A CHELMSLEY Wood hockey fanatic who has made the tough calls at World Cups and European Championships is celebrating a decade as a referee.
Graham Reynolds has probably seen it all – as he has officiate grassroots matches for under-10s through to over-80s, and even officiating at the Grand Masters Hockey World Cup in Barcelona, and the Grand Masters European Cup in Glasgow.
The 51-year-old’s stint has also seen him officiate a successful Guinness World Record attempt for the most amount of players used in a hockey game, which totalled 367 players during an eight-hour match.
The former goalkeeper for Olton and West Warwickshire Hockey Club, said: “I love hockey – to the point where I now use all of my annual leave to dedicate time to officiating the sport.
“The older age brackets are going from strength-to-strength, which is great to see, and I am regularly asked to officiate these games, where the pace may not be as quick, but the skill certainly is.
“I recently umpired a match in Kent between England over-80s against the Netherlands – of which the oldest player was 89 – and I’ve been invited back to officiate their re-match in The Hague next year.
“Hockey has taken me to some wonderful places across the globe where I have made some great friends both playing and officiating, and for anyone interested in taking up the sport I would recommend visiting the England Hockey website.
“I have no plans to hang up my whistle just yet, and I’m very much looking forward to another ten years.”
