Peter R. G Bell was a senior and experienced cricket umpire with Sutton Coldfield Cricket Club, and in the ACU, MCC & ICC competitions with nothing to do in the winter months and with a young son Mark, requiring being taken to hockey games, they both joined the Sutton Coldfield Hockey Club in 1974. Being a spectator watching a 6th team game, the lowest side in those days, Peter took up the whistle. Although he never had a hockey-stick nor had he ever hit a hockey ball.

It was however on a Saturday early in September 1974 when he was cajoled by the visitors from Olton Hockey Club, as their team’s players were well known to Peter in his capacity of a cricket umpire, to umpire a hockey game on the grass surface in Rectory Park behind 94 Rectory Road and the adjacent houses. With only Doug Merryman available to umpire who had refused to officiate on his own, Peter was persuaded to umpire but to only blow for “Off Side”, as the players would hold up their hand to indicate that they had committed a foul.

This agreement lasted less than 5 minutes with players in both teams getting into arguments over an alleged foul, in particular an obstruction. Having never read the “Rules of Hockey”, which most players have never done, Peter did not have a clue on what was going on. He solved the problem with a big whistle for “Off Side” and an apology for being slow in blowing the whistle.

By the following week Peter had acquired a copy of the rules and had studied them, so when a few weeks later the Sutton 6th team were away at Edgbaston’s Portway’s grass pitch when the home captain stating that the game would have been “10 a Side” as they only had one umpire available. With no Sutton player wishing to stand down and blow the whistle, Edgbaston were informed that the Sutton Coldfield 6th did have a travelling umpire, although Peter considered he was one of the team’s drivers, having a large company car. The game passed off without any serious problems although he did recall that the grass on the pitch was long, wet and somewhat muddy.

Now a regular traveller with the 6th and umpiring in the home games as well as with the club’s Sunday fixtures, Peter found himself in the 1975 season with my mates in the Cricket Club who were in a new social 4th team as his son, Mark had been promoted. Peter commented that “He did enjoy the social side of the 4th team in particular away games, as they always met an hour before the 2nd and 6th were due to meet but they always managing to arrive after both 2nd and 6th had started their game”. “He recalls a visit to the Derby Club who played in those days on the race course and changed in the Jockey’s room with the weighing in scales in the corner. By the time everyone had weighed in and went on to the grass pitch, looking for the Derby 4th only to be informed that their game was in progress. In fact, they were hammering the Sutton 6th having already scored 4 goals in the first 10 minutes, so they were rather disappointed to have to curtail that game and take on a fresh Sutton team fortified with the best Marston’s Pedigree consumed on route”.

In 1975 Peter recalled how much he enjoyed his first Weymouth Easter Festival, an event he supported for some 14 years and had the pleasure to meet up with some distinguish umpires including Graham Nash, who like Peter had taken up umpiring quite by chance when watching a police hockey match and short of an umpire his inspector instructed Graham that he would blow the whistle. Graham became one of our greatest umpires, who officiated in 5 Olympic Games and 124 internationals matches and suggested that Peter should join my local umpires’ association.

With Graham’s suggestion in mind and the Sutton Coldfield Hockey Club having being instructed by the MRHA that due to the shortages of umpires, the Sutton Club, as a senior Midland Club, would have to support the “Club Umpiring Sharing Scheme” of 1976-77 season, so Peter’s name to be put forward to Ian Bradbury the BCHUA’s appointment secretary for games within the three counties, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire.

Peter recalls his first appointment, as a neutral umpire, was to Atherstone HC home game at Woodhouse High School on a red ash playing surface, generally referred to as “Redgraw” in early October. It was a school that allowed the children to play marbles upon, resulting in numerous bowls size depressions in the playing surface. So great care was required by umpires, when moving backwards on this surface and even more so by the players. Peter said he can recall “an attacking player going in towards the “D” with the ball at the end of his stick and the ball dropping into a pot hole and the stick passing over it. He then had to give a free hit as the attacker’s stick had crashed into the defenders stick with the ball still behind in the hole”.

Peter umpired with BCHUA until 2002 and accepted over 500 games (521) in 27 seasons including Sunday mornings before retiring his whistle to take out a notebook to watch and assess umpires’ performances which he has done so over the last 16 years covering some 300 games. In 2010, Peter obtained his Level 1 Umpire Coaching Badge and now has coached some 70 umpires.

