Bedford Hockey Club men enjoy a win, but frosty cancellations frustrate

Ladies' 2s beat the weather to see action.

The weather, once more, put paid to match play for any Bedford Hockey Club teams on Saturday (4th January), with frozen pitches bringing the cancellation of three away league fixtures and one home match.

They had already been rearranged, following their postponement from storms before the Christmas break, and will have to be rescheduled, yet again.

Bedford’s next round play-off match, against London Edwardians, in the England Hockey Women’s Club Championships, also fell foul of the ice.

Despite the overnight covering of snow, however, on Sunday, warming temperatures, an intensive effort to clear the pitches, and slight delayed timings, enabled the two matches to continue.

Men's Over 45s battle it out with Harpenden

The Ladies’ Second XI were first out to test the conditions and, though surface water impacted the ball speed, it was still a fast-paced match against their Crostyx opponents.

Bedford were dominant in the attack through the first half of the match, the score being 2-0 in Bedford’s favour at the half-time whistle.

The second half began much as the first, Bedford having several, saved, attempts on goal. As the clock ticked down, however, Crostyx started to take more control, converting a Penalty Corner on the 60th minute, followed by a goal from open play with just two minutes of the match remaining, 2-2 staying the final score.

Also in action, were the Men’s Over 45s, in the next round of their England Hockey Tier 1 Masters' Championship, taking on Harpenden.

Harpenden opened the scoring, 14 minutes into the match, from a Penalty Corner, only for Dan Sims to bring the scores level again, ten minutes later, with a goal from open play.

After more end-to-end action, with shots on goal from both teams, including a disallowed goal to Harpenden, it remained a 1-1 stalemate at the final whistle.

Being a knock-out championship, a winner was required, and so the match went on to a penalty shoot-out. After 5 players from each squad stepped up to the penalty spot, Bedford finished the winner, the Harpenden keeper saving one of Bedford’s flicks, whilst Peter Fannon, in goal for Bedford, stopped two.

This coming Saturday, twelve of the club’s fourteen adult squads are due to be back in league action, whilst Sunday hopes to see play for the Under 14 Girls, Under 14 Boys and Over 45s Women, though Jack Frost may have other plans.