Upon arrival Pelicans were welcomed with open arms by the locals and refreshment in the form of pineapple juice and sandwiches were forthcoming.

With the kitty having being bolstered by an absent Vet, new missionaries Caley and Kerry soon learned what was expected of them and they did not let the team down.

With an offer to attend their wedding reception at the same hotel in the evening by the bride and groom, the Vets set off to play their first match against a youthful Belper 3rd/4th XI.

Having just the bare 11 players and a hot day it was believed a hard afternoon’s work was expected. But after the initial panic Pelicans settled down to some swift flowing hockey orchestrated by Kerry in the heart of midfield.

The hard bouncy pitch took some getting used to and several aerial passes were a source of amusement as players tried to swat the ball under control!

After 15 minutes Pelicans were soon in their stride and clinical runs from Doc Atkinson, Picton and Lankfer opened up the defence.

A first half hat-trick of authority and power from Kerry showed where the goal was.

Allen broke down the left and drilled the ball into the D to Saggy who deflected the ball into the roof of the net.

Picton then broke one of his golden rules and passed in the D to Saggy who used all his years of experience to calmly lob the ball past the keeper’s outstretched hand and Belper trailed 5-0 at half time.

Pelicans started the second half where they left off, but the age gap was starting to tell as the youngsters found the net twice, once after Grange’s square pass ended up five yards behind!

Caley pulled another one back followed by Picton to get his name on the scoresheet after a typical meandering run.

Belper then rounded the wrong-footed Stewart at the back to get three.

Then Saggy completed his hat-trick as he scored from a pass by Caley at the top of the D to wrap up an 8-3 victory for Pelicans.

Talk that evening was of differing hat-tricks, one of sheer skill and guile and the other of authority. There was even time for the Pelicans to form a guard of honour with hockey sticks for an official wedding photo outside the hotel1

After an evening of Pork Pies, refreshment and dancing at the wedding reception, which has been forever remembered in the happy couples wedding video; Pelicans were feeling slightly sluggish for the morning’s proper match against the Vets.

Captain King requested the team played pretty hockey and the team took this to heart as Caley coolly deflected Kerry’s shot into the goal.

Belper then started playing skilful hockey and soon equalised.

Another penetrating run from Picton allowed his pass to be dexterously slipped past the keeper by Saggy.

Being 2-1 up at half time made the Pelicans even more aware of what was to come in the second half.

It didn’t take long for Belper to score two swift goals.