title.
The squad of 18 had a great overall tournament, losing just one game to South Africa (who they went on to beat in the final) in the pool stages.
Playing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic hockey stadium, they got off to a great start winning their opening match against the Alliance 70M SoM team 5-0.
Their first and only loss came next, losing 1-2 to South Africa, before they saw a decisive 13-0 win against Japan 70M SoM to finish second in their pool.
Taking on hosts Japan in the semi-final, they put on a fighting performance to come back from 0-2 down at half time to secure a 3-2 victory.
Richard Harbottle scored all three goals for Wales, the last and winning goal coming in the final three minutes of play.
With South Africa having beaten Australia in the second semi-final, Wales met South Africa again in the Masters World Cup final on Oct 29.
Wales were quickly rewarded for their game plan with Nigel Montgomery giving them a 1-0 lead in the first quarter.
As the first half came to a close, Derek Wright gave Wales their second goal and a comfortable cushion for the remainder of the game.
Controlling the second half to keep a clean sheet, Wales beat South Africa 2-0 to be crowned the 2022 O70 Masters Hockey World Champions.
Hockey Wales Chief Executive Ria Burrage-Male said “This is an amazing achievement and reflects how inclusive hockey is. It really is a sport for the whole family.”
“Masters Hockey is a fast-growing sector of our sport and has a huge impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals. It is a great way for players to keep fit and healthy well into their 70s and 80s.”
Photo: Wales O70 Men (left to right)
Back row: David Richards, Richard Harbottle, Pali Sumar, Jeff Robinson, Derek Wright, John Smith, Antony Wyatt, Ian Johnson, Narinder Lota
Middle row: Karen Padmore (Manager), Roger Harris, Richard Chapman (Captain), Peter Havlin, Andy Mitchell (Coach)
Front row: Philip Wheater, Dave Tipper (GK), Peter Williams, Malcolm Padmore, Nigel Montgomery, Phil Withers
BRILLIANT WIN FOR WALES .THE RESULT OF A LOT OF HARD WORK BEHIND THE SCENES TO ENSURE A FIT AND COMPTITIVE SIDE. WAS THIS THE SAME SIDE BEATEN 5-0 BY ENGLAND OVER 75’S ATDAWLISH IN OCTOBER 2021?
REGARDS TO ALL AND WELL DONE. THE AUSSIES MUST HAVE BEEN TRULLY GUTTED!