The Wellingborough Hockey Tournament will mark its 10th birthday this weekend with its first over 80s regional event.
It is unique in that both juniors and grandmasters play in the same tournament alongside each other. This is an example of what can be achieved and what could be adopted by other sporting bodies.
The world’s first Men’s Over 75s Hockey International match took place in Breda on November 12th, 2013. It was won by England, who beat Holland 3 – 1.
2015
Bill Greenwood, a member of Kettering Hockey Club was one of the players who took part in the first O75s international match between England and the Dutch. In May 2014 when playing in the Men’s Over 70s Regional Tournament, he was asked when the Over 75 competition was likely to take place, only to be informed that the regions were unable to field teams of 11. Thereupon, he suggested teams of seven and thus history was made. Greenwood took on the task of arranging the first Over 75 Tournament in 2015 at The Wren School, Wellingborough, Northants.
The first Regional Tournament took place over a weekend in April 2015. North couldn’t raise a team and South became the first title holders.
2016
It seemed a shame to leave half the pitch unused, so the following year the event was advertised as a “double bill” – the O75 Regionals on one half and a competition for Under 75s (hopefully 70-ish) on the other, both to run concurrently.
This became known as the Ancients and Aspirants event. Kettering Ladies provided a team to replace North (and make the tournament easier to organise), and the Aspirants consisted of Wales Over 70s, Ousels (Bedford), St. Albans, LX and Kettvets.
2017
A further development was the arrangement of a couple of representative (11-a-side) matches on Friday, to be followed by the A & A (7 aside) on Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, some regional teams withdrew but this was compensated by the arrival of two LX Ladies teams. (LX Ladies are an official Over 60s Hockey Touring Club with players drawn from all over England). This year also saw the World’s first-ever Over 80s team. Final line-ups were: Ancients – Midlands, South, Over 80s, LX Ladies B, and Alliance; Aspirants – St. Albans, Wales 70s, LX Ladies A, Kettering Under 14s and a Senior Kettering team.
Despite some teams withdrawing, the tournament became a resounding success, with the inclusion of the additional teams indicating a demand for such a unique tournament.
2018
2018 followed the same pattern. As their membership increased, LX Ladies played a growing part in the event and, apart from occasional hiccups, the organisation became easier, with the Kettering Club support team gaining a few additional members. East won the Regionals this time, and Saturday evening was its usual high point.
2019
2019 saw the 5th Over 75 competition (won by the East) and a further increase in the number of Ladies’ teams participating.
2021
There were many ups and downs following Covid plus the fact that more and more events for older players were now being organised across the country by England hockey. Therefore the 2021 tournament saw the 7-aside tournament moved to August: an excellent 3 days with a certain amount of borrowing of players between teams- one of the penalties of a congested fixture list!!
England Hockey removed the Over 75s Regionals to Solihull as the regions were now all fielding teams of 11, so it needed a separate venue. The outcome was that grandmasters hockey was back on the calendar.
2022
In 2022, again the Wellingborough Tournament continued to celebrate the success of an event, but the hockey and companionship, competition and sportsmanship are the signs of its success, crowned by the great Saturday evening buffet/social.
2023
In 2023 Bill Greenwood moved away and LX Ladies offered to take on the event. renaming it The Jacky Murray 7s, in memory of one of the founders of the Club. In spite of a short lead-in time and no Over Men’s 75s, it was yet another excellent weekend, which involved a mixture of male and female teams with a younger element. There were occasions when the younger players were amazed as the grandmasters may not have the speed of yester years but certainly maintain the skills of a lifetime of hockey. It also showed that, despite the impact of Covid, the Tournament was here to stay as an annual event.
2024
2024 provided yet another repeat performance, with close-fought games among a variety of teams including LX men, teams from Alliance (a European Touring Team), Bedford and Wales, as well as a great turnout of LX Ladies.
One of the highlights must be the goal scored by Brian Woolcott on his 87th birthday. Incidentally, Brian is one of the founder members of LX Men, back in 1995. Hockey must be the only sport where players from the age of 8 to 87, men and women, boys and girls can play together and against each other in the same game with total respect and consideration for each other. It is also a great way to inspire the younger players.
2025
This year will be ten years since the tournament ‘s inception – which shows that over the years the tournament has generated a lasting atmosphere of fun and friendship . This year there are 12 teams, including Alliance, Scotland and Wales. In addition, 2025 this tournament will provide yet another milestone, with the first Men Over 80s Regional competition on Friday April 11th. The 3 regions are South (of the Thames), Middle England and North (of the Wash), as there are not yet enough players to fill a full regional complement. These players will then participate in the overall tournament on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th. This year the tournament boasts 12 teams and over 100 players which illustrates the continued growth of the Wellingborough Tournament.
