For most Bedford Hockey Club teams, the weekend marked the high point of the 2021-22 season, with only a handful of postponed matches in the Eastern Division remaining to be played over the next two weeks.
For the club’s National League sides, the climax comes next weekend, as the two 1sts face their final opponents.
With a game in front of a home crowd and having held third-placed Harleston Magpies to a 1-0 draw last Sunday, the men’s 1s will be confident of taking points against struggling Cambridge University.
The 1 ladies remain solidly in second place, with first place Sutton Coldfield already a guaranteed promotion. Bedford will be hoping to build on their draw against Cannock on Saturday when they travel to Oxford University.
Men 2 will be able to enjoy another season in Division 1, having finished mid-table. Saturday’s game saw them claim a fine 3-2 victory over St Albans, snapping a run of tough weeks for the Bedford side and ending on a high.
After suffering another Covid-related cancellation last weekend, with their Thurrock opposition due to be postponed, and with an already rescheduled game against St Albans still to be played, it will be a few weeks before the 2 ladies know if they will exceed their current third position. Although, along with their male counterparts, they are already guaranteed to remain in Division 1 at the start of the new season.
Despite a 3-0 away loss to Harpenden, the men 3 will retain their current fourth spot in the table, looking to deliver their final game on Saturday at the Chester Road ground, taking on bottom-of-the-table St Albans 4s.
After securing a 3-0 win over Welwyn Garden City over the weekend, the 3 ladies will end their season in a very creditable second place, ahead of Hertford on goal difference. While they have a stellar game this Saturday against Harpenden and will pour all their energy into securing a win, the result will have no impact on the final league standings.
The 4 men still have one game to complete, a home game against Potters Bar this Saturday. They picked up a fantastic 3-0 win over Harpenden at the weekend and, with Bedford third and the Potters Bar coffee table, Bedford will be looking to pick up a few final points.
With all the matches over, the 4 ladies also conclude their season in third place. They finish with the same points as Stevenage, fourth. Stevenage drew 1-all in their game on Saturday while Bedford found their way back to winning ways for their final game, triumphing with a 2-1 score line over Cheshunt. Bedford, claim third position on goal difference, with only 2 goals splitting the teams.
Sadly, for the 5 men, not even their 1-all draw at Southgate over the weekend could save them from relegation. Their move to Division 5 will not be a disappointment, however. League restructuring had placed them inappropriately, and next season promises to be far superior for the team.
The Ladies 5 season finale, a 4-0 victory over Letchworth, was celebrated with the popping of champagne corks. With 16 wins, 1 draw and just 1 loss throughout the season, the team topped the league, with an incredible 91 goals scored and just 10 conceded. Their promotion will provide a much better path for female players through the club as the misguided restructuring had resulted in ladies 5 and 6 being placed in the same division this season.
With one game still to be rearranged, the 6 ladies, despite losing 5-0 to Stevenage at the weekend, are guaranteed to continue within the division. The 6 men have also secured a place in their same division for 2022-23.
The male veterans have put in tremendous effort this season, with weekly intensive training sessions for the team. Their commitment is now bearing fruit. After the weekend’s 6-0 victory over Southgate, they finish with a fifth place in the league
Bedford’s two development squads, the men’s and women’s 7s, have come a long way over the season. The ladies have one last game this weekend, against Stevenage, while the men ended their run with a 4-2 win over Southgate.
As the men’s and women’s leagues come to a close, attention will now turn to mixed hockey, with the men and women of Bedford Hockey Club, as well as several surrounding clubs, combining to create teams for the mixed summer league, which will take place on weekdays. evenings.
There are also some exciting Masters matches to look forward to, with the Ladies Over 55 playing in the final of the England Hockey Championships, taking on Ben Rhydding at Lee Valley on April 30 and the reigning Champions Ladies of over 35 years old. , heading to Alderley Edge on April 3 for the semi-finals, aiming to reach their Lee Valley final on May 1.
The Chester Road pitches were bustling with energy and laughter for the juniors’ final Sunday session until their return in September. The Under-8s and Under-10s of the Olney Junior Hockey Club joined the Bedford Juniors for drills and matches, led by the former England and Great Britain hockey player and head coach girls under 16 from England, Lisa Letchford.
The club’s Girls Under-18 side, meanwhile, put in a powerful performance in a Monday night game against St Neots, with goals from Tash, Amelie, Cerys, Amelia and Kaavya securing victory.
If you want to find out more about Bedford Hockey Club, why not visit the club’s stand, which will be in the Sports Village during this year’s River Festival.
More about this article: Read More
Source: www.bedfordtoday.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-30 22:10:47