When Peter retired from his marketing position in the oil industry in 1998, he took on the role of captains’ card collator, which was the forerunner of todays the website captains’ reports on their appointed umpires. He was also elected on to both the BCHUA Executive and Coaching Grading Committees.

In 2006 Peter took on the task of going to club’s games to assess their umpires who were seeking their Level 1 status, because so many of the active umpires were involved in league appointment. He assessed and passed 158 umpires and failing about 15. Peter said “This particular job and that of coaching has been a most rewarding task in seeing young umpires, both male and female, passing their Level 1 and progress through BCHUA and MRHUA on to the NPUA lists.

In 2010 Peter took over the role of BCHUA’s Level 1 Co-ordinator and CUDS development officer organising practical coaching for club umpires in the pre-season league friendlies and evening events at club’s headquarters with a panel of coaches to discuss the current interpretation of the Rules of Hockey and question and answer sessions.

David Last, in his two-year roll as President, suggested that Peter might accept the BCHUA Presidency, but he declined due to his age, as hearing had become a problem but he was delighted to be elected VP in 2014.

In over some 48 years with both Sutton Coldfield Hockey Club and BCHUA Peter said “He always enjoyed watching hockey, as it was a game, he would have loved to have play but he never had any opportunity. He went on to say that he will continue spending some 2 hours every Sunday morning writing up reports on the two umpires he has watched or coached on the previous Saturday afternoon”.

To sum up; Peter’s involvement in hockey with both SCHC & BCHUA. He is a Vice President in both and his records shows that he has accepted close on 1,200 appointments and assessed over 200 umpires for their Level 1. Taking Club and Festival games into account, he is close to 1,450 games where Peter has officiated in some capacity and hope to continue for a few more years.

Peter added, “I was never a great umpire but I was honest with every decision I made, even if there were a number of poor decisions, so my advice to all players who are getting long in the tooth, take up the whistle and umpire and you will enjoy it, but umpire the way I did but the way I advise you.

Pat first game of hockey as a schoolboy at St Philip’s Grammar School in Edgbaston when in 1972 he was in the sixth form. The boy’s PE teacher was Roy ‘Adj’ Cutler who played for Aldridge Hockey Club. He organised a one-off game against Solihull Grammar School which was a mistake because they played hockey and we didn’t. Pat was picked because he was Irish and had played Hurling.

Although they lost Pat’s role in the game was short lived as he apparently flicking the ball into the air and then smashing it over the bar neither scored points nor endeared him to the umpires. Pat wasn’t so much sent off but was substituted early and not required to return. The bill for treating Solihull youngsters who were suffering from Post-Traumatic Shock was quietly hushed up and Mr Cutler never asked Pat to reprise his hockey career at St Philip’s or Aldridge Hockey Club.

Pat next game was at Trinity and All Saints College in Leeds where he was training to be a secondary PE Teacher. Again, there was no hockey coaching but he was told he had to play a game in case he had to teach the subject. Despite training to be a teacher Pat had not learnt his lesson from his first game of hockey. The lecturer Margaret Talbot was deeply unimpressed with hurling skills and decided he was less dangerous with a whistle. Not for the last time would Pat be relegated to umpire a game after only 10 minutes. As Pat said “I didn’t know the rules but it didn’t bother me then and I suspect nothing has changed since!”

In 1979 at the age of 24, Pat was a teacher in Sutton Coldfield at Holy Cross Middle School, and he played football for Sheldon Swifts which was a Birmingham team made up of drinking friends who were mostly in their early 30’s. Nine of them decided to retire from playing which left two of us which meant the team folded. Pat met up with two colleagues, Ken Leggett and Keith Halliwell who were teachers at Springfield School and Four Oaks respectively. They both played hockey for Tamworth Hockey Club and persuaded Pat to give it another go despite my previous chequered history. Pat turned up one Saturday, borrowed a stick and was immediately placed in their fifth XI. At Tamworth his hurling skills seemed to fit in quite well as the pitches we played on were mainly mud based.

Pat quickly rose to vice-captain of the 3rd XI under the leadership of Derek Lever whose brother was headteacher of Walmley Junior School. He learnt how to cut up oranges which the home team had to provide for both sides at half time. He also learnt how to bribe my new wife to do the teas for after the game which involved a shopping trip to the co-op in Tamworth where bread, cheese and Spanish onion were the staple ingredients followed by whichever cakes were near their sell by date. What he didn’t learn was how to play hockey. Despite being right-handed he played hockey hurling style which meant everyone assumed he was left-handed.

