The first four international matches that were played by England men were all against Ireland. They were in 1895, 1896, 1897 and 1898. As this was around the ‘birth’ of international hockey it is not altogether surprising to discover repeat fixtures against the same opposition because hockey was not being played in many countries at the time. However, it is a little surprising that the first ever international hockey match did not feature England. It was between Wales and Ireland in 1895, a few months before England played their first ever match against Ireland. Why then did England and Wales not play each other in that three year period?

The apparent answer comes from a quote from an Irish correspondent which, without physical evidence, should be taken more as supposition than concrete fact. That said, the alleged reason was that the Hockey Association (of England) did not consider the Welsh strong enough opposition to warrant holding an international match.

Another interesting fact from this very early era of international hockey is that originally, in 1895, all players had to be born in the country they represented. Within two years this was changed to, “birth or two years residence”.