Underwater hockey in Great Britain
{{Short description|none}}
{{Sport overview
| country = Great Britain
| sport = under hockey
| image = OctopushTwoPlayers28092009.JPG
| imagesize = 250px
| caption = An underwater hockey match during the 2009 Student Nationals in Bangor
| nationalteam = Great Britain
| union = British Octopush Association
| nickname = Octopush
UWH
| first = 1954 in Southsea, Hampshire
| registered =
| national_list = Underwater Hockey World Championships
Underwater Hockey European Championships
| club_list = National Championship
Nautilus
Ladies Championship
Veterans Championship
Student Nationals
Junior Nationals
| countryflag = United Kingdom
}}
Underwater hockey in Great Britain was first played in Southsea, Hampshire where it was invented in 1954.{{cite web |author=Blake, A |title=Octopush: An original name invented on the same night as Octopush an original sport was invented |url=http://octopush.atwebpages.com/fullenglish.htm |access-date=2020-10-16 |archive-date=2020-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814222654/http://octopush.atwebpages.com/fullenglish.htm |url-status=live }} It is governed nationally by the British Octopush Association.
History
Underwater hockey was started by Alan Blake in 1954. Blake was a founder-member of the then newly formed Southsea Sub-Aqua Club, he and other divers including John Ventham, Jack Willis, and Frank Lilleker first played this game in the Guildhall Baths in Portsmouth.{{Cite news|date=1955-03-15|title=First Underwater Swimming Gala|page=8|work=Portsmouth Evening News|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000290/19550315/092/0008|access-date=2021-10-26}} CMAS (the world governing body for underwater hockey) however, still states on its website that the sport originated with the Royal Navy in the same time period.
The first rules were tested in a 1954 two-on-two game and Alan Blake made the following announcement in the November 1954 issue of the British Sub-Aqua Club's then-official magazine Neptune: "Our indoor training programme is getting under way, including wet activities other than in baths, and our new underwater game "Octopush". Of which more later when we have worked out the details"."Round the Branches: It's Back to the Baths", Neptune Vol. 1 No. 3, November 1954. p. 10.
The first underwater hockey competition was a three-way tournament between teams from Southsea, Bournemouth and Brighton underwater hockey clubs in early 1955. Southsea won, and are still highly ranked at national level today winning 20 out of 52 national championships, which have been played annually since 1969.{{cite web |url=http://www.gbuwh.co.uk/index.php?component=page&id=214 |title=The British Octopush Association - History |website=Gbuwh.co.uk |access-date=2018-04-16 |archive-date=2018-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417191838/https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/index.php?component=page&id=214 |url-status=live }}
Great Britain's men's national team played in the first Underwater Hockey World Championships in 1980, finishing as runners-up. Great Britain's women's national team first World Championships appearance was the fifth edition (fourth with a women's tournament) in 1988, resulting in a fourth-place finish.{{Cite web|url=https://uwaterhockeyau.auf.com.au/records/worlds-results/|title=World Championship Results|date=19 April 2012}}
Both men's and women's teams competed in the first edition of the European Championships in 1985, held at Crystal Palace Aquatics Centre, London, with both teams winning gold.{{Cite news |date=1985-06-23 |title=Octopush |pages=39 |work=The Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106163808/octopush/ |access-date=2022-07-23}} The UK hosted the tournament again in 1993, this time at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.{{Cite news |date=2005-06-15 |title=Underwater hockey team look to Worlds |pages=102 |work=Evening Herald |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001730/20050616/740/0102}}{{Cite news |last=Naughton |first=Lindie |date=2005-05-18 |title=Water World |pages=70 |work=Evening Herald |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001730/20050518/432/0070}} In the next edition, in 1995, the women's team claimed a second gold medal in the tournament{{Cite web|url=https://www.physiotherapyinleeds.co.uk/articles/team-member-is-selected-for-world-championships-in-underwater-hockey|title = Team Member is Selected for World Championships in Underwater Hockey}} with a third coming in 2008,{{cite web | url=https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/news/gb-ladies-golden-glory-bulletin-145 | title=GB Ladies Golden Glory (Bulletin 145) | the British Octopush Association }} and a fourth in 2010.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cmas.org/hockey/2010_europian_underwater_hockey_championship.php|title = 13th CMAS Underwater Hockey European Championship}}
Great Britain's first gold medal in the World Championships was in 2002 in the U-19 men's division, with further golds coming in the 2009 and 2011 women's tournament.
The country, hosted its first World Championships in 2006, and its first Junior World Championships in 2019, both at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.{{cite web|title= 2006 - 14th World Underwater Hockey Championship Final - Sheffield, United Kingdom 15th August to 24th August 2006|url=http://www.underwaterhockey-archive.com/UWH-2006-W.htm|publisher= www.underwaterhockey-archive.com |access-date=9 June 2013}}{{cite web|title=2006 CMAS Underwater Hockey World Championships, Sheffield, UK (Official Website) |url=http://www.uwhworlds2006.net/ |publisher=2006 World Championship Committee |access-date=10 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202182204/http://www.uwhworlds2006.net/ |archive-date=December 2, 2008 }}
The sport was badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing the majority of tournaments in 2020 and 2021 cancelled; in addition to 41 clubs out of the 114 registered at the start of the pandemic (36%) folding.Figure achieved using [https://wayback-api.archive.org/ Wayback Machine] on the [https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/clubs BOA Club List], using the number listed clubs on the May 2020 snapshot (114) and the September 2021 snapshot (73).
Today there are 70 clubs registered with the British Octopush Association (68 British and 2 Irish).{{cite web | url=https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/clubs | title=Find a Club | the British Octopush Association }}
Organisation
{{main|British Octopush Association}}
Underwater hockey is govererned nationally in Great Britain by the British Octopush Association (BOA) and has been since 1976. They were recognised as the official governing body for the sport a year later by the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC), governing body for all sub-aqua sport in the United Kingdom, who also still govern the sport but to a limited extended. In 2013, the BOA affiliated itself to BSAC. The BOA runs the Great Britain national team at all levels and is responsible for major national competitions.{{cite web|last=Underwood|first=Cliff|title=How the BOA was formed|url=http://www.gbuwh.co.uk/index.php?component=page&id=206|publisher=British Octopush Association|access-date=14 June 2013}}{{cite web|title=Which sports do we recognise?|url=http://www.sportengland.org/about_us/recognised_sports.aspx|publisher=Sport England|access-date=14 June 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520041023/http://www.sportengland.org/about_us/recognised_sports.aspx|archive-date=20 May 2013}}
=Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland=
Scotland and Wales have their own governing bodies for underwater hockey that work with the BOA, Scottish Underwater Hockey and Underwater Hockey Wales respectively. These organise regional competitions for the respective home nations and also run national teams. However the use of the Scottish and Welsh national teams is limited with the Great Britain side being favoured for the majority of competitions.{{cite web|url=http://www.wasac.co.uk/|title=Welsh Association of Sub Aqua Clubs|publisher=Welsh Association of Sub Aqua Clubs|year=2009|access-date=2009-07-20|work=Welsh Association of Sub Aqua Clubs website}}{{cite web|url=http://www.octopush.wasac.co.uk/|title=Octopush, Welcome to Underwater Hockey and WASAC |publisher=Welsh Association of Sub Aqua Clubs|year=2009|access-date=5 April 2017|work=Welsh Association of Sub Aqua Clubs website|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217034701/http://www.wasac.co.uk/octopush/|archive-date=17 December 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sportwales.org.uk/about-us/how-we-can-help/working-in-partnership/national-governing-bodies-of-sport/ngb-websites.aspx |title=NGB websites:About us:Sport Wales-Chwaraeon Cymru |publisher=Sport Wales |year=2010 |access-date=22 January 2011 |work=Sport Wales -Chwaraeon Cymru website |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213084625/http://www.sportwales.org.uk/about-us/how-we-can-help/working-in-partnership/national-governing-bodies-of-sport/ngb-websites.aspx |archive-date=13 December 2010 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.htcuhw.co.uk/|title=HTC UHW|publisher=Hoci Tanddwr Cymreig Underwater Hockey Wales|year=2008|access-date=2009-07-20|work=Hoci Tanddwr Cymreig Underwater Hockey Wales website}}
Underwater hockey in Ireland operates as part of an all-Ireland basis. Therefore, the control in Northern Ireland is that of Comhairle Fo-Thuinn not the BOA.{{cite web | url=https://sites.google.com/view/uwhireland/home | title=Underwater Hockey Ireland }}
Together with Ireland's Comhairle Fo-Thuinn, Scottish Underwater Hockey, and Underwater Hockey Wales organise the Cetic Cup for national teams of the three nations. The tournament began in 2022.
;Celtic Cup results
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |
| Year
!Venue ! style=background:gold;" | 1st ! style=background:silver;" | 2nd ! style=background:#c96;" | 3rd !4th !5th !6th !Ref. |
|---|
| 2022
|{{flagicon|Wales}}{{flagicon|Pembrokeshire}} |{{flagicon|SCO}} Scotland A |{{flagicon|WAL}} Wales A |{{flagicon|IRE}} Ireland B |{{flagicon|IRE}} Ireland A |{{flagicon|WAL}} Wales B |{{flagicon|SCO}} Scotland B |
| 2023
|{{flagicon|Scotland}}{{flagicon|Orkney}} |colspan="6"{{N/A|Reformatted due to lack of competitors: |https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=818945910239046&id=100063709321638 |
| 2024
|{{flagicon|Ireland}}{{flagicon|Limerick}} |{{flagicon|SCO}} Scotland A |{{flagicon|WAL}} Wales A |{{flagicon|SCO}} Scotland B |Merrows (c) |Belfast (c) |{{N/A}} |https://www.instagram.com/uwhlimerick/p/C8SkMdhMrRV/?img_index=1 |
(c) = club team
Demographics
Of the 68 British clubs associated with the BOA, 56 are English, 8 are Scottish, and 4 are Welsh. 10 of the 68 clubs are student clubs, these clubs are associated with the universities of Aberdeen, Bangor, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Liverpool, Oxford, Sterling, Plymouth, York, and Warwick. In addition, the BOA had three associated Irish clubs.
Competitions
File:Ponds Forge- The 'Theatre of Dreams' (6866303849).jpg, Sheffield regularly hosts major underwater competitions. The Olympic-sized swimming pool can be split into three courts.]]
The BOA operates all major underwater hockey competitions in the UK including the National Championships, Nautilus, Ladies National Championships, Veterans Championship, Student Nationals, and Junior Nationals.{{cite web|title=Competitions|url=http://www.gbuwh.co.uk/index.php?component=page&id=64|publisher=British Octopush Association|access-date=14 June 2013}}{{cite web|title=Welsh & Scottish Championships|url=http://www.gbuwh.co.uk/index.php?component=page&id=66|publisher=British Octopush Association|access-date=14 June 2013|archive-date=21 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821194809/http://www.gbuwh.co.uk/index.php?component=page&id=66|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|last=Underwood|first=Cliff|title=UK OCTOPUSH COMPETITIONS|url=http://www.underwaterhockey-archive.com/UWH-frameset-001.htm|work=underwaterhockey-archive.com/|access-date=14 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602061200/http://www.underwaterhockey-archive.com/UWH-frameset-001.htm|archive-date=2 June 2013|url-status=dead}} Other competitions also run throughout the year.
In the UK, the majority of club competitions are mixed-sex.
Competitions are usually held at the John Charles Centre for Sport in Leeds or Ponds Forge in Sheffield.
=National Championship=
The national championships are a multi round tournament beginning with qualifiers after new year and the finals in late spring or early summer. The winners of the BOA national championships are:{{Cite web |url=https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/page/national-club-championships |title=National Club Championships | the British Octopush Association |access-date=2022-01-11 |archive-date=2022-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111213401/https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/page/national-club-championships |url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/page/competition-results | title=Competition Results | the British Octopush Association }}
| class="wikitable" |
| 2020s
! 2010s ! 2000s ! 1990s ! 1980s ! 1970s ! 1960s |
|---|
| *2024 Southsea
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
=Nautilus Competition=
The Nautilus competition is an annual national mini-league tournament held in the autumn. Winners are:{{Cite web |url=https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/page/nautilus |title=Nautilus | the British Octopush Association |access-date=2022-01-11 |archive-date=2022-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111213839/https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/page/nautilus |url-status=dead }}
| class="wikitable" |
| 2020s
! 2010s ! 2000s ! 1990s ! 1980s |
|---|
*2024 West Wickham
|
|
|
|
|
=Ladies Championship=
The ladies only national championship is usually held in late winter or early spring. Winners are:{{Cite web |url=https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/page/ladies-national-club-championships |title=Ladies National Club Championships | the British Octopush Association |access-date=2022-01-12 |archive-date=2022-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113093043/https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/page/ladies-national-club-championships |url-status=dead }}
| class="wikitable" |
| 2020s
! 2010s ! 2000s ! 1990s ! 1980s |
|---|
*2024 London Ladies
|
|
|
|
|
=Veterans Championship=
=Student Nationals=
British underwater hockey student national were formalised as a BOA event for the first time in 2020. Previous events were informally organised by participating universities, with one university hosting.{{Cite web |url=https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/page/competition-info |title=Competitions Info | the British Octopush Association |access-date=2022-01-11 |archive-date=2022-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111212844/https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/page/competition-info |url-status=dead }} The first formal BOA student nationals was to be held at The Alan Higgs Centre in Coventry before being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequent events have been held at John Charles Centre for Sport in Leeds. Winning universities are:https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/page/student-nationals
| class="wikitable" |
| 2020s
! 2010s ! 2000s |
|---|
*2025 Oxford
|
| |
=Alumni Nationals=
In 2025, an alumni competition was started for graduate teams.
| class="wikitable" |
| 2020s |
|---|
| *2025 Draft |
=Junior Nationals=
==U-21s==
==U-16s==
==U-14s==
==U-12s==
==U-10s==
| class="wikitable" |
| 2020s |
|---|
*2024 No Competition
|
=4s=
=Restart=
A special one-off post COVID-19 restart tournament took place in August 2021 and was won by Southsea.
=Other competitions=
Outside of the above tournaments which are organised by the BOA and form the BOA calendar. A number of other underwater hockey competitions occur in Great Britain on a more local or invitational level. These include, but are not limited to:
- Bristol Tournament – Organised and hosted by Bristol underwater hockey club
- Gowland Cup – Organised and hosted by University of Aberdeen underwater hockey club
- MOT – Organised and hosted by Manchester underwater hockey club at the Manchester Aquatics Centre (currently on hiatus)
- Orkney Tournament – Organised and hosted by Orkney underwater hockey club
- Oxford Winter Tournament – Organised and hosted by the University of Oxford underwater hockey club for student teams in the run up to student nationals
- Shamrock Cup – Organised by Irish underwater hockey but open to British teams
- University hockey at Roses – varsity tournament for Lancaster University and University of York underwater hockey clubs
National team
The BOA currently operate elite, masters, under 24s, and under 19s teams for both the men's and women's Great Britain squads.{{Cite web |url=https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/page/team-gb-squads |title=Team GB | the British Octopush Association |access-date=2022-01-11 |archive-date=2022-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111200917/https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/page/team-gb-squads |url-status=dead }} Training camps are usually held across one weekend in odd numbered months.{{cite web | url=https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/events | title=Events | the British Octopush Association }}
=Current squad=
Squads for the 2023 World Championships{{cite web | url=https://uwhportal.com/events/cmas-2023-21st-cmas-uwh-world-championships?view=tournament | title=21st CMAS UWH World Championships - UWH Portal | date=20 July 2023 }} and 2024 Junior World Championships{{cite web | url=https://uwhportal.com/events/cmas-2024-cmas-6th-underwater-hockey-age-group-world-championship?filters.division=U24W&table-view=placings | title=CMAS 6th Underwater Hockey Age Group World Championship - UWH Portal | date=19 July 2024 }}
| class="wikitable" |
| Men's
!Women's |
|---|
| colspan="2"|Elite |
| 2. Graham Fletcher 3. Matthew Adams 4. Rupert Ironside-Smith 5. Nathan Archer 6. Declan McNulty 7. Matthew Willis (c) 8. Tom Burgess 9. James Christen 10. Tom Pitchforth 11. Ali Monteath (vc) 12. James Finnimore 13. Karol Gyba | 2. Maddy Hollick 3. Sammy Gyba 4. Charlie Cooper 5. Emily McKeown 6. Lauren Dwyer (vc) 7. Rachel Hickey (c) 8. Rona Wignall 9. Alyssa Tremlet 10. Emma Pitchforth 11. Katie Stephens 12. Fiona Maynard 13. Nia Jane Matthews |
| colspan="2"|Masters |
| None Selected
| None Selected |
| colspan="2"|U-24 |
| 2. Toby Curle 3. Will Tarling 4. George Correy 5. Tyreese Norville 6. Declan McNulty (c) 7. Jackson Spry 8. Ben Morgan 9. JJ Hay 10. Emrys Williams 11. Aran Lock 12. Caleb Pullen (vc) 13. Jake Charnock | 2. Ffion Barnikel 3. Esme Glass 4. Jaz Russell 5. Rebecca Fisher 6. Ame Tarling 7. Chloe Edwards (c) 8. Carian Lu 9. Maddy Vasey 10. Nieve McNulty (vc) 11. Lucy Rogers 12. Lauren Omnet 13. Jessica Thompson |
| colspan="2"|U-19 |
| 2. Alfie Copland 3. Mangnus Gowland 4. Lawrence Ndadaye 5. Oliver Herdman 6. Henry Gilbert (c) 7. Dan Wilcock 8. Dan Tomblin 9. Harry Walker 10. Harry Taylor 11. Luke Pascoe 12. Adam Thetford (vc) 13. Christen Vasey | 2. Imogen Foale 3. Isla Crocker 4. Willow Neighbour 5. Harriet Crawford 6. Sophie Redmond (vc) 7. Linaysha Perera 8. Amy Mears 9. Cerys Morgan 10. Grace Croad 11. Tia Cockroft 12. Lily Mae Pettifer (c) 13. Lorna Preston |
=Medal table=
;Underwater Hockey World Championships
| class="wikitable" | ||||||||
| {{efn|References: For Pre-2015:{{cite web | url=https://uwaterhockeyau.auf.com.au/records/worlds-results/ | title=World Championship Results | date=19 April 2012 }} For 2013:https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/news/18th-world-championships-summary-bulletin-231 For 2011:https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/news/golden-girls-yet-again!-bulletin-206 For 2009:https://www.gbuwh.co.uk/news/boa-bulletin-172;-congratulations-to-gb-squads-in-slovenia}} ! colspan="2"| Men's Elite ! colspan="2"| Women's Elite ! colspan="2"| Men's Masters ! colspan="2"| Women's Masters ! colspan="2"| Men's U-24 ! colspan="2"| Women's U-24 ! colspan="2"| Men's U-19 ! colspan="2"| Women's U-19 ! T | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{gold1}}
| || 0 |2009, 2011 || 2 | || 0 | || 0 | || 0 | || 0 |2002 || 1 | || 0 ! 3 | ||||||||
| {{silver2}}
|1980, 1990 || 2 |2013, 2018 || 2 |1994, 1998, 2016 || 3 |2006 || 1 | || 0 | || 0 |2004, 2006 || 2 |2004, 2006 || 2 ! 12 | ||||||||
| {{bronze3}}
|1984, 2009, 2016, 2023 || 4 |1994 || 1 |1996, 2002, 2013 || 3 |2013 || 1 |2019, 2024 || 2 |2013, 2015 || 3 |2017, 2019 || 2 | || 0 ! 16 | ||||||||
| T | colspan="2"| 6 | colspan="2"| 5 | colspan="2"| 6 | colspan="2"| 2 | colspan="2"| 2 | colspan="2"| 2 | colspan="2"| 5 | colspan="2"| 2
! 30 |
;Underwater Hockey European Championships
{{expand section|with=any medals prior to 2008|date=January 2022}}
Tournaments hosted
| class="wikitable" |
| Event
!Location |
|---|
| 1985 European Championships
|Crystal Palace Aquatics Centre, London |
| 1993 European Championships
|rowspan="3"|Ponds Forge, Sheffield |
| 2006 World Championships |
| 2019 Junior World Championships |
Notes
{{notelist}}