It might have been the off-season for some, but members of Penarth Hockey Club were all over the map as they represented their homeland in various international competitions over the past few months.

While the various World Cup competitions took centre stage, the summer got off to a winning start for the Welsh with a long-awaited victory over England in the annual mixed international.

Played over two legs at Sophia Gardens on the weekend of 14-15 July, the outcome remained in the balance until the last minutes of game two after Saturday’s encounter ended 1-1. Having been ahead in the second match, Wales appeared to be heading for another defeat after going into half-time trailing 3-2 on aggregate, but produced a thrilling finish to not only peg the English back, but come out on top, sneaking 5-4 ahead with the final whistle imminent.

The games showcased not only a handful of current players, including tournament organiser Ben Croxall, but also introduced new faces set to join the Bears for the coming season, when the 1st XI step up to the Premiership of the recently-renamed Verde Recreo Hockey League.

 

Penarth stalwart Chris Baker joined newcomer Chris Hardy amongst the goals for Wales, while Tom Haran, Joe Thomas and goalkeeper Scott Fulton-Brown joined Croxall in the line-up. The club was also well represented on the sidelines, with David Joyce and Tyrone Moore taking on managerial and coaching responsibilities respectively.

“Winning a huge achievement for the whole squad,” Croxall noted, “England have won this fixture for the last decade, so it’s a great feeling winning a game in this manner. To be 4-2 down going into the last quarter and then score three goals to win the game shows the togetherness, fight and spirit of the team.”

To date, the mixed internationals have tended to be one-off affairs, but the current Welsh squad are now toying with the idea of continuing as a team and entering further tournaments when the opportunity presents itself.

While Wales had teams entered in four of the five age categories at the Exin Masters World Cup in Barcelona – staged in the heat of late July – Penarth had players capable of representing their country in the one from which the nation was absent.

Mark Harris would likely have featured in the Over-40s squad had it not been for an ill-timed spell in hospital, while four other players who represented their country at that level in the Home Internationals were also denied the chance to play in the global tournament as.

Andy Strong and Dave Watkins did make the trip to Spain, however, having been picked for the Over-45 and Over-55 categories respectively. Both acquitted themselves well, getting on the scoresheet as the Welsh put in respectable performances against some of hockey’s powerhouses.

Strong netted his first Welsh goal in against Malaysia as the Over-45s found themselves in the play-off for 9th-12th places, having narrowly missed out on a quarter-final place after their pool games. A lone win over Argentina in Group B was followed by two more in the cross-over games – against Malaysia and the USA – and Strong and Co finished a creditable tenth overall, despite travelling with a depleted squad.

Watkins, meanwhile, ended the tournament as Wales’ leading scorer in the Over-55 age group, finding the net three times as the Dragons finished 13th overall.

The squad had a tough task right from the off, having been drawn in the same group as England and Australia, who had faced off in the previous World Cup final, but put up decent performances that belied the final result.

Succumbing to a French side that they had shared the spoils with earlier in the season derailed the Welsh effort as pitchside temperatures reached 42 degrees, leaving them needing a win against New Zealand to make the 9th-12th playoff. Having fought back from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 with a couple of minutes left, Wales then conceded in the last minute to a side that had replaced its goalkeeper with a ‘kicking back’ in the hope of salvaging a point.

Comfortable wins against Ireland and South Africa perhaps underlined that the Dragons deserved to be playing off for higher positions, but conceding late goals in three of their four group games ultimately proved to be their undoing.

A quartet of players featured for the Over-40s in the Home Internationals in Southgate, with Laith El-Khatib and Matthew Stollery – who took only 19secs to make his mark against England – both finding the net during the annual round-robin with England, Ireland and Scotland. Unfortunately for the squad, which also featured Tyrone Moore and Marcus Powell, results over the weekend did not go their way…

Penarth’s veterans programme continued to provide players for Wales, with Dave Morgan joining Watkins in the Over-55s squad for warm-up games against Italy, France, Germany and Ireland in Verona, and Nick Pratt featuring for the Dragons LX side a little closer to home, in Swansea.

The club’s youth set-up also looks set to produce international-calibre players, something it has been renowned for over the years, with Lewis Latimer-Williams leading the way after representing the Dragons at Under-13 level in Nottingham.

With the 2018-19 season now on the horizon, Penarth’s senior teams are gearing up for their respective league programmes, with a fifth team being added to the mix in the wake of recent successes. The 1st XI, now playing at a level previously unmatched by any Penarth side, has already been involved in pre-season friendly action and, this weekend, heads to a tournament in France as part of its warm-up for life in the Verde Recreo Premiership.

While training and conditioning has started for the 1st and 2nd XIs, regular club sessions for both senior and junior players will begin again at Stanwell in early September, with games starting for all sides later in the month.

*Penarth Hockey Club always welcomes new, old and returning players, umpires, supporters, friends and helpers regardless of age and ability. Training resumes in September and will take place on Wednesdays at Stanwell School, with the juniors on the pitch between 6.15pm and 7.15pm and the seniors between 7.00pm and 8.15pm.

Anyone interested in joining the club at senior or youth level can contact club secretary Dave Stevens (d_stevens81@hotmail.co.uk) for further information.