"Biltonians were very grateful to the Hon Sec and to the Head for the opportunity to play on the Ken Waydelin hockey pitch within the old walled garden - such a special location and a wonderful resource, facilitated by our generous benefactors a decade ago!

Christian Nicholson was the non-playing manager, assisted this year by Eddie King, and two balanced teams were selected, each with a specialist goalkeeper, representing the traditional Bilton Grange colours of blue and red.

The President took control of the whistle and the stopwatch, and the match began at a fast and furious, frantic and frenetic pace. Reds raced into a 2-nil lead within two minutes, and added a third before the fifth minute was complete. Blues regrouped and gradually made better use of their possession, clawing back one goal and adding a second on the stroke of half-time.

Appropriate use was made of the ample refreshments, and the second half was a tight, competitive affair, played at a more sustainable pace. 3-2 remained the score until the President's call of "One minute!" acted as the catalyst for the Reds to press higher and harder and thus to create the elusive equalising goal. 3-3 was a fitting final score, and the sizeable crowd was appreciative of the spectacle they had enjoyed."

Match Report by Tim Day (BG 74-83)