Christine Cawte reports: "Last Saturday, Brighton and Hove Women’s Over-35s travelled to Reading for the annual Reading Women’s Masters tournament - we had a title to defend! This year we boasted a strong all-Brighton squad which included players across all the women’s teams.

Clearly Reading is a very different climate to anywhere else in the country on tournament day, as, for the second year running, we faced five (and a bit) games of hockey in the searing heat.

Match 1: Hailsham 1-1

After travelling all the way to Reading, we were faced with a derby match against Hailsham. With lots of attacking play, we supported each other to build lovely passes and transfers whilst closing down the opposition quickly particularly in defence. Shelley secured us our only goal which was then matched by Hailsham to give us our draw.

Match 2: Maidenhead 2-1

Hungry for a win, our next match was against Maidenhead who came out fighting. The defensive line of Wendy, Kath, Pip and Ali P held strong and denied attackers again and again. A long ball from Bara saw Shelley deflecting the ball past the keeper to secure our victory and first three points of the tournament

Match 3: South Berks 1-1

Eager to top our group, the team made a last push to secure points. Our midfield line of Bara, Ali, Cressie, Kelly and Lisa broke down play and were a driving force going forward. Danger runs from Pip into the D also resulted in us putting their defence under continual pressure. The forward line of Christine, Jo, Caroline and Shelley stretched the game and made use of Wendy’s favourite ‘pockets’ to enable the ball to be transferred from the baseline across into the D. Again Shelley netted us a goal which meant we topped our group.

A quick break for lunch before the semi-finals turned out to be just as eventful as the matches. Jo pulled out a full sushi platter in 25 degree heat before offering around prawns to the group. Our sub manager of the day, Aoife, trekked to Aldi to pick up the longest and brightest ice lollies she could find. And whilst Bara dishes up mashed banana to Kuba and Pip drenched herself under the pitch sprinklers, Ali decided to throw her phone in a bush on her way back to the group.

The semi-finals were upon us. After consulting the board, we were directed to the pitch to play against Reading. Excellent passes and continuous attacking opportunities ensued. We were on a roll and feeling confident of a win…. until the organisers informed us, after six minutes, that we were in fact playing the wrong game!

Semi-final: Oxford Hawks 2-1

After finally making it onto the right pitch with the right opposition, it was time to play for our place in the final. Oxford Hawks were a strong opposition and the game was a very even match. With only minutes to go, we were tied at 1-1 meaning that flicks were on the cards. After a link up of excellent passes, Cressie was passed the ball into the D and saw the defender move left; a powerful strike went past the goalie on the right earning us a place in the final.

The final: Wallingford 2-1

For a second year running, we met Wallingford in the final. After beating them on flicks last year, we were keen for an open play win. Although Pip stated she would be happy with a silver medal. This match was a true battle of the internationals. Straight from the whistle, their international put our defence under pressure. As always, Bunce was a solid wall in goal, denying shot after shot, whilst the defence and midfield continually cleared the ball from danger. Bara scored the first goal with a cracking strike from the top of the D. Wallingford continued to use their international strength in midfield to tighten the screws and were eventually rewarded with the equaliser. Not wanting a replay of flicks and with the clock ticking away, it was time for us to unleash The Bara. A free hit in the middle of the pitch saw Kelly whisper some magic words to Bara before taking the hit herself. A quick pass saw Bara accelerating up the pitch, deftly out skilling player after player, into the D before unleashing a truly international reverse hit into the goal. 2-1 at the final whistle and the winners for the second consecutive year. The prize of an engraved silver plate meant that Pip got her wish to take home silver!

Big shout out to Billy for umpiring all our games, Aoife for her sub management (and ice lollies distribution), the Perkins family for their expert care of our youngest supporter Kuba and Whiting for quick recovery of Ali’s phone.

The standard of the tournament was very strong and it was great to see so many masters players competing at such a high level and inspiring others. BHHC will be back in 2025 in their endeavour to claim the triple."