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The 37th International Easter Tournament

The 37th International Easter Tournament

Steve Hills - Webmaster27 Mar 2018 - 13:43
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https://www.maidenheadhc.org.u

An amazing weekend despite the weather with knuckle biting finals and some brilliant hockey! Thank you to all who took part.

Despite the weather challenges we had a great tournament, we saw some skilled hockey, we partied and we made new friendships that will last well beyond the weekend. There is a proud tradition surrounding this tournament and it was wonderful to be hosting
- Lindsey Lucas, Easter Tour Committee Chair

Despite a weekend of torrential rain, waterlogged pitches and even a flood warning, Maidenhead Hockey Club’s annual Easter tournament pressed ahead, un-deterred – culminating in a celebratory win for boy’s team and a near miss for the girls.

The U18 Annual Easter Tournament, which is sponsored by Marlow-based Stubbings Property Marketing, marks the highlight of the Colts (under 18s) hockey season and is now in its 36 th year. The tournament, which was started back in 1982 sees teams from M.H.C. Krimpen from Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Brigg Hockey Club from near Scunthorpe and Maidenhead Hockey Club meet every Easter weekend for a fun packed few days of matches and more.

Across the weekend, over 110 players and coaches took part, while the tournament attracted a significant crowd of parents, supporters and spectators, who turned up to enjoy some tightly fought matches.

The boys tournament had a slightly different twist this year, with teams from Maidenhead and Krimpen, along with a further ‘Legends’ team, made up of their respective coaches. However, the ‘Legends’ proved formidable opponents! On the Saturday, Maidenhead boys beat Krimpen and only just lost to the mixed &'Legends'; team, who then went on to beat the Krimpen team. Sunday was a repeat of the previous day meaning that Maidenhead boys won the tournament. The team, captained by Richard Mulvany (who also won Boys Player of the Tournament), showed great skill and the matches were enjoyed by all.

The girl’s tournament was between the three teams of Maidenhead, Krimpen and Brigg.
Maidenhead, captained by Teona Goodge, went in to an early lead on the Saturday after drawing against Brigg and winning against Krimpen. But on Sunday the Dutch team showed some true grit and determination and successfully won against Brigg, before drawing against the Maidenhead girls.
The final decisive match was Maidenhead versus Brigg, if Maidenhead won the match, they won the tournament, if not they handed it to the Krimpen team. It was a tough match, which went down to the wire. However, despite their best efforts, the Maidenhead girls didn’t manage to secure that much needed goal and Krimpen were declared winners of the tournament. The Maidenhead girls only just lost out but could certainly hold their heads high, having never lost a single match.

After some packed days of hockey, the evenings saw lots of entertainment with a disco, Karaoke and fancy-dress party all taking place at the club house.

To see all the action simply click here to check out the pictures of the weekend.

A summary of the winners (sponsored by Eugene Murphy):
 Boys - Maidenhead Hockey Club
 Girls - Mixed Hockey Club Krimpen

Player of the Tournament:
 Boys: Richard Mulvany, Maidenhead Hockey Club (Mens 1s player)
 Girls: Lois Haig, Brigg Hockey Club

Jeremy Hylton-Smith Award for Sportsmanship (sponsored and presented Jeremy himself):
 Girls: Gemma Kershaw, Brigg Hockey Club
 Boys: Mixed Hockey Club Krimpen Boys team

The Mike Pearce Memorial for team sportsmanship (awarded by the umpires to the team that shows best sportsmanship) presented by the Tournament Sponsor, Helen Todd from Stubbings Property Marketing:
 Maidenhead Hockey Club Girls Team

Results:
 Maidenhead Boys V Krimpen Boys 3-1 Saturday and 4-1 Sunday
 Maidenhead Girls V Krimpen Girls 1-0 Saturday and 0-0 Sunday
 Krimpen Girls V Brigg Girls 2-0 Saturday and 1-1 Sunday
 Maidenhead Girls V Brigg Girls 1-1 Saturday and 0-0 Sunday

Dave Taylor, Chair of Maidenhead Hockey Club, concluded: “What a fantastic weekend. It was great to see so many players come together to enjoy a weekend of hockey and fun. We are delighted to have taken away a victory from the tour but most of all, it was just so nice to see all the teams enjoying the sport and really getting stuck in. We might need a rest first, but we can’t wait for next year!

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