Pat and his fiancée moved from Tamworth to Sutton in 1980 and married in 1981. As Pat said “It struck me that I was going past Sutton hockey Club to get to Tamworth which seemed strange so I joined Sutton that year. Sutton had something Tamworth didn’t have which was ‘a coach.’ His name was Mike Moore and at half time during my first game on the grass outside the clubhouse in Rectory Park, he took me to one side. He explained to me that I needed to change to playing right-handed if I wanted to improve. He was so patient and even though it took a long time he eventually taught me how to play orthodox hockey. Even today I sometimes revert to my hurling roots but it was Mike who gave me a passion for the game and I was deeply upset when he died some years later”.
In 2018 – 19 season, Pat will have played hockey for 40 years but he is not the current longest serving player for Sutton Coldfield. When Pat arrived at Sutton a young man called Paul Collins was already playing and we are still in the same team 37 years later.
Pat considers that he has been fortunate to be associated with SCHC in many roles over the years including as a coach, umpire, captain, committee member, fixture secretary, chairman (for 6 months) and currently as Club Captain. Pat commented that whatever he has given to Sutton Coldfield Hockey Club, it is nothing compared to what the Club has given to him. The people I have met and played with have given me memories I hope will stay with me. In case they don’t I have written some of them in the following lines.

Describing George, it is true to say that he was “Larger than Life” a Charter Accountant who presence in the room was noticeable, but he was a good cricketer and more than a useful hockey player. He knew how to entertain the opposition on and off the field.

George was elected as Chairman of the General-Purpose Committee of the joint clubs (SCCC & SCHC) responsible for managing the joint clubs not the playing side of the business.

It’s worth noting that George formed the initial “Over-35” side and later in life as George aged, he formed the “Over-45” team, to be followed by the “Over-50” Side. The highlight of his hockey prowess was in 2010 taking the “Over-50’s” to play in the Veterans Plate Semi-final against Tunbridge Wells, only to lose 6 – 1. However, the coach trip back to Sutton consisted of some serious drinking and tall stories.

George and John Dixon started up a Sutton Coldfield junior hockey coaching group in 1997. This young organization has flourished to be a very successful feeder of players into the Club’s senior sides.

The Clubs annual dinner was always an enjoyable evening, with the most notable occasion George recalls when Major Charlie Lane trying to convince all present at around 2.00 AM on the Saturday morning that he would fly – he couldn’t & didn’t!
George continues to support both the cricket and hockey activities in 2017.

Martin first played hockey when aged 15 while at Loughborough Grammar school in 1963-4 and later joined his home-town side of Loughborough Town HC before moving on to Birmingham University to study Dentistry for the 1968-69 hockey season. Martin had initially been an outfield player, but due to his asthmatic problems he quickly got out of breath, so as to stay within the game he became a goal-keeper.

While playing at university in 1971, Martin was invited by one of his tutors, Ivor Whitehead, to join Edgbaston Hockey Club and was now playing in goal twice a week for Edgbaston on Saturdays and for the university on Wednesdays.
During Martin’s time at Edgbaston, he took on his first administration role as their Match Secretary, a daunting job getting weekly match details to players of where and when they were playing. Some players were very fickle as to where and who was playing in the side, a job that required Martin’s devotion and a certain amount of tact on Mondays and Tuesdays getting 4 sides out on the following Saturday as well working.

In 1975 Martin set up home in Sutton, but still continued to play and organize the Edgbaston Hockey Match Secretary role. However, in the 1979-80 season Martin joined the Sutton Coldfield Hockey Club playing initially as their 2nd team goalkeeper and on occasions the understudy for Ian Mason in the 1st team.

Martin’s reputation at an administrator at the Edgbaston club had gone before him so when Hamish Hunter resigned Martin was elected the Sutton Club’s Honorary Secretary for the start of the 1980 – 81 season; incidentally a position he has continually held for the last 40 years in 2020.

Martin continued playing in goal for the next 15 seasons, playing in most sides during these years. In the early 1990s the club had a glut of goal-keepers it was proposed that they would have to play on a rotation basis. Wanting to be involved every week, Martin he offered to try his hand at umpiring club games, which he did, not well at first but he improved and took and passed the Level One test. Whilst umpiring a veteran’s match he was spotted by a MRHUA member. Enquiring of Martins’ umpire grade, was surprised that he was not a BCHUA umpire let alone graded. Martin joined BCHUA for the 1995-96 season. However, he left BCHUA after 12 seasons to umpire for his Sutton club in 2007-08 as the Club had become seriously short of qualified umpires.

Not only did Martin become Sutton Secretary, he also took on the position of the Warwickshire County Hockey secretarial position in 1981-82 and only relinquished the post in 2013 (after 32 years) when he became President of MRHA for 2013-15; having been Vice President for 3 years prior to 2013. Although no longer the County Secretary, Martin has taken back the role of CDA; (County Disciplinary Administrator) as the job requires a certain amount of experience and understanding of players who digress seriously from the rule of hockey within Warwickshire.

Martin is still a member of the MRHA Committee and is currently their representative on the England Hockey Regional Consultative Committee.

In 2010 David introduced his son to hockey and took him and watched all his son’s matches home and away. David was seen by Peter Westbrook, who took two seasons of persuasion to get David to play, suggesting that there were opportunities in his team and also for the older club members to play hockey in one of the veterans’ teams.

Although David had never played hockey previously, David took to the sport like a duck to water and after 3 seasons of finding his way around the ASTRO for the 9’s and in the veteran’s side, he was elected captain for the 2014 – 15 season for the men’s Over–50 team. So well did David organise the men that he was persuaded to also take on the captaincy of the Mixed Vets side in the 2015-16 season.

David had now shown his ability with his organisation skills, taking on the catering responsibilities as the Catering Officer for the three Veterans Dinners throughout each season in the clubhouse and local restaurants in Sutton, David’s wife, Fiona is also a very active member of the Club by preparing all the hockey teas every Saturday and reportedly the best in the league.

David is also a committee member from 2015 and a GPC committee member from 2016 and still plays every Saturday for league matches and mid-week for Veterans in 2018.

Oliver joined the Sutton Hockey Club as a junior around 1994 as part of the Sunday morning mini-hockey. After a couple of years, he moved quickly through the 6th to 4th and then the 3rd before moving into the 1st team in 1999 the age of 15 years while also playing in the Bishop Vesey Grammar School’s 1st XI.

Oliver’s playing days at Sutton Coldfield were now over for a number of years when in 2002 he started at Loughborough University, initially in the 3rd team before progressing quickly through their 2nd team to play in the 1st Team hockey, winning 3 BUSA, now referred to as BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport) Gold Medals. During his time at university, he played national league hockey with both Nottingham (2004) and Bournville (2005) Hockey Clubs

Oliver graduating from Loughborough University in 2006 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and played for Sutton in the 2006-07 season, but the call to continue playing hockey at National League level was there, when he moved back to play with Bournville in 2007-08 season.

Oliver’s hockey ability was recognized when he was selected to represent England in their mixed team, being selected to play against Wales on 2 occasions, in 2010 and 2011 where they were the winning team in both games and with a clean defensive record.

Moving on from Bournville in 2011, Oliver played two seasons in Cannock’s 1st team hockey squad 2011 to 2013 before a back injury forced him out of the game for a period of time. Once he was fit, the following season, he decided to return to Sutton, playing in the 1st team and taking on the role of their captain for the 2 seasons; 2015-16 and 2016-17. (Is having the lowest number of team cards for the previous 5 seasons a result? Avoided relegation and finished 3rd in respective years, not really note-worthy)

Now residing in Dubai in 2018, his UK hockey career has now been suspended but his love of hockey will result in Oliver still playing hockey in Dubai, where he hopes to arrange a mixed touring side from Sutton in the near future.

In this article we feature Peter Westbrook who is currently nominated for the Lifetime Achievement Award for the 2015 Sutton Sports Awards, so it is difficult to separate Peter’s activities in Hockey between the Ladies and Men’s Hockey Clubs

Peter is a longstanding member of Sutton Coldfield Hockey Club and we thought it interesting to carry out a short profile of him and share it with the rest of the club. He has performed a number of roles and achieved quite a lot in his time with the club. His motivation is that he loves hockey because not only is it a great sport but it is also a great way to meet people and socialize across genders and all generations. Peter is a very inclusive person who tries to share his love with the game to anyone who will listen!

Peter initially started his playing carrier with Streetly H.C. before joined the Men’s Hockey Club in 1991 following a request from then President Andrew Waters during the club’s centenary celebrations, when a big marquis was put up outside the clubhouse and Peter played for 5th or 6th team; which were the lowest side at that time. Although Peter first contact with the club was in 1989 when he brought his son, Oliver, to the brand-new junior training sessions which in those days catered for juniors from any age up to 18.

Peter has believed that the future of hockey is best achieved by having a good junior section over a large number of years, and in 2015 the Junior Club is now 25 years old this year and it not only supports the senior clubs with juniors but it also attracts their parents who want to take up this sport.

There are now too many to recall all of them but winning the Warwickshire titles on various occasions. Winning the Midlands titles on at least 2 occasions.

Among Peter’s coaching highlights were our golden crop of girls, Laura Unsworth currently GB, Cath James etc.) who won the National Cup at under 16 and under 18 and the indoor (under 18s) 
Coaching (with Cath James) Laura Unsworth and her age group for 3 years.

Lots of children representing the county and Midlands.

Organising the team of ball boys & ball girls for the European Cup in 1992 at Birmingham University. 

The crucial role played by the Juniors in securing lottery funding and Sports England funding for the re-development of the Wyndley pitch.
The tournaments we run (especially in the last 2 years).
The now annual January visitation of Australian sides.
Coaching the under 8s for the last 5 years: a sheer joy.

Meeting so many lovely people.

Junior Coaching: Peter has been a committee member since at least 1992. He has had 3 stints as Chairman. He has also been Fixture Secretary and Marketing Secretary.

Key people who have worked in the juniors over the years were:

• Founding members John Dixon, Peter Phipps (Phippo’s Dad) and Martin Hives (our long serving men’s secretary),
• Helen North (ex-Ladies 2nd team captain) who revitalized how we organised the juniors.
• Neil Mallet ex England who brought more professionalism to our coaching.
• Colin Reid, still playing and long-time captain, (and Lucy Reid) who for many years ran the coaching and steadily improved our record keeping.
• Jonathan Collis, great umpire who became a Grade 2 umpire and President of the BCHUA, who established our fixtures and communicated very well to all involved.  
• Gaynor Moore the current Chairman and ‘fixer’ who brings enormous joy and energy to everything and everyone. 

The current crop of coaches who are the best we have ever had,

Senior Men’s Club: Peter has been: 

• A key agitator for more new teams (7ths, 8ths and 9ths) and a very keen recruiter of new players. 
• Social Secretary for over 10 years organising, 3 dinners a year, jazz & singing nights, etc. 

• Brought in the Pool Table (which sadly is not used now).
• Captain of the 9th team for over 6 years (we used to lose convincingly every week for over 2 years). 

• Inaugural captain of the Badgers team for over 8 years.
• Played veterans hockey, reaching the National semi-finals.
• Introduced the notice board on which every team records their results on Saturdays. 

• Committee member responsible for liaison with the Junior Club.
• Often been at the clubhouse welcoming juniors back from matches played by higher teams who he has coached or introduced to the club.
• Re-introduction of the Fixture Card (with Martin Hives) after a lapse of a few years 

• Secured Honda sponsorship for the club over 3 years, which funded great fireworks. 

• Written Trevor Brookings’ speech when he opened the new Wyndley pitch, which he performed from memory (word for word)!
• Appointed the current the Welfare Officer for the men’s club.
• Seen his son, Oliver play for men’s first team before he went to university and more recently in the last 2 years. 
• Got to know some wonderful people including Dave Holder, Andrew Waters, Tom Owens, Dave Nicklin, Andy Lane, Colin Reid, Pat Finegan, Martin Hives, Peter Terleski, Mark Norton, etc.

Sutton Coldfield Ladies Hockey Club:
Peter’s wife Sandra has been a hockey player and member long before Peter became one. Sandra was club secretary for 20 years and has been Membership Secretary for over 7 years. Consequently, the Westbrook has been a long standing and active support for the club.

Key highlights have included: 

• Watching the Ladies win the European Cup in 1991.
• Watched the Ladies win the National Indoor Cup (not sure of the year)
• Convening a meeting at Birmingham University to ask if anyone would support the Ladies in hosting the European Championships. Birmingham University said yes and also that they would fund it (WOW).
• See the Ladies go from just ‘scraping’ together a 3rd team to now having well established “Squads” for 6 teams.
• Watch the ladies on their numerous cup runs
• Marvel at the talent shown by Jane Sixsmith, Mandy Davies etc.
• Seen his daughter Hannah play for the Ladies teams
• Got to know some great ladies including previous chairmen, Sandra Jones, Anne Fenoughty.