A lovely story out this week from The Hockey Museum as part of their project to recognise the connect with and first GB Women's team from 1965. They were strugging tracking down a few remaining players from teh first squad and through the #hockeyfamily grapevine a connection was made back to Timperley HC and Bridget's family leading to Bridget Cannell's (nee Parkes) GB Cap presented to her family

Find out more about this amazing story and our little part in helping the museum. Its also a great reminder that we will be celebrating 100 years of women's hockey at Stockport Road next season.

Back in October 2020 the Hockey Museum sent out an appeal to help find the remianing players of the first GB Women's team as part of the 55th celebrations of the first GB international match. Six players were unaccounted for including Bridget Parkes (nee Cannell; capped for England) – married just before the tour; at that time living in the Manchester area.

In late January Debbie Chalcroft (L2's) got in through the THC Masters to say her Dad was one of the THM's team researching trying to track down Bridget and as a long shot if anyone had any information on the lead that Bridget was 'allegedly a Timperley Player' . The mystery was solved by quick check in the TCC Centenary Booklet and a call to Janet Wood and we were able to confirm Bridget was indeed a Timperley player in the early 1960's alongside fellow England International Sybil Webster, along with many Timperley players representing Cheshire and the North!

We'd love to hear more about Bridget and her time at Timperley and past teams and if anyone has a Timperley LHC team photo from the early 1960's with Bridget and Sybil in to go up in the clubhouse to add another little bit to our history and connections with the history of the sport. We will be collecting memories and photos, and maybe even the old film or video, as part of celebrating 100 years of women's hockey at the Club n 2021-22.

The Hockey Museum reported earlier in the year ....... "Further good news came when we tracked down the final member of the first ever GB women’s squad who toured the USA in 1965. Bridget Cannell was the only member of this team that we had no details for, but when Mark Evans, another THM volunteer, was brought in to help he managed to use various newspaper archives and social media to broaden the search, eventually receiving a message from Cumbria to put him in touch with Bridget’s daughter, Tracy. Sadly, Bridget died in 2017 but Tracy and the wider family are delighted that she has now been recognised for her GB achievements after all these years"

Click here to read the full story Hiockey Museum - Bridget Cannell - GB Caps Project

Thanks also to Gary Fisher whose been delving into the local archives and in touch with the Hockey Museum to help us piece together the History of Timperley Hockey Hockey Club and Gary has done a great job tracking back early newspaper reports of Timperley Ladies Hockey Club to just before WWI and before Ladies hockey arrived at the Club !

If you'd like to get involved and help research our history please contact Jo Robinson or Shelagh and or have any good ideas for celebrations and reunions in a post covid world we hope we can bring back many former members of our Timperley Hockey Family.

Photo: The Hockey Museum
Bridget Cannell (nee Parkes) - Back Row, 3rd from Right