75 years ago in late December 1950, the Western Counties’ Women’s Hockey Association (WCWHA) Tournament was hosted in Weston-Super-Mare. Players and officials gathered to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of hockey in the western counties, the first of the territories to hit the 50-year mark. Now, as we approach late December 2025, the milestone of 125 years of women’s hockey in the west of England has been reached.

Between 29 December 1950–4 January 1951, a range of events were held to commemorate the jubilee, starting with a jubilee dinner where over 200 past and present West players were in attendance. The President of the West, Mrs Margaret Eyre, welcomed them and other guests including Miss Helen Armfield the President of the All England Women’s Hockey Association (AEWHA) and Mrs E Austin, Treasurer of AEWHA.

Other attendees included: Miss C Hey, President of the North, Miss A W Frank, President of the South and Miss D E Higgins, President of the East; with the Vice President of the Midlands, Miss H Bothamley attending in place of Miss Marjorie Pollard, the President of the Midlands. The Mayor, Mayoress and Town Clerk of Western-super-Mare were also in attendance to celebrate the occasion.

Following the jubilee dinner, three teams of West veterans were formed to play against three of the competing county teams. Originally intending to have two veteran teams that would play during the early stages of the event, such was the interest that they later added an additional team and match. These three veterans’ matches were held on the Saturday afternoon.

The matches played by the veteran teams would be against Cornwall, Herefordshire and Wiltshire, with Herefordshire being added later. The veteran sides won the first match, drew the second and lost the third.

The other teams that took part in the tournament were as follows: Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Somerset, Wiltshire, an East Anglian Team, a Southern Counties team and an ‘Etceteras’ team. The latter is thought to have comprised two players from Guernsey and the rest formed from local players and veterans.

A Western Counties Women’s Hockey Association cloth badge from The Hockey Museum collection.

When the tournament commenced, all games went according to the programme despite the rest of England being covered in snow at the time. It was lucky for the players that Weston-super-Mare had no snow whatsoever. At the end of the tournament, Gloucestershire was deemed the strongest county with their goal average being better than Somerset who were equal in the results.

The newspapers of the day reported on the clash between these top two teams as follows:

“The ‘match of the week’ Gloucester versus Somerset drew a good attendance despite the cold Tuesday weather. Through the non-arrival of some of their players, the Gloucester side fielded four of their reserves in their side. Overcoming the icy playing conditions both sides moved at a cracking pace, the final score being 0-0. Both sets of defences must take the bouquet.”

In other matches Gloucestershire defeated Dorset 10-0, with captain Mary Eyre scoring four, Southern Counties 4-0 and then Devon 4-1. These victories ultimately gave them the superior goal difference over Somerset to take the unofficial crown.

The whole event might have been billed as a jubilee, but there was a serious side to proceedings. On 1 January 1951, halfway through the event, the Annual General Meeting of the WCWHA was held and on the last day of the tournament, the West Representative and West Reserve teams were announced for the 1951 season drawn from the pool of competing players. The West team would go on to play in the Territorial Tournament with the players up for possible England selection.

To mark the jubilee, a brooch was designed by the West. The brooches were miniatures of the Western Counties badge and could be obtained by any previous or present members of the West and West Reserve teams.

The Western Counties Women’s Hockey Association jubilee brooch, which previously belonged to Shelagh Davson. From The Hockey Museum collection.

Notable players

Looking back at some of the names of players and former players who were at this jubilee, a few names come to the fore.

Shelagh Davson was a driving force in Gloucestershire and the West for the best part of 50 years. She moved west to Gloucestershire after finishing at Bedford Physical Education (PE) College in 1946. She joined East Gloucester Hockey Club and played left wing until 1968. The club was in its prime and she played alongside five international players, one of whom was Mary Eyre, another key member of Gloucestershire County hockey history. Mary played as inside left and the two built a bond as players and friends. Together, they were known for their impressive goal-scoring capabilities. Although a qualified physiotherapist, Shelagh never practiced and instead focused on a teaching career. The Cheltenham Ladies’ College hockey team saw a consistent winning streak and reached national and international competitions under Shelagh’s guidance as Head of PE.

In 1972 she was appointed an ‘A’ umpire and went on to officiate six international matches. After her retirement from playing hockey, she remained involved in the sport and started coaching for East Gloucester HC. Her keen eye and years of experience supported her coaching role as well as her task of selecting players for the Gloucestershire County team until 1999. She was Gloucestershire County president from 1982 to 1987. Later in life Shelagh ran the junior section of East Gloucester HC all the way into her mid-eighties and she was a well-loved teacher and coach.

Read more about Shelagh Davson’s life in hockey: Shelagh Davson, 1925-2023 | The Hockey Museum

Among the list of veteran players for this fiftieth anniversary tournament, the name “K Bridge (Lidderdale)” stands out. Kathleen (Kitty) Bridge (née Lidderdale) was a well-known women’s hockey player who was a prolific goalscorer from club and country (49 goals in 21 England matches between 1913—1931). Her family are known for their hockey achievements.

Kitty, along with her sister Margaret Eyre (née Lidderdale), are recognised historically for helping to redefine the role of women within sport, expanding from playing into coaching and officiating. Upon retiring from playing hockey, Kitty became the Chair of Selectors for the AEWHA and the President of the WCWHA. Margaret is also known for her involvement in hockey as a coach, selector and administrator, she was later referred to as the ‘Queen Mother of women’s hockey in the West’ due to her contributions.

The young Kathleen (Kitty) Lidderdale (left) and Margaret Eyre (right) wearing Gloucestershire County hockey tunics, early 1920s.
Courtesy of the East Glos Club.

Another member of the Lidderdale family represented at this tournament was Mary Eyre. Mary was Margaret’s daughter and Kitty’s niece. She played for Gloucestershire at the time of the tournament (alongside Shelagh Davson) and went on to win 16 caps for England. She would go on to be captain of Gloucestershire County team until the age of 50 and later became the President of the Gloucestershire Women’s Hockey Association. Like her mother and aunt, Mary was also an outstanding tennis player, having played at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships on several occasions. Mary received an MBE for services to sport in 2006.

Read more about the Lidderdale/Eyre sporting dynasty in this article by Bill Williams on the Playing Pasts website: Keeping it in the Family: The Story of a Remarkable Cheltenham Sporting Dynasty and its Role in the Development of Women’s Sport in the UK | Playing Pasts