April 24th saw history being made - the World first Over 80 Hockey International at Breda HC Push.
The pre-match activities included a line-up to have each player checked against his passport and a stick check. This was followed by a couple of speeches, National Anthems and a dummy push forward by the Mayoress.

A very even game saw England draw 0 - 0 with the Netherlands. England shaded the game on possession and had a goal disallowed, but both teams had occasional scoring chances. The England back 3 were resolute, with Graham Pile at 86 showing what can be achieved if you enjoy a beer or two between games!!

A medal ceremony and trophy presentation were followed by a superb dinner in the clubhouse before everyone retired to prepare for the next day's hockey.

Another game in which the goalkeepers had little to do hinged on a superb short corner strike by David Wright (not quite 81), so England won 1 - 0.

Clips of the game were shown on Dutch TV .

The Dutch motto reads, "From 8 to 80", so it will need amending to, "From 8 onwards..." but the aggregate age of the 2 teams at any one time was in the region of 1800 years.

Footage from Dutch TV can be found HERE