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Maidenhead HC 43rd Veterans Tournament

Maidenhead HC 43rd Veterans Tournament

Helen Todd17 Apr 2023 - 14:28
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https://www.maidenheadhc.org.u

A celebration of the love of hockey

We had a lovely weekend for the 43rd Annual Veterans Tour.

This year the event was headed up by Theodorus Brekelmans due to Lionel Conner stepping down last year.

On Saturday evening the Annual Veterans Dinner was held at he Bull in Bisham and was attended by players and partners from The Abrahams (Netherlands) , S.T.K. Berlin (Germany) and (ex) Maidenhead H.C. Veterans. The spotlight was on Lionel Conner, who stepped down as organiser after last year’s tournament and had organised no less than 42 Maidenhead Veterans Tournaments. Huge thanks to Lionel for such an amazing tenure ship.

Jim Harris Memorial Trophy
The Jim Harris Memorial Trophy was presented by Maidenhead Hockey Club Colts in Memory of Jim’s commitment to Colts and Veteran’s Hockey and was first awarded in 1997.
Due to the pandemic there were no occasions for awarding the Trophy, hence this year the trophy was awarded as follows

2020 Lukas van Sprengle - Abrahams
2021 Wolfram Keller - S.T.K. Berlin
2022 John Smithers - Heathens
2023 John Ingram-Marriott - Handbags

Tournament
On Sunday the tournament was hosted at Maidenhead & Bray Sports Club with 8 teams taking part, including a Dutch Team (the Abrahams) and a German team (S.T.K Berlin) with each of the teams playing 4 matches over the 4 hour tournament.

The cup was first presented by Lionel Connor on Saturday 14 April 1979. The tournament was part of the club's celebrations for the 75th anniversary of its founding.
However , the cup itself dates from 1976 and was used at the occasion of three friendly matches (1976, 1977 and 1978). It was handed over to Lionel to use it as a challenge cup for the Maidenhead Veterans

During the 2023 tournament, two of the players taking part in 1979 were present.
The Abrahams won the tournament and the Wooden Spoon was awarded to the Red Lions, as they lost all matches.

Theo said "Given the age of the players, it was a relief that only a few players suffered from minor injuries. The Maidenhead HC first aiders had at least the opportunity to apply their competences and demonstrate the need of qualified First Aiders during sports event. A big thank you on behalf of the players they helped".

Huge thanks to Maidenhead & Bray Sports Club for hosting us all and to the players and supporters for a fantastic festival of hockey. We look forward to seeing many of you next year.

Further reading