The season will be starting on a high for Bedford Hockey Club Ladies, as three of its stalwart players, Yvette van Yperen, Sue Phillips and Joy Leeson, return from international duty in Barcelona, where they exhibited their skills in the Exin Masters World Cup, with teams from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, USA, Argentina, France, Germany, Spain, Chile, Canada, Italy and Russia, as well as the home nations.

Yvette and Sue both return with gold medals around their necks. Each competed for winning England sides, Yvette in the +35s and Sue the +55s. Joy, meanwhile, played for Wales, her country of birth, in the +50s. Joy, and her team, finished an amazing 6th in the world, having entered the competition ranked 13th. It was one of our home nations, Ireland, who succeeded in taking gold in the +50s, with player Maria 'Wheelie' Whelan, who played several games for Bedford Masters last season, making her debut.

More details on Bedford Hockey Club, including contacts and fixtures can be found at: http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/bedfordhockeyclub/ or you can follow the club on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bedfordhc/.

The club has two new ventures this season, Walking Hockey, suitable for those looking for low-impact exercise whilst having fun, and we are exploring ways of making the club more inclusive for those with additional needs, forging links with the group Gig Buddies Bedford.