‘I keep fit by playing hockey – for the England over-80s’
When Adrian Stephenson played for Devon club Isca in the early Sixties, his team had to gain clearance from air traffic control to play in the middle of Exeter Airport’s aerodrome grass pitch. “As a centre-forward it was better than skinning oneself on the shale at Crystal Palace,” he recalled. “We all wondered if we would survive and our knees would quit.”
Remarkably, more than 60 years on, Stephenson is donning an England shirt on the burgeoning international masters scene.
Over two days last week at Canterbury Hockey Club he was part of the England over-80s side who took on their Netherlands counterparts. While artificial pitches have replaced grass and shale, there were still several hip and knee replacements on show.
“There are a fair few spare parts, but we never give up and keep battling on,” said Stephenson, a former sports book publisher. “We would also like to challenge others to come forward or dispute our claim of being the oldest team sport recognised by a governing body representing England.”
It is a claim backed by Dutch captain Walter Hagedoorn, 88, a doctor in economics who conceived the annual trophy made out of Dutch oak as a sign of player durability.
‘I am living in the future’
“There is no team sport like it,” he said. “We are the only two countries who can do this.”
Hagedoorn’s passion in innovation management meant he helped create the first artificial pitches in the Netherlands. “The fact that I come here is that I’m not living in the past, I am living in the future,” he said after his side had beaten England for the first time since they started playing in 2019.
The Test matches were no sedate walkabout. There was the odd “Come on boys, move” and jovial remonstrating with the umpire, but most eye-catching was the flexibility, pace and movement on show, including a fine breakaway goal from the sprightly Dutch 80-year-old Rob Struik.
Was this total hockey? “You saw everybody playing with everybody,” Hagedoorn said. “The passing was short, we can’t hit that hard but we kept the ball within the team and let it do the work.”
The Dutch travelled with two over-80s sides, such is the popularity, and these matches are also about reconvening long-lasting friendships. “The result is something, but really sport is about meeting people,” Hagedoorn said.
Born in 1935, Hagedoorn undertakes 15-minute daily stretching, plays singles tennis three times a week and believes people should pay more attention to their condition. “If you look at professional soccer, they have nearly a team in the hospital at the same time,” he said with a smile. “Did you see anybody injured here? Hockey looks dangerous but respect is important.
“There is a limit to the possibilities of the body, and professional footballers go beyond that and are very vulnerable. We have to know where the borderline is.”
Speaking to both teams on this joyous afternoon, it is clear that simply avoiding over-indulgence is the key to a longer, healthy lifestyle in sport.
It is a mantra adhered to by England’s 81-year-old captain, Ken Wilcock. “As long as you balance everything out and don’t do excess, you are pretty much OK,” he said.
“It’s just whether your brain wants you to go out running or to practise. I once went without a beer for eight months and regretted not continuing. I felt hugely better when you realise that it doesn’t do anything for you.”
Wilcock, a retired lawyer who gave up his notary public work only last year, is the ultimate one-club man, having first joined Greater Manchester team Bowdon as an 18-year-old.
“There was a stage when Bowdon was like any other club and didn’t let women into the bar or after a certain time,” he recalled.
“It was disgusting. I’ve been in hockey man and boy. What I love now about the over-80s is most people bring their family, wives or partners.”
Wilcock is also England’s coach and Stephenson believes the team work better as a collective.
“We don’t need an outdoor coach coming in and telling us we are doing it all wrong,” he said. “We know each other well. We have skills and failures and know how to make up for them.”
Meanwhile, team-mate Bill Greenwood was one of the fittest players on show last week. This after he underwent a triple heart bypass in 2009, went walking in Ireland the following month and was back for the hockey season two months later. “It’s the only sport where you can play with kids aged 13 or 14 and people my age,” he said.
Mistakes, he says, are also soon forgotten in the masters version. “They may think something else but if you cock it up, they laugh most of the time,” Greenwood said. “You play to win but, what the hell, it’s a game of hockey.”
The first Masters World Cup was held in Malaysia in 2002. The gathering became official in 2004 for England when the first world masters body was formed. Despite being recognised by England Hockey, players pay to play, including for pitchside medical facilities.
So, can Hagedoorn, 90 next year, play on until 100? “Year by year,” he bellowed. “It’s a privilege to not have memory problems, injuries and still be able to run.
“I hope hockey is an example for other sports that you can play at a high age and enjoy it. To play and see our English friends again, that’s a gift for us.”.
