History Of Wales Hockey Veterans

It all started on September the 3rd 1991 with the first Veterans get together in Carmarthen.

Bernie Wheeler invited players of 40+ from all Welsh clubs to come to the first Veterans "trials" in Carmarthen with the view to playing the first Welsh Veterans Over 40's game against Mike Booth's Warlocks team from Basingstoke.

Veteran players from
Lamphey HC, British Steel HC, Newport HC, Swansea HC, Penarth HC,
Cardiff HC, Abergavenny HC, Cwmbran HC,
Llanishen & Llandaff HC
 Came together and a committee was formed with
Neville Browning as President.
Brian Minney as Chairman.
Mike Colley as Treasurer.
 Bernie Wheeler as Secretary.

 The first Welsh Veterans over 40's side played at Sophia Gardens in December 1991 against a Warlocks side.

The First Home Nations Internationals.

The First Home Nations Over 40's Internationals were played at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff over the weekend September 9th and 10th 2000.
Wales threw down the "guantlett" to England, Scotland and Ireland to meet in Cardiff and compete for the first Home Nations Trophy.

The First Home Nations International Match was between Wales and Ireland. Wales won 3 - 0

The First winners of the Home Nations Internationals were England who won all their games.

First Over 50's International played in Basingstoke August 2001.

England 2 - Wales 2

First over 55's and over 45's Home Nations Internationals

Held in Swansea 2005

Veterans Divisional Hockey

Welsh Dragons teams travelled to the Bournmouth in May each year to play in the
original over 40's "Divisionals" organised by Mike Booth.
Not so much a tournament as a festival of veterans hockey where teams played for the coverted "Spirit Trophy" presented by the Welsh and voted on by the Umpires!

As players got older an over 50's age group was introduced and the "Divisionals" left Bournemouth to move around the country to different venues each year and have become what we now know as the Regional Tournaments. Further age groups have been introduced as the years have gone by which sees us with over 40's, 45's, 50's, 55's, 60's and 65's.

Veterans become Masters !

Hockey played by over 40 year olds was originally known as Veterans Hockey.
This was fine whilst there was only one age group but as the age groups have developed more fitting names have been introduced to cover the different age groups and in so doing title of Masters was brought in to cover all Hockey players over 40 with the prefix of Veterans, Seniors, Vintage, Grand etc., added to define the age group.

Over 40's - Masters Hockey
Over 45's - Veteran Masters Hockey
Over 50's - Senior Masters Hockey
Over 55's - Vintage Masters Hockey
Over 60's - Grand Masters Hockey
Over 65's - Great Grand Masters Hockey

(c) copyright 2011 Wales Hockey Masters. All rights reserved.