Eaton Socon Ladies HC
The first organised field hockey in the town was instigated on December 18th, 1898 when a group of ladies formed a team called Eaton Socon Ladies HC. They were so successful during the first 15 years they earned the nickname ‘The Invincibles’. They played against Cambridge University men’s college teams and organised mixed teams. In the summer they played cricket. So much for the stiff Victorian image.

CG Tebbutt
In 1901, a St. Neots men’s team was formed with CG Tebbutt as captain. He had been World Speed Skating Champion in 1887 and was a disciple of bandy. In the 1890’s he visited Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Holland to teach them how to play bandy, and even organised the first international bandy match between England and Holland in 1891.

Tebbut’s original bandy stick is to be seen in St. Neots museum. St. Neots HC possesses a programme copy of the international match. From this beginning bandy evolved into the ice hockey we know today in Europe. A separate contemporary parallel development was occurring in North America.

The first goals scored by the men’s team, in their first match, were from the stick of Sidney Ekins, the grandfather of Tony Ekins who captained Great Britain’s hockey team in the 1972 Munich Olympics and managed England in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.

Ladies attire
The 1902 Ladies kit rules, as written by the All-England Women’s Hockey Association, under the title ‘The Costume’ were:

“Of attire, let it be said that boots are essential – light and with low heels, and with studded or barbed soles. Shoes neither protect the ankle from blows nor from strains. Shin guards should always be worn, and gloves, preferably light, thin, kid gloves. The skirt should be at least six inches off the ground. Gloves should always be worn, but hats never. The laws of the All-England Women’s Association utterly forbid straw hats or others with hard brims, and hat pins are not to be thought of. In rainy weather a cloth cap or a Tam-O’-Shanter may be advisable.”