The rain poured as old joe could be heard striking 6 off in the distance. This was it, months of preparation all culminating in this colossal crescendo of sporting prowess. Dentistry vs Medicine and deep rooted rivalry was to be settled by method of a hockey match. The rain may have put off the supporters but a crowd of 60,000 could not have raised the sense of occasion felt by the players any further. Missing a few players due to injury the mixed dentist team had players from BDS 1,2 & 3. They would compete against the best the medics had to offer, hot off topping the University IMS league.
The game started with the dentists controlling the game well and spending the majority of the first quarter of the game in the medics half of the pitch. A few early chances for Ed Newton and Leah Redfern were saved by the medic keeper. However the dentists pressure payed off with a penalty corner. After an initial shot from Stephanie Agar from the top of the D, a slap hit from Richard Ackroyd put the ball in the bottom left hand corner of the goal. 1-0 Dentists. The dentists continued to control the game up to half time, when William McKemey gave a impassioned team talk. Play was mixed in the second half with a number of medic breakaways crushed by the dentist defence. James Boyd showing particular composure as the last man back. The dentists made a number of penetrating plays up the right hand side of the pitch with Joe Dimelow and Olwyn Jenkins working in harmony to move the ball effectively through the medic defence. Midway through the second half the dentists were caught off guard and the medics put away a breakaway goal, reminding the dentists why they are IMS champions. The game stepped up another level at this point with a number of clattering tackles being made by both sides. In the last quarter both Ed Newton and Sarah Dias had opportunities in the D but a conceiving performance by the medic keeper left them unrewarded. A late reverse stick shot from Richard Ackroyd could have taken the game however it narrowly missed the top right hand corner of the goal and Sarah’s head. The game ended 1-1, neither team was happy with the result, the rivalry will continue for another year. A huge thanks goes to sports rep William McKemey for organising the game.
(and thanks to Richard Ackroyd for the writing)
BrumDentists